Got your New Years plans locked in? It looks like New Bohemia NYE at the Armory is where Bay Area Burners will be gathering to see in 2016. Production crews Opel & Vau de Vire are bringing out a combination of the best Burning Man talent to support like Opulent Temple, Distrikt, Dusty Rhino + Flaming Lotus Girls, Michael Christian, Kinetic Steamworks, the Scumfrog and Stanton Warriors.
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There is no dress code—the sky’s the limit on your creativity. That being said, New Bohemia is a themed NYE party where participants are encouraged to snazz up and get in the spirit of the cross section of worlds we are creating and bringing together inside The Armory. Not a hippy-paisley Bohemia mind you, but more along the lines of the Burning Man playa meets Moulin Rouge. A kinky, naughty twist is A-OK and encouraged, but, as much as we hate to say it, no outright nudity.
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Sorry, shirt-cockersporky piggers. This is not the party for you.
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If you haven’t seen a Vau de Vire Society show before, you’ve been missing out. This is from last year:
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Here’s what the promoters have to say on Facebook:
New Bohemia NYE 2016 is the 3rd Annual NYE’s event at the iconic Armory. It is, and has always been designed to be a special and co-created destination, bringing together the best of the avant garde and underground creative worlds of the Bay Area. A world like no other. You’re invited to part the velvet red curtains to find an SF twist on those timeless bohemian values of Truth, Beauty, Love and Freedom. Deeper, and higher into this castle find cutting edge sounds, SF’s most dynamic music collectives and the synergy of intentional revelry on the precipice of a new year.
Poets and performers, aerialists and DJ’s, burlesque dancers and live painters, acrobats and absinthe hawkers, Art Cars and visual treats, crimson busts and decadent costumes; are all to be found in different markets, plazas, private upstairs chambers and titillating dark corners and streets inside New Bohemia NYE.
We have amazing music, but we don’t go ‘mega headliners’, because we’re much more interested in creating a community based spectacle of art and talents amongst friends and the amazing people of our circle of friends. And – we wanted to keep the ticket prices accessible for a party this big and offering so much on NYE. . The curtain is raising again on the show worth getting excited about New Years Eve. Let’s ring it in together.
YES – we’re totally aware of of some of the previous venue kinks (pun intended) around lines, seating options, bathrooms, and security. Trust us that we care A LOT about making sure that even the things we don’t have total control over is 100% right for you on NYE. Our goal is to get you inside as fast as possible and enjoy an evening with friends in a World Like No Other and that everything clicks at a high standard all night. It’s a huge priority and you’ll be able to tell.
One of the VIP packages lets you take advantage of the Armory’s dual role as head (cough) quarters for kink.com, with your own film set to do with as you see fit…
What’s a Burner party like without Burning Man? Come along and find out…
The man behind the idea has never been to Burning Man. Does that make him a pre-Burner?
The musical is the brainchild of Matt Werner, a 30-year-old New York City-based Google employee who has never been to Burning Man. This year will be his first.
The Oakland, Calif. native — a former “hacker house” resident and a friend to many Silicon Valley hipster techies — admits that he sees the irony: A virgin Burner orchestrates a musical version of the world’s favorite desert Utopian festival that he has never been to.
His own story seems to be a little bit reflected in the plot of the unborn musical. The story line focuses on a 25-year old techie named Joe who lives in San Francisco and commutes down to Silicon Valley.
Joe goes to Burning Man one year and it disappoints initially.
Who wants to dance with a sparkle pony, right?
“His lofty ambitions to network with high-powered executives are not met. Between getting dumped by his girlfriend, dancing with sparkle ponies, and nearly dying while on a vision quest in the desert, he reaches a real low,” according to Werner’s web page.
“In the midst of this low, the acceptance, connection, and playfulness he experiences at Burning Man make him start to question his past life of ambition and power in Silicon Valley. The sharing economy and free spirits he meets in the desert make him wonder--is his real mission in life just to make money? Or is it maybe to authentically connect with others and help others?” the synopsis reads.
Q: Are you going to be critical at all of Burning Man and its direction? Is this just about a trip to Burning Man, about Burning Man? Or is it about Burning Man and its direction today?
I’m using “Book of Mormon” as a model. It does satirize the Mormon faith, but it does celebrate it too. It’s laughing with them, and not at them. It is going to be a satirical piece. It’s going to be a musical comedy. I mean, people recognize the absurdity of the festival. It is going to be a celebration of the values, and about the conflict between Silicon Valley and Black Rock City.
Q: Which side of that conflict are you on?
For me, I live in multiple worlds. I’ve worked at Google for five years, but I’m going to go to Burning Man. What is interesting to me, this notion of utopia. Some people I know, they believe that technology will solve all the world’s problems. Then there’s this other version of utopia, where we’re really in tune with ourselves. What I think is fascinating is seeing these worlds collide. I’ve lived in both of them. I used to live with these Russian programmers living in this “hacker house” pad. But we’ve had these really deep, meaningful conversations about all of this. Some of the media depictions have really hammed up the influence of these guys.
Q: So, do these techies come back changed people? Can you be a Google guy, or a tech savant, and be a true Burner too?
If you’re a billionaire, can you really say you’re a Burner? I really don’t know. Working at Google, the co-founders, they’ve all been to Burning Man. Some of the Silicon Valley people that go — some of the guys, they’re going to hook up with girls, and do drugs, and dance. There’s others who are radically transformed, and who do decide to find other work. I don’t have a statement I am trying to make: Silicon Valley, bad; Burning Man, good, or vice versa
There’s a conflict between Silicon Valley and Black Rock City? Could’ve fooled me. But perhaps that is the ironic premise for this Big Farce. Donate here if you want to find out.
Indie festival lovers and future bass hippies from all walks of life know about The Lucent Dossier Experience. Their mind blowingly visual and artistic genius is in a constant state of evolution and makes them a must see at every festival they perform at even if you’ve just seen them a few weeks ago. For their latest musical endeavor, they’ve crafted a truly epic and beautiful track that is just one of the many that will be on their next full length album…we are are beyond excited to be able to premiere this new single for free download today. Epic horn stabs, a heavy atmosphere, and exotic instruments blend perfectly with a glitchy, digital grittiness that only the minds at Lucent Dossier can concoct.
Lucent Dossier are starting their tour with the first shows of the year in Los Angeles and San Francisco:
Their “Cuddle The World Foundation” shares a lot of love:
CONTRIBUTE TO CUDDLE THE WORLD FOUNDATION!
Please contribute to our Cuddle The World Foundation! Cuddle The World distributes love, inspirational toys, cuddle blankets and teddy bears to children in basic care orphanages and institutions around the world.
