The Nightmare Before Halloween

The main event at DogCon IV will be the Nightmare Before Halloween, a night of visual art–provided by Kristen Margiotta and Steven Archer–readings by the authors of Dog Star Books and Raw Dog Screaming Press, an awards ceremony, and music by Stoneburner. This is a free all ages event to be held at The Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art.

Housed at 531 N 12th St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19123 in the historic Finney & Son building, a former showroom for tombstones and mausoleums that dates back to 1865, The Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art, also known as PhilaMOCA, is a multipurpose art space that proudly showcases the best in underground, alternative, and DIY culture with a concentration on film and performance. It is located in the notorious industrial Eraserhood where David Lynch filmed his feature film debut Eraserhead.

In addition to a live performance by iconic author, illustrator, and musician Steven Archer under the moniker of Stoneburner, this event will feature the RDSP debut from the equally prolific and well known author, photographer, and musician Andy Deane: All the Darkness in the World. More information about both Andy Deane and Steven Archer can be found below.

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Stoneburner is the solo project from Steven Archer that combines tribal fusion electronic dance music with experimental sounds. Steven Archer is a multifaceted musician, artist, and writer.  He is best known for his work with the electronic rock band Ego Likeness (Metropolis Records) as well has is abstract electronica project ::Hopeful Machines::.  His music has been used in several feature sound tracks including the recent award winning documentary Small Small Thing. He has also been commissioned to score a video for NASA on the upcoming OSIRIS-REx mission.

Stoneburner is his vision of the music and philosophy of Frank Herbert’s “Dune” book series. It fuses traditional organic instruments and vocals from all over the world with modern electronic dance music in an attempt to tap into the books technological-tribal aesthetic. His hope is that the project will do justice to the novel’s vision of Arrakis and it’s warrior inhabitants.
Live shows are intense and fluid, consisting of multimedia video projections and often incorporate tribal fusion belly dance troupes.

He has written and illustrated several books available on Amazon.com as well as freelance art for several publishers including Weird Tales magazine. His artwork and jewelry can be purchased from the Ego Likeness etsy store.

More information can be found on the Ego Likeness website or on the Ego Likeness Wikipedia page.

Andy Deane is a modern renaissance man, having found success as a musician, a horror author, and most recently as a photographer. He has recently given stand-up comedy a shot, and enjoys making people laugh uncomfortably. He was raised on a steady diet of horror films from the time he figured out what a drive-in theater was, and despite his constant ear to ear grin he never lost his love for art that dares to peer in to darker places.

Music was Andy’s first love, and his career began early in high school with the formation of his first metal band. Shortly after graduating he completed 5 years of operatic vocal training. He cofounded Bella Morte in 1996 and has since released 7 albums and 2 EPs with the band. They have been touring the world performing for legions of devoted fans the entire time, and show no signs of slowing down. In 2013 Metropolis Records released “The Best Of Bella Morte (1996-2012)” celebrating the first 17 years of their dark, diverse catalogue of sounds. A new Bella Morte album will hit shelves in 2014. Andy’s prolific musical career doesn’t stop with there. He has also released a synth-pop album under the moniker The Rain Within, and a post-punk album as Brighter Fires. Both projects have sophomore albums slated for release in 2014.

Andy recently wrapped up work on the soundtrack for the upcoming remake of the classic B-Movie film Plan 9 From Outer Space for Darkstone Entertainment. Andy’s outlet for his other soundtrack/ambient work is Small Precious Lights, a project he launched in early 2014.

Andy scored his first publishing deal without the help of an agent after several long, frustrating hours perusing the “how to get an agent” books at his local bookstore. His stories have a unique southern voice with a blood-red splash of dark humor thrown in the mix. Much of his first novel (The Sticks, Delirium Books, 2009) was written while passing long miles between gigs on the road with Bella Morte. Since finishing The Sticks, Andy has completed a novella (The Third House, Thunderstorm Books, 2010), a novel (All The Darkness In The World, Thunderstorm Books, 2011), and a second novella (No Turning Back, DarkFuse, 2012).

Photography is another art that Andy has grown passionate about, and touring the world has provided plenty of locations to snap haunting images. His work manages to be nostalgic, tortured, and beautiful at the same time. His first run of prints sold out in under a month, and he has found continued success online and at conventions.

Andy was born in Charlottesville, Virginia and figures he’ll be buried there someday.

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Join us on the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/510418569134969/ for updates as they are posted.