I just got back from the GeekGirlCon ‘15 Kickoff Party and Concert, featuring the Portland-based supergroup the Thundering Broadsides—uh, I mean, the PDX Broadsides and the Thundering Asteroids, who are normally totally separate bands, but this time ended the night in an Avengers-style teamup. But more on that later!
One great thing about nerd concerts, and GeekGirlCONcerts in particular, is that you can get melodic folkish bands with complex harmonies (like the PDX Broadsides) and high-energy punk (like the Thundering Asteroids) in the same lineup, all in a relaxed atmosphere where kids of all ages can hang out, alternating between board games, dancing, and some high-quality muppet flailing.
Join us from 6pm for the kick-off party and get ready for our convention! There will be free food with a cash bar, and you can skip the line on con day and pick up your badge right there. Then, at 8:30pm we’ll have our GeekGirlCONcert! Groove along as the PDX Broadsides and Thundering Asteroids! take the stage. Our event is all-ages, so feel free to bring the whole family.
This event is only for GeekGirlCon ’15 badge holders or by special invitation, so if you want to come and celebrate with us, you’ll need to have a pass. They’re expected to sell out before the weekend, so make sure you buy yours today!
October is our favorite month of the year! Why? Because that’s when GeekGirlCon is on, of course! But there are also plenty of other awesome geeky events on throughout the month, check them out here:
The GeekGirlCONcert has always been a highlight of convention weekend, and this year we decided to go all-out and celebrate our fifth annual convention with a combo Kick-Off Party and concert to start the weekend off with a bang!
When: Friday, October 9, 6pm-8pm Kick-Off Party, 8:30pm-10:30pm GeekGirlCONcert
Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Downtown Seattle, 116 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
GeekGirlCon’15 is coming up FAST. October 10 and 11, 2015 is only about four and a half months away, and we are kicking things into high gear. Our special events, such as our annual GeekGirlCONcert, our closing celebration, costume contest, and our Friday night Kick-Off event have been some of the most popular attractions of the con. This year we want YOU to be a part of it–and TONIGHT is the deadline for applications, so your time for procrastination is over!
GeekGirlCon is looking for the following for our GeekGirlCONcert, our closing celebration Sunday night, and potentially other events throughout the con:
Musicians
Stand up comedians
Hosts and MCs
Professional speakers
Performers
Improvisational actors
Slam poets
Cosplay and fashion show judges
Entertainers of all kinds
GeekGirlCon is committed to representing women geeks of all ages, races, sexual orientations, gender identities, creeds, physical and mental abilities, and familial statuses. Performers and special guests must reflect this commitment as well.
Please fill out the form on this page to indicate your interest. All questions can be directed to maddy@geekgirlcon.com.
Submissions are open until 11:59PM PST on Friday, May 15–and that’s TONIGHT.
Written by GeekGirlCon’s Special Events Manager Maddy Vonhoff
Our special events, such as our annual GeekGirlCONcert, our closing celebration, costume contest, and our Friday night Kick-Off event have been some of the most popular attractions of the con! Past GeekGirlCon performers and special guests have included former astronaut Wendy Lawrence, The Doubleclicks, Molly Lewis, SAMMUS (check out our 2013 interview!), and Unwoman. This year, GeekGirlCon’15 will take place on the weekend of October 10 and 11, 2015 at The Conference Center at the WSCC in downtown Seattle and we want YOU to be a part of it!
and entertainers of all kinds to take part in our GeekGirlCONcert, our closing celebration Sunday night, and potentially other events throughout the con.
We are looking to diversify our performances, speakers, and musical genres from previous years, so don’t be afraid to apply, even if it is not something we have seen or heard at GeekGirlCon before. We’re especially looking for talent that reflects and appreciates the mission of our convention – to promote, celebrate, educate, mentor, encourage, and empower the female geek. Don’t want to apply but know someone who is a great fit? Please pass along this form to them!
Do you have to be a woman to apply?
No, although woman performers and special guests are highly encouraged! GeekGirlCon is committed to representing women geeks of all ages, races, sexual orientations, gender identities, creeds, physical and mental abilities, and familial statuses. All performers must reflect this commitment as well.
Do performers and special guests get discounted badges?
All performers and special guests are eligible for comped badges if they are performing or participating in special events at the convention.
Submissions are open until 11:59PM PST on Friday, May 15.
Please fill out the form here to indicate your interest. All questions and suggestions can be directed to the Manager of Special Events, Maddy Vonhoff, at maddy@geekgirlcon.com. Thank you for your interest and we will be in touch shortly!
Join us at the GeekGirlCONcert Saturday night for a jam-packed variety of awesome geeky musical talent! Our annual GeekGirlCONcert brings the best of music and musical comedy to you, and this year, there is something for everyone in this lineup of returning favorites and brand new talent.
Details and cheat codes:
Date: Saturday, October 11
Where: GeekGirlCon’ 14 at The Conference Center at WSCC, Room 301/302
The Doubleclicks are a nationally-touring, Billboard charting nerd band with a cello, a meowing cat keyboard, and songs about dinosaurs, Cats & Netflix, space and Dungeons and Dragons. Their YouTube videos boast over 2 million views and have been featured on BoingBoing, Kotaku, the Huffington Post, and on NPR shows “Live Wire” “All Things Acoustic” and “State of Wonder.” Find out more.
Sammus
Sammus
Sammus is an upstate New York-based rap artist and producer with Congolese and Ivorian family roots. Since joining NuBlack Music Group in early 2012, she has released two albums, a collaborative EP with nerdcore MC Random aka Mega Ran, a beat tape, and a Kickstarter-funded Metroid EP. Her production is characterized by uniquely chopped samples, and video game-like synths. She has been called the “rap Aisha Tyler” (MTV Iggy) because her smart lyrics often draw on her love of gaming. When she’s not rapping, she moonlights as a PhD student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Thundering Asteroids!
Thundering Asteroids! is a nerd punk band from Portland, Oregon performing for the first time at GeekGirlCon! They have been beating the Kobayashi Maru with over-caffeinated power chords since 2009. With topics ranging from sexy lamps to goblin kings and from superheroes to kill screens, their geek badges are proudly emblazoned on their sleeves. Minn and the boys crank the D10 to 11 as they rocket through space leaving a trail of video game cartridges and blown speakers in their space wake.
The Doubleclicks and Marian Call performing together at GeekGirlCONcert ’13
GeekGirlCon will take place on the weekend of October 11 and 12, 2014 at the the Conference Center at the WSCC in downtown Seattle. Our special night time events, such as our annual GeekGirlCONcert on Saturday, and our Closing Celebration on Sunday, always bring the best of music and comedy to you. In recent years, these stellar lineups of geeky entertainment have normally sold out and been one of the most popular attractions of the con. Past GeekGirlCon performers have included Marian Call, The Doubleclicks, Molly Lewis, and Unwoman.
This year we want YOU to be a part of it! GeekGirlCon is looking for musicians, stand-up comedians, performers, improvisation actors, slam poets, and entertainers of all kinds to take part in our GeekGirlCONcert, our closing celebration Sunday night, and potentially other events throughout the con.
We are looking to diversify our performances and musical genres from previous years, so don’t be afraid to apply, even if it is not something we have seen or heard at GeekGirlCon before. We’re especially looking for talent that reflects and appreciates the mission of our convention – to promote, celebrate, educate, mentor, encourage, and empower the female geek. Not a performer but know someone who is? Please pass along this form to them!
Do you have to be a woman to apply?
No, although woman performers are highly encouraged! GeekGirlCon is committed to representing women geeks of all ages, races, sexual orientations, gender identities, creeds, physical and mental abilities, and familial statuses. All performers must reflect this commitment as well.
Do performers get discounted badges?
All performers are eligible for a discounted weekend pass!
Submissions are open until 11:59PM PST on Friday, August 29.
Please fill out the form here to indicate your interest. All questions and suggestions can be directed to maddy@geekgirlcon.com. Thank you for your interest and we will be in touch shortly!
What an amazing weekend! While we must part ways for the time being, we had such a good time at our third annual convention. Thank you to all those who participated by attending, presenting panels and workshops, volunteering, through Facebook and Twitter, and reading our blog posts. We sold out online prior to doors open and of physical passes at the door and in stores during the convention. All weekend we trended at the top of the local Seattle Twitter!
photo by Danny Ngan
photo by Sayed Alamy
We enjoyed your cosplay and the Costume Contest was made fantastic through your contributions! Choosing the top contestants was a difficult decision, but it came down to the Snow White for True-To-Form, Best Group included the Hook characters, and Nariko received the Best Use of Materials. And those of you who went out of the box for the cosplay were a marvelous addition, such as Gears of War Kitty, who was selected as Best Individual Cosplay. The children really stole the show! I saw Darth McKenna roving the floor this year and being the star of many photos. As always, we are appreciative of the 501st Legion attending for attendees’ photographs.
photo by Ryan Roehrich
photo by Danny Ngan
photo by Danny Ngan
photo by Ryan Roehrich
photo by Danny Ngan
Our gaming floor and DIY Science Zone were both huge hits! The DIY Science Zone had so many cool things to do for kids of all ages. We hope you were able to discuss acids and bases or make your own slime or complete any of the other of the activities in the Zone that attendees said MUST RETURN!
photo by Ryan Roehrich
photo by Danny Ngan
The GeekGirlConnections room enjoyed a lot of visitors, the Artist Alley was constantly doing business, and the Exhibitors Hall flowed with people. The Gaming floor was hopping!
photo by Ryan Roehrich
photo by Danny Ngan
photo by Danny Ngan
photo by Ryan Roehrich
In case anybody thinks those of us stuck in the Agents room to man the internets and provide behind-the-scenes support don’t have any fun, never fear! We are privy to such statements as “There’s someone stuck in a Dalek!? Do we need a giraffe?!” Our Reaction Team was attired in giraffe ears. They were there to help you have a safe con. If you didn’t notice them or need them, that was great, but if you did feel their presence, thank you for using the resource we provided. If you needed a place to decompress for a bit, the Introvert Alley was the place for you, and many took advantage of this room.
photo by Sayed Alamy
To support you during the con, the staff drank gallons upon gallons of coffee and consumed pounds upon pounds of kale.
photo by Sayed Alamy
If I say so myself (I’m in Marketing not in Programming, so I should be absolved of self-interest), all of our panels were super unique and wonderful. Attendees expressed excitement about our panels. The time flew by and so many could have easily gone on another hour! It ranged from the very academic ‘The Study of Fandom’ to the fun ‘Craft Wars’. Rob Salkowitz appeared on a panel ‘Changing Culture in Mainstream and Alternative Spaces’ which got a lot of chatter. #1ReasonWhy panel also made trending in Seattle. I was “simultaneously heartbroken and radically inspired by these stories” said @suizilla. Keep your eye on the blog in the coming months to learn more about panels presented at GeekGirlCon ‘13.
photo by Ryan Roehrich
photo by Danny Ngan
Not only did we have the awesomeness of four opportunities to gather with geeks on Friday night, we had our annual GeekGirlCONcert with Unwoman, Bri Pruett, and Marian Call. The Doubleclicks and Molly Lewis set up ninja concerts on the first floor of the conference center on Sunday. The activity continued on Sunday with Unwoman and a number of other musicians.
photo by Sayed Alamy
photo by Sayed Alamy
photo by Sayed Alamy
photo by Ryan Roehrich
photo by Ryan Roehrich
Did you get to attend the Spotlight on Karen Prell and Red Fraggle? The photo op with them on the 2nd floor on Sunday was a fan favorite. Laughs and ‘awws’ were heard all around the floor.
Sunday evening closed out with the Ladies of the 80s Sing-A-Long. Clinton McClung, a program programmer who plans film and event screenings for SIFF Cinema and has worked with GeekGirlCon events in the past, planned an hour long We Got the Beat event for us! We started out strong with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. Eleven songs later, a dance party started in the room to Dee-Lite’s Groove is in the Heart, and the last song played was Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler.
Our closing celebration was simple – Jennifer K. Stuller, Director of Programming and Events, introduced our Executive Director, Amanda Powter, who spoke briefly, thanking our community for your support. Then, the Double Clicks played Nothing to Prove.
photo by Adrienne Roehrich
We are thrilled you enjoyed our convention. We will have another one next year.
What were your favorite parts of our convention? What did you like, and what can we improve? Don’t forget to complete the post-con survey because we want to hear from you!
Written by Adrienne M. Roehrich, Manager of Editorial Services
