Rl Steampunk Steampunk In Myspace

Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band, one of the many Steampunk musical stylings in the genre’s corner of Myspace

Bit of a busy time in RL, but aside from the usual circumstances, I had an odd encounter last week, which led me down the proverbial rabbit hole to a different Steampunk realm. As I was viewing emails, I received a request via Myspace from a French Steampunk Metal band (?)! Wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, so I followed it, and after listening to a bit of the musical offerings by the musicians, decided that it wasn’t quite my choice in musical stylings.On a whim, however, I entered Steampunk on the general Myspace search, and was surprised at how much the genre has grown on Myspace. Seems to be about a 40/30/30 divide, between Steampunk enthusiasts, musical groups, and Esty crafters.The individuals who follow the genre tend to be quite civil, and focused upon perpetuating the genre, including writing their own backgrounds regarding their online nom–de-plume. Interestingly, many backstories tend to be related to famous individuals – understandable to frame a genre, but working on a more original history seems to demonstrate more effort in creativity (e.g. see Dr. Mason I believe by now he needs his own Wikipedea for his adventures)! A few other examples that I found entertaining are…On the musical front, there are a good number of smaller bands on the scene, though the big names in Steampunk music (e.g. Abney Park, Dr. Steel, and of course, Mr. Vernian Process) are also present. Nonetheless, one can easily find groups that are the proverbial gems with a bit of effort. Their websites tend to be better designed than individual’s sites (personal sites can range from very impressive to ouch, your page is making me squint in pain, madam or sir! Personally, I located a few that have caught my ear, so to speak, including:

Waves Under Water A Swedish Steampunk New Wave/Electro/Goth band
http://www.myspace.com/wavesunderwater

Sidestreet Reny A Pacific Northwest Blues/Roots/Folk duo
http://www.myspace.com/sidestreetreny

Voltaire A soloist who specializes in Acoustic and Alternative music
http://www.myspace.com/voltairenycFinally, Myspace is a popular means for Steampunk Crafters to display their commercial (and personal) endeavors for the general Steampunk public. I was surprised at how many were there were, and of course, how many were associated with Esty (a small online business center, with a number of merchants). There is quite a variety of goods to see (and purchase, if the fancy strikes), and a few sites I do particularly like are:

Empire Steamworks – an emporium which make RL Steampunk accessories
http://www.myspace.com/empiresteamworks

Steamgear Labs – RL creations and designs
http://www.myspace.com/steamgearlab

and the aforementioned Esty Steam Team – a plethora of Steampunk merchants at one one localehttp://www.myspace.com/etsysteamteam

Well, this is a simple introduction to what I have found in the Myspace Steampunk circles. Do be aware of the scams and lavacious corners of Myspace (I have already been propositioned to watch a young lady via her web-cam ), but do take a moment and look you never know what you might find! Also, if you are at a loss where to start, a simple search for Steampunk is a start, at:

http://www.myspace.com/or do feel free to try my own locale, as I have added a few personages from the Steampunk corners, at:http://www.myspace.com/rafael_fabre
(yes, I know I need a new photo, but the old one will do for now)!Good luck and good exploring!