The adventure is about to begin!
This weekend hanging with hoards of my favorite peoples at Alternacirque’s Festival of Doom!
- should be noted: Repub. Pres. hopefuls congregating at the same time. coincidence?

Next week, hitting the road w/ my beloved Accidental Circus family for our 10th Anniversary.

• Wednesday!  Accidental Circus & Bombs Away Cabaret! One Night Only! in Asheville (Also Paul Garbanzo’s Birthday!) @ The Magnetic Fields Theatre

• Thursday! Charleston, SC w/ Opening the show will be Charleston’s own Whisky Diablo and burlesque beauties Evelyn DeVere and Plume de Paname of Carnivalesque. @Jimbo’s Rock Lounge

• Friday!  Saturday: St. Pete, FL Suncoast Burlesque Festival!

Impending doom indeed!  Will there be any survivors?
dun dun duuuuuunnnnnnn

The UkeCordionPocalypse “I Hate Snowmen” holiday song by mabjustmab

It’s been a heck of a year!  And true to my prediction, it really was the year of Gigs!  I averaged nearly 2 gigs a week all year long!

I’ve decided to dedicate my December to work on my acts, write new routines, learn new skills and generally level up! To that end, I’ve only a handful of gigs this month.  I have to confess, it was super hard to turn down work!  But 2012 will be even better for taking this time off!

So, where can you find me this month? I’ll tell you!

DECEMBER 17th – 8:30pm at the Rainbow Cactus in Virginia Beach

http://www.facebook.com/events/178143952277082/

Let Entice: A Twisted Tease Burlesque Production: tickle your feathers with cheeky burlesque, snake tease belly dance and vintage sideshow circus shenanigans. Watch our gorgeous honeys knock themselves out for your entertainment pleasure! We’ll throw in the titillation in for free! Come be Enticed! There is a vaudevillian star studded cast in this show!  I can’t wait to head out and visit with everyone.

You can get your tickets online here: http://www.serenitytribal.com/

DECEMBER 30th – Accidental Circus & Friends Holiday ExtravaganzApocalypse

We are coming to Richmond, VA!  it’s a NYE EVE show!  that way, you can get a great show and still go to the NYE parties!  we care. ^_^

Friday, December 30, 2011 8:00pm until 11:30pm

Special guests: Deanna Danger & Khalima of Richmond!

Celebrate the looming 2012 apocalypse in Richmond, VA, with The Accidental Circus & Friends, and world music mayhem-nists the Day Late & Dollar Shorkestra! It…’s an evening of Darwinism in Action, Poisonous Wit & Luscious Cabaret, followed by a full contact world circus music dance party hoedown.

Basically, folks are flocking to RVA from everywhere for New Year’s, and we just HAD to do a show while we are all in town!

As ever, the Circus promises timeless cabaret in spangly new pants, with danger and humor, beauty and song, and weird social commentary ~ all in the first act.

Come ogle the
●Ringleader & Juggler extraordinaire Paolo Garbanzo, fresh from filming for his new reality TV series “World Wide Show-off”, is the first & only American to be an official Jester of a European
castle. Touring Europe and the US, he now lives in Richmond, and presents original comedic material in three languages.
Historical, hysterical, & interactive, Paulo leads the AC as Benevolent Dictator for Life.

●Mab Just Mab, DC’s Sideshow Girl, combines artistry and human endurance. A glasswalker, escape artist, and world record holding blockhead, she is the tenured freak at DC’s notorious
sideshow venue & museum, The Palace of Wonders. Mab has been featured in several documentaries and books on the sideshow revival, and is a pillar of the Cheeky Monkey Sideshow.

●The Mezmer Society demonstrates to the general public that, after a 60 year hiatus, it is once more permissible to dance to an accordion. Hard-riding highwaymen of mayhem, they missionize
the Mezmer gospel throughout the States. Bellydance, torchsongs, & sinister accordionism are blended at high speed into a tall, cool, glass of delicious & intoxicating performance.

●Sidetracked’s two-woman bowls the crowd over with high-integrity, rapid-fire, two-person comedic storytelling. They’re rejuvenate the classic Vaudeville genre… with badass sensibility.

●Darbuka Dave is the Juggernaut of Comedy, a genetic freak, & a brilliant percussionist who
travels the country, teaching & performing to thrilled & nauseated audiences of every caliber.

AND FRIENDS: Delicious Richmond artists of every flavor are being recruited for this event. Think circus arts, burlesque, music & more.

AND to rock us into the night, all the way from their orbit of Hotlanta, the Day Late & Dollar Shorkestra, with a danceable mix of Balkan, Turkish, and high powered live action party music.

Bring your loved ones to dazzle them. Bring your enemies because, well, anything is possible when 5 knives are in the air…

Get your tickets here!

DECEMBER 31st! NYE Red Palace Ball Drop!

The Palace is my home, so come on over to my place to enjoy a star studded night of …well, the kind of fun you can only get at the Red Palace.

BALL DROP

Burlesque & Variety New Year’s Eve Blowout Bash at the
Red Palace

Red Palace, 1212 H Street NE, Washington DC
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Doors at 8 pm
Shows at 9, 10, & 11
Ball Drop at midnight
Dance Party until closing!

$30 (adv. @ www.redpalacedc.com)/$40 (door)

Step right up, Ladies & Gentlemen, for a New Year’s Eve spectacular at the only
vaudeville stage, oddity museum, and full bar in the world! BALL DROP features
bodacious burlesque babes, death-defying novelty acts, twisted sideshow oddities, quirky
musical surprises, go-go dancing, and an all-night dance party! After a sold out 2010,
2011′s second annual BALL DROP at the Red Palace is bigger and brighter, starring
talent from around the country, local favorites, and you!

All the way from San Francisco, our Master of Ceremonies for the evening’s debauchery
is none other than the world famous Scotty the Blue Bunny! Starring “burlesque expert”
(NY1 & Big Think), Dr. Lucky (NYC); the criminally cute burlesque beauty, Lil’ Steph
(Philadelphia); award-winning pop sensation Pop (NYC) of Gigi & Pop on ukulele;
circus artistry from Miss Joule (DC) of Tilted Torch; amazing sideshow thrills from
Mab Just Mab (DC) of the Cheeky Monkey Sideshow; and neo-burlesque and variety
fun from Paco Fish and Marla Meringue (Baltimore) of Sticky Buns Burlesque. With
New York City’s “Best Dressed DJ,” DJ Momotaro, spinning the party tunes all night
long.

Websites:
Event: http://www.facebook.com/events/325350950812763/
Producer: www.doctorofburlesque.com
Venue: http://redpalacedc.com
Performers:
Scotty the Blue Bunny: www.scottybunny.com
Gigi & Pop: www.gigiandpop.com
Dr. Lucky: www.doctorofburleque.com
Miss Joule: www.missjoule.com
Mab Just Mab: www.mabjustmab.com
Li’ Steph: www.lilsteph.com
Paco Fish: www.pacfish.net
Marla Meringue: www.marlaparker.com

*not bad for taking the month off, eh?

While this started as a Moonshine Cabaret show, only two of the regular acts were available. (the rest were rocking out in europe or jet setting in history).  So, it became something else.    Something Different!  SOMETHING TASTY!
The Slomski Brothers were in the middle of their tour with the fabulous Judy Chops.  So I grabbed them all and put them on stage!
While writing up the act description, I realized everyone had a little nod to food!  And so the show became: “You Gonna Eat All That?”

Speaking of tasty snacks:Thu Aug 18 7:00pm
Jelly Vision Show – The Soundry, Vienna, VA – this is a live video cast interview, not so much of a show.  But you can watch at home!  who knows what will happen? I just love the folks from the Soundry, so I like to do stuff with them when I get a chance.

Sat Aug 27 – Sun Aug 28
OPENING WEEKEND!!!
The Cheeky Monkey Sideshow @ Maryland Renaissance Festival
OPENING WEEKEND!

It’s time!  Grab your hose and corsets! We’re BACK!  same time (Noon), same place (Blackfriar’s stage).  while I’ll be missing a few weekends here and there, the rest of the Cheeky Monkey Sideshow will be there every weekend. New Acts! Olde Tyme!

Thu Sep 1 9:30pm@ the Red Palace in DC
Ooh La La Bellydance Revue – Bellydance is coming back to the Palace!  and they are keeping it freaky!  I just booked this, so I will post more details as the arise!

Fri Sep 2 8:00pm
You, Me, Them, Everybody Live!
Another talk show!  This one at the Wonderland Ballroom in Columbia Heights, DC

Wed Sep 7 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Sweater Set Sideshow 6th & i – DC – Yes promo this! also, I love the Sweater Set. they are AMAZING! Maureen is one of my Uke Mentors. So giddy to be playing along with them!

Fri Sep 9
illusions – Baltimore, MD – My first guest appearance with the wonder that is Sticky Buns Burlesque! They always put on an amazing show, and I have no doubts this will follow suite!

Fri Sep 16 9:00pm – 10:00pm
DCVariety Social Aide Society Benefit / (AKA – Mab’s Birthday Party) @ Palace

We recently renamed Pastie-aid to DCVariety Social Aide Society.  The name was inspired by the turn of the century organizations that would throw parties to help out other members of the community when they were in need. It was what people did before there was health insurance.  Sound familiar?

I’m planning another benefit Sept. 16th. This puppy will serve 3 purposes.

1. to pad the DCVariety safety net fund. If we get enough of a seed, we can turn over administration of the fund to a proper fund management organization.

2. To raise awareness of the fund and the need that it fills and

3. to celebrate my birthday! the best gift I can think of is supporting variety artists when they need it most! so, mark your calendars! Friday! Sept. 16th! and let me know if you want to help out with the show! perform, donate, kitten, whatever!

I tend to not complain too much as they come like little vacations and give me time to catch up on the infinite minute bits that collect like rabid dust bunnies in the corner of my studio.  Bits of costumes, promo materials, 1/2 written scripts, lonely website, etc all asking for chunks of my time.

This is a good opportunity to tell you what’s been happening and what’s coming down the line!

The Soundry

Last week was all about the Soundry.  I love that place!  Art and coffee and amazing people.  UkeCordionPocalypse was asked to model for Dr. Sketchy’s.  ~That~ was an experience!  We had the hardest time not laughing at each other.  There is something alchemical when Baska and I share a space. When you look into your band-mate’s eyes, do you see empathy?  or MURDER?  Sometimes there are explosions.

Speaking of explosions…I ate fire @the Soundry’s Art Carnage on Saturday!  The space is an old auto body shop, so no worries about burning anything down.  It struck me that it’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to eat fire.  There are fewer and fewer venues every day that permit it!  And what kills me (besides the carcinogenic fuel I swallow every time I eat fire) is my new fire eating routine is really coming along!  The script was almost dead on! Oh well. Guess I’ll have to switch to fake fire.    ooooor find a new fire friendly venue….

Kiss My Uke :: Sideshow Shenanigans

If you haven’t heard about my St. Patrick’s day show, first, slap yourself on the head, and then click here!  I’m really looking forward to this one!  Not only is it one of the holy days of drinking one’s self into oblivion, the show itself is going to be through the roof!  UkeCordionPocalypse is finally sharing the stage with one of my uke mentors, Mark Slomski!  oh, I know what you are thinking….that certainly is roof raising worthy, two great ukes sharing the stage at the same time…but really, is it all that?  The answer is YES!  But wait!  There’s more!  We have burly-q by Rev. Valentine (you can never un-see the glories she will show you) and deadly belly-d by Mavi (who assures me she hasn’t had any fatalities in 2011).  Every single person on that stage will be worth the price of admission by themselves.  So add them all together?  Explosions.  Yeah.  It’s like that.

You know I speak true when I say things like “this is one of the shows you won’t want to miss”.  And I know you will weep and sob when the show has come and gone and you are left wanting.  And then I’ll take you by the hand and say things like “next time you’ll listen to me, right?”  Save yourself the trouble.  Go to this show.

p. s. there might be cool “uke love” buttons for sale at the show!

p. p. s. super secret possible bonus uke workshop that weekend.  I will post more info as it develops!

Sideshow Benefit – April 15th

On April 15th I’ll be teaming up with Chris Griffin (of Eva Brontosaurus fame) to host a benefit and auction for local variety artists that have no health insurance.  There will be sideshow artifacts to bid on, live performances by some of your local favorites, and stacks of fun to take home!  We are still working out the details on this, but you should put it on your calendar now!

There summer is packed already.  March may be slow, but April is insane.  Isn’t there some saying about lion’s and lambs relating to March?  I think I got it backwards.

Lovin’ the Vaudeville Life!

Mab

I have been a glass walker for quite a few years. And since I smash between one and three bottles every show, what started as a modest pile of broken glass has grown to more glass than I can carry around!

Now is your opportunity! You can own your very own piece of sideshow history! I can personally guarantee that this glass was seen on stage, breaking beneath my tender feet. You can see the broken shards UP CLOSE! If you ever wondered if I treat the glass I walk on, or if it is made of sugar, this is your chance to see what it really looks like! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is REAL GLASS!

I am offering a limited number of these. Right now, I only have 10! Each one is signed and numbered!

Each one comes complete with a card depicting Mab (me!) walking on the offered glass.

This would be a great edition to any collection! Great conversation started! You too can have a real sideshow exhibit in your home!

at only $20 it\’s a hell of a bargain!
shipping & handling $10

GET YOURS NOW! I do not know when I will be offering this again!

(click picture for larger version!)

GET YOURS NOW! I do not know when I will be offering this again!

Also on the block!!

I am auctioning off a special “Guest List for a Year” pass! all you have to do is register on my website (I won’t send you email and it costs nothing.) and put in a bid! at the moment, you can get guest list for a year for only $10! that’s 12 month’s of shows for the price of ONE!

http://mabjustmab.com/auctions/guest-list-for-1-year/

The bearer of this pass is on the guest list for any show that I’m in for a year (starting from the date of issue). All you have to do is text me that you are coming to the show, and I’ll put your name on the guest list!

I do several shows a month, most of them local. This offer is also valid for any show out of town too! At $10 a show, that can add up! In my head, it’s kind of like a Groupon or Living Social thing.

This is a great item for anyone who likes to see a variety of variety shows!

(this is the first time I’m trying this out…if it works out, I’ll offer another one next year!)

and if you don’t want to pick up a genuine sideshow artifact, you can still donate here!

For Christmas, my mother gave me her old Kamaka ukulele she had when she lived in Hawaii in the ’60s. It needed a lot of repairs before it could be played, so on my way up to a New Year’s Eve party in Baltimore, I stopped at House of Musical Traditions to drop it off for an estimate. They had Makala ukes on sale, so I figured I would pick one up and get started on uke basics.

I had the man behind the counter tune it up, and before I would leave I asked him to teach me a few chords. He taught me C, G, and F. and showed me a basic song (I wrote the uke tabs on the back of the price tag)

That night, at the NYE party, there were no less than 5 ukes, all randomly deciding to show up out of the blue. Thus began, 2010, the year of the uke.

In honor of the great year of the uke, I want to share this, my first uke tune, with everyone!
and wish you all a happy new year!

uke love!
Mab, Just Mab

C G F

(C)Should old acquaintance (G)be forgot,
and (C)never brought to (F)mind ?
Should (C)old acquaintance (G)be forgot,
and (c)old (G)lang (C)syne ?

CHORUS:
(C)For auld lang (G)syne, my dear,
for (C)auld lang (F)syne,
we’ll (C)take a cup of (G)kindness yet,
for (C)auld (G)lang (C)syne.

And (C)surely you’ll buy (G)your pint cup !
and (C)surely I’ll buy (F)mine !
And (C)we’ll take a cup o’ (G)kindness yet,
for (C)auld (G)lang (C)syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

How about a pdf of all the uke tabs I have in my arsenal? (be warned, this is not a small file!)

These are the uke tabs I have collected in the past year.  Most of them from the internet.  After downloading the file, just click the bookmarks tab on the left of the PDF window.  You can see the whole list of songs!

Have fun!  Grow your music arsenal!  And Merry Uke-Mass!

I’ll post when it goes live…or you can listen to the c365Radio interview here!

Read it here!
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/performance-and-dance/2010/10/28/cirque-du-so-long-why-a-larger-stage-isnt-good-news-for-palace-of-wonders-sideshow-acts/

Also, I’m heavily featured in the Plastic Farm videocast of their time at the DC Conspiracy Counter Culture Festival.
http://plasticfarm.com/comic/?p=922

other news bits coming soon!