Broken wand: Brian Moynagh (Stage name: Brian Michaels)

Updated February 15th to add obituary information.  From Obits for Life:

Stage Name: Brian Michaels
Bravely at the Toronto General Hospital on Friday February 7, 2014. Brian Moynagh in his 40th year, beloved husband of Carrie Lamers, loved and devoted father of Sydney. Loving son of Jackie and Ray Moynagh and dear brother of Alison (Jay) Macmillan. Brian will be sadly missed by his grandmother, Audrey Wiecha, and his mother and father in law, Mary and John Lamers. Brian joins in heaven his grandparents, Bridget (Bea) and Ambrose Moynagh and Jack Wiecha. Brian will also be missed by many aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Brian performed his magic and illusions from coast to coast in Canada and Internationally. He touched and wowed thousands of people with his talent, his personality, his wit and his values. A CELEBRATION OF BRIAN’S LIFE will take place on Sunday February 16, 2014 at 2 pm (doors open at 1:30) at the OE Banquet & Conference Centre, 2245 Speers Rd, Oakville ON. 

Read more.

Updated February 11th to add a link to an article about Brian from Inside Halton, "Illusionist recovering from dose of reality "Double lung transplant recipient Brian Michaels returning to the stage after nearly succumbing to cystic fibrosis."

Tweets of remembrance have been added to the bottom of this post.


From Owen Anderson:

Brian Moynagh (Stage name: Brian Michaels)
March 28, 1974 - February 7, 2014

Beloved Husband of Carrie, Father of Sydney, Son of Ray & Jackie, Brother of Alison
Forever in our hearts.....

Please join us on Sunday February 16, 2014 @ 2:00 pm
Doors open @ 1:30 pm
Reception to follow with light refreshments

OE Banquet & Conference Centre
2245 Speers Road
Oakville, Ontario L6L 6X8
http://www.oebanquet.com/contact-us.html

In lieu of flowers, a trust fund has been set up in Sydney's name. Donations can be made at any RBC branch or via internet banking to account # 00712-5117429.

If you have photos or stories or would like to share at the memorial, please contact Carrie Lamers at memorialforbrian@gmail.com

From Peter Mennie:

@canadasmagic Magician Brian Michaels died Feb 7 Recep: Feb 16 @ 2pm Doors @ 1:30 http://t.co/Rpek4JmyM5 memorialforbrian@gmail.com
— Peter Mennie (@petermennie) February 10, 2014

R.I.P. magic friend since he was a kid Brian Moynagh (Stage name: Brian Michaels) March 28, 1974 - February 7, 2014. Too soon.
— Owen Anderson (@OwenTAnderson) February 10, 2014

So sad to hear of the passing of friend and fellow magician Brian Michaels. Definitely one of the good guys...
— Murray Hatfield (@MurrayHatfield) February 10, 2014

Toronto: Dan Trommater's Intimate Illusions

From Eventbrite:

Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th

Fresh from his appearance at the World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, magician Dan Trommater presents this exceptional performance on Valentine's Day weekend.

This will be an intimate evening of magic and mystery.  With only 40 tickets per show, you'll be close enough to see every moment.

Blending stunning magic, comedy and respectful audience interaction, Dan will create an experience perfect for Valentine's Day weekend.

Read more and buy tickets.

Gwyn Auger's live Q&A

Updated February 15th to add link to Full Circle Magic to watch Gwyn Auger's live video Q&A!

From Gwyn Auger's Facebook page:

Post by The Magic Assistant.

Watch James Alan on CP24

Watch James Alan on the CP 24 Breakfast Show tomorrow between 9:15am and 10am!

Michael Ammar March lectures

Michael Ammar will be lecturing in Canada in March.

The according to to the Can-Am Conjuring Lecture Series website Michael's lecture dates are:

• Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle) on  March 11 
• Ring 66 (Calgary Magic Circle) on March 12
• The Magic Club of Winnipeg on March 13
• Misson, BC on March 14

He'll be wrapping up the lecture tour with dates in the US (Seattle, Eugene and Portland).

Please confirm details about dates, times and locations by contacting each club directly.

Broken wand: William (Bill) Eliason

From The Vancouver Sun:

William (Bill) Eliason February 19, 1932 - October 10,2013 Born in Saskatoon Sask, the youngest of 5 children, Bill grew up in Vancouver and graduated from King Edward High School. In his teen years, Bill took up the art of magic, performing as 'Eli the magician'. This led to other areas and friendships in show business. A natural entertainer and storyteller, Bill went on to excel at producing and promoting a wide variety of show. He was a member of the Backstage Club, the Vancouver Magic Circle and was inducted into the IBM's Order of Merlin.

Read more.

You can also read more about Bill on page 6 of the Vancouver Magic Circle January 2014 newsletter.

Rounding the Western rings in February

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.  

City	Club	Event(s)
Calgary, AB	Ring 66 (Calgary Magic Circle, Les Brocklesby Ring)	- WOWFest Fundraising Show
Edmonton, AB	Edmonton Magic Club	- n/a
Winnipeg, MB	The Magic Club of Winnipeg	- n/a
Fraser Valley, BC	IBM Ring 387 (Fraser Valley Magic Circle)	- Competition for Originality in Magic. - Third Monday Magic with guest stars Jonathan Hamilton and Alex Seaman.
Vancouver, BC	Ring 92 (Vancouver Magic Circle)	- 2014 installation banquet and show with Alan Sands - Alan Sands lecture - Woody Aragón lecture cancelled
Vancouver, BC	SAM 95  (Carl Hemeon Assembly)	- n/a
Victoria, BC	Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle)	- Woody Aragón lecture

 

Please leave a comment or e-mail me about corrections or omissions.

Rounding the Ontario rings in February

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.

Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- Coin, money and paper magic.
London, ON	Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild)	- Family and friends night.
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle)	- Impromptu tricks found around the house and in Dollarama.
Ottawa, ON	Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians)	- n/a
Ottawa, ON	Ottawa / Gatineau magicians	- n/a
Toronto, ON	Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club)	- Mosquitoes Suck Tour lecture "Magic that Sucks": Bill Abbott, James Alan, Anthony Lindan, Bobby Motta, David Peck, Brian Roberts and Jay Sankey. Hosted by  Matt DiSero.

 

Please leave a comment or e-mail me about corrections or omissions.

Rounding the Eastern rings in February

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.

Halifax, NS	Ring 316 (Conjourer's Court)	- check out their new website - n/a
St. John, NB	Magic Circle of St. John	- n/a

Please leave a comment or e-mail me about corrections or omissions.

Dave Attwood interviews Trevor and Lorena Watters

On January 22nd, Dave Attwood interviewed Trevor and Lorena Watters about their life in magic and a drunken night spent with a tower of food.

Listen to the interview at Dave Attwood's site.

Jay Sankey in the Magic Cafe's Creator's Spotlight

From Jay Sankey's Twitter feed:

I'm in the 'Creator's Spotlight' this week on the magic cafe! Please join me and post a cool question- thanks! http://t.co/03bfCbliz8
— Jay Sankey (@jay_sankey) January 29, 2014

New York: Paul Vigil and Ben Train lecture

From The Daily Deception:

February 16th

After Paul finishes his lecture, we will take a small break to walk around and practice. Then coming off of his European lecture tour we will have Ben Train who steps up and starts his own lecture.

A bit about Ben Train...

Since finishing sixth in a “Ben Train” look-alike contest, Ben Train has devoted over ten years to lecturing and performing across North America. Combining sophisticated sleight-of-hand, unique philosophical insight, and a wikipedic knowledge of the arts, Ben talks the talk, walks the walk, and rocks the flock.

Ben’s material has been featured in every major magic publication (including Genii, The Linking Ring, Magic Magazine, and MUM), and his critically acclaimed DVDs and books have been flying off magic stores shelves around the world. Magicians everywhere are trying to be more like Ben, and soon you will be, too – leaving him with no hope in next year’s look-alike event.

Read more.

Toronto: Magic club at the Den

From the Browser's Den Twitter feed:

THIS Sat, Feb 1, is our next magic club meeting! All interested to talk magic are welcome. At the Den from 2:30- 5:30. See you there!
— The Browser's Den (@theBrowsersDen) January 28, 2014

Magic with Maple leaf goodness

Where the magic happens

Keep an eye out for a new web series, Where the Magic Happens, by Jordan Murciano and Garnett Schmidt.

I first met Garnett at Sorcerers Safari in the summer of 2011 and was impressed by his energy and enthusiasm.  It's going to be fun watching these two!

Watch the first episode on YouTube:

More Carney in Canada

From Julie Eng's Twitter feed:

Carney in Canada ... Vancouver, BC just added! March 25 (lecture only). See here for details and to regsiter: http://t.co/Kr2XBEppLK
— Julie Eng (@anjusan) January 25, 2014

Review: Reading Writing

From Wayne Kawamoto:

Reading Writing teaches an entire system of analyzing handwriting. It will take some memorization and you’ll have to sharpen your skills at recognizing the subtle differences, but there are single sleight of hand moves that take far longer to master.

What’s great about this book is that it offers a gateway into the possibilities of combining handwriting analysis with mentalism and magic. The book explains mentalism “experiments”  regarding: determining favorites, lie detection, a prediction, a book test, matching writing to a person and more. There are also angles on classics such as ambitious card.

I have studied books on the topic and I wish that Ariel Frailich’s “Reading Writing” had been around earlier. This is the book that I would have wanted as a start. I recommend this one and I’ll sign to it.

Read more.

Also at Magi-Fest ...

@canadasmagic im doing my book and DVD release through vanishing inc at magi-fest!! I'm actually on the Ted talk style talk line up!! :)
— Chris Westfall (@Westfall_magic) January 15, 2014

Farquhar and Sankey at Oceanside

From Oceanside Magic:

Welcome to a new Cape Cod convention! April 10-13, 2014 

Only 3 months until the most fantastic magic convention to hit Cape Cod in years!!  All are invited to the first Oceanside Magic Invitational-- enjoy lectures, dealers, auction, close-up show, two stage shows, grand banquet, and much more!  The beautiful, intimate Red Jacket Beach Resort in South Yarmouth, MA is our host venue...making this a truly oceanside magic event!

World-class magicians--Ice McDonald; Shawn Farquhar; Jay Scott Berry; Mickey Silver; Jay Sankey; and MANY MORE!!--congregate here to share their talents and skills, and the camaraderie that only a small convention can offer.  Our special Guest of Honor for this first-time event will be David Oliver.

Read more and register.

Dave Attwood interviews Gwyn Auger

In episode 49 from January 15th, Dave Attwood interviews Gwyn Auger.  "Dave also had a chance to sit down with Magic Assistant, Gwyn Auger, as she talks about her life as an entertainer, writer, and professional Magic Assistant.."

Listen to the interview at Dave Attwood's site.