PORT TOWNSEND — A steampunk chap-hop artist with a worldwide YouTube following will step back into the 19th century this weekend during the three-day Brass Screw Confederacy festival in Port Townsend.
Professor Elemental, from Brighton, England, will highlight the event with a “kids-only” show at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Key City Public Theatre, 419 Washington St., and a 21-plus performance during the 7:30 p.m. Hootenanny that night at the American Legion Hall, 209 Monroe St.
Several other bands and events, including an augmented reality game, Magic Leap, which includes 7-foot robot holograms, will be held at venues throughout downtown Port Townsend during the festival that begins today.
Tickets are $30 for students ages 13-18 with identification, $60 for adults. Hootenanny tickets are $25 each. Children 12 and younger can attend for free. To purchase tickets, see www.brassscrew.org/tickets.
When Olympic Peninsula Steam members saw Professor Elemental’s YouTube videos, they told Director Nathan Barnett to bring him across the pond for the Brass Screw.
It’s taken 18 months and thousands of dollars in fees to acquire a visa, but Professor Elemental will be on the North Olympic Peninsula, Barnett said.
“He’s arguably one of the best performers in this genre,” he said.
Chap-hop is a play on hip-hop with the performers from England generally involving themes from the steampunk culture.
“It is adorable and quirky,” Barnett said.
The performer became a YouTube sensation following “rap battles” with other chap-hop artists. One video for a song called Fighting Trousers has more than 3.4 million views.
“He’s getting on his fighting trousers so he can chap salt at this other fellow, and he clearly put him in his place,” Barnett said. “It’s quite the rage.”
The festival, in its eighth year, celebrates the Victorian seaport town with 21st century art, music and technology, pulled together with brass.
“It’s now the biggest and longest-running in the Northwest,” Barnett said.
While period dress is not required, events will be held in many buildings along Water Street in downtown Port Townsend. A steampunk ship will come in at the public dock, Barnett said.
In addition, lectures and performances will be held, including Vermicious Knid’s burlesque show.
A returning feature will be the fashion show, which “allows first-notch designers or creators come in and really show off their stuff,” Barnett said. “The majority are crazy artists who do something else, and this is their jam on their off hours, to make crazy accessories and beautiful costumes.”
Today
• 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. — High Command, Cotton Building, 607 Water St.
• 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Boat Bar, Cotton Building Plaza.
• 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Bodger’s Grand Exposition, Pope Marine Building, 603 Water St.
• 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Magic Lantern Shows, Cotton Building.
• 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Steampunk Den of Iniquities, American Legion Hall.
Saturday
• 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. — High Command, Cotton Building.
• 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Bazaar of the Bizarre, Makers’ Market, Tea Lounge, second floor, Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St.
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Bodger’s Grand Exposition, Pope Marine Building.
• 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Brass Screw Chautauqua, Key City Public Theatre.
• 10:30 a.m. — Scavanger Hunt meeting point, Cotton Building Plaza.
• 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Tactical Croquet, Memorial Field, 550 Washington St.
• Noon to 1 p.m. — Nerf Wars, Memorial Field.
• Noon to 1 p.m. — Tea Dueling in the Tea Lounge, Northwest Maritime Center.
• Noon to 6 p.m. — Brass Screw Boat Bar, Cotton Building Plaza.
• 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. — Fashion Show, American Legion Hall.
• 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Magic Leap Demonstrations, lower level of Bishop Victorian Hotel, 714 Washington St.
• 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Boom!, Memorial Field.
• 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Professor Elemental Kids Only Show, Key City Public Theatre.
• 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Bodger’s Awards Ceremony, Pope Marine Building.
• 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Hootenanny, American Legion Hall.
Sunday
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — High Command, CottonBuilding.
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Bazaar of the Bizarre, Makers’ Market, Tea Lounge, second floor of Northwest Maritime Center.
• 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Brass Screw Chautauqua, Key City Public Theatre.
• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Magic Leap Demonstrations, lower level of Bishop Victorian Hotel.
• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Live Raptor Display by Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue, Museum of Art & History, 540 Water St.
• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Tactical Croquet, Memorial Field.
• 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Brass Screw Boat Bar, Cotton Building Plaza.
• Noon to 1 p.m. — Tea Dueling in the Tea Lounge, second floor of Northwest Maritime Center.
• 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. — Closing Ceremony, Cotton Building.
For more information, see www.brassscrew.org/events.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
