On the Cover

Magic Messenger January 2023

On the Cover is our Spotlight Performer Dalton Pittman-Cahill who goes by the stage name Thomas Rott. Read more about Dalton in the Spotlight Feature.

In This Issue

By Dan Jones

Hello & Happy New Year AAMC Members and Friends.

We, the board of the AAMC are looking forward to another magical and fun year for our club. We have several events planned and on the calendar and hope to create some spontaneous day trips, magic jams and hang out times to promote friendships and improve our skills in magic.

One event we have planned is to "Meet the AAMC", a Magic Open House at the Plymouth Library on Saturday, February 18th from 2-4 pm. We hope to have several club members there to demonstrate magic to kids and adults who have planned to come and see us or just happened to stop by that day.

Later this month we may make a run out to ABC Magic to shop, visit and have a mini workshop with Dave Shnieder in Macomb Township. Stay tuned for further details.

At our January meeting on Wednesday the 11th we will hold the club elections. There is only one candidate for each position, so they will be running unopposed. Remember all positions are for two year terms. The slate is as follows.

President - Dan Jones
Vice Pres.- Sean Naes
Treasurer - Rob Krozal
Secretary - Karl Rabe
Sgt of Arms - Mike Bogdas

Attention! This is a very important announcement. Our annual aamc dues are due in January. We hope not to lose any member off of the roster. So if you want to continue receiving "The Magic Messenger", our excellent newsletter and stay connected and active in the club then please submit your dues to our Treasurer Rob Krozal. You can also pay online at the club website ( https://aamagic.org ). Look just below the logo in the upper right hand corner. Thank You.

Our magic theme for January's meeting is " silver". Interpret that how you will.

And the question at the meeting will be; What is your magic resolution?

We had a wonderful Christmas/ holiday party at our December meeting. There was magic, music, candy and a fun "White Elephant" gift exchange. One of the gifts was a collectable deck of cards from the IBM 100th anniversary convention this past August in Atlanta. The cards were brought by Don Oesterwind who attended the convention with Gerald Heilman.

Gerry graciously donated a door prize at the meeting consisting of two collectable posters from the IBM event. One of David Copperfield and the other signed by all the performers. Very nice Gerry. Thank You.

They were won by Bob Goodwin.

A special thank you to Barbara Louie who gave each of us a hand made Christmas ornament.

Spotlight

By Karl Rabe

As a reoccurring feature of the Magic Messenger we will highlight a member and ask them to answer a few questions about themselves. This month the "Spotlight" is on Dalton Pittman-Cahill who goes by the stage name Thomas Rott.

: Dalton Cahill Poe Prediction

: Dalton Cahill’s dark revelation

Where did you grow up / where have you lived?

I Grew up in Bath, Maine. Have lived In Orlando, FL, Bath, Maine, and Detroit, MI as well.

How did you get started in magic?

When I was younger I saw one of those "how to do street magic" as seen on TV adverts. For a few years I dabbled and then completely lost sight of magic for about 16 years. This past year I started approaching magic again but couldn't really find my groove. That is when I found story telling magic, bizarre magic, and Séance. Then I knew I was in the right place.

What type of magic do you perform?

Story Telling/Bizarre/Para-Theater

What is your favorite magic book?

Henry Hay's The Amerature Magicians handbook

Who is your favorite Magician of all time?

Eugene Burger

Do you have any words of wisdom for newer magicians?

“I tell this to young actors whenever possible, Leave yourself at home! Don’t bring yourself into the dressing room. Yes, bring the body and all the know-how and everything else. But when you walk on that stage, you are not yourself. You are not bringing anything that has to do with a memory that might trip you into the mood. No, don’t do it, because you’ll wreck yourself. Many people have. It’s all about imagination. Acting really has to be imagination.”

-Dame Angela Lansbur

Secretary's Report

By Karl Rabe

Special thanks to Mike Bogdas and Sean Naes for taking notes and or sending them electronically.

December's meeting kicked off with President Dan Jones sharing some important upcoming dates. See the Around the Town section below for more information.

Next the question of the month was, "What is your strangest magic trick?"

Then it was on to the White elephant gift exchange accompanied by magic, music, candy and a fun. One of the gifts was a collectable deck of cards from the IBM 100th anniversary convention this past August in Atlanta. The cards were brought by Don Oesterwind who attended the convention with Gerald Heilman.

Gerald (Gerry) graciously donated a door prize at the meeting consisting of two collectable posters from the IBM event. One of David Copperfield and the other signed by all the performers. Very nice Gerry. Thank You. They were won by Bob Goodwin.

Also, a special thank you to Barbara Louie who gave each of us a hand made Christmas ornament.

Performances

John Russell didn't perform but rather shared his new lottery trick and discussed how he approached refining it and fixing problems to make it better.
Ming performed a ring on chain trick which he dubbed Santa's Ball and Chain for the occasion.
Mike Bogdas performed a “real viewer” prediction where a spectator looked through a picture viewer and predicted a famous landmark.
Bob Goodwin performed a brand new trick where me made five random numbers predict a card.
Johnny New York read the shoulders of 8 spectators and predicted each one of the cards they merely thought of.

Learning

Dan Jones and Sean taught everyone how to juggle.

Finally, the meeting was officially adjourned, but everyone talked and jammed after until it was time to close the doors.

: Nice turnout

: The Christmas balloon twister strikes again

: John Russell Lottery Prediction

: Ming and Don

: Bob Goodwin

Around the Town

By Karl Rabe

You don't want to miss the Erik Tate lecture to be held March 8 at 7:00 pm at the Plymouth Community Arts Council. AAMC, Detroit and Toledo Magic Club members get in for only $10. Others are only $20. Hosted by the Ann Arbor Magic Club, this event will replace our normal monthly meeting. It is at the same time and location as our normally scheduled meeting.

Erik Tait has won awards for both standup comedy and magic throughout North America, appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and was the 2018 current International Brotherhood of Magicians Gold Cups Close Up Competition Champion. He took home 3rd place at FISM Quebec 2022, the world championships of magic, in the category of card magic. Erik is only the fourth American to accomplish this, and the first American to stand on the podium for card magic in two decades. Erik hails from Wausau Wisconsin, which he doesn’t remember because he left it when he was very young. A top graduate of the Comedy Writing and Performance Program at Humber College in Toronto, Erik is currently the only magician in the world with a college degree in hilarious and can academically prove he is hysterical. His client list has some of the most recognizable brands in the country including Honda, Macy’s, and Bark Box.

Learn more about Erik at his website.