IBM Ring 10 and SAM Assembly 31 invite you to a Magic Lecture by Chris Randall.

One of the top sleight of hand artists in the world today, Chris spent his childhood on the back stages of Las Vegas, developing a love of this craft from the masters of Las Vegas entertainment. He has been the house magician of the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino and has toured with his magic around the world. He is also the creator of over 50 magic effects which have been published in Magic Magazine, MUM, the Penumbra, and released on the DVDs; Sweet, Live at the Magic Castle, Sugar High, and Magic at the Bar. Chris presents many lectures across the globe and has been featured at the famed Magic Castle . He has also acted as a consultant to top magicians and shows.

Chris Randall will present his Lecture on Monday October 26 starting at 7pm at the Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 Audubon Street.

Admission is $25,  Magicians under 18 years of age $15.

Special Bonus! Attend the Chris Randall lecture on Monday and get a $5 discount on Tuesday at Indy Magic Monthly where he will be performing!

The lecture will include:

• Fly by Night - Chrisâ?? handling of the hummer card. this has been his opener for over 15 years
• 7 Digits - The greatest trick ever to get a girl's phone number! 
• Balls from the Mouth - Chris' handling of this classic sponge ball routine now turned into mini illusion 
• Swoosh - A simple and natural deck switch 
• Desert Rose - torn and restored napkin rose and napkin rose magic.  
• Scandal Switch - The ultimate solution for your linking ring routine. Only two rings are used and both are examined. This is the center piece of Chris' IBM winning act. 
• Heavens Aces - 4 jokers are produced at the finger tips and then instantly change to 4 aces in a very visual way.   
• The Inception - the history of the Bill in Lemon from Jarrow to Chris. 

Also you will learn the bill switch, Chris' rope routine, and all the elements that make up The Inception. This is worth the price of the lecture. The Inception has been hailed as the real work on bill in lemon.

"This has elements that I could see adopting into my routine and I have done it the same way for 30 years. This is pure gold. My hat is off to you pal. This is the last word on Bill In  Lemon" â?? Doc Eason

"You are buying is the output of years of trial and error â?? a routine that has been tested, ironed out, and works. If you want to add bill-to-lemon to your repertoire, and you seek a no-fuss method, put your dollars here." â?? David Regal

"It's the best I have ever seen" â?? Sean David Bogunia

"The Inception is Chris Randall at his best.  It's a solid working routine from a real working magician." â?? Shawn Farquhar F.I.S.M Grand Prix winner 

"A practical, professional solution that accomplishes the 'dirty work' way-ahead of the killer effect."  â?? R Paul Wilson 

"Chris' version of the classic Bill in Lemon trick is well thought out and extremely practical. If I were to do this effect, this would be the version I highly recommend it" â?? Levent

"All in all, an excellent approach to a timeless classic- and one that will easily be making it's way into the acts of many working pros" â?? Elmwood Magic

"Chris Randall has honed a classic effect to razor-sharp perfection" â?? Magic Magazine 

"Chris Randall has deeply thought about getting maximum impact OUT of a lemon and a bill to create a mind blowing experience" â?? Jon Racherbaumer

"A really good routine from a real worker." "Buy it now"! â?? Bill Malone

"With Inception, Chris has given us one of his "workers". That is, something he's performed literally hundreds of times in the real world. If you're looking to add a strong, complete routine to your set, this is for you. He's done all the hard work, going over every detail. All you have to do is buy it and do it." â?? Chad Long

"Chris Randall's bill in lemon will put you a mile ahead of your audience" â?? Farrell Dillion

"Chris Randall has pushed the signed bill in lemon routine further down the road to perfection" â?? Scott Alexander

"Chris isn't just teaching some tricks, he's sharing a honed act, and a damn good one at that." â?? Justin Willman host of Cupcake Wars

Action Packed Meetings

Because the Assembly scribe was dilatory in his duties (mea culpa) and didn’t make the deadline for last month’s report this will be a combined report for the September and October meetings. Assembly 31 is quite proud of the fact that a large percentage of its attending members perform every meeting. As a consequence it would be impossible to detail all of the performances of our members during these past two months so I’ll just present some of the highlights.

The September’s meeting theme was Jay Sankey magic in honor of Mr. Sankey who presented an outstanding lecture at our Assembly only two weeks later. We started the meeting off on a high note by welcoming our newest S.A.M. member, Mike Root, into our midst. Accordingly, it was quite appropriate that Mike led off the presentations for the evening by performing “Holey, Moley.” Also performing Sankey effects in September were Daniel Lee (“In a Flash”), Taylor Martin (“The Almost Human Cannonball”), Jim Croop ( “Back in Time,” “Cardboard Contortionist,” and “Meltdown”), Brendon Ware (demonstrated how to make magic markers disappear) and Don Miller (an unnamed Sankey mentalism effect using paper and scissors). Last up for the evening was our honored guest PNP Mark Weidhaas who was in Indianapolis with PNP Mike Miller laying the groundwork for the amazing 2016 National Conference (if you haven’t registered yet, why not? It’s going to be huge!!!). He performed one of his own creations, a money routine called “Parlor Polaroid Money” for the enjoyment of the gathering.

The Sankey lecture in late September was informative, extremely entertaining and one of the best-attended lectures we have had in a long time. Compeers traveled from throughout the region to experience his magic. Book him in your Assembly if you get the opportunity.

October’s theme was mentalism in honor of Halloween. Taylor Martin started us off with his Mikome vision box. Following Taylor’s presentation Assembly President Don Miller provided some extra insights into the effect that he learned from noted card man, Ed Marlo’s notes. This is another example of the value of the S.A.M. and the local Assembly. The give and take and sharing among our members strengthens all of our magical presentations. The rest of the evening was spent discussing The Feast of the Harvest Moon and The Magic Mini-Summit.

A good time was had by all.

New Officer Installation

Our July meeting was highlighted by the installation of Assembly 31 2015-16 officers: President, Don Miller, 1st Vice President, Taylor Martin (absent in body but present in spirit), 2nd Vice President, Aaron Kalinowski, Secretary, Karen Miller, Treasurer, Dale Benson, and Scribe, Steve Spence. President Miller announced that we have a lot of wonderful and exciting plans in the works for the coming year. Both he and Central Plains RVP Steve Spence briefly recapped this year’s S.A.M. Philadelphia convention. This fabulous convention was filled with some amazing magic and a friendly down home atmosphere. Don and Steve reminded everyone that next year’s convention is here in Indianapolis and is not to be missed.

As part of this evening’s festivities, the officers were encouraged to each present a magical effect. Secretary Karen Miller started us off by having a spectator successfully guess what color stone her husband bought and put on a necklace for her. Next up was Brandon Ware, our youngest and newest member, a high school senior. He demonstrated how he modified some giant changing cards. Rather than changing from Queen to King he selected something more topical, changing from President Obama to President Reagan. Brandon then proceeded to blow us away with a Shawn Farquhar card effect, modified by Brandon with the assistance of Don Miller. A spectator selected a card from a newly opened box of cards, signed it and returned it to the deck. Using his super power of time travel, Brandon revealed the selected card, returned to a sealed box that was in new deck order except for the chosen card. Dr. Jim Croop then explored the conundrum of “do you need a little nothing, before you have something or a little something before you have nothing” with nothing more than a coin purse frame and a coin that continually jumped in and out of existence from thin air. Your humble scribe followed by performing his version of the Magicsmith floating light bulb. 2nd V.P. Dr. Aaron Kalinowski mesmerized the group with his heart-felt version of the gypsy thread relating how he oversees a healthcare center for the homeless. Although life’s challenges can break you, someone outside of yourself can make you whole once again. Finally, topping off the evening, President Don demonstrated the classic Collector’s Workshop Kiper Kobra (snake in basket).

Silks and More

The month of May started off with a bang with a lecture by IBM president and SAM member, Shawn Farquhar. Shawn has a natural, easy-going style. and his magic mastery is amazing This FISM champion beguiled us with his stories and dazzled us with his magic for over three hours.

Only four days later we held our normal monthly meeting. Silks were the theme of the night but like always all magic was welcome. President Taylor Martin started us off with his famous “pouriscuity” test by pulling a knotted silk through aspectator’s wrist. Taylor also utilized touches of Mark Wilson, Tarbell and Slydini to create a most satisfying silk routine. Next up was our soon-to-be member, Brendon Ware. Brendon had Jim Croop assist him by selecting a card. Using a non-functioning gorpy silk (that he purchased as a young boy) Brendon covered the deck and tried, without success, to find Jim’s card. Finally, he let the silk find the chosen card. Brendon finished his routine, using his silk as a sweat cloth to wipe his face. When he removed the silk, miraculously a pair of sunglasses covered his eyes. With each swipe of the silk, the glasses changed to a different color. Taylor next did an encore performance from his working repertoire teaching the history of the terms “two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar” in which he did a torn and restored coin routine. Don Miller strayed from the theme of silks (but no one minded) by testing Brendon’s telekinetic powers. Don had him try to move a light bulb that was enclosed in a clear plastic bag using only his mind. Brendon’s powers were greater than he thought because the light bulb exploded instead. Then using a mentalism effect combining the handlings of David Hoy and Gozo, Don threw out a deck of cards to six different spectators who looked at one card. Don then divined each spectator’s card. Long-time member Ed Filby demonstrated how he uses silks and a disappearing crayon to teach children a lesson about life. Finally, Chris Henderson showed us the “smart phone card trick” where he has the spectator pick a card and then using the spectator’s own android phone, the card appears on the phone’s screen.

It’s All in the Cards

This month’s theme is a favorite among many in our magic community: Card Magic. Dr. Croop kicked things off by having a spectator, Joe Fuller, pick a card, any card. The card was signed and placed back into the center of the pack. Mysteriously one card was shown to now be red-backed with “Your signature” written on the back of the card. When the card was turned over it was revealed that the red-backed card was Joe’s signed card. Chris Henderson next displayed his finger flicking expertise with a series of fancy shuffles and cuts to locate the four aces five separate times. Chris credited his performance to a series of effects in Tarbell. Don Miller demonstrated the connection between cards and calendars by presenting his very entertaining version of Bob Cassidy’s “Chronologue.” Assembly president Taylor Martin presented a “morality lesson” as to why you should never play cards with a person who shows you card tricks using the “sidewalk shuffle”. Your humble acting scribe stepped outside of his comfort zone and much to the amazement of his fellow compeers performed a card effect. Using only four cards Steve told a tale of M. I. Harry Houdini and how he escaped from a pillar in London while surrounded by three bobbys (Thanks, David Goodsell for your “Jailbreaker” packet trick). As we began, so we ended, with Dr. Croop performing John Bannon’s “51 Fat Chances North,” an open prediction effect.

Later in the month, we welcomed Greg Wilson to our Assembly to show us some amazing "impromptu" magic. Greg left us in stitches has he demonstrated how to relieve selected spectators of all of their valuables with a smile on your face. A good time was had by all.

Coin Magic in Indy

The puns were flying fast and furiously on a cold winter night in Indianapolis as we celebrated coin magic. Everyone knew how to coin a phase as groans and laughter filled the air. Don Miller started off the night with the help of our youngest guest of the night, ten-year old Marilyn. Don showed Marilyn two coins with holes in the middle. He explained that it was his “whole collection” as the hole in Marilyn’s hand mysteriously reappeared in Don’s. Dr. Jim Croop next entertained us with “Rising Dough” where an English Penny melted up to the top through a stack of half dollars. Berry Rice impressed us with his version of shadow coins. He not only did it the traditional way but, for good measure, he finished his presentation by doing it with only one hand. Your humble substitute scribe shared a brief “book report” on the new Neil Patrick Harris autobiography. I gave a glowing review of this humorous, magical and often poignant “choose your own path” autobiography and I encouraged everyone to go out and get their very own copy. I finished off my presentation with my version of Chris Smith’s key through dollar bill, “Ignition.” Chris Henderson shared a wonderful version of Richard Osterlind’s signed coin to bottle. Assembly President Taylor Martin peaked our interest with a brief history on the origin of monetary terms such as two bits, four bits, and so on, utilizing an old P & L rattle box. He followed that with a Paul Harris effect using four coins and a card and concluded with an Okito box and his “patented” “Taylor Martin drop”. The evening was topped off by Marilyn’s rendition of needle through balloon.

A good time was had by all.

Compeers and Friends in Magic:

Everyone is saying they can't believe how fast 2014 is going and after that last winter, I don't want it seem like that. So, a little magic to help you along the way will make the speeding days more fulfilling. Our meeting is moved to July 14 and will be the installation of officers for S.A.M. #31. I'm so proud to serve as your president and thank you for all your support. 

We are also having a lecture this month on July 17 with Shelbyville's rising magic star Kyle Marlett. His "It's Tricky" tour and lecture will bring some new ideas to the magic you do. $25 admission.

Our meeting in August should be on the fourth, first Monday, as usual. We hope to see you there. 

M.U.M.,
Taylor Martin
S.A.M. #31 President, The Harry Riser Assembly

You've seen him all over the web, now see him in Indianapolis.

The talented and off-beat, yet charismatic performer brings a mixture of deadpan humor, unexpected surrealism, and mind blowing personal twists on classic illusion, both small and large.

Marlett may be young, but he commands the stage like a veteran with an impressive poise and confident stage presence.

Marlett is a rising star who owns the nerd label so proudly that it's made him one of the most confident and hippest acts in las Vegas. Catch the horn rim glassies wearing rising starts It's Tricky Show at the Royal house or Tahiti Village! COmedy nerd is not an insult. In fact, it's a description that the talented illusionist came up with for himself. He's already impressed national audiences with an appearance on the Tonight Show and is the star of a new upcoming TV show premiering August 19th on the SyFY Network called Wizard Wars!

Kyle Marlett will present a magic lecture at the Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 North Audubon Road, Indianapolis, IN 46219. The date: Thursday, July 17. Start time 7 pm. Admission $25.

For additional information contact Taylor Martin (317) 431-1320 or Jim Croop (317) 726-0811.

Fellow Compeers and Conjurers:

We have so much going on with #31 and Ring #10, that I just have not kept up with my newsletter for Assembly #31. Plus my performance schedule has been a bit demanding, so here's a quick update.

May 17-A Day With Joshua Jay?

Joshua Jay the current director of Magi-Fest and a very accomplished magician is going to lecture the Indy Magic Clubs at 4 PM on Sat. May 17. If you're an S.Y.M. member or parent, you have a great opportunity to meet with Josh at 2:30. All this is happening at our meeting location, The Irvington Methodist Church. The location is:

30 N Audubon Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46219 which is located right behind Jockamo's Pizza.

The map to the location is this link: Irvington U.M. Church

May 22 is the S.Y.M. Year End show. This is being held at The Salvation Army Apartments, 4390 N. High School Rd., at 7 PM. I will perform along with Amazing Barry and the young magicians themselves. This should be a great evening and a wonderful look into the future of magic.

Our next Indy Magic Club Meeting is June 2 at 7 PM at the Irvington U.M. Church. Our theme is (Dale, please put the theme here, if you would.) We are also having S.A.M. elections. If you wish to run for an office, please let Dale Benson or Don Miller know at least a week before the meeting. We will be needing a new scribe to submit reports to M.U.M. I believe we have someone interested, but if you wish to take on the responsiblity, please let us know.

And our annual Indianapolis Magic Clubs Picnic is on Sunday, June 22 @ Noon with the lunch beginning at 1 PM. Admission to the park is $5 per car, $15 per van. We will have tables available for a bit of a swap meet, magicians will perform, and a good time will be had by all. We will provide the chicken, you bring the sides or desserts. It will be in Pavilion G at Eagle Creek Park. Location link:

Eagle Creek Park

Eagle Creek Park Map

And then we're into July. Where has 2014 gone?

All the best, M.U.M.,
Taylor Martin
President, Assembly #31, Harry Riser Assembly, Society of American Magicians

Spring has finally arrived so what better theme for our May meeting then “Spring and Flowers”! After some brief announcements concerning the action-packed summer that is planned for Assembly 31 and Ring 10, President Taylor Martin introduced us all to our newest member, Nicholas Geigle. Talk about dedication, Nick drives all of the way from Illinois (where he lives) to Indianapolis in central Indiana (close to a 200 mile round trip) to attend our magic gatherings. A tip of the top hat to you, Nick.

Mike Root kicked off the evening by performing a flower production using his wife’s botania. Although Mike did a wonderful production, he bemoaned what he considered to a weakness of the botania gimmick. He believes that the shape of the cone itself suggests to the audience that the flowers are concealed within the cone. He asked for some suggestions from his compeers on how to cover this flaw. His request sparked an outpouring of useful suggestions. This discussion once again was evidence of the strength of S.A.M. We saw compeers always ready to help their fellow magicians in order to strengthen the art of magic.

President Taylor next demonstrated for us his method of making napkin roses. It’s all in the little tears that make the petals appear life-like. Next up was our newest member, Nike Geigle. He shared one of his favorite card tricks using a deck of cards, his business card, some disappearing/appearing ink and a flame. His was a clever handling of this effect guaranteed to astonish his audience.

Finally, President Taylor and 1st V.P. Don Miller each shared a story of how magic can go terribly wrong while performing live-a fitting conclusion to an enjoyable springtime evening.