4-Alarm Fire and Crackheads: The Worst "Gig" Ever

For those of you who tried to make it out to The Red Masque show at Hoi Polloi studios last night, we apologize for the cancellation of the show.

The next street over had a massive 4-alarm fire and all the roads were blocked off. A firetruck was parked right in front of the studio we were supposed to play, watering down the roofs of the buildings next to it. We met with the show organizer as he was hauling his gear out of the studio (in case the fire spread) and told us what was obvious: that the show was cancelled for safety reasons (as well as the fact nobody could park anywhere near the venue).

Here is a news article and photo of the fire.

My band commiserated with  the other band that was supposed to play and then eventually we decided to meet up at a diner several blocks away to discuss since we were all there anyway. 

Of course, all of our gear was in the car that was in the parking lot of the diner. 

And of course, someone smashed out the windows in the car while we were in the diner and stole half of our gear (or at least what they could carry). Despite the fact that there was a camera pointed at the car on the roof of the diner and the streets were very busy with various cops and pedestrians with the huge fire not too far away AND the parking lot was well lit and next to a busy gas station. 

They got two duffel bags full of effects pedals including a vintage Morley Fuzz Wah, an echo theremin, a vintage keyboard (an Acetone Top 9, which is comparable to a farfisa or a vox), a bunch of various hand percussion instruments, a four track recorder, and my lyric notebook, which had lyrics for a bunch of new songs that I, of course, didn't have written down anywhere else. They also got my digital camera and a few other odds and ends.

So we are in the market for some new gear now that has to be replaced before our next show. In particular we are looking for vintage keys and a morley fuzz wah, as well as various effects pedals. Please email the band at theredmasque@theredmasque.com if you have some stuff to sell or can point us toward some good sales.

The main things stolen include

Acetone Top 9 vintage keyboard
Morley Fuzz Wah
electroharmonix frequency analyzer ring modulator
electroharmonix micro bass synthesizer
hi watt echo theremin
electroharmonix pulsar tremolo pedal
electroharmonix small stone phaser
tascam four track

Kodak Z810IS digital camera 

Various cables and adapters

Various hand percussion instruments

Photo by Jon Allen of Hoi Polloi Studios