by Jazmine Ponce
Arts and Entertainment Editor
A roaring multimedia explosion of entertainment best depicts Saturday’s first ever Static Siege, a launch party for new software created by Internet software developer Static.
Static Siege took place from 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Variety Arts Center in Los Angeles where each of the five floors were designated to several types of multimedia.
Static Siege is the first event to combine live bands, interactive video gaming, independent short films and documentaries and club atmosphere.
In the main theatre, audience members were able to see a plethora of independent bands such as Distortion Felix, Buck, Bluebird, Les Beaux Peeps, Imperial Teen, the Muffs and Hepcat. and a special presentation from former Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros front man Perry Farrell.
“We are pretty much doing what we like. We didn’t ask Perry Farrell to play our show, we didn’t go out and get him. He is just coming to play it because he likes some of the other smaller bands, so we are happy about that,” said Brian Morrison vice president of marketing.
On the third level the popular side show act Shock Value – best described as a hipper, more alternative Penn & Teller – performed strange and unbelievable feats that both amazed and sometimes disgusted the audience.
“I really liked it. It was a cool way to introduce people to non-mainstream bands and a variety of different things,” said San Diego resident Fermin Muro.
The bottom floor housed Regeneration TV. A collection documentaries on world politics were shown. As well, spoken word acts and disc jockeys from 92.3 The Beat were on hand spinning R&B and alternative music.
Popular radio personality and Jason Bentley from KROQ 106.7 and Club Bossanova disc jockeys were in attendance creating pulsating sounds for people to dance to in between sets and housed their own Club Bossanova on the third floor.
On the second floor people were able to buy special merchandise from a variety of the bands. L.A. style magazine Glue gave out free gift bags and copies of the magazine.
The game floor aptly titled the “gore fest” was where over a hundred of the best Quake players from all over the world competed for 48 hours. A special anti-tank rocket launcher was awarded to the winner.
One player was 16-year-old Johnathan Wendel who plays under the name Fatality. He recently won $40,000 from a tournament in Stockholm, Sweden.
One may ask why a Internet software company would hold a blowout event like this? For Static it is a way of getting its name out to a variety of people and having a good time.
“The main thing we are trying to do is, through grass roots, have a cool fun event that people in L.A. can come to, not because it is a big company throwing it, but because it is a cool event. We don’t really like hitting people over the head with the fact that we are a software company,” said Morrison.
“The whole point of what we are doing here is we have bands, we have films, we have local area network video games and we are trying to show that all of these are just media that you can serve on the Internet,” said Damien Stolarz, co-founder of Static and chief technical officer.
The party was to launch a new software the static tracker and static server which is designed to turn any computer into a “desktop broadcasting station.” The static tracker software is described as a “search tool that enables users to find a wide variety of multimedia content in an eye-catching and user-friendly environment.”
“It is a unique technology in that we have the server that lets you become your own desktop broadcaster. You can have your favorite music and favorite videos and whatever else you want and let others listen to it, and it makes it very easy to use,” said Morrison.
The software will enable people to easily host real-time online multiplayer games, broadcast video and audio, share files and have a live interaction between site-visitors.
“Desktop broadcasting is the next thing. College kids, young professionals with computers produce stuff that is way better then what is on TV and this will enable them to reach their audience completely,” said Stolarz.
With their software Static hopes to help in having the young professionals be able to share and promote films, music and other media available to future fans and clients.
“The key is the college kids who have the next ‘Blair Witch’ or who is trying to run a ‘Twilight Zone’ marathon, run a pirate radio station anything like that,” said Stolarz.
The version is free and is available at http://www.static.com. The software is cross-platform, meaning any Windows, Linux or Macintosh system can use it.
The hopes of future Static Siege-like events featuring bands and live webcasts are in the works for the future. One venue in consideration is the Glass House in Pomona
“We want to turn it into kind of like a digital circus we throw a couple times a year,” said Morrison.
Jazmine Ponce
