This is a heads up that I’ll be on the road for all of the month of April 2026. If you need to order anything from me that’s not digital, do it soon!
While I’m away, you can order my magic tricks from Trick Supply in Las Vegas at: https://tricksupply.com/
-Louie
Portland Magic Jam – Day 1
The first day of the Portland Magic Jam started with the registration and dealer room being open. Then, a bit later David Kaye did a pre-lecture about what to look for in the show he was going to do the next day, which then would be followed by a post show breakdown of what we just saw.
I think that’s a great format if you’re going to do a show and then talk about it. One thing that I noticed is how much David knows about comedy. He’s a kid show guy, but all of the principles he talked about are for any age group!
Next was John Shyrock who also did a show/lecture. He did a 20 min close up show and then talked about it.
John does some really strong magic, and there’s a lot to learn from his use of music (even in a close up show). He brings a lot of bigger theatrical techniques to close up magic!
Then it was the evening show which was just three acts. I was the MC and did a spot along with Paul Draper and Richard Turner.
It’s had to do an MC spot on a small stage with no curtain, where a lot of equipment is being moved around. The spot I did was kind of a hybrid MC filling time and a scheduled spot.
The closing spot was Richard Turner doing close up tabled card magic.
To be 100% honest, I’m not sure how I felt about Richard Turner’s show. The card magic is great, but to me (this is my opinion), he really came off as a dirty old man the way he interacted with the two people onstage. The card magic was amazing, but his patter is from a different era, that’s not a modern style, especially for a town like Portland.
After the show, it was hang out time!
The late-night stuff is where all of the fun, weird, amazing magic happens! Also with this convention taking place at an airport hotel, there were some people who missed a connection at the airport and ended seeing some crazy magic tricks! I think it made their delay much more fun!
-Louie
The Moisture Festival Podcast – Juggle Jawns
In this episode, we welcome juggler extraordinaire Juggle Jawns. We discuss what makes his style so unique, the influences that inspired him, and how he incorporates a few different media into his performances.
We talk about his background in athletics and how that coordination helped him when he began juggling. We also discuss how the juggling club at his college allowed him to meet and learn from one of the most innovative jugglers working today. A great interview with a fantastic performer.
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A Toast to Nick Trost #2
Here’s the second trick in the book The Card Magic of Nick Trost. The Seven Card Trick is a “repeat” style magic effect, where you keep taking away a card, but still have the same amount. Here’s what the trick looks like as written:
And here’s my update with my thoughts on why I made the changes that I did:
Ultimately, the challenge with any “repeat” trick is the ending. I used to have a trick called Whiplash where a six card repeat was followed by a six bill repeat, then ended with the six bills turning into six cards, which gave it an ending.
With the 7 Card trick, or in the updated 4 card trick, the ending with just one card gave it a different moment. I had an idea that I like more than just ending with one card. Here’s what happens, you have one card, and you tear it into four pieces. You count the four pieces, and they are five! You then toss away one of the pieces, and when you go to count them again, the card has been restored!
-Louie
Joseph Silk Gun
Awhile ago I aquired a Joseph Silk Gun. This is a pistol that you put a silk ontop of and the silk disappears.
Here’s what it looks like in action:
The vanish looks like trick photography! Unfortunately, there’s really nowhere that I would use a gun in a performance. Maybe if you did some sort of vignette, but that’s about it.
I’m going to try to find time to make a video of it with a Crystal Cube prop. Both the vanish and production would be instant!
-Louie
Dice Cup Chop Cups!
It’s been a while since I’ve made any chop cups, and yesterday I made a batch of dice cup chop cups. I made these to take to the Portland Magic Jam this weekend.
Internally, there’s not much to it, it’s a magnet in a cup. I 3D print a magnet puck, and cover it with the same material that lines the cup.
Then I make a set of chopped dice, so one is regular, and the other has a magnet load.
I’m going to package these with an 8 Ball for the final load and sell them as a set. If I have any left after the Portland Magic Jam, I’ll offer them for sale here.
-Louie
Jack Grady – Ass Magic
A few days ago I hopped a train down to Eugene Oregon to see Jack Grady‘s show at a comedy club with my buddy Matt Baker (the juggler, not the magician). I think I had seen a video or two of his, but didn’t know much about him.
Jack’s big on the social media and his thing is “ass magic” where he puts things into his butt crack and then magic happens. That’s a quick background about what I knew about him.
This show is a great example of how a strong character can carry a show. The magic is just “meh” for the most part, but the performing persona carries the show. One thing that my buddy caught, that I didn’t, was in the fish hook roulette trick, it felt like he actually could mess up the trick. Since I was familiar with the trick and method, that thought never entered my mind.
The show’s roughness was a feature! It felt like it could really go wrong at any point. I have a feeling he hasn’t been touring with the show very long. I also think that in a few years, if he’s actively working on the show, that his show would be GREAT!
The show doesn’t over use the “ass magic”, but there were a couple of spots where it could be used that it’s currently not.
If Jack is coming to your area, the show is worth going to!
-Louie
Shows for Seniors
Last week I was doing a show for a senior community and here’s what my 45 min show looks like:
The props are in the bottom case, and on top of that is my Bose s1 pro. I’ve seen pictures of some people who bring in elaborate setups, and that definitely makes the show look bigger, but it’s not for me. I no longer bring in backdrops, for me, it didn’t make the show play any better. Sure, there are times I wish I had them because whatever is behind me is distracting or makes the show hard to watch, I don’t encounter them enough to make me want to pack and set up a backdrop.
I’m also using the facility’s TV or projector more and more. I don’t do close up magic to it, but I use it to make smaller things play bigger! This is easy to do, just plug a camera into their TV’s HDMI port. Boom done.
I used to take a wireless system HDMI to these shows, but it’s just easier to have 25 feet of HDMI cord. Simple and quick set up.
-Louie
PS: If you’re interested in doing shows for senior communities, check out my book How to Perform for Seniors at
https://www.magicshow.tips/how-to-perform-for-seniors-book/
Vanishing Birdcage in the Wild
Magicians frequently say that the modern style of vanishing birdcage doesn’t look like a cage. They really don’t, however cages that look like them do exists. I cme across them every now and then, here’s one:
and here’s another:
In real life, there really isn’t a birdcage that’s handheld anymore. Modern birdcages for pets are giant. No one really uses a handheld cage anymore.
-Louie
A Toast To Nick Trost #1
Here’s the first videos of what I’m calling A Toast To Nick Trost. These are videos where I do a trick from The Card Magic of Nick Trost as written, and then I do a variation of the trick that I’ve come up with. Usually this is just adding a move or theme that didn’t exist when Nick came up with the trick.
Here’s Nick’s Observation Test:
And here’s my updated version of the trick:
Here’s a quick tutorial of my version:
I think what I like about my update is the final display of the cards face up, then flipping the cards face down to reveal the color change!
-Louie