Wow, I was hoping to go at the same time as Dreadknux with the announcement on TSS but boy did I get blindsided by a load of work today (or yesterday by the time this goes up), so what’s going on with Summer of Sonic 2010? Well first thing I should do is officially confirm they’ll actually be a Summer of Sonic 2010!  Yes, the world’s Sonic The Hedgehog convention returns in 2010.

Though I’d like at this point to say, as we approach the fourth Summer of Sonic how DEEPLY disappointed I am with the entire thing. I know we’ve not really revealed anything yet, but I mean look at the logo, Sonic’s eyes there are blatantly blue – neither black nor green. Disgraceful(!)

After the initial 2006 celebrations and two conventions, and it is a major convention now folks make no bones about it – I think the guys who run this shebang with me actually realised what a damn bind it is for me personally to juggle all the balls and try and balance the “wow we must have that” with the “yeah, do you realise how much that’ll cost” so one of the things I insisted (with my big SSMB whacking stick) was we got a bit of a committee together to actually plan the damn thing a bit further in advance. Plus I’m sure Echo Hawk doesn’t want to see me half-kill myself AGAIN for this thing.

So here’s item number one – namely that we wanted to lock down the date early. We were already discussing it when a fan rang up SEGA Europe from America last week and shocked our secretary by asking when Summer of Sonic 2010 was. I was unfortunately VERY busy and wasn’t able to take the call myself so gave some feedback for her on the fly, whilst trying to do an incredibly important presentation. The fact they then asked for me specifically was surprising and I’m very sorry I wasn’t able to speak to them personally. Turns out they wanted to book flights early SPECIFICALLY for Summer of Sonic, it was a bit of an “Oh…OH…” moment and I said to call back in 2 weeks. Well hopefully they’ll be able to do just that now and book their flights. Let me clarify the date again.

Summer of Sonic 2010
Saturday, 7th August 2010

That’s all that’s definite at the moment. Thankfully I’m not getting married this year (phew), so we were able to pick a date that is also not on a Bank Holiday weekend which will help people somewhat. So, is it going to be in London again? Mayyyybe, believe me though the fact I’ve actually had someone professionally try and get me to bring Summer of Sonic to their city is quite something! Will it be at the Truman Bewery? Hell no! The reason we weren’t able to announce the location until so late on was a whole truckload of pain. We’re in discussions now about locking the potential location down, but nothing is confirmed until myself and Dreadknux confirm it, the only official statements will come out from Sonic Wrecks, The Sonic Stadium and the forthcoming Summer of Sonic website – the Blognik too.

Who’ll be there this year? Wait and see.

One of the things we have to confirm at this time, its likely we’ll be making a small charge this year in order to help do all that we want. I think people are a bit surprised we’d not done so yet… but SoS 09 cost a lot and we need to make sure things are covered this year and to expand it as we all would like. We’ll reveal more in the months ahead.

So AAUK have you got anything up your sleeve?  I may… I may… in fact if you knew what I’m trying to conjour up you’d think I was absolutely insane.

Keep watching the skiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies!

- AAUK -

Now earlier in the year everybody in the community it seems, kindly upped sticks and sodded off to Japan leaving me to work my ass off. Well what happens when you do that is you end up in kareoke bars.

Dreadknux had a camera. T-Bird had the microphone. How you guys thought I’d never see this once it was on YouTube is an absolute mystery…

Next Week: The SoS 09 afterparty video – aka “The Emerald Coast Experience”

Hope you’re ready for the contest later today, yes its gone 1am. Sigh. Sleep in a tick, I have some updates for you first however.

Bentley Jones – I have pages of them, its not going away

Shadow Depository Updates

- Music: Link to Crush 40 Live at TGS 2008 fixed from Music page.
- Sonic Legacy Project: Minor fixes to layouts, Added STH #202-3, Universe #6, JUVI Metal Sonic, Secret Rings Signed A1 Poster.
- Colouring Paper: Added Eggman #3 (New)

Radio Redux Updates

208 – WrecksFest
Featuring: ArchangelUK & The Mob

UK Sonic fans have decended upon London for a meet! Join ArchangelUK, T-Bird, Dreadknux and others for a special feast of Sonic chat and music recorded live in the Euston Flyer near Kings’ Cross. Roareye Black is in full OTT mode, Darkspeeds has come all the way from Australia and SEGA Community Guru Romily Broad is also due to make an appearance. All that and AAUK announces the final contenders for this years Sonic Wrecks Awards!

Now available on RSS, iTunes and Direct Download.

Technical Updates

- Minor fixes to backend and page layout.

OW…

OWWW….

SoS 09 is over and I gotta say thank god for that. Glad everyone had a fantastic time, though I’ll be honest last night was pretty rough for me. For the last week I’ve pretty much exclusively operated on Anadin Extra and Coke due to some pretty severe pain in my back, shoulders and neck and the meds and adrenalin pretty much wore off in a big way when I got home to SW HQ with Team Wrecks: Echo Hawk and Blake Draco (maybe we’ll have Ram next year… lets hope).

Team Wrecks arrived home, but we were kinda broken.

I seem to recall slumping against the wall then waking up on the floor. Then about a 30 minute battle in absolute agony trying to get up the stairs. (Echo says that pretty much sums it up). I also remember trying to look at my watch which wasn’t there and I apparently fell in and out of conciousness a fair few times during this period. Which kinda scared Echo, which I apologise for.

Anyway thankfully I’ve had 12hrs rest, my thanks to Echo and Blake for taking care of me – Echo especially for helping to drag my sorry carcass to bed. Urtheart for so many things but also for helping us get on the way home and for the bottle of Sprite that enabled me to actually do so.

Bentley Jones was (and is) a star – by the way I’ll have something every special for you up here by the end of the weekend in relation to him!

T-Bird and Dreadknux for being awesome… all the DJs, Gavvie for saving the day, the SUMO Digital boys, the two Nigels, Chris from for making things great. Lewis for all his work with Sonic, Jo for the superb cake… which I never got to have a slice of :crying:, and for being this bastion of calm amongst the chaos. Vger and the lovely Flyboy and everyone else.

Thanks to Rio and Umiyuri for seeking me out and little Lily, who will never see this post whose happiness made my day.

I’m off to watch the GP and recover some more… I need some more pain meds. We might do a RR show later, we might not.

414 – The Angel Delight Show
Featuring: ArchangelUK & Echo Hawk

Back to the usual with AAUK and Echo are back from AAUK’s family home after discussing various future items. This week on the show ArchangelUK makes Angel Delight and Echo has insisted AAUK’s Ocarina be brought back… so its not long before a tune is piped.

Now available on RSS, iTunes, Direct Download and streaming on RRPlay.

212 – Bird Con 2000 (Vidcast)
Featuring: ArchangelUK, T-Bird, Dreadknux, Roareye Black & A Lot More

A sort of follow-up to WrecksFest, this T-Bird organised get together resulted in a 90 minute, 180Mb vidcast feast as Radio Redux and a bunch of other Sonic websites and institutions rip up London!

Now available on RSS, iTunes and Direct Download.