Date: December 18th 2008

Greetings everyone!

Hopefully with the modifications I'm making to the newsletter, everyone will get this email more efficiently. Then again, it's email, and it subscribes to Murphy's Law . More blood sacrifices may be required.

Ahem. Anyway, yes where was I? Oh yes, the surprises. I suppose you've all been naughty girls and boys, so therefore you've been patient enough. Or maybe not. I don't know....no really, I'll tell you before you all start heading to Philly to find out.

But first, business. Some important details:
1. If you've signed up to perform, and were waiting for the lineup to figure out your workshop schedule for Saturday, STOP IT! If you sign up NOW for the workshops you wish to take (especially the Saturday ones), we will be sure to accommodate you! And remember, those participants who have signed up for workshops will get preference in the lineup! So sign-up now so we can coordinate the schedule and get you the spot you need! We have more time between classes this year to allow for more time to get ready and more performing options for workshop participants.
2. If you haven't signed up for vending, but are planning to, HURRY! We have just a few spaces of each kind left, and we don't expect them to make it much past the new year!
3. Seriously guys, the festival is in Pomona, read the website, check out the FAQ. If you show up in Fullerton, we will laugh at you. A lot.
4. And no, just because our theme for this year is steampunk, your performance doesn't have to be. It DOES need to be bellydance-related and have a gothic nature to it! If you're attending, but not performing, and want to dress all out (steampunk or otherwise), we highly encourage it! This is about having fun!

Ok, thank you for reading that carefully and comprehending it...now you shall get the good bits:

Gothla US is extremely excited to bring you two very special happenings that bring Gothla US to a whole 'nother level of awesome. Didn't think it could be done? Oh ye of little faith, we ARE the Gothfia. We have ways of making this happen.

First, we are very pleased to present to you, LA's premiere steampunk band, The Unextraordinary Gentlemen - who will be opening up our festival show on Saturday! That's right, we're kicking things off with style and steampunk goodness, right from the start! You'll want to be sure to get there right as the festival opens at 10am to grab yourself a seat for an awesome show, and we can't think of a better way to start off the day. If you're not familiar with this awesome band, hurry to http://www.unextraordinarygentlemen.com

Second, because we believe if you're going to do one totally cool thing, why not make it two? So if you're not excited enough, get ready for....JILL TRACY! That's right, we've got her, and we've got her live in concert for YOU. Seriously, seeing this woman play live is a religious experience, and YOU can have it, not once, but TWICE! Jill will play for us all at the Gothla Festival show in the afternoon, and will join us for a special encore presentation in the evening Gala Show. If for some reason you've been hiding away in a hole and haven't experienced the awesomeness that is Jill Tracy, get your arse to http://jilltracy.com

We'll be announcing more special guests for the Gala Show in the next newsletter! So in the meantime, get to the website, sign up for the awesome workshops before they're all sold out, reserve your Gothla merch to get your size and style, and get those advanced tickets!

So...are you excited yet?

Cheers,
The Gothfia
http://www.gothla.us