June 27, 2009
News for Sogen Con 2009:
Sogen Con announces final guest list
Sogen Con, to be held August 7-9 2009 at the Sioux Falls convention center in Sioux Falls South Dakota, would like to announce that as a service to our attendees, we will be extending the registration deadline for both pre-registration and Hotel Reservations to July 16th. *Standard Registration only* This change is to allow anyone who may have missed the announced change from the previous year's dates.
Pre-registration is set at $35 per person, however, group, club and M.A.G.E. discounts are available, please contact rdoss (at) sogencon (dot) org for additional details.
Additionally, Sogen Con is pleased to announce its completed guest list for 2009. Joining us to celebrate our fifth year are:
Chris Ayres- Christopher Ayres has been working professionally in theatre, television and film since the age of 6. His work has been seen Regionally, Nationally and on Broadway. He currently works as a voice actor for ADV FILMS and FUNimation ENTERTAINMENT Chris is also an A.D. R. Director for ADV FILMS and AMUSEMENT PARK MEDIA . His first project at studio was the hit anime musical comedy THE NERIMA DAIKON BROTHERS. In addition to that he is also the director for XENOSAGA: The Animation, and MAGIKANO. Most recently he served as director at Amusement Park Media for MERMAID MELODY PITCHI PITCHI PITCH, and as co-director with Matt Greefield on THE WALLFLOWER. Some of the roles as a voice actor Chris is best known for are Kei Kourono in Gantz, Suitengu in Speed Grapher, Von Kampher in Trinity Blood, Hayashimizu in Full Metal Panic? Fummofu, Nakamaru in Maburaho, Yaminami in Peacemaker, DJ Plugman in Air Gear , Johnny in One Piece, Sid in Devil May Cry, Yusuf Ali Mesa in Yugo the Negotiator, Koji in Godanner, Murato in Hakugei - Legend of the Moby Dick, Sawadust in A Tree of Palme, Dr. Pluto in BASToF Syndrome, Akimoto in Sakura Diaries,, Kenji Kurata in Diamond Daydreams, Oshodani in Pappuwa, Jimpachi Arishiama in Nanka 6/17, and Woogy in Michel. His voice can also be heard in Elfin Lied, Claymore, Tokyo Majin, Oran High School Host Club, Cannon, Gravion Zwie, Utwararerumono, Coyote Ragtime Show and Desert Punk to name a few. Chris can also be heard a Wagram in the new Square Enix Game THE LAST REMNANT. Chris is also one of the Anime industry voice actors who sings on Voices for Peace. He is very proud to be a part of the "Voices For..." oganization. Chris also works as a professional fight director and has enjoyed bringing his workshop "Mock Combat for Cosplay" to many conventions. You can learn more about Chris by visiting his website www.christopherayres-va.com.
Greg Ayres- Greg Ayres is not your average voice actor. The once "Fanboy" turned VA started working for ADV Films just a few years ago, and in that short time managed to snag two of his favorite roles in anime. He was thrilled to voice the role of his favorite character Son Goku in Saiyuki, then just one year later Kaworu Nagisa in the Director's Cut of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Other roles include Chrono in Chrono Crusade, Negi Springfield in Negima, Heihachi in Samurai 7, Satoshi Hiwatari in DNAngel, Pope Alessandro XVIII in Trinity Blood, Tsuyoshi in Kodocha, Leo in Ghost Stories, Tsujido in Speed Grapher, and Gau Ban in Shadow Skill.He can also be heard in other anime titles such as Super Gals, Spiral, Macross, Mythical Detective Loki, Burst Angel, Gravion, Godanner, Pretear, Full Metal Panic, E's Otherwise and a whole lot more.
When he's not in a booth with headphones on, you can usually find him sporting headphones of another variety behind "the decks". A veteran nightclub DJ of many years, Greg has really enjoyed the opportunity of doing something else that he truly loves. From packed rooms at anime conventions, to the legendary stage of The Knitting Factory (NYC), Greg never misses an opportunity to share his love of music with anyone who will listen.
Blasphemina- Samantha R. Sangster, working name Samantha Rei, has been designing and sewing clothing since she was 13 years old [1993]. A fascination that led her into not only illustration, but painting, comic book art, and fashion design amongst other mediums.
In 1998, Samm began attending the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, Minnesota, choosing to focus on her skills as an illustrator and painter. After graduating in 1999, she spent a year at the College of Visual Arts (CoVA) in Saint Paul to major in illustration then continued her education at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College for Apparel Technologies.
During her initial year of college, she began working seriously on a project which had long remained in the brainstorming process, a dark comic book series entitled Morphea which derives influences and ideas from cultures and myths from around the world, and visualization styles reminiscent of Jhonen Vasquez, Roman Dirge and CLAMP. With the help of her younger brother Achilles as writer, Morphea finally came to fruition. In 2001, Dead Dog Comics published Morphea in an anthology titled From Heaven to Hell, a collection of comics published by up-and-coming artists and writers. The name "Blasphemina" actually stems from an inside joke in the comic. Ask Samantha about it when you see her.
With inspirations stemming from historical fashion, fairytales and Japanese youth fashion, she has created a line that fuses all of these things. She began her line and website, Blasphemina's Closet, in 2000. She makes one-of-a-kind pieces, custom projects, and high end items.
Samantha draws her inspiration from such illustrators as Chris Riddell, Brom, Tony DiTerlizzi, Brett Helquist and Mihara Mitsukazu as well as stories like Alice in Wonderland and Snow White. Her style has been influenced by her hero Alexander McQueen as well as designers Vivienne Westwood, H. Naoto, John Galliano, Colleen Atwood, Takuya Angel and Victorian Maiden.
Samantha's line embodies sweetness and innocence. With modest hemlines and flattering colors, she wants women and girls of all sizes to reclaim their femininity. "You don't have to be naive to be innocent. You can be sweet and girly without showing everything," she said, "And boys can look good, too. My men's line is based on the way my brother [Achilles] wishes he could dress every day. Men like fashion, but a lot of them are scared to admit it."
To date Samantha has been part of several fashions shows (Diva MN, Dances of Vice and the Ann Bancroft Gala to name a few), has run the SGMS fashion show for four years and has won several awards. She has also been featured in Shojo Beat magazine, Minnesota Women's Press, Five For Magazine, Pacific Rim Magazine, RX magazine, Kare11 news, Minnesota Public Radio, and the American Gothic and Lolita Bible.
She has just released her first time collaboration with Heather Luca called Tanz Grotesk, named for a story written by Achilles Sangster.
"I want people to feel what I feel when the girls wear these clothes. I want them to see how they own the look and become the person the dress was made for. I want the men to feel powerful and handsome," she said.
Fredd Gorham- Sogen Con is happy to welcome back Fredd Gorham. Fredd Gorham is a comic and game artist who has worked for Steve Jackson Games, Marvel Comics and DC Comics as well as many other companies. Some of Fredd's work can be scene in STEEL ANGEL, PIECE, DEADWORLD SPECIAL #1, DISNEY AFTERNOON, TALES FROM GROUND ZERO,and GURPS Guides such as the Alien Races. This year Fredd will be doing sketches to raise money for the MDA throughout the weekend, so be sure to stop by to help out this great cause!
Josh Grelle- A native Texan, Josh was raised on stage and in the art studios of Central Texas. He performed on stage for over 15 years prior to starting work for A.D.V. Films at the start of 2004. Since then he has worked for ADV and Funimation on numerous projects.
Josh is known for playing the outrageous Taishi in Comic Party: Revolution, Kyohei in the Shinichi Watanabe (AKA Nabeshin) comedy The Wallflower, Kenichi Shirahama in Kenichi: The Mightiest Deciple, and Kyoushiro in Shattered Angels (AKA Kyoushiro and the Eternal Sky ). He can also be seen as Chaos in Tsubasa Chronicles, Hatake in Big Windup!, G-6 and various Villians in Gatchaman, Suonkasu in Utawareumono, Kyoushiro in Innocent Venus, Kosuke Sawamura in Moonlight Mile, Guy in Venus Vs Virus, Viscount Wolkins in Pumpkin Scissors, and Hammer in Xenosaga-The Animation. Josh has also lent his vocal talents to such shows as Project Blue: Earth S.O.S, Coyote Ragtime Show, Nerima Daikon Brothers, 009-1, One Piece, Kiba, Air Gear, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pich, and many more. Josh has also written for ADV, with his first project being the magical harem comedy Magikano. He was also assistant writer on Moonlight Mile.
Aside from the anime industry Josh has worked in the comic book industry as a freelance colorist doing "the grunt work" for Marvel and a few other studios around the world. He also works on his own comic whenever he has the time (or inspiration) as a hobby perhaps his "lack of time" wouldn't be so surplus if he didn't play MMO's all the time!
Carli Mosier- Carli Mosier is excited to be making her first appearance at Sogen Con. Carli began developing her love for acting at the age of 6 and went on to graduate from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas, one of the first public schools of its kind in the nation. In 2004 she began working at ADV and has appeared in such shows as Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, as Tsubasa Maijima, and Godannar, as Kei. More recently, Carli has been cast in such ADV titles as UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie, where she played Princess Pharm; Moeyo Ken TV, as Sayoko Yamazaki, and as Febronia and various voices in Xenosaga: The Animation. Carli is probably best known for her performance as the sexy Detective Yukika in Nerima Daikon Brothers. You can also see her as the proper—and quite often chaotic—Student Council President Yuri Kurosu in Magikano. Soon, you'll be able to see Carli as Rina, the Green Pearl Princess, in Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch, recorded at Amusement Park media. Carli has also lent her vocal talents as a singer to the upcoming Voices for Tolerance album. She's also thrilled to announce she's recently done some work for Funimation in Evangelion and One Piece!
Studio ONY- Shannon has been drawing almost her entire life, but a chance channel-surfing incident when she was 16 turned her on to Anime, and she's never been the same since. Aside from numerous freelance projects, Shannon is the artist and colorist for the web comic Otaku no- Yen. Self taught in the art style of Anime and Manga, Shannon has worked on numerous projects, including the Manga "Otaku Antics" due out in 2009, "Fire and Snow" from Stone Arch Press, and of course "Otaku no- Yen Book 1: As Seen On The Intarwebs." Shannon is also a professional speaker and lectures at numerous libraries, colleges, and conventions each year, educating teens on the art style she has grown to love so much. Her current gigs include O-n-Y side projects, including Book 2 which should be out some time in 2009.
After a stint as a writer for A2 Press, a gaming company out of Chicago, Richard decided to try his hand at working alongside his wife Shannon. Richard's main focus of late is the webcomic "Otaku no- Yen" (aka. Geeks Without Money), which updates twice a week. He also occasionally speaks at libraries in his home town of Chicago to help educate parents and kids alike in Anime and Manga and runs numerous panels at conventions each year.
The Tiger Rock Dojo- Joining us this year are the members of the Tiger Rock Tae Kwon Do Dojo of Sioux Falls. For detailed info about Tiger Rock, check out their myspace page.http://www.myspace.com/itatigerrock
