Mission Mission

Before we got a bunch of our friends together and built The Secret Alley, Noel Von Joo and I got a bunch of our friends together and spent a number of years making a strange post-zombie-apocalypse movie, When Gravity Changes. It’s about a loner who is stuck on his roof while zombies swarm beneath him, the sun has stopped rising and his only companion is a talking raccoon . . . until he finds a city of fetuses hidden in a tree. It was shot on a roof in Santa Cruz, an attic in Sacramento and a gutter on our very own Capp Street.

[Noel in the fetus city set]

The movie will be showing as part of Here & Far, curated by Sarah Flores, at The Roxie this Wednesday night. Our movie will follow a bunch of other local shorts, Vacation (2014) Written and Directed by Tracy Brown, As Long as There is Plenty (2013) Written and Directed by Kenneth Vaughn, Chaos Directed by Natalie Eakin, Bequeath the Heart By Zack Von Joo & Million Year Check-up By Davenzane Hayes.

The show starts at 7pm and The Roxie Theater is at 3117 16th St., near Valencia. You can purchase tickets in advance here.

pic.twitter.com/Nk0wHc0Lz6

— The Secret Alley (@TheSecretAlley) November 6, 2013

Whadda ya think? Anyone want to get this idea kick-started with me? Maybe it qualifies as bespoke. We could market to the dudes in line to get the haircuts on 18th and Guerrero, they’ll spend money on anything. Hats might not be as cool as mustaches (yet), but at least it’s not more ridiculous looking.

A dude on mission street sporting a real cap' american shield… pic.twitter.com/TPypZ9UxVw

— The Secret Alley (@TheSecretAlley) September 14, 2013

The Secret Alley (where I am a co-founder) is an art space here in the neighborhood. A Kickstarter has just been launched to remake the dull lobby into a sweet space to show of the work of local talent, The Galallery, also to be known as The Typoe Gallery.

The Secret Alley is a strange and maybe magical place where people build things, make movies, paint, screen things, make presentations, play and generally have a good time making and doing weird stuff. It’s hard to describe and I do it no justice by trying.

For the past few years there have been Halloween installations in the lobby downstairs, maybe you saw the Death Ray, where you could use the interface to blow up local hot spots (the subwoofer under the seat really made you feel like you might just poop):

Or the hallway monster the year before, which was just part of a larger dungeon theme:

There have also been some other art shows in the lobby, but the space does nothing to showcase the work. It’s not inspiring. It’s not amazing. It’s lame. Just as we brought our talented friends together to build the 360º old alleyway set, now it’s time to build out the lobby. When we started building The Alley seven years ago we did it on our own dimes, but it’s still costing us, and we kind of don’t have the dimes to expand. Plus we want to pay our friends fairly for their time. They’re really good at what they do. That’s where you come in.

If you’ve ever enjoyed spending some time there, or if you want to, or even if it’s not your cup of tea, please consider helping the talented crew create an amazing space to showcase local work. There are some really cool perks you can get for your contribution, including having the place to yourself for a night for you and your friends (pitch in together and have a grand time!). We don’t have the money of Jack Spade NYC, but we want to keep cool places in our hood!

Check out the Kickstarter here!

Please share with your friends, followers, readers, likers and hangers-on!

In a candid shot. Seen through a window.

Don’t forget, as Ariel mentioned before, the Secret Alley gang is looking for new members.

[via Talent Is An Asset]

Every Halloween, after the little ghouls and boys have gone to bed, strange people gather at local artist’s workshop The Secret Alley (where I am a co-founder) and record tales of other worlds. The latest episode has finally been unleashed, and it is quite a tale indeed. If you are a fan of Star Trek, you may enjoy watching this.

By the way, if you’re interested in being a part of the fun, The Secret Alley is looking to fill one of our offices with a local artist who wants to join in on the craziness and hard work that makes that place tick. Interested parties should send a statement of said interest to iwanttowork@thesecretalley.com.

The Secret Alley sure is great. If only we had a reason to hang out there more often.

Okay. This is it. Since Halloween is this Sunday it’s kind of like having three solid Halloweens, starting tonight. The Secret Alley plans to open its spooky doors for all three.

Tonight we’ll be showing hours of your favorite animated halloween specials, including “Betty Boop’s Hallowe’en Party” (1933), “Hyde and Go Tweet”, “Lonesome Ghost” (1937), “The Fat Albert Halloween Special” and a bunch more. Stop by and hang a bit.

Saturday you can enter our costume contest when you come to listen to Surf Cinema, T.I.T.S., The Four Eyes, The Pyronauts and The Bananas! You have to come through the haunted laboratory to get there.

Finally, on Halloween proper, bring the little kids by for trick or treating! Yeah, it’s Capp Street, but still.

The Secret Alley is at 180 Capp Street, near 17th.