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Bucktown: Keyboarding tiger has earned his ‘stripes’

By Tim “Kijani” Watanabe

Bucktown Tiger performs a concert onstage at IndyFurCon 2011 in Indianapolis last August. Photo courtesy of Trent Wexler

When Little Rock, Ark. native Joshua Hill started taking piano seriously in college about eight years ago, little did he know at the time that he would one day be playing the keyboard on stage at the world’s largest furry convention, pounding out a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the Fourth of July… in a full fursuit.

He did just that at Anthrocon 2009, and even to this day Hill, better known in the fandom as “Bucktown Tiger,” says that is his most cherished memory.

“Everyone stood up and saluted the flag,” Hill recalled. “That’s probably my favorite performance moment.”

Along the way, he has opened for acclaimed musician Matthew Ebel, and performed countless concerts at conventions across the United States.

Hill has also ventured into independent music publishing as the lead “shopwrecker” of Paw Recognize Paw Studios, and has put out a total of five albums since October 2007.

But, as most musicians can attest to, it has been a long and arduous path to success for one of the fandom’s finest musical talents.

 

FROM BRINKLEY TO BEETHOVEN

Hill was born and raised in the small town of Brinkley, Ark., which has a population of about 4,000.

Even as a youngster, there wasn’t any doubt to which animal he would receive a higher calling.

“I’ve really always felt the connection with tigers, ever since I was five or six years old,” Hill said. “I watched WCW wrestling, like probably all kids did back then, and my favorite wrestler was ‘Flyin’ Brian Pillman, who wore a tiger suit outfit.”

As he entered high school, he first came across “furry” characters – taking a particular liking to Jake, the tiger character from the book series Animorphs – but due to filtered internet access that blocked social networking and forum websites, he couldn’t pursue the interest much further.

A self-proclaimed “wannabe jock” in high school, he also was a star student in the classroom, and a leader on the Brinkley High School Knowledge Bowl team.

“At the time I was a straight-A student, a nerd, geek, read all the time, and got my share of teasing for that,” Hill admitted.

At the time, he was made aware of a local fur group in northwest Arkansas, which included 2 the Ranting Gryphon, but Hill’s lack of knowledge about the fandom, and some outside influences, kept him away for the time being.

“I had heard a lot of things about being furry, and it was negative stereotyping, Vanity Fair articles, etcetera,” Hill recalled. “I didn’t really pursue it until (my girlfriend) at the time and I broke up. She was very anti-anything different.”

While he didn’t attend his first convention until 2005, his unique name was ordained well before Hill joined the fandom.

Besides the mascot of Brinkley High being a tiger, the city’s nickname is “Bucktown,” and the 28-year-old noted that while in college at the University of Arkansas, one’s hometown was actually a method of identification.

“In my circle of friends, we were all from different towns,” Hill explained. “A lot of time we got called by where we were from. They asked me where I was from, and I’d say, ‘Bucktown.’”

After moving to Little Rock to attend college, Hill, who began taking piano lessons at the age of eight, really started taking music seriously. A fan of classical pieces, he used a well-known Beethoven tune as inspiration to get back on the keyboard.

“Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, third movement, was pre-programmed on the piano I had at home growing up,” he said, adding that he had to ask music majors for a month, humming the tune, what the name of the song was before finally getting the correct answer. “I went and looked at the music and started playing, note by note, and then I discovered that was the song! So I learned it.”

Joshua Hill, a.k.a. Bucktown Tiger, looks out from the top of Pinnacle Mountain at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, located west of Little Rock, Ark., Hill's hometown. Photo courtesy of Joshua Hill

EYE OF THE TIGER

Hill’s first furry convention was Mephit Fur Meet (MFM) 2005, and it came among rather unfortunate circumstances.

The devastating Hurricane Katrina had hit the gulf coast just the week before, and the con hotel, Holiday Inn Select, actually shared its room block that year with displaced victims of the disaster.

Hill himself got to the convention late due to working overtime with the relief efforts, but was able to get away on Saturday.

“I walked in to MFM right in the middle of the fursuit parade,” he said. “I was like, ‘Wow.’”

While at MFM, as most first-time con-goers come to realize, Hill found out that he was not “the only furry in Little Rock,” in fact far from it.

He started making contacts that week and meeting other local anthropomorphics fans in person, and eventually played a role in forming the “Central Arkansas Furs” group that is still going strong today.

About a year and half later, at Further Confusion in 2007, Hill attended the con’s masquerade and saw a musician named Flare Starfire play a song in fursuit.

“I thought that was really, really cool,” said Hill on Flare’s performance. “I wanted to learn how to do it.”

Hill had a fursuit commissioned, with the head and paws made by Kiwihunter, and the body made by Roofur.

Although the hand paws are specially made for keyboard playing, Hill noted that it still took him months to get used to playing in his new digits.

“I can pretty much feel the keys, but the difficult part is seeing the keys because of the fur over my hands… and the fursuit head,” he explained. “First, I have to learn a song and learn how to play it without looking, or very minimal looking. Then I have to re-learn how to play it in suit, because having your fingers in the paws changes the way your hands can move.”

Despite the challenges, Hill kept at it, and eventually made his fursuit piano performance debut back at his home convention, MFM, in 2007, where he played “Eye of the Tiger.”

But not before a little first-timer’s stage fright.

“I was really nervous, but eventually I started getting into the rhythm, and everybody started clapping,” he said. “My first concert was at Megaplex 2008, where I got to open for Matthew Ebel. That was really, really cool. Have keyboard, will travel.”

 

'Have keyboard, will travel' is a mantra of Bucktown Tiger, seen here toting his instrument of choice during the Anthrocon 2011 fursuit parade. Photo courtesy of Mark W. Breon

WRECKING SHOP

From that first concert onward, Hill has grown his brand considerably. He had released his first album, “Orange + Black,” that past October, and eventually released “Shop Music,” an original hip-hop album and “Scritching the Ivories,” featuring instrumental piano, in the following years.

As he was developing “Shop Music,” Hill began streaming sessions live on Ustream to enhance the facilitative process between a musician and his fans.

“I was really running up against a wall for a lack of creative juices,” he recalled. ” I’m just happy to see my supporters and friends watch me work on new music and perform existing music, each Tuesday night.  It’s something I’m grateful to have, and hopefully it changes the way music is created in general, where you get a lot of listener feedback and really have your listeners collaborate with your songs.

“It gives you new ideas.”

Hill, who said that his next concert will likely be Furry Fiesta in late February, added that he usually gets between 30 and 50 Ustream viewers each week, and has had as many as 70 tune in for a session.

“I try to make a point to greet everyone by name when they come in,” he noted. “Respect for listeners is very important in my shop, and overall I’m just really happy they’ve been a part of my music.”

As for the future of Paw Recognize paw, Hill, having just released his second instrumental and hip-hop albums, “The Purring Piano” and “Ready Fur the World,” respectively, has set some very lofty goals for himself as an independent musician.

“I want to get to the point where I’m doing an instrumental piano album and a hip-hop album each year,” he said. “I know that’s probably a lot to undertake, but I think it’s possible.”

For more information or to purchase his albums, visit www.bucktowntiger.com.

 

———————-

Additional Q & A with Joshua Hill, “Bucktown Tiger”

Q:  Who are some of your musical heroes or inspirations that have helped you get to where you are today?

A:  I’ve taken to “Sub-Level 03″ a whole lot, they were my first inspiration back at my first con, I saw them perform in concert, and they sounded like a professional touring band. I found out they were furries, and they do this in their garage. I thought that was really cool, and it inspired me to create my own music.

Later on I met Matthew Ebel, he also is an independent musician and does everything in his, he calls it the “dining room studio.” Being self-produced and independent, it’s really been an inspiration for a lot of the stuff I do.

As far as mainstream, definitely Lil’ Wayne. I know it’s kinda cliche, but I like the way he flows. Especially his album “Tha Carter III,” it was really good. Eminem, definitely positive, as far as the way he rhymes. There’s also another band, “Lord T & Eloise,” they’re probably my favorite non-furry act. They’re also costumers, they dress as 17th century aristocrats.

Q:  You were crowned as the recent winner of the Fandom’s Favorite Fursuit Fracas, do you have anything to say to all of your loyal fans and supporters out there that carried you through that tournament?

A:  I don’t know if I really won the Fandom’s Favorite Fursuit Fracas, as much as my fans won “Furry’s Finest Fanbase Fracas.” I definitely could not have done it without my fans and supporters. We had a war-room type deal going on, we were working around the clock putting up websites, showing people how to vote, how to sign up, calling people and talking to people. It really was a collaborative effort by a bunch of people. I’m just really happy that there’s so many people out there that support my music, and fursuit music in general.

It was an honor to go up against Twitch, who is also a fursuit musician, and it was a really positive experience. I hope the next generation is as thrilling and exciting as this year’s.

Q:  If you could play only three more songs in your life, which ones would they be?

A:  Sing for the Moment by Eminem, the Aerosmith cover. It talks about why musicians do what we do. Definitely my song ‘Rolling up Coins,’ which I end every concert and every shop with, talks about living life to the fullest and living every day like it’s your last.

For a third song, probably ‘Don’t Take the Girl,’ because it’s really sweet. It’s sad, but happy at the end… I wrote (my wife Rettina) a song, called ‘How I Love You,’ and in fact I’d probably take ‘Don’t Take the Girl’ off and put ‘How I Love You’ on there. It was her song and I definitely hope we have many, many years together.

——–

Editor’s note: The FNN Featured Fursuiter of the Month is a bi-monthly profile series written by Kijani. Every other month he will choose one well-recognized figure in the fandom’s fursuiting community, offering a unique “behind the mask” look at their characters and lives outside of fursuiting, as well as how they found the furry fandom.

The next feature will be released in February 2012.

I noticed on facebook that my cousin is writing stories about her transforming into dragons and wolves. I never would have suspected it, but I'd like to give her some links or materials that might help her develop it into something amazing. Any ideas?

submitted by mariner42
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This week, we’ve got just two e-mails to review! Awww, and we were doing so well last week, too! We’ve got one fur who’s concerned that he might be a little bit too stalkery, and another who’s trying to introduce people to him and the brony fandom! We also discuss Lady Gaga, Teletubbies, Mr. Rogers, vagina spiders, and more…and it turns out that Istanbul can do a passable Mr. Rogers impression! BE AFRAID.

Next week’s episode is all about that most elusive and fleeting of traits, popularity. Do you need help approaching a popufur? Are you trying to become one? Do you feel unpopular and want to figure out some way to be better liked by those around you? Drop us a line, we’re here to help!

Twitter: fuzzylogiccast
FA: fuzzylogicpodcast
E-mail: fuzzy.logic.podcast@gmail.com
iTunes: fuzzylogicpodcast

Download:
Episode 24 – The Buddy System
File modified December 2, 2011 – 37 MB – downloaded 587 times so far

Episode 24 – The Buddy System - This week, we’ve got just two e-mails to review! Awww, and we were doing so well last week, too! We’ve got one fur who’s concerned that he might be a little bit too stalkery, and another who’s trying t[...]

Pointed out by KyleGold we see his book is #6 on amazon when you select certain categories. COOL! Seeeeeeee a furry didn’t ruin somethn’ ! Congrats!!

submitted by Caspercom
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What do you do when you find out you’ve been struck by a rare form of bone cancer? Well, if you’re a woman like Kaylin Andres, you go on the warpath — inside your own body, microscopically, hunting down Nazi cancer cells and alien infections with high-caliber weaponry! At least, that’s the subject of Terminally Illin’, Kaylin’s brand new black & white comic book series illustrated by Jon Solo. Of course, the smart girl who’s heading off to battle inner demons (literally!) is also going to bring along a ferocious and well-armed battle-cat like Iceman. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the new comic will finally hit the shelves this January from Last Gasp. Why survive when you can thrive… and kick butt! Make sure to check out the Terminally Illin’ Facebook page too.

image c. 2011 by Jon Solo

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submitted by allenizabeth
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submitted by TinyFawks
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I have started documenting my own projects in hopes that the things I've learned over the years will be of aid to someone else looking to make something. I'm open to ideas, questions about crafting, and conversation about crafting. Eventually this will not only be fursuits but also leatherworking, chainmail, and whatever else I decide to do. Thoughts?

http://costumecrafts.tumblr.com/

submitted by Bundle_of_Sticks
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submitted by electricfoxx
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I am researching what it means to be a part of Furry Fandom. The topic interests me greatly and I would like to hear personal accounts from anyone who has experience to share.

*What are some stereotypes or troubles you have faced being a "furry"?

What do you preferred to be called?

When did you consider being a "furry"?

Have you been to a convention? If so, what was it like?

What does it mean to you to be a furry?*

I didn't know anywhere else on the internet to get personal accounts of this subject. I would LOVE it if even one person could answer some or all of these questions. I really want to know what your experiences have been. Feel free to share more if you are comfortable doing so.

Thank you!

EDIT: Thanks so much to you all! This feedback most definitely helps me to understand the furry culture and I appreciate that very much. You are all awesome :D

submitted by kandlez
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The world is headed in some pretty interesting directions when it comes to things like Augmented Reality.  From little things, like QR codes next to items to allow further investigation of them, Google Goggles, which overlays locations of restaurants or other map markers on a real-time video of your surroundings as taken by your phone’s camera to all of the concept videos coming out from various places around the ‘net.  One of the more important, if not the most important, uses of AR is the addition of a data layer over what we perceive around us.  Need to know more about someone from their business card?  Snap the QR code on it and find out all you need.  It’s that simple, and let me tell you, furries are totally prepared for this additional layer of information: we’re already pros.

We’re used to multi-layered channels of communication, in this fandom.  With the majority of our interaction taking place online, we talk, role play, and chat plenty, but we’re usually not doing only that.  There is still the base layer of our communication online, the words and ideas going from one person to another, or among several people, but there are several things that change the way we interact, and especially change first impressions.  When we meet someone for the first time online, we have plenty of subtle ways of extracting information from or about them, and several of them without the other person’s knowledge that we’re doing so.

When you’re interacting with others on a MUCK, such as FurryMUCK or Tapestries, you have several tools at your disposal to tell you more about the person than you could ever find out in real life without knowing them for years.  MUCKs are text-only, so one of the first commands you learn is ‘look’, which will provide you with a short description of how someone looks; an obvious addition for the primarily visually-oriented furry.  Beyond that, however, there are commands such as ‘wi’ or ‘wixxx’, WhatIsz, which will show you what a person is interested in (or not interested in) in areas both clean and dirty.  Some of these are specific enough that they would likely not even crop up between a couple with no online interaction for years.  Another tool that’s available is, depending on the muck ‘cinfo’ or ‘pinfo’ – character information or player information.  Even more free form than WhatIsz, these commands will let you know not only about the character, but about the person behind eFox or iWolf you’re chatting up, as much as they’ll let on.

It’s not just on MUCKs that we have these additional layers of subliminal conversation going on.  Even on IRC where such commands are much more limited, we still have the rest of the internet available to us, and by far, FurAffinity has changed and helped this the most.  As soon as you see someone’s name online, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to just look them up on FA and find out a good deal about them, from where they live to the types of things they’re into judging by the art they favorite there.  FA isn’t the only site out there, of course, and you can also find out much more explicit detail on sites like F-List and The Rabbit Hole, not to mention other art sites like VCL, SoFurry, and e621.

These are so entrenched in the furry fandom that, writing this, I keep feeling like it’s not even worth mentioning.  Every time I think that, though I remember that it’s one of the things that helps to set us apart from other subcultures out there.  The fact that we can and will find out more about the people we’re interested in based on a few short commands or a quick search online sounds pretty sinister – it’s just not something people in general do, at least not to the same extent.  If you apply for a new job, you can expect to be Googled, Facebooked, and LinkedIn by your potential new employer, but that’s about as close as you’ll get to someone looking up personal information about you.  It’s so totally normal for us that we haven’t realized that it’s changed the way we make our first impressions of each other.  In an AR sense, this is roughly equivalent to walking down the street and seeing someone rather attractive, only to find out via a little thought-bubble above their head that they secretly really enjoy being spanked, bitten, and tied up when they have sex.

If you meet someone within the fandom now, it’s easy to find out more information on them than you would ever find out otherwise.  Friendships are formed more quickly than outside the subculture and are based on much more in-depth knowledge of each other.  Add in the benefit of sex without physical consequences through playing around online and you’ve got a strange basis for a culture that relies almost entirely on a multi-layered channel of communication.  The more I think about how different these first and lasting impressions are within the fandom, the more I think it stems from the previously mentioned difference between character and self that is inherent within furry: we are so eager to use any tools available to us to more completely represent our characters online that we’re willing to change the basics of personal interaction in order to accomplish it.  Add in the anonymity provided by the internet and you have a whole subculture that is far more willing to share personal details with those that they haven’t even met yet than most any group out there, online or offline.

Interacting in person with other furries, particularly at conventions, is a strange mix of “normal interactions” as well as some amount of this multi-layered communication. I’m sure that much of this has to do with how generally tech-literate furries, or at least the con-going crowd are.  If you meet someone at a convention, you’ll likely to do it by scanning their con-badges for images of their character or a recognizable name, rather than, say, looking at a face (the “con-greeting”).  With the information contained on a standard con-badge, one still has as much to go on as on IRC – namely, the ability to look someone up on FA and figure out more about them.  Maybe I’ll try an experiment with FC 2012 and make a QR code badge and see just who all interacts with it.

Beyond that, however, I wonder just how much of our in-depth first impressions translate outside of the fandom, but into other, tightly knit groups.  If, say, an academic winds up at SIGGRAPH or a designer winds up at TED, meets someone in the halls, and notices a convention badge with a name on it, chances are good that they’ll be able to go check on their work somewhere on the internet.  However, these examples are academic and professional, not social, and I haven’t had the opportunity to go to, say, an anime or comic convention to see if lasting personal or even sexual relationships are formed in quite the same way as they are within our own subculture.  Would I be able to go to Nan Desu Kan, a local anime convention, and expect to meet two or three people there whom I would be able to instantly look up on my intelligent telephone, know intimate details about, form lasting friendships with?

With this confused blur from total immersion in our characters to the unobstructed view of self that we provide glimpses of, our mixed-up concept of first impressions within the furry fandom is understandable.  These first impressions are based not only on the actions of a persona as we perceive them, but also the more static metadata left behind on the other layers of communication within the fandom, whether it’s information left on FA, attributes on f-list or within a command such as ‘wi’, or art, visual or otherwise, of a character doing whatever that character does, providing a glimpse of how that avatar moves within the larger arena of the whole subculture, or even reacts to the world at large.  Perhaps it really is no big surprise that the furry community is both incredibly tight knit and also renowned for the drama that it puts itself through.

Author: Higgs Raccoon

The Huffington Post reports on a 2012 calendar in the United Kingdom which features cats playing musical instruments. The images in the calendar, released by Maverick Arts, were created by digitally altering photographs of real pet cats.

An examination of the publisher’s website reveals several other calendars along similar lines, with such titles as Maverick Meerkats, Ferrets Go Fishing, Water Skiing Westies, and Ballroom Bunnies.

Find the full article here: flayrah – furry food for thought

Creative Commons: Full post may be available under a free license.

submitted by Lockra
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A return to a more traditional werewolf story, with a few nasty twists and lots of gore thrown in of course. Ferals is a new full-color horror comic written by David Lapham (famous for his horror comic The Crossed) and illustrated by Gabriel Andrade. It’s due this January from Avatar Press.  *Sigh* Always the bad guys… BleedingCool.com has a nice write-up of the new series.

image c. 2011 by Gabriel Andrade