Before Sopapillas

Kinda obsessed with this high-energy post-punk track and music video from Portland, Oregon’s Forty Feet Tall. Called BICEP off the recently released album, Clean the Cage, it sees the group take a page from the movie The Substance, as a relatively scrawny character (lead singer Cole Gann) injects himself with a mystery neon green substance, becomes a super muscle-man, and proceeds to go ape on some weights and a tough-guy in a boxing ring to mixed results.

It’s good that it’s been a light news week because I’ve spent most of my time working on an in-depth article about the development of the custom Casa Bonita-themed pinball machine that’s been making the rounds online in recent weeks. In it, I talk to creator Brian Soares, as well as Ramiro Cazaux, Art Director at Park County (the production company behind many of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s business ventures), who led the creative efforts from the Casa Bonita side of the project. Alongside photos of the finished game, we were also pleased to receive a bunch of production artifacts like artwork sketches and 3D renderings of the game’s highly detailed topper. It’s a fascinating story!

Pleased to publish another excellent recap of the competitive pinball scene from author Matt Owen. Here, he does a play-by-play (or is it ball-by-ball?) write-up of the District 82 Summer Pinball Classic and the Northwest Pinball Championships before teasing some upcoming big tournaments on the IFPA calendar.

Speaking of upcoming big tournaments - make sure you tune into Fox Cities Pinball this weekend for non-stop coverage of PAPA 22 from Enterrium in Schaumburg, IL. Kineticist is pleased to be an official sponsor this year (alongside a lot of other community members, it seems!), as the tournament raises funds for Suicide Awareness, in honor of Lyman F. Sheats, Jr. Good luck to all the competitors!

I know, it was weird to get a dedicated email from me this week that wasn’t totally pinball-focused! I promise it won’t happen too often, as I do my best to respect your inbox. But this month, alongside a group of 34 indie publishers, I’m participating in the Back Indie Media Drive.

I thought I’d take the opportunity to kick off a conversation about how I’m thinking about my work at Kineticist and some of the directions I’m looking to take the publication. The simple fact is that, even though I’ve resisted the label of journalism for a long time, that is precisely what I and others have been doing here. So, it’s time to lean into it. However, to see the vision through, it needs your support.

Pinball Expo, the annual premier industry pinball show held in Schaumburg, IL, released its official seminar schedule for the event. Expo seminars have a long history of featuring an unmatched mix of sessions covering pinball history, deep dives on new releases, technical how-tos and a lot more. Sometimes you can even glean tidbits of info tied to new or to-be-announced games, depending on who does or does not have a speaking slot lined up.

In looking at the schedule, these are the sessions that caught my eye. Note I’m skipping over some biggies like all the “Making Of” sessions. Those are fun too, but it’s a highlight list.

Please check the schedule as we approach the event, as exact dates and times are subject to change.

Thursday 10/16

Friday 10/17

Saturday, 10/18

I’ve been getting a few questions about our annual Pinball Media Mixer event, held at Pinball Expo.

These things tend to come together quickly, so there’s not a lot I can say about it officially at this time, except for the fact that I’m excited to be working with a fantastic party host this year, and that we have our typical day, time, and location (Thursday, 10/16, happy hour time, Enterrium) locked in.

So save the date! Last year was a blast, and we’re hoping to create another memorable experience for you. I’ll share more official information as I can.

Ryan and Scott from Pinball Map run a regular series that highlights one new or interesting pinball location each week. This week, Scott writes about Crabtowne USA.

Crabtowne USA is a seafood restaurant off Crain Highway in Glen Burnie, Maryland. It has been serving steamed crabs and fried seafood platters for decades. Its décor is less about atmosphere and more about utility. There are paper-covered tables, mallets, and buckets for shells. But that is the story that the front half of the business tells. A humble doorway to the restaurant’s rear belies a great secret. A pinball secret.

In the back half lives an arcade with 37 pinball machines and dozens more arcade machines. They are set up in long rows, glowing under fluorescent lights. The collection is wide-ranging, which is hard to avoid when you have 37 machines in one place. There are classics like Fish Tales, mixed with newer Stern releases like The Mandalorian, rounded out with weirdos like Big Guns and Baby Pacman. The machines are maintained well enough that visitors seem to leave talking about the lineup rather than broken flippers.

The contrast between the two halves of Crabtowne is part of its charm. One moment you’re elbow-deep in crab legs, the next you’re lining up a skill shot. The smell of Old Bay does not fade when you enter the arcade. That is the one constant. Crabtowne doesn’t pretend to be a destination arcade, yet it functions as one. League players treat it like a home base and it hosts tournaments every Tuesday. I have never been there, but I feel like I’ve been to similar spots in my youth. So, my hunch is that there are children running rampant while their parents wait for a table. Maybe a man abandons his family briefly to see if Galaga is still enjoyable (it is not). Maybe tourists who came for the crab end up leaving with high scores.

Crabtowne USA is located at 1500 Crain Hwy S. It is not a fancy arcade. It is not a fancy restaurant. It is simply a building with both things inside. That’s all it needs to be.

Crabtowne USA
1500 Crain Highway, Glen Burnie, MD 21061
Website

Thank you for reading!

More ways to connect:

Your feedback helps us improve our work. All notes are appreciated!