What is a Band Of Magicians?
Is it The Beatles? Is it some sort of Harry Potter supergroup?
No, it is a group of accomplished magicians coming together to create a show of amazing illusion for all to see!
We were fortunate enough to spend some time with James Galea, Brett Loudermilk, Ben Hanlin and Adam Mada who we took on a journey of some of their favourite things through form of witty conversation!
And maybe a few disappearing objects…(I don’t know where my pen is…I also lost my wallet at the time, but I found it!)
Favourite Trick?
Photo: AC Photography
James Galea (JG): Favourite trick…my favourite trick is…hmm…
Brett Loudermilk (BL): Selling out a show!
JG: Yeah! It is! And we have got a sold-out show tonight, which is very exciting!
Xenojay (XJ): That is exciting!
JG: But my favourite trick, I think one of the things we love to do is in the show which is what we close the show with. It’s one of the most exciting things that being a magician does and it’s something that’s very unique in that the 4 magicians are working together to create something greater than the sum of their parts.
And one of the final pieces in the show uses all our collective talents to pull-off something that we couldn’t do any other way!
So we can’t give too much away but that is certainly my favourite trick to be apart of, and I think the other guys will agree.
XJ: Do you guys agree?
BL: It’s a great trick…
*Collective laughter after James’s amazing tale*
Adam Mada (AM): Well my favourite trick is halfway through the show and we all sit down, play cards with each other. It’s a beautiful Poker routine, kind of like what you’d expect magicians to do!
JG: When people think about magicians sitting around, going “what do you guys do after work?”, we sit around playing Poker and it’s kind of art imitating life in that that we do, and we do play that.
AM: And we play for real money! Under the table!
XJ: Yeah! I thought it would also be a good break period for you, just get a shot of alcohol in! “It’s just water! Haha!”
JG: It’s not water and Adam’s down $3 grand, so you can be expecting that this weekend!
Favourite Magician?
Photo: AC Photography
JG: Ben Hanlin, Adam Mada, Brett Loudermilk are my favourites…
XJ: Ooo! Good answer! Anyone else?
Ben Hanlin (BH): Not mine…uhhh…
*Again, poor James is pulled through the curtain with Adam’s laughter at Ben’s quick quip*
I’d go Penn & Teller.
XJ: Oh, excellent!
BH: The Rock ‘n’ Roll of Magic
JG: Go to a show with them then mate…
*laughing at Jame’s excellent reply*
BH: Why, have they called back??
XJ: Well they have that show now of course!
Group: YEAH!
XJ: Uhh, Fool Us! Which is proving huge in New Zealand in viral media!
Group: YEAH! Haha!
Do you remember the trick that made you go “I want to do this…”?
BH: I actually do, it’s a trick, I remember seeing David Blaine back in ’97, and it was the first time I’d ever seen magic done.
JG: Is that right??
BH: Yeah, yeah
JG: I don’t know this story!
BH: Yeah, it was the first time I’d ever seen magic done with a guy in a t-shirt and jeans and was cool and he just took a deck of cards and got someone to sign the card, and he did it on Oprah’s TV show.
JG: Oh yeah!
BH: And he put the card in the middle, and it popped to the top then he put it in the middle and I just had no idea how it was done and finally he put a bend in it and it just jumps to the top and James actually does that in the show now.
Not saying he’s like our version of David Blaine!
But it’s just the idea that I saw this card thing and I had to learn it and since then we can all do those kind of card things now. But it’s, yeah, it’s David Blaine and well he inspired a whole generation and I was one of them.
BL: I think my favourite trick that I ever saw isn’t really a trick. It’s more of a stunt, and it was sword swallowing. I saw somebody swallow a sword and I thought “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life”.
It’s not a magic trick, the person’s actually doing it.
AM: Did you think it was a magic trick at first?
Photo: AC Photography
BL: I did!
JG: Of course he would it’s a magic trick!
BL: Of course I did! And I would be at the magic shop and they’d be like “No kid…”
JG: “One sword please!”
BL: Yeah, they were like “No kid, you gotta do it” so I actually set out to learn how to swallow a sword and I do it in the show…
XJ: Okay!
BL: So there’s a portion in the show that could go HORRIBLY wrong, and I could die…so, uh, make sure you come out and see that!
XJ: The whole audience is sitting there freaking out!
BL: Yeah! Everyone’s on the edge of their seat.
JG: There’s so many parts of the show where people are like “OH! Well there’s no way something can happen” but when you put the magic into other people’s hands and allow them to decide the fate of what’s going to happen with the magician then it becomes very exciting and on-edge for the whole audience.
AM: There’s nothing like live magic! Anything could happen at any point…
Favourite movie magician or trick?
JG: Aww, The Prestige for me.
BL: Yeah, Prestige is very good.
JG: Oh! And The Sting! The Sting for me is one of my favourite con-magic films.
BH: Yeah, the hustle and skills.
JG: So The Sting and The Prestige are my favourite 2…oh and Shade in a close 3rd
BH: I actually…preferred Max from Saved By The Bell.
*everyone laughs at Ben’s classic quote*
BH: Look it up!
XJ: I will! So of course because you guys do magic, that means you guys have a lot of stuff at your fingertips…
Do you prank each other because of it??
JG: All the time!
BH: Yeah! Well, me and Brett used to when we were rehearsing in Australia and lived together for 2 weeks, you’d put something down and he’d make something vanish or I’d make something vanish and he’d go “Oh where’s the toothbrush gone?”
BL: Yup…
*Adam laughs at these classic pranksters*
BL: Or you know, he’d be taking a shower and I’d just pour a bucket of ice water over him. Less magic and just being mean to each other!
XJ: But see you guys could answer it with “See! It was magic! I was never here!”
BL: Yeah! “I’m in the living room! What are you talking about??”
For people learning magic, do you have any tips?
Photo: AC Photography
JG: Yeah! Just practice, practice, practice!
AM: First of all, come and see our show and then come up to us afterward and then practice.
JG: I don’t know how that helps…
BH: Because then they’d have to get inspired by us!
JG: Well yeah, I agree! Seeing magic live is an experience that is very hard to replicate. We were all lovers of magic and we watch it on YouTube and on TV but there’s nothing like seeing magic in the theatre and in a place where you know there is no trickery, except everything that’s happening in front of you obviously is!
But it’s just impressive when your eyes are easily deceived and everything about what’s happening around you is not real.
XJ: I was going to say it would actually be fantastic if you grabbed an audience member and went “BOOM! MAGIC!” and just left them on-stage like “Get to it…”
BH: Well! Well! There’s a bit in the show where Adam selects someone!
JG: Yeah, Adam brings a child up on-stage, someone who’s a lover of magic and teaches them their first magic trick.
AM: They learn my very first ever illusion with a candle. I bring a little boy or girl up on-stage and I teach them an amazing piece.
JG: It’s a wonderful piece in the show!
AM: Only they get the secret whispered in their ear. And they’ll never tell.
XJ: Gosh you better hope they don’t have a Twitter!
*everyone laughs at this revelation*
BL: We have no idea what he says to them! After every show we ask the kid he goes “I dunno…”
JG: It’s amazing!
AM: In Taranaki, we got this really well-dressed 12 year old up; 3 piece suit and it turns out he’s got his own Kid’s News TV show.
JG: Yeah, that’s right!
AM: Or YouTube…
XJ: And he could’ve gone viral with it!
Group: He could’ve gone viral!
JG: He’s dead now…
*everyone laughs BECAUSE THAT STATEMENT IS NOT TRUE FOLKS, THE KID IS FINE. IT IS A JOKE. I think…*
Favourite magic word or incantation?
*the group laughs because who uses magic words, honestly*
AM: Jiggery-Pokery
XJ: Jiggery-Pokery?
JG: Sounds racist…
*everyone laughs*
XJ: We’re getting political here now!
BH: We tend not to use them here…
JG: Yeah, we don’t really have magic words. It’s kind of too old and cliched. But thank you…I think is the most powerful…
BL: Please and thank you! Please and thank you are the magic words!
XJ: Is that what happens when you’re cutting someone up?
JG: Yes! “PLEASE DON’T TELL ANYONE THE TRICK!
James and Brett: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
JG: For not dying!
XJ: Haha! That’s great! Well I hope your guys show goes amazingly and no one dies and thank you for coming along, it’s been awesome.
Band Of Magicians: Thank you very much!
Photo: AC Photography
With that, they disappear in a flash of smoke! (They didn’t)
Showing wonderful chemistry and camaraderie amongst themselves, the Band Of Magicians have a very real air of magic to them. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t try and go to check them out, as you’ll get to see group of friends having a laugh and good time doing what they love on-stage.
And this translates into a fantastic show of illusion that will make you believe magic is very real.
