Let’s do it… One! More! Time!

In December 2009, you helped us rock out for Child’s Play at the first annual Ümloud! The show was a smashing success: With your help, we raised $7000 for children’s hospitals and had an amazing time doing it. Your bands took the stage and rocked the house.

Time to do it again. We’ve signed the contract and it’s official: Ümloud! 2010 will take place on Thursday, December 9, 2010. Once again, we’ll be working with the good people at DNA Lounge in downtown San Francisco to let you live out your rock star fantasies for a great cause.

We listened to your concerns. You wanted an event later in the week. Thursday is the new Friday, or so it’s been said.

In the coming months, we’ll be revealing new details about Ümloud! 2010. We’ve got some great plans that you’re going to want to be a part of. Just keep following this blog to get the latest updates, fresh from the delicious source.

You can also befriend Ümloud! on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

And if you want to help us make this year’s show the best it can be, then contact sponsors@umloud.org.

See you in December, and talk to you soon!

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Ümloud: The Video of the Event!

Hey wow! It’s a video that recaps all the highlights of Ümloud!

Didn’t make it to the show? Want to relive your favorite moments? Now you can, thanks to the tireless work of Tracy Peterson at One Two Many Productions.

Yes, it was this awesome. And Ümloud! 2010 will be bigger, better, and more bad-ass.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or on this blog’s RSS feed for news about this year’s event!

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Ümloud! The Official Viral Video

These days, any good product needs a viral video.

And since we don’t have a dog that can ride a skateboard, we needed to go with our second choice: a ROCKUMENTARY.

Watch our band, Baby Dog Time, struggle to get back together. In the end, we managed to put aside all of our differences and reunite to play a very special charity gig. A charity gig that’s just over one week away!

(It’s Ümloud! That’s the charity gig I was referring to above!)

Very special thanks to the amazing Wired.com video production team for donating their time and energy to producing this video for Ümloud!

You can also watch it on Wired or Vimeo or Facebook or YouTube, GameTrailers or GHtv.

Watch more Wired videos here.

Donate to Ümloud!

Can’t make it to Ümloud! but still want to contribute?

Donate directly to Ümloud!

You can donate directly to the cause if you can’t make it to the event. We’ve set up a Google Checkout Donation button to accept donations via credit cards. The minimum is $1 and you can put in whatever you feel you can give. We also accept personal checks if you mail them in.

Just to be clear, this is not the way to get a band pass, advance tickets or anything else offered at the Ümloud! event. Check each respective links to get these things.

Regardless if it’s a band pass, on-site donation, or though the donation button:
All proceeds will go to Child’s Play Charity.

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Putting the Ü in Ümloud!

Ümloud IconA common question I get is how to make that letter u with the little dots above it, known as an umlaut. Here’s a handy guide for you all:

Windows: Alt-0220
Mac OS X: Option-u, then shift-u
iPhone: Shift for capital letters; Hold down the U key till a popup menu shows up for Ü.
HTML: Ü (case-sensitive)

That’s what you need to know to type in Ümloud!

You’ll notice that in some places we use a regular U: anything that’s a URL, for example, or the Twitter account @Umloud. While you can use umlauts in the location bar, the URLs will convert to Punycode, not to mention not everyone knows how to make a Ü.

Well, except you. Now you know how to Ü with the best of them!

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Ümloud! The Press Release!

Thanks to our wonderful, tireless PR partners at Reverb Communications, the official press release announcing Ümloud! to the world went out today.

Feels all official and stuff! Check it in PDF or right here:


Harmonix Teams With Gaming Industry Vets for ÜMLOUD!, a Rock Band Night for Child’s Play Charity

Gamers Give Back with Charity Event Supporting National Children’s Hospital Organization

San Francisco, California—November 19, 2009—Do not miss out on the San Francisco gaming charity event of the year! Ümloud! is an annual fundraiser event for Child’s Play Charity, a “gamers’ charity” started by Penny Arcade’s Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik that provides toys and games to Children’s Hospitals around the country, including Oakland Children’s Hospital.

The spiritual-successor to last year’s successful Fünde Razor, and hosted by gaming industry vets Chris Kohler (Wired), Joe Markert (Gamehelper), and John “Seg” Seggerson (Telltale Games), Ümloud! will hit the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, California on December 9th, and feature a full-blown Rock Band 2 main stage set up courtesy of Harmonix Music Systems, where you and your band can melt the face of San Francisco clean off at one of the hottest music venues in the city, all in the name of charity!

“Ümloud! is a great way to get the community involved in a fun charity event and give towards a great cause,” says Ümloud! co-founder Chris Kohler. “We have awesome sponsors and industry leaders involved in this event and we want you to come out and rock the night away for us in effort to raise money for children’s hospitals through Child’s Play.”

Doors open at the DNA Lounge at 7:00pm and the party will rage until 2:00am. There is a suggested donation of $10.00 upon entry to the event, and all attendees will be entered into an epic raffle that will go on throughout the night boasting amazing prizes and limited edition gaming swag, courtesy of participating sponsors. You can sign your band up for either the Ultimate Band Package for $120.00 or the Standard Band Package for $40.00. Come join the fun, be entered to win some totally awesome prizes and, best of all, leave knowing that your night at the bar was for a good cause!

“Ümloud!  is one of our core community fundraisers at Child’s Play.  We rely heavily on the efforts of video game community, and events such as Ümloud! form the backbone of that support,” said Kristin Lindsay, Project Manager for Child’s Play Charity.  “It’s an amazing night of Rock Band 2, prizes and partying, and it’s all for a great cause. Donations from Ümloud! help support the Child’s Play network of children’s hospitals around the world.  When gamers give back, it makes a big difference!”

For more information about Ümloud! please visit www.umloud.org and become a fan of Ümloud! on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Umloud or follow Ümloud! on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Umloud/

Reverb Communications is a silver sponsor of the event, helping Ümloud! with marketing, public relations and sponsorships. If you are interested in a custom sponsorship package in support of Ümloud! please contact Mel Kirk, mel@reverbinc.com, 209-586-1495 x104.

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About Child’s Play Charity:

Since 2003, over 100,000 gamers worldwide have banded together through Child’s Play, a community based charity grown and nurtured from the game culture and industry. Over 5 million dollars in donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children’s hospitals across North America and the world have been collected since our inception.

This year, Child’s Play Charity has continued expanding across the country and the globe. With almost 70 partner hospitals and more arriving every month, you can be sure to find one from the map above that needs your help! You can choose to purchase requested items from their online retailer wish lists, or make a cash donation that helps out Child’s Play hospitals everywhere.  When gamers give back, it makes a difference!

About Ümloud!:

Ümloud! is an annual fundraiser held in San Francisco, California, with proceeds benefiting Child’s Play Charity.

Founded in 2003 by Penny Arcade, Child’s Play has provided over $3.5 million in donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children’s hospitals around the world.

Ümloud! Media Contact:

Danitra Alomia
Reverb Communications
danitra@reverbinc.com
209-586-1495 x115

Tracie Snitker
tracie@reverbinc.com
209-586-1495 x104

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