Bare – the Other Brothers
$35.00
http://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=59414

IThe Hype:

In what is destined to become the go-to trick for professionals around the globe, Bare generates screams, gasps, and reactions like no other trick we know. This special, hand-altered Sharpie marker allows you to cause ANY card, initials, number, or simple shape to appear ON A SPECTATOR'S HAND. 

They hold out a hand, palm down, and you gently sprinkle salt, pepper, coffee grinds, or sand on their hand. By rubbing their hand gently, their thought-of shape APPEARS on their own hand. 

The Bare Sharpie allows you to invisibly write or draw anything on YOUR hand, which you easily and imperceptibly transfer onto their hand. The best part? It has no scent or stickiness, and can be easily wiped away after the performance. This is a hygienic, "neat" version of the "Ashes on Arm" trick -- it doesn't endanger a spectator's clothing or look "dirty."

The pen lasts for hundreds of performances, and is disguised inside a real Sharpie marker.
Includes download link for full video performance and explanation. Easy to perform.

My Take:

Once again these guys hit it out of the park. I absolutely loved their Wink when it came out and they have continued on in fine tradition. This is the best rendition of the old ashes writing on the wrist trick since Wayne Houchin’s Stigmata. And the best thing? The writing is actually on your spectator’s hand and not yours. This will absolutely fry anyone familiar with the old technique.

Instruction is via an online video and this is the only issue I have with the whole package. I have a habit of downloading the instructional videos for the tricks I get and converting them to DVD so I can watch them on my TV. The video is superb but there is no download link. I tried several Google Chrome Video Downloader extensions and the best I could get was a video with no sound. So, I emailed the guys at Vanishing Inc. I was impressed at how quickly George got back to me saying the video is hosted on Vimeo and that I should be able to download it from there. Unfortunately, a link to the Vimeo file was not included. But I have a=found a work around that I will share with you here. This will not work unless you have purchased the trick and have the proper instructional video link. Load the video page. Chrome allows you to right click and choose “View Page Source” which shows you the html coding for the page.  Look for a link (blue lettering) with “player,vimeo.com” and click on that. This will bring the video up with a Vimeo URL. Copy and paste the URL into http://savevideo.me/ and you will be allowed to download and save the Bare video.

Now, back to the review. The Other Brothers have been making a name for themselves updating  some of the older magic plots with some very creative, clever methods. With Bare, you get a very special Sharpie marker actually hand made by the Other Brothers. As each is tested before being shipped, this does away with the chance you might actually get a bad gimmick. The Brothers say that their pen should last you a long time and for hundreds of performances.. The one caveat is that you must keep the marker tightly capped or it could dry out on you and force you to buy another one.

This would be excellent for a street performer. I did have some questions after watching the demo video that were addressed completely in the instructional, such as how long can you wait after “stamping” your spectator (up to two hours). My favorite routine has a spectator select a card and hold it between his hands You do not touch the card. You ask him the first and last name of a friend that the card reminds him of. You take out a business card and write a prediction. After showing that your prediction is accurate, you shake pepper over the back of his hand, then blow it off. The initials of his friends name is left behind on the back of his hand. If this is performed for someone who is even slightly superstitious (Ouija board fan, etc) this could make you a god.

There are a handful of performers who make me anxious to see just what they come up with next. The Other Brothers have been added to the list. Get this. You will use it.

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