Macabre theater: Jordan Jonas presents a night of haunting 'Magick' at Painted Lady Bed & Brew

Aug. 15—Experience an evening of close up macabre magic, mind reading and psychic phenomena with Albuquerque ghost host Jordan Jonas.

"Jordan Jonas: A Night of Haunting Magick" will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Painted Lady Bed & Brew, 1100 Bellamah Ave. NW. Doors open at 7 p.m.

"A lot of the stuff that I perform is very occult in nature," Jonas said. "So spelling magic (as) magick, is more of the occult way to spell it because I like to convey to people that I'm doing more than just tricks. I try to really make it feel like what they're experiencing is supernatural or something that's unusual and bizarre."

Jonas' show is more than just sleight of hand or smoke and mirrors.

"I do stuff with playing cards, but I also do stuff with tarot cards, kind of metaphysical objects," he explained. "I use Ouija boards, crystal balls. A lot of what I focus on is called mentalism or mind reading. So it's kind of conveying psychic abilities like telepathy and precognition, predicting the future."

Jonas said he summarizes his shows as "psychic demonstrations" with some sideshow antics.

"I swallow sewing needles," he said. "I do stuff with razor blades, so it's a weird show. It's got a lot of texture. It's not all just card tricks. It's a variety of different weird, spooky, creepy stuff."

Jonas said he has always been drawn to the strange and unusual.

"I've always been fascinated with psychic imagery and I've always loved creepy macabre stuff like Ouija boards," he said. "Of course, Ouija boards elicit a reaction from people and I've just always been into it. I have a collection of items that are haunted, some items are cursed. And I actually use some of those items in my show sometimes, but I've just always been drawn to that more macabre side of life, I guess."

Jonas makes a point to connect with his audience.

"They're typically incredibly interactive," he said of his shows. "I bounce around from person to person and try to get as many people involved as possible. Depending on how many people are there, I always try to make it feel like a very intimate, personal show, even if there are, 50 plus people that are in the audience. I always like to make it feel very intimate for everybody that's there."

Limited seating is available for the performance. This is an outdoor event and guests are encouraged to dress accordingly. Local craft beer will be available for purchase with credit card only. No food is available on site, and guests can bring their own food to the performance.

As part of the show, Jonas also will provide some background on the Painted Lady Bed & Brew, which once housed a saloon and brothel.

"Every time I'm over there, I experience or see something," he said. "I had one of the scariest things that I've ever experienced happen over there a few years ago. It's a very active place."