diff --git a/config-example.js b/config-example.js
index 677ec25..fdf2b58 100644
--- a/config-example.js
+++ b/config-example.js
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 var slackbot = require('./lib/bot');
 
 var config = {
-    server: 'irc.freenode.com',
+    server: 'irc.freenode.net',
     nick: 'slackbot',
     username: 'slackbot-username',
     token: 'XXXX-XXXXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXX-XXXXXX',
+    // use all lowercase. use # on IRC channel, but not on slack channel
     channels: {
-        '#irc-channel password(optional)': '#slack-channel'
+        '#irc-channel password(optional)': 'slack-channel'
     },
     users: {
         '~irclogin': 'slackuser'
diff --git a/lib/bot.js b/lib/bot.js
index 5703244..60b2ef1 100755
--- a/lib/bot.js
+++ b/lib/bot.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 var _ = require('underscore');
 var IRC = require('irc');
-var slack = require('./slacker');
+var SlackClient = require('slack-client');
+var Log = require('log');
 
 /**
  * IRC Bot for syncing messages from IRC to Slack
@@ -18,6 +19,8 @@ var Bot = function (config) {
         nick: 'slckbt',
         username: 'slckbt'
     });
+
+    this.logger = new Log(process.env.SLACK_LOG_LEVEL || 'info');
     // default node-irc options
     // (@see https://github.com/martynsmith/node-irc/blob/0.3.x/lib/irc.js)
     this.irc = {
@@ -45,9 +48,11 @@ var Bot = function (config) {
         nicks: {}
     };
     this.client = new IRC.Client(this.config.server, this.config.nick, this.irc);
-    this.slacker = new slack.Slacker({ token: this.config.token });
     this._trackUsers();
     this._handleErrors();
+
+    this.slacker = new SlackClient(this.config.token);
+    this._slackOn();
     return this;
 };
 
@@ -59,8 +64,10 @@ Bot.prototype._handleErrors = function () {
     this.client.addListener('error', function (message) {
         var channel = message.args[1];
         var error_message = mapPronouns(message.args[2]);
-        self.speak(channel, 'I don\'t feel so well because ' + error_message);
+        self.ircSpeak(channel, 'I don\'t feel so well because ' + error_message);
     });
+
+    // TODO: deal with slack-side errors
 };
 
 /**
@@ -79,7 +86,6 @@ Bot.prototype._trackUsers = function () {
                 self._usermap.nicks[nick] = self._usermap.users[whois.user];
             });
         });
-        self.speak(channel, 'I\'m all over you slackers');
     });
     // New user has joined, match him up
     this.client.addListener('join', function (channel, nick, whois) {
@@ -89,8 +95,6 @@ Bot.prototype._trackUsers = function () {
         else {
             self._usermap.nicks[nick] = self._usermap.users[whois.user];
             self.giveOps(channel, nick);
-            self.speak(channel, 'i\'m watching you slacker @' +
-                       self._usermap.nicks[nick]);
         }
     });
     // Existing user has changed nickname
@@ -100,13 +104,22 @@ Bot.prototype._trackUsers = function () {
         }
         self._usermap.nicks[new_nick] = self._usermap.nicks[old_nick];
         delete self._usermap.nicks[old_nick];
-        channels.forEach(function (channel) {
-            self.speak(channel, 'don\'t think you can hide slacker @' +
-                       self._usermap.nicks[new_nick]);
-        });
     });
 };
 
+Bot.prototype._slackOn = function () {
+    var self = this;
+    this.slacker.addListener('loggedIn', function (user, team){
+        self.logger.info('Slack client now logged in (' + user.id + ') as ' + user.name + ' to ' + team.name);
+    });
+
+    this.slacker.addListener('open', function (){
+        self.logger.info('Slack client now connected');
+    });
+
+    self.slacker.login();
+};
+
 /**
  * Attempt to give a user op controls
  * @param {string} channel IRC channel name
@@ -121,28 +134,133 @@ Bot.prototype.giveOps = function (channel, nick) {
  */
 Bot.prototype.listen = function () {
     var self = this;
-    // Handle public user post
+
+    // Handle slack messages
+    this.slacker.addListener('message', function (message) {
+        self.logger.info('Message: ' + message);
+        if (message.hidden) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (!message.text && !message.attachments) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (message.subtype === 'bot_message') {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (!message.user) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (message.user === self.config.username) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if(message.getChannelType() === 'DM') {
+            return;
+        }
+        channel = self.slacker.getChannelGroupOrDMByID(message.channel);
+
+        if (message.subtype === 'channel_join' || message.subtype === 'group_join') {
+        } else if (message.subtype === 'channel_leave' || message.subtype === 'group_leave') {
+        } else if (message.subtype === 'channel_topic' || message.subtype === 'group_topic') {
+        } else {
+            var username = message.username || self.slacker.getUserByID(message.user).name
+            self.logger.info('SLACK_MSG> ' + channel.name + ": " + username + ': ' + message.getBody());
+
+            for(to in self.config.channels) {
+                if(self.config.channels[to] === channel.name) {
+                    self.ircSpeak(to, message.getBody(), username);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    });
+
+    // Handle irc user post
     this.client.addListener('message', function (from, to, message) {
-        self.slacker.send('chat.postMessage', {
-            channel: self.config.channels[to],
-            text: self.prepareMessage(message, self._usermap.nicks),
-            username: self._usermap.nicks[from] || from,
-            parse: 'full',
-            link_names: 1,
-            unfurl_links: 1
-        });
+        self.logger.info('IRC_MSG> ' + to + ": " + from + ': ' + message);
+
+        from = self._usermap.nicks[from] || from
+        to = self.config.channels[to.toLowerCase()]
+        message = self.prepareMessage(message, self._usermap.nicks)
+
+        self.slackSpeak(to, message, from)
     });
+
+};
+
+Bot.prototype.removeFormatting = function(txt) {
+  txt = txt.replace(/<([\@\#\!])(\w+)(?:\|([^>]+))?>/g, (function(_this) {
+    return function(m, type, id, label) {
+      var channel, user;
+      if (label) {
+        return label;
+      }
+      switch (type) {
+        case '@':
+          user = _this.client.getUserByID(id);
+          if (user) {
+            return "@" + user.name;
+          }
+          break;
+        case '#':
+          channel = _this.client.getChannelByID(id);
+          if (channel) {
+            return "\#" + channel.name;
+          }
+          break;
+        case '!':
+          if (id === 'channel' || id === 'group' || id === 'everyone') {
+            return "@" + id;
+          }
+      }
+      return "" + type + id;
+    };
+  })(this));
+  txt = txt.replace(/<([^>\|]+)(?:\|([^>]+))?>/g, (function(_this) {
+    return function(m, link, label) {
+      if (label) {
+        return label + " " + link;
+      } else {
+        return link;
+      }
+    };
+  })(this));
+  return txt;
 };
 
 /**
  * Push a message to a channel
  * @param {string} channel IRC channel name
- * @param {string} message Message to push to channel
+ * @param {string} message Text to push to channel
+ * @param {string} username Who sent the message
+ */
+Bot.prototype.ircSpeak = function (channel, message, username) {
+    this.logger.info('IRC> ' + channel + ": " + username + ': ' + message);
+    this.client.say(channel, username + ": " + message);
+};
+
+/**
+ * Push a message to a channel
+ * @param {string} channel slack channel name
+ * @param {string} message Text to push to channel
+ * @param {string} username Who sent the message
  */
-Bot.prototype.speak = function (channel, message) {
-    if (!this.config.silent) {
-        this.client.say(channel, message);
-    }
+Bot.prototype.slackSpeak = function (channel, message, username) {
+    this.logger.info('SLACK> ' + channel + ": " + username + ': ' + message);
+
+    if(typeof message == 'string' || message instanceof String) 
+        message = { text: self.removeFormatting(message) }
+    else 
+        message = message || {};
+
+    if(username)
+        message.username = username
+
+    var channel = this.slacker.getChannelByName(channel);
+
+    message.parse = 'full'
+    message.link_names = 1
+    message.unfurl_links = 1
+
+    channel.postMessage(message)
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 9af7442..bb5f689 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -25,9 +25,10 @@
     "node": "*"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "request": "~2.33.0",
+    "underscore": "^1.7.0",
     "irc": "~0.3.6",
-    "underscore": "^1.7.0"
+    "slack-client": "~1.3.1",
+    "log": "~1.4.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {},
   "bin": {