More Nerds News in Brief

We as a nation have spent the last week in shock at the discovery that professional asshole Don Imus is, in fact, an asshole. Meanwhile, Kurt Vonnegut, a man who actually had, y'know, something relevant to say has died. Ain't that a kick in the junk?

Life's funny that way, I reckon.

I always saw Kurt as one of us, and not just because he wrote sci-fi. He was a man who held onto his ideas and ideals, and fearlessly expressed himself. You don't get much more nerd that that.

This edition of Nerd News in Brief is for him.

(Now where'd I put the ice-nine?)

• Tales from the Southeast: Congrats to my brother mCRT for winning the most recent Song Fight! with his track “King Me!” Much nerd love to him, and also to David Abramz for providing the beat. If you haven't already, go check out his winning tune and all of the other interesting submissions.
• Wait! I can play games on this thing?: Nerdcore For Life got a mention in this month's edition of Games for Windows magazine. I (like pretty much everyone else) am still scratching my head about this, but at least it's some press. :)
• The Mid-West and beyond: MC Frontalot, MC Lars, and the harmonious cybernetic groove machine known as Optimus Rhyme will be rocking House of Bricks in Des Moines tonight, The Rock in Papillion, NE tomorrow, and the Marquis Theater in Denver come Sunday. As a result, I expect the middle of our nation to be rocked right the fuck off by next week. I'm just sayin'.
• Dork the Vote: Will the aforementioned acts make it into hipsterplease.com's list of the Top 10 Nerdcore Artists of All Time? It's up to you, folks. Check out this earlier post for the straight poop.
• A deal this good is simply ©®@~Z!: Lastly, My Parents Favorite Music have re-released their 2002 album ©®@~Z Mystery for the unbelievable price of 5 bones! Okay, so technically the album is free with the purchase of a $5 button, but you get the idea. Head over to the MPFM MySpace for details, and tell Steffo and Stellar that Z. says hi.

Calling all dorks.

There are three phases within the life of the blogger.

In the first, you consider the Top 10 list. In the second, you mock the Top 10 list. Finally, you accept the Top 10 list.

I have recently reached the acceptance phase.

With all that’s happened in the sphere of nerdcore hip-hop over the past year, I can’t help but feel this damnable urge to innumerate, this hankering to list in ascending order. I try to deny it, but still it haunts me like a wispy ghost on a rainy night or a popcorn fart in a crowded movie theatre.

The problem, of course, is that such lists rarely hold water. They are insubstantial. Yet, while I sat lamenting the fact that such a project could never be definitive, my pals Dan and Matt reminded me that it could, in fact, be collaborative.

And so I beseech you, oh nerdcore community to aid me in my quest, to help me uncover the Top 10 Nerdcore Artists of All Time.

Now admittedly, the phrase “of All Time” is a bit of a misnomer. Since we’re not, at present, on the cusp of the end of time – despite what your minister may tell you – that all-time greatest shit is pretty hollow. It essentially boils down to the far less weighty “so far.” And while “so far” lacks that true ring of authority, it’s a bit more accessible and a fair bit more accurate.

But this matter of semantics is neither here nor there.

All I’m looking for from you is a list: a simple list of your personal top 10 nerdcore artists or groups. You can do so right here, at the related thread over at Rhyme Torrents, or (if you’re the secretive type) via the handy email link in the sidebar.

According to my trusty desk calendar, it is, at present, Wednesday, April 11th. I will be actively accepting lists, through any of the aforementioned channels, until next Wednesday, April 18th. After that time I will begin to weigh the collected data, and I will post results the following week.

Aside from your own submission, all I ask is that you be truthful to yourself. Your individual criteria for inclusion are your own business (as are your likes/dislikes and personal prejudices), but I hope you’ll at least give this a little bit of thought.

At least as much thought as a request from a diminutive hillbilly that writes about nerdy rap genuinely warrants.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 20: Notorious Dick

It's not you; it's me.

I noticed during playback that I sound a bit bored in this ep. It's not that I was phoning it in or nuthin' – I was actually really excited about putting this ep. together – but life's been hectic and I've begun to drag ass.

Anyone else feelin' that way? Do the rest of y'all have entirely too much to do and very little motivation to see the bulk of it through? It can't be just me, right?

Must be seasonal.

But that's neither here nor there.

This time around I am kickin' it old school. There's no theme or preferred genre. There's just a bunch of songs that are a bit nerdy, and I hope you find at least a couple to your liking.
It was nice to drop another OCR track into the mix, as I haven't done that in a few eps, and, of course, I'll always go out of my way to make a Facts of Life reference.

But I reckon y'all already knew that.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 20: Notorious Dick [hosting provided by Antisocial] Size: 45.5 MB Running Time: 49:45

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah (feat. Beefy) – “Radio Free Hipster Theme”
My theme song could beat up your theme song.

Track 1: MC Lars - “If I Had a Time Machine the World Would be Fresh.”
Catch Lars on tour. Coming to a venue near you. Unless you live in the boonies like I do.
Z's 1 st interlude: “A glaring lack of theme.”
I haven't done a theme-free ep. in a while. It feels good.

Track 2: Five Iron Frenzy - “Wizard Needs Food Badly”
I've said before that I think rock ‘n' roll and Halloween should be left to the devil, but a good song is a good song, “Christian ska” or otherwise.
Track 3: Binster - “Blue Wizard is About to Die”
I haven't done a plug for OCR for a while, so let me say again that it's the kind of place that never disappoints when it comes to free, cool, video game-inspired music.

Track 4: Beefy - “The Legend of Jones McFly”
As I mentioned: Jones is my home-skillet.
Track 5: Switchblade Kittens - “Best Friend”
The Kittens are, in essence, an all bass band. Strange but true.

Track 6: The Blanks - “The Facts of Life”
I love Scrubs , but I can't believe they killed Laverne! :(

Track 7: No Kill I - “Tranya”
Clint Howard scares me. I'm just sayin'.

Track 8: IRN MNKY - “She Sells Grapevines”
I love The Cult. I also love Marvin Gaye. Don't you fuckin' judge me!
Track 9: Former Fat Boys - “I Ain't Gonna Pay My Taxes”
We should know on the 15th whether or not this one won the YouTube Turbo Tax contest.

Z's 2 nd interlude: “Oh, Kim Fields, you saucy little vixen!”
Kin Fields is currently with child. It is not mine. I'm just sayin'.
Track 10: Rx - “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
If only The Party Party were, in fact, a legitimate political entity.

Track 11: Totally Radd! - “Video Store”
Check out the pictures from the recent Totally Radd! photo shoot. Trust me. It's worth it.
Track 12: Metamystiks Inc. feat. Armageddon Man - “Superior Beings”
One of the best tracks on the last Rhyme Torrents compilation, and one of Metamystiks finest.

Track 13: Rotersand - “Exterminate Annihilate Destroy”
This one is for Dennis and Denika and anyone else who realizes that Goths are just nerds in black nail polish!
Track 14: YTCracker - “Shineback”
This tracks features Metamystiks own DJ Snyder.

Z's final interlude: “… and delicious salt-water taffy.”
You just can't fuck with salt water taffy.
Track 15: Headphone Souls - “Where's Mr. Brightside's Head At”
I haven't heard anything new from Headphone Souls in a while. That's kind of a letdown.

And that, as they say, is that. Thanks so much for listening.

I seem to've run a little longer than usual with this one, but it's mostly because I just kept adding songs to the playlist. I shoot for keeping each edition of RFH at approximately 45 minutes, but I make it a point to only go past the (dreaded) one hour mark on rare occasions. My number one turn-off where podcasts are concerned is length, but I reckon 50 minutes is still fair game.

Keep those comments and song/theme suggestions coming. And feel free to holler if you just wanna shoot the breeze. I'm pretty dedicated to procrastination. :D

Nerd News in Brief

Last week there seemed to be an exorbitant amount of nerd news. This week? Not so much.

Still, if you like new tracks and live shows, then I've got some news for you!

Nerd News. In Brief.

• The Southern Cross: This week mc chris will cut a swath of musical destruction across the south. Dates and locations are as follows: 04/10/2007 07:00 PM - Emo's, Austin, Texas ($8 ADV / $10 DOS); 04/11/2007 08:00 PM - Club Dada, Dallas, Texas ($12); 04/13/2007 07:00 PM - Orpheum, Tampa, Florida ($10); 04/14/2007 07:00 PM - Rays Downtown, West Palm Beach, Florida ($10 ADV / $12 DOS). mc asks that you please remember that he is opening for Piebald, and not t'other way around. Show up early and support your boy!
  
• Put it in the Word .doc with a password lock: MC Frontalot's brand new album Secrets From the Future has now been released in earnest. His tour with MC Lars is also currently underway. And to sweeten the deal even further, Front's dropped a new single , this album's title track, for free download. Who loves you? MC Frontalot loves you!
  
• Exterminate, Annihilate, Resequence:Aussie beatmeister Diabolik has just posted a remix of Metamystiks's “Superior Beings” on his site over at the Nerdcore Ning. Check it out and see how they do in the land of kangaroos and… um… now that I think about it I think they just have kangaroos. ;)
  
• Mr. Fantastic returns: LogicOne also has a new track available for your listening pleasure via his MySpace . It's called “Phantom Killer,” and it is guaranteed to satisfy.
  
• The worst kind of pandering: I've just added a Digg link to the “Other Stuff” section of my ever-growing sidebar. I can't imagine anyone actually using it, but, y'know, it was late and I was bored.
• Wiid is by my side: And lastly, here's a little treat. It's my pals Gabriel and Syn from Nerdcore News interviewing a very, very hyped- up mc chris in Seattle earlier this month. Enjoy it in good health.