Blankety Blank

That time has come once again, my friends. A time when a young man feels himself nudged ever southward. When the music nerd inside us all is drawn toward Florida. The Sunshine State. The House of the Mouse. America's Wang.

Call it what you will, the simple fact is Nerdapalooza season is fast approaching and, thus, a trip to Orlando, FL is imminent. With this year's festival slated for July 17th and 18th, you still have a little over two months buy your tickets, make your travel plans and pack up your wordly belongings.

Sadly, for some of our dorky brethren, that's far easier said than done. With the global economy, well, I believe the proper phrase is in the shitter, it's difficult for many fans to make this annual pilgrimage. And it is equally hard for many of the potential performers.

To help remedy this, our friends at Game Music 4 All along with Lo Tech (of The Geek Peek Post) established a fundraiser called Get _______ to Nerdapalooza. Sure, it's not the most compelling of project names, but it's proper accurate.

This year the duo is again re-launching the Get _______ to Nerdapalooza effort complete with fabulous raffle prizes, and the artist chosen to benefit from the generated funds is none other than nerdcore's finest palindrome Dr. Awkward.

Now, if I have to tell you what Awkward is all about, you're obviously new to both this blog and the world of studious indie hip-hop, but I will humor you…

Rocketing onto the scene with his debut EP Next Gen, Dr. Awkward easily impressed nerdy heads with his blend of clever lyricism, tuneful hooks and geeky swagger. Joining forces with the Scrub Club collective, the good Doctor continued to ply his craft both around his own California stomping grounds and beyond. (Including a stellar showing at last year's Nerdapalooza.)

His newly released Unlimited is a hip-hop powerhouse with a sharp focus on girls, games and nerd life, not to mention being one of the strongest releases of 2010. Dr. Awkward has continued his hot streak with a number of stellar guest spots, most recently on Beefy's With Sprinkles. (Which came out today; get on that shit!)

Also, Doc got me a signed comic from my idol Jim Mahfood at the Space City Nerd kickoff party in Houston, TX, and if that don't sound like the kind of delightful muthafucker deserving of a little financial assistance to travel cross-country, I don't know who does!

With all that said, the dealio is as follows:

Head over to the raffle page at Geek Peek Post. There you can purchase virtual raffle tickets for a mere $10 a pop for your first ticket, with additional tickets only 5 bones. Not only will each donation get Doc closer to this year's Nerdapalooza, they'll also put you in the running for sweet-ass prizes from the likes of MC Frontalot, Schaffer the Darklord and Marc with a C.

Oh, and there are also two – count 'em: 2 - $100 Visa gift cards up for grabs!

So give some scratch to help Awkward make it to Orlando, and maybe even score some cool shit for yourself.

I believe they call that a win-win.

Nerd News in Brief

It's been quite a while since the last installment of Nerd News in Brief. In that time, much has changed. The world has moved on.

A pair of nerdy engagements were announced and Nerdapalooza 2010 has taken shape, complete with an adjusted date, a new venue and a stellar lineup. Oh yeah, and I flunked out of my own Pokewalker Fitness Challenge.

Stupid head cold!

• Nerd Love: For those marriage-minded dorks, may I suggest one of these fine microchip rings? Seriously, though, if your special lady actually wants one of these, I suggest you make it official quickly.
• Um… I Mean Geek Love: Syracuse's The Daily Orange published a piece last month on the Geek2Geek online dating service. And as if that's not shameful enough, the site's founder, Spencer Koppel, also splits hairs regarding geeks and nerds. Which can't be good for business. 
• Semantics: Heidi Costello of Australia's Tweed Daily News asks if it's better to be a nerd, a geek or a dork. More importantly, she pokes holes in the accepted definitions for obviously malleable terms. Give it a look.
• Share the Wealth: Nerdapalooza isn't the only even relying on Kickstarter funds to help get it off the ground. Chiptune aficionados are also encouraged to contribute to the new 8 Bit Weapon/Computeher Disko Apocalypse tour. Every little bit helps.
• Better at Rapping: Speaking of tours, MC Frontalot's current cross-country undertaking seems to be going well for him and the boys. Check out this video interview from The Naked Gamers to see how our hero fairs on the lonely road, and peep this handsome mini-review of his newest musical offering from ReMixed Magazine.
• White Now: Which, of course, brings us to this Supreme Magazine piece pointed out by our own Church H. Tucker. It concerns the fall of the white rapper, and touches on, among other things, nerdcore's inability to cross over. It's an interesting piece, and you should give it a read.
• Split No More: From my buddy Matt comes news that prolific minimalist Wizard Rocker Split Seven Ways has elected to step away from that echelon of geek rock. More music does seem to be in the works, however, in what may well be a less despondent vein.
• Leia Lady Leia: And from Church comes news of recently announced project Her Universe. It's the first Star Wars clothing line specifically for the ladies. Please hold your "Yellow Laser Beams" jokes until the end of the show.
• Gigs in Space: With the earth destroyed by a massive explosion, the human race has retreated to a pair of dueling space stations. If you just found yourself thinking "That sounds like a great premise for a rock opera," you are not alone.
• Yeah, But What's His THAC0?: This little gem also come compliments of Church. And it reminds us that in-depth statistical analysis is the quickest way to nerdy-up professional sports.
• I Want Candy: This edition of nerd ink, is sponsored in part by Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. You know how we do.
• Six String Sorcery: On the new release front, my blogging brother Nathan Meunier has dropped his debut chiprock EP. Snag The Beacon for free from his site, and maybe toss him a dollar or three for his trouble. 
• Haste Makes Taste: A string of amazing new tracks also comes to us compliments of last weekend's Doubles' Dash songwriting competition. These 8 mini-masterpieces are also supplemented by another stellar set from the follow-up "encore round." 
• One Day at a Time: Not to be outdone by that ol' YTCracker, Seattleite MC Ultraklystron has just dropped a new mixtape that was recorded in a single day. It's a pretty hot little 9-tracker that's provided free of charge.
• Roll the Tape: Meanwhile, Florida's Marc With a C has been busy hatching a contest. To coincide with the July vinyl-only re-release of his RetroLowFi collection, Marc is giving away a rare test pressing of the album. To enter, simply prove to Marc your undying love for said test pressing… uh, I mean your undying love for him via a clear visual manifestation. The entry deadline is Monday, May 31st, and further details are available over at his site. 
• Brand New Super Powers: And taking us out this time is the brand new video from Beefy's (shortly) forthcoming new LP With Sprinkles. It's for the track "Geek Out," and it all but commands you to do so.