A Reintroduction

Sometimes a new album drop is exciting because it's hotly anticipated – like, for example, Epic-1's LP debut or the freshly released Southside Liquors – but other times it's really more of an unexpected surprise. Such is the case with my Australian pal Pinky's new mixtape Grandmaster Pink is Nerdier than You.

It's an eclectic sixteen-tracker that's positively packed with old school beats and new school rhymes. So much so, in fact, that I'm beginning to suspect it's somehow perpetually 1988 in the land down under. To put it another way, Pinky continues to bring nerdcore hip-hop that should ably appeal to those in both those often disparate camps.

In addition to Pink's regularly scheduled lyrical geek-outs (with ample nods to gaming, RPGs and comics) it also boasts covers of The Boondocks theme and Del's "Protoculture," an amazing foray into chip-hop and cameos from a number of my other favorites – Super Dragon X and The Ranger like whut?! It's really the perfect follow-up to 2006's impeccable Diabolikly Pink, even featuring a redux of that album's D&D anthem "Rollin' 20s." And with nods to everything from DJ Kool to the Sega Mega Drive, it's easy to love and hard to put down. Oh, and did I mention it's free?

I mean seriously, get on this shit!

Nerd News in Brief

Project for Awesome launched last Thursday at YouTube. It featured videos not of skateboarding dogs, drunken party girls, or irate television hosts, but of real users talking about real issues.

It's nice to think that even YouTube, that bastion of time-wasting ridiculousness, can take a few moments a year to talk about charities in need of donations. It kind of makes me wonder if I should occasionally turn this blog into an engine for change.

Someday that might happen, but today ain't it.

Today let's simply enjoy another mindless Nerd News in Brief!

• Last Minute Gift Idea: Still short a gift for the impotent Jedi in your life? Why not treat him to this t-shirt so that every 2-bit bounty hunter and wannabe Sith Lord in the sector knows his secret shame?
• Like No Other: What would you do if I told you that Just Another Lazy Podcast was returning to the (fake) airwaves? Would you scream and soil yourself? Fine then; I won't tell you.
• Totally Glitched: The venue for the European premiere of Nerdcore For Life and its related concert has been announced. The event will occur at Amsterdam's Club Panama, and tickets are available now.
• The 2nd Time Around: Rhyme Torrents Volume 8 CD 2 is also now available for download. It features some tight work MC Lars, Random, Grandmaster Pink, nYgel, and many more. It's cover art features KABUTO and, like, some other dudes.
• You Will Be Crushed: Some more nerdy hip-hop newness also arrived in the form of Id Obelus's The Inevitable Crushing EP. Id prides himself on having a style that's a bit beyond the ordinary with regard to content, flow, and presentation, but whether or not you've felt his previous releases I'm gonna have to highly recommend that you check this one out. It's got an energy all its own, and it has joined The Digital Gangster LP on my list of superlative late-comers for 2008.
  
• Pirates vs. Wizards: And also on the subject of new music, we will shortly be treated to freshness from both Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew and RiddleTM. Yep, we're covering all bases.
  
• Knitting Nerds: Jason of Geek Studies passed on a link to Geek Central Station, an amazing blog dedicated to geeky crafting. It's this kind of stuff that makes me lament the fact that I am totally incapable of creating such nerdery. Quick! Someone knit me a Little Sister and Big Daddy!
• Payment Due at the Time Services are Rendered: Random took a little time away from his Mega Man 9 project to breath new life into an old classic. What's not to love about Ran covering Eric B and Rakim's "Paid in Full?" Nothing.
• The End of an Era: Jesse Dangerously recently blogged that CD Baby has the last known physical copy of Eastern Canadian World Tour 2002. Yep, the last of the Mohicans. And Jesse says he's decided not to press anymore, so get it while you can!
• Survey Says!: Quick poll – what's of more interest to you, A) a WoW-themed restaurant or B) a Star Trek-themed casino? If you answered B, you are very old. Just like me and Church.
  
• Back on the Road: Once again the Geek Comedy Tour is coming to town. Assuming that, in your case, said "town" is the greater DC area. The rest of us will just have to get our geek comedy the old fashioned way: by watching Robocop as a Rap Musical.
• Spit Wack on the Mic: Pinky hooked me up with a link to this bit from D*Face's aPOPcalypse NOW doumentary. It features a little music from our old friend MC Frontalot around the 2 minute mark, and is awesome throughout.
• SPUN: And speaking of Front, the Godfather of Nerdcore was recently named Artist of the Day by SPIN. Sadly, he is no longer indier than thou.
• For the Cause: You can hear exclusive tracks from Frontalot, Beefy, The Grammar Club, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, Jonathan Coulton, and many more on the newly released Child's Play CD 2008. Not exactly the flashiest title in the world, but it tells you what you need to know; it's great music for a great cause.
• Ladies Night: In the event that you've recently taken to living under a rock, a pair of particularly talented geeky artists – both of whom happen to be of the female persuasion – are getting some much-needed attention. The first is Alaskan songstress Marian Call, whose Got to Fly album is thematically centered on Firefly, Serenity, and Battlestar Galactica, as well as the nerds who enjoy them. Meanwhile, ukulele ninja Molly is currently laying the ultimate smackdown on YouTube thanks to an intoxicating blend of inspired covers, impressive co-conspirators, and undeniable charm. And of course, Matt is hopelessly in love with both.
• Out to Do You In: Thanks to reader Oli (who actually found the site via the namedrop in Beefy's track "Disconnected") for turning me on to Euro geek rockers The Do You Inverts. They write songs about Gears of War and Too Human. And are fuckin' amazing.
• Santa in his Prius: Taking us out on this delightful pre-Christmas weekend is the new video for MC Lars's "I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas." It features Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup, as well as a cameo from Trogdor the Burninator at the 2:25 mark. Freeze-frame it and see!
  

Nerd News in Brief

Winter has again returned to the Deep South. This is rather unfortunate for me because today is also comic book day. This means, of course, that no matter how much I might want to stay indoors, I am honor bound to journey out into the greater world.

But before I freeze my ass off for the sake of Teen Titans, New Warriors, and the obligatory X-book, here’s a super-sized edition of Nerd News in Brief.

• Nerd Ink: The Next Generation: I’m tempted to say that this Green Gadgets Design Competition concept that Church found will be the ultimate in Nerd Ink. That is when these things become reality.
• Vote Gilderoy: Also from Church, geek politics got elevated this week as well, in the form of this piece from The Vindy. I’m always amazed that folks don’t invoke Harry Potter as a go-to allegory for the current political climate more often. The roles into which this particular piece casts certain players, though, makes me wonder if my books may’ve been misprints.
• Compliments of a little bird: I recently got a leak of a new (mostly) finished track from nerdcore supergroup the 8 Bit Boys and I simply must make a statement regarding its awesomeness. While I can not divulge any info concerning the song itself, I can tell you that 8 Bit Boys includes Entity, YTCracker, The Ranger, and TyT, four of the scene’s finest. You can learn a bit more about the project and get some samples at the 8BB MySpace profile and at the Rhyme Torrents forums.
• Sounds from Down Under: And the aforementioned group ain’t the only thing that The Ranger has been into of late. Earlier this week he dropped “Rap Bukowski” over at RT. The track uses a beat from another Australian artist, Diabolik, and the lyrical style combines some of Ranger’s finest with an all-to relatable hard-living pastiche.
• Straight Outta Belcompton: In turn, Diabolik and his partner in crime Pinky will be performing at The Basement in Belcompton (which I assume is in/around Canberra Australia) on Friday, March 14th. Doors open at 9:00 PM and the price is $10 Aussie.
• Get twitterpated: Likewise, Entity is also dropping some new tracks backed up by none other than DJ Snyder. The new single is called “Thumper,” and you can even pick up a bundle of the original, the instrumental, and the acappella if you have the urge to noodle with it. It too is made of win.
• In my America: American Gamer now has a proper home, compliments of co-producer Macross. Check it out for full tracklisting, individual song downloads, and info on the parties involved.
• I really hate to trip: My pal Antisocial recently released another cover; this time it’s Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Though the original was never a favorite of mine, Soc does an excellent job and really brings that sort of borderline futurepop sound that he’s becoming known for. This should keep you well entertained while he works on more original material.
• Find Your Way: Snake Eyes, who some will remember from the CDD and the rest of you were introduced to earlier this week, hipped me to a really interesting post over at Canadian video game site Angry Robot. Contributor Nadine wrote a fantastic piece about composer Nobuo Uematsu (of Final Fantasy fame). It’s definitely worth a look by you rabid VGM fanboys – I’m talking to you, Anthony – as well as more casual listeners.
• “I didn’t want to be that person.”: Geek music icon and professional Internet celebrity Jonathan Coulton recently got some face time over at Yahoo! News’s People of the Web segment. The video is great and the written accompaniment is equally illuminating. Thanks to my home-skillet funky49 for hipping me to this one.
• Defense philosophy: For those not following the story till now, mc chris has recently been further courted by a number of record labels. The recounting of his recent meeting with Interscope was particularly entertaining, as mc really explained his take on the situation and his feelings toward the meeting's outcome aptly .
• It could get elevated: In festival news, more info concerning the post-Nerdcore Rising SXSW premiere gig has surfaced. Front and company will proceed to get down with their bad selves on Sunday, March 9th at Latitude 30 in Austin “sometime around midnight.” Prince Paul is still slated to spin records. (Holy fucking shit! Again!) And, according to Frontalot himself, everyone is invited.
• So check this: In other festival news, the recently released video for MC Lars’s “Hipster Girl” has been accepted into the Garden State Film Festival. The Jersey adjacent can catch its showing on Saturday, April 5th. Additional info can be found in Lars’s recent blog post.
• Every button tells a story, don’t it?: Last weekend, Anthony from GM4A was nice enough to direct me toward what's become my new favorite chiptune release, Controller 1 by Shnabubula. The album’s a free download, which should make it a no-brainer, but let me reiterate; you’ll wanna check this one out.
• All we are is dust in the wind: Matt just let me know that Kansas is getting its own mega-Wrock fest in the form of The Hallows and Horcruxes Ball. The event will be held Saturday, March 8 at the Kansas State University Student Union in Manhattan, Kansas, and, in true Wizard Rock fashion, all proceeds will be donated to First Book. This one features The Remus Lupins, The Parselmouths, The Ministry of Magic, The Moaning Mrytles, Ginny and the Heartbreakers, and the Mudbloods: a heavy-hitting lineup, to be sure!
• You can’t take my best friend’s sister: To take us home, here’s another jewel from the Wrock scene. It’s Welsh Wizard Rocker Peeved’s minimalist reinterpretation of “Save Ginny Weasley” by Harry and the Potters. After watching this, immediately go to his MySpace and check out his phenomenal remix of RiddleTM’s “Ode to Voldemort.” Then politely welcome your new musical overlord.
  

Def by DeeJay

Mixtapes are a lot like Christmas: you never know exactly what you’re gonna get. Sure, there’s stuff you expect – and more often than not the fat guy in the red suit delivers – but there are also surprises. Delightful surprises.

While nerdcore hip-hop has a predilection for compilation albums, the more classic mixtape formula is often overlooked. Thankfully, in recent months, artists like YTCracker, Dual Core, and Metamystiks, Inc. have done their part to bring mixtapes to geeky hip-hop, and they’re not alone.

When nerdcore producer nYgel first started kicking around the idea of making his own mixtape, I was intrigued. Though he was, at the time, fairly new to the scene, a familiarity with some of his previous work gave me faith in both his abilities and his artistic vision. When I was approached a few weeks ago about doing a write-up on the project, I was happy to oblige.

nYgel, you see, is far from your average producer, and the list of contributing artists attached to the project spanned the breadth of nerdcore as we know it. From the get-go, this album promised to be an entertaining and exciting experience. And then, of course, there were the surprises.

1. "Intro": Sparse, sharp, and commanding, the beat for this track really grabs your attention. The rhymes, unfortunately, while charming, are a little loose, but nYgel never claimed to be a rapper. This one serves its purpose; it gets you excited for what’s to follow
2. "Revenge (featuring Conyeezy)": Conyeezy, you talk too much! I kid the Conyeezy! ;) Seriously, though, ‘Yeez and nYgel work incredibly very well together, though I could have done with more of Con’s well-paced rhyming and less of the spoken interludes. This is one of nYgel’s beats that unapologetically strays from hip-hop cannon, which was an odd choice for such an early track, but it’s one of his best and the song helps to remind you that this is far from your average mixtape.
3. "Pretend (interlude)": This is one of those delightful surprises I was talking about. It’s an amazing take on Dance Hall Crashers “Cricket” that throws in what could have easily been an obnoxious house beat, but nYgel manages to make it fit. This is easily one of my favorite things on the album, despite the fact that something sounding suspiciously like the musical hook from Britney Spears’s “Toxic” wafts in a time or two. It’s a weird change of pace from last track, but still an amazing song that plays into the “anything goes” feel of the album.
4. "Friends (featuring funky49)": This boasts a smooth transition from the previous song, and an amazing beat that’s both exotic and relatable. My long-time home-skillet funky49 loses me a bit on the first verse and chorus (which includes some staggering in the background vox that’s a little distracting), but the second verse is structurally simpler and a lot of fun. nYgel’s subtle switch-up on the beat makes it more so.
5. "Entendre (featuring Able-X)": The overall tone of this track puts me in mind of the neon Babylon that is Las Vegas by night, which is oddly fitting considering that it features Able-X. The lyrics are well-written and amusing, with my only (minor) gripe being the slightly awkward vocal timing on the little bridge that occurs around 1:16 mark. But even that is more than made up for with the Able-X’s brilliant harmony in the outro. nYgel kept the beat simple, and it plays well against Able’s vocals. This track has a vastly different tone that most of the other tracks on the album, but, again, that reinforces the eclectic nature of the project.
6. "Def by Deejay (interlude)": Here we find another flawless transition. I’m not sure if nYgel was trying to create a signature track with this one, but that’s exactly what I think he did with this 2 minute wonder. This type of warm, danceable, poppy groove is exactly the kind of sound I feel to be synonymous with him as a producer. Perfectly paced, expertly edited, and really inspiring, I was almost floored when I realized he’d actually used a pitch-altered +44 sample as the basis for this track!
7. "Burnt Away (featuring Morningstar)": Another slow build-up that really pays off, this track features Morningstar, who are better known as Benjamin Bear and The Artist Formerly Known as Fanatical. Beautifully textured, wholly unexpected, and actually quite beautiful, this is the kind of song that would seem unthinkable on any other mixtape, and I applaud nYgel for taking a chance an including it. It’s an amazing effort from all parties involved.
8. "Frequency (featuring MC Gigahertz)": Honestly, this one’s a little too thin for my tastes, especially after the dense yet airy Morningstar track that preceded it. It sort of sounds at times as if Gigahertz’s lyrics are sitting on top of the music as opposed to being a part of a greater whole. Despite its visible seams and the fact that this isn’t Gig’s tightest flow, the song is really interesting, lyrically, and genuinely relevant to me as a listener.
9. "Ridikulous (featuring TG_2005)": TG’s flow is sarcastic and borderline obnoxious at times, but it certainly works, and while it seems a little rushed at times, this song bisects the album nicely. I was actually provided with an early demo of this track featuring another high-profile nerdcore artist, but it works very well in both cases. On the production end, this groove has a vaguely similar feel to the Morningstar track, and I enjoyed the recurring motif.
10. "Repeat Again (featuring Cyanide Soda and M.C. Shinagami)": This one struck me less as a hip-hop track (due a bit of unsteady meter and wordiness in the verses), but as a more than adequate musically accompanied piece of slam poetry. I’m a huge fan of dub, so the beat appeals to me on a lot of levels. Again, portions of the verses sound more like a poem to me than standard-meter rap, but I actually enjoy that element a lot. The kicked-up-snare-as-cicada sound that floats through from time to time also really interests me.
11. "32 Bars (featuring IllGill and killsaly)": The intro to this seems a tad long to me, but it really grabs the listener after the dubby wind-down of “Repeat Again.” This beat is a killer, and it boasts a slightly glitchy, almost electro feel that, truthfully, has killsaly’s fingerprints all over it. I instantly knew that this wasn’t nYgel’s production because of the departure, but it totally works within the structure of the album. I’m always a fan of killsaly’s nontraditional layering, and I felt it was a welcome addition to the mixtape as a whole. Gill’s flow only slips on a couple of occasions, but I found the hyper-compressed vocal effect to be a bit distracting. Still. “32 Bars” manages to have a sort of experimental, almost drone-rock vibe that makes it memorable.
12. "Radio Star (featuring Benjamin Bear)": Great. Really great. This is another instance where proper track placement makes a brilliant song even more so. nYgel fucks with a classic and Ben comes in rapping with that upper register bark that’s become his trademark of late. On an album of short tracks, this one flies by quicker than most, but I enjoy every second of it. I know this is one of nYg’s faves, and it’s one of mine too.
13. "Take it All Back (featuring Grandmaster Pink)": Strange, sad, haunting, and – dare I say – somber. This is one of the longer, slower tracks on Nature’s Outcasts, but nYgel’s skillful manipulation of the beat’s subtleties and Pink’s undeniable flow make it a fun ride, even if it does sound a bit like Pinky’s rapping to us from beyond the grave. Who’s the other MC? Why it’s my Carolina brother Projekt Zero, who’s not credited in the track title for some reason, but his contribution is admirable as well.
14. "The Wanderer (featuring Conyeezy)": This trails in expertly from Pink’s track. The song continually grows on me. I dug it when I first heard it, and now, a dozen or so listens later, I’m really in love with it. Admittedly, Conyeezy gets a little preachy (and he does a little more talking), but he really hits his stride vocally and manages to sound compelling, convincing, and concerned. On the production end, the Johnny Cash hook and the understated beat make for a thing of beauty. Despite minor gripes, this is another highlight. It could well have ended the album, but, since it didn’t, rest assured that it’ll end an edition of Radio Free Hipster in the not-too distant future.
15. "Until the Dust Settles (featuring Sir-Up)": Sir-Up, a man known up to this point for his penchant for rhyming about comics, gets political on this one, while nYg takes us on a musical journey that’s distinctly eastern. Not Ups best flow, but his lyrics are acerbic and undoubtedly unexpected. My only real complaint is the misuse of the word hung, but that’s just the English major in me. ;) [NOTE: Since the writing of this piece, the song's title appears to've been changed to "Operation Desert Rhymes."]
    
16. "Last Call (featuring Grandmaster Pink, Conyeezy, YTCracker, Beefy, MC Gigahertz, Sir-Up, funky49, Benjamin Bear)": What’s a mixtape without a posse track? Possibly nYgel’s most stirring and well-paced beat, and certainly the only competent hip-hop track I’ve ever heard that lifts a sample from Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” Pink and Conyeezy set the tone by starting strong. (This is probably some of Yeezy’s best rhyming to date; you can set your watch by this flow!) Nerdy South icons YTCracker and Beefy bring it just as hard as you’d expect, and MC Gigahertz more than makes up for any missteps in his previous contribution and proves himself to any naysayers. Sir-Up (who comes back with the social conscience) and funky49 (who comes in like the tracks biggest cut-up) bring that crazy Florida wild-style to the forefront, and, as always, they work well together in such close proximity. Ben Bear takes the track home in his own indubitable fashion, and ably caps what’s sure to be the new late-night nerdcore drinking anthem. nYgel manages to take all these lyrical flavors and make them work together in a greater context, even if the track terminates a little too abruptly. I’m not one for overly long songs, but this one keeps my attention and proves undeniably enjoyable.
17. "Outro (production notes)": nYg comes clean on the creation of the album and really has fun with it. It’s a great way to wrap things up, distinctly personal, and irrefutably good-natured. Not since the first Sublime full-length have I actually enjoyed listening to an album-ending series of stories and shout-outs. Most importantly, I have to thank nYgel for the love he gives to me and Hipster, please!, even if he woefully overestimates my readership!
    
18. "Entendre (redux)": In what has become the nerdcore tradition, nYgel’s album doesn’t stop just because it’s done. This weird, glitchy, and tempo-cranked rendition of Able-X’s “Entendre” is a bit more fun than the original, but mostly because even at hyperspeed, Able isn’t quite as fast as Wheelie Cyberman. :)
19. "In My World (featuring T.Y.T.)": T.Y.T. is nerdcore hip-hop’s answer to Bubba Sparxx, and if that sounds like an insult then you misunderstand me. With an accent, a cadence, a lyrical style, and a flow that’s like no other, the self-professed “the little engine that couldn’t but did it anyway” reminds me of the same simply fact as the great YTCracker: that nerdcore can easily have cross-over appeal. Autobiographical songs are always tough, as they mostly enable artists to wallow in misfortune and overhype their victories, but T.Y.T. tells it like it is, and does so skillfully. nYgel again displays his knack for finding the right beat for the right artist by matching T.Y.T.’s style impeccably. Is it wrong that one of my favorite songs from this album is a bonus track?
20. "Strongalactic (featuring Beastie Boys)": nYgel cut his teeth doing Beasties remixes, so this is a fitting place to end our musical journey. There are some sharp breaks in this track that I don’t quite understand, but overall it’s loads of fun and a really interesting note to go out on.

It’s incredibly easy to make a bad mixtape and oppressively difficult to make a good one, but nYgel and his rowdy team of musical contributors put in the exhaustive legwork necessary to create the latter. It’s stylistically eclectic, exquisitely produced, and a real joy to listen to.

If there’s an underlying theme or message to this collection, it’s that we, as nerds, are nature’s outcasts, and that all the variety you might find in the natural world is reflected in our individual styles and interests. While the mixtape is an artform that promotes diversity and encourages experimentation, nYgel and company have taken that principle to its logical conclusion. The album jumps effortlessly between hip-hop, house, bastard pop, and a myriad of other genres without so much as a batting the proverbial eyelash.

In doing so, it will surely lose some listeners along the way, but the beauty is that anyone who may feel momentarily disappointed with a verse or track will surely be rewarded for sticking around.

While many musical journeys are linear point-A to point-B affairs, Nature’s Outcasts is a scenic drive through the vast landscape of nerdy music. Sure, there may be the occasional rough detour or flat tire, but the listener will ultimately arrive at the final destination enlightened, refreshed, and alive with the promise of new aural possibilities.

Download the album and experience it for yourself.

“Like the last level on Punch-out, I’m destroying a Mike!”

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 35: The Precarious Adventures of Fair-Use Man

This is one of those episodes where I can't help but look back and think about all the songs that I didn’t play.

Superheroes and comic books mark fertile creative ground both within the bounds of expressly nerdy music and without. These topics can be approached seriously or with a distinctly playful air, nostalgically or with a more contemporary mindset. All things considered, it's pretty unique subject matter.

Whether you’re just some average joe on the street or a hardcore comic book guy, you recognize the logos. You know the powers. You appreciate their symbolism.

I probably take my funny books too seriously on a lot of levels, but in a world that’s bereft of the supernatural wonder of simpler times, don’t we need men who can fly?

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 35: The Precarious Adventures of Fair-Use Man (hosting provided by Antisocial) Size: 47.3 MB Running Time: 51:40

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – “Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)”
Baddd Spellah has laser vision, and Beefy can bend steel with his taint.

Track 1: Dual Core – “Day’s Work”
I could have simply played Super Powers start-to-finish and called it a day, but I didn’t. I did the hard work for you, of faithful listener.

Z’s 1st interlude: “Radio Free Hipster episode 34.”
I lied. This is episode 35. I just totally flaked for a minute there.

Track 2: LogicOne – “Paging Mr. F.”
There are few songs I can say this about, but there isn’t a single line in “Paging Mr. F.” that isn’t pure gold.

Track 3: Cars Can Be Blue – “Dating Batman”
This track comes to you compliments of my pal Matt from Stop Standing Still. I really should’ve credited him in-show. :(

Track 4: The Advantage – “Batman: Return of the Joker”
I feel I’ve been going a little light on the game rock of late, so I thought this track would make a welcome addition.

Track 5: Regurgitator – “Fat Cop”
Grandmaster Pink turned me on to Gurge and I have to say they’ve become a staple in my musical diet.

Track 6: Beatnik Turtle – “I.T. Department (Super Heroes of I.T.)”
Church suggested this track way back when I did my work-themed episode, but I decided to save it for this one.

Track 7: Shael Riley – “Captain S Theme (Blue Pigs in Heaven Remix)”
Don’t forget to support our friends at PBC Productions, the makers of The New Adventures of Captain S and other fine shows.

Track 8: Dr. Strangelove – “Superman… Is Dead.”
If Kenny sounds a little nervous in this piece, allow me to point out that this was recorded live at WOW Hall when he shared the stage for his first major gig with mc chris. You could say the pressure was on.

Track 9: Lazlo Bane – “Superman”
Lazloe Bane’s cover of the Men At Work classic “Overkill” really should make its way into your collection.

Track 10: Beefy – “I’m No Superman”
I can’t recall if it was Church or Matt that said it first, but Beefy is at this weird stage in his career where each new song he releases becomes the best Beefy song. It’s not a bad place to be, artistically-speaking.

Z’s 2nd interlude: “The Scott Pilgrim series.”
I know comparing it to The Watchmen may seem like a stretch to some, but Scott Pilgrim really is a modern classic, even if the videogame allusions remain jarring within the overall narrative.

Track 11: Stephen Lynch – “Superhero”
I’m not a huge fan of Lynch (or of musical comedy in general), but I thought this one fit in well.

Track 12: The Aquabats! – “Danger Woman”
I've always taken issue with the use of the word ska to describe the music of the ‘Bats, but that’s because I’m both a purist and a crotchety old bastard.

Track 13: YTCracker – “Super Super Hero”
There's something about the sound of this track that puts it miles away from most of YT’s other work, and I applaud him taking such a chance. It certainly worked out, as this song is brilliant.

Track 14: Felt – “The Two”
Felt’s another group that Pinky got me interested in. Slug and MURS really are fascinating cats, and I think they warrant your attention.

Track 15: Schaffer the Dark Lord – “Supervillian”
This one’s from Schaffer’s newest release Mark of the Beast. You should buy it.

Z’s final interlude: “I didn’t watch the last Spider-Man flick.”
I actually don’t watch most superhero films. I just find my quality of life is far superior that way.

Track 16: How it Should Have Ended – “He’s a Spiderman”
I hope you’ll find this at one least half as funny as I do.

As I stated at the end there, next episode will be the second annual holiday spectacular. My only regret is that I used “Give the Jew-Girl Toys” already. There are few songs that feel me with as much joy.

After that, I’m planning to wrap up 2007 with a big, geeky party music episode. So if you’ve got suggestions or requests for either, feel free to hit me up with ‘em.

Thanks, as always, for your time and attention. As you were, ladies and gentlemen, as you were.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 30: The WFWFTW Mixtape

If this is the first edition of Radio Free Hipster you’ve ever listened to, then I’m afraid it may give you the wrong impression. Normally, RFH starts with an intro track, then a little spiel from me, a set of songs, another little interlude, a second set, a final bit of chatter, and a closing song. This episode is an exception. This time around I elected to mix shit up a bit.

I’ve had an urge to release something along the lines of a nerdy mixtape for a while now, and, after a perfect storm of geeky inspiration, this seemed like the opportunity to do so.

A few weeks ago, my pal Church hipped me to a mixtape-esque project that he’d been knocking around, and that sort of got me primed. Then, he, Matt, and I had a little email exchange about some rampant gamer fanboyism over at Lev Grossman’s blog. That started the process in earnest, but only when coupled with Wil Wheaton’s very inspired PAX keynote.

I spend a lot of time alluding to the concept of a nerd community. That is, even more so than the music, what Hipster, please! is all about, but the truth of the matter is that freaks, geeks, and gamers are more like warring tribes. Sure, we form loose confederations from time to time – mostly during convention season – but we seldom see each other as equals, as brothers. Sony fanboys and comic geeks and science nerds and LARPers and Pokemaniacs and nerdcore aficionados and fan fickers and every goddamn other flavor of social ineptitude often look upon each other with disdain.

And yet somehow, every year for one magical weekend, Gabe and Tycho manage to bring all of us together under one roof, under a single banner, and bestow momentary peace to our troubled people.

PAX is a testament to its own importance, and though I’ve never attended (and likely never will, unless they move it to, y’know, Charlotte) the environmental change across the various echelons of casual and hardcore nerd-dom that it precipitates is palpable. While E3, in any guise, is about the industry, and every other comic, gaming, anime, or collectable con is, at the heart, about commerce, PAX is about us. I think that’s something that most of us realize, but Wil really managed to spell it out quite clearly through the vehicle personal rumination. His words serve as a base for this particular podcast.

It’s not secret that I find my own little contributions to RFH to be the weak link. I’m not an ultimate authority about nerdy music by any stretch of the imagination, so I just tend to expound upon what little I know about the artists and tracks provided, peppered with personal observations and my own blend of jackassery. Compared to the fact that Wil is a genuine orator my words fall pretty flat, so you won’t be hearing me in this ‘cast. Instead, the brief bits of necessary exposition are provided by Crystal, AT&T’s text-to-speech automaton. Sure, her diction's a little off, but at least she doesn’t have a southern accent. ;)

I will however, provide, the customary show notes concerning the featured tracks and artists, because this edition is just as much about their contributions as Wil’s.

If you’ve got any questions or comments about the show – or the podcast in general – feel free to hit me up. I guess that’s my own little way of supporting the greater aspirations of a coherent nerd community.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 30: The WFWFTW Mixtape [hosting provided by Antisocial] Size: 52.4 MB Running Time: 57:16

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – “Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)”
I sort of dorked with the theme song this time around, and I feel kinda bad about it. It almost seems disrespectful. Still, I wanted to alert folks early on that this wouldn’t be a regular episode.

Background Music :
There are actually two background music selections for the voice beds this time around. When Crystal was “talking” I used the old ambient Gamecube menu music. I usually worked Wil’s bits in during song transitions, but two different selections actually cut completely out of the tracklist and use PriZm’s “Bowser is Pissed” OC Remix.

Track 1: MC Frontalot – “It is Pitch Dark”
This track played in well with Wil’s “gaming generations” bit. The fact that Front released a video for it earlier this week is happy coincidence.

Track 2: Dual Core – “Hostage Down”
I’ve been saving this song for a special occasion, and I thought it worked well here. It’s sort of Dual Core’s signature piece, and, truthfully, one of my favorites from the album.

Track 3: 4BIT BONSAI – “ODE TO TETRIS”
From the very fun 4 BILLION HIT POINTS album, which is freely available and highly recommended. This one played solidly into the next track.

Track 5: CheapyD – “Ass and Tetris (You Forgot Poland)”
I really wanted to work a mash-up in here and this one fit perfectly, which was great because Cheapy also knows a thing or two about creating a nerd community. He’s the brains behind Cheap Ass Gamer and co-host of the (recently award-wining) CAGcast, which are, in all honesty, the only gaming BBS and podcast that I even bother to keep up with anymore.

Track 6: YTCracker – “The Legend”
YT’s older work holds up well, and this track is a personal favorite from the NES release. Something about the first verse really resonated well with Wil’s lead-in.

Track 7: Temp Sound Solutions – “Son of a Biah (Cex rmx)”
I’m not really sure if Shawn Phase prefers to go by that name or the TSS moniker; I reckon it depends on the project. What I do know is that he is a supremely talented chiptune artist, guitarist, and performer and that he has wicked-assed Konami tatts.

Track 8: Random – “Boss Battle Metal Man (The Megas Remix)”
This track is a amazing cut from an amazing album, Random’s Mega Ran release. I’m really interested to know how the collaboration came about, and, as it looks like I may get the opportunity to interview Ran in the near future, I'll hopefully get my answer.

Track 9: Franz Keller – “Metrotransfunk”
I wanted to work a Metroid track in there somewhere too, and I was immediately taken by this one. I stand by my longtime assertion that you can pretty much just grab any track at random from OCR and find gold.

Track 10: MAJA – “N.E.S.” / “UUDDLRL”
MAJA was nice enough to hook me up with a copy of The Amalgam Project, and I’ve truly enjoyed it. Something about the blend of personal reflections and smooth delivery of “UUDDLRL” really made it roll well into the mix.

Track 11: Regurgitator – “Black Bugs”
This is some geeky Australian indie pop that Pinky hipped me to. Thus far I had kept the musical selections confined to sarcastic, reflective, and atmospheric pieces, and I sort of had the urge to throw in a curve.

Track 12: mc chris – “Kingdom Farts”
mc’s rapid-fire delivery contrasted the Regurgitator track’s relaxed, dancy vibe. Plus, I love the fuck out of this song! The break gave me a chance to throw in a pretty pertinent Wheaton bump.
Track 13: TZU – “Back Up!”
Another little jewel from Down Under compliments of Grandmaster Pink. In retrospect, maybe I should’ve swapped this one with the YTCracker track, as it also has a lot of 1980’s references, but I’m still pretty happy with it here.

Track 14: The Four Eyes – “Neverwinter Nights”
When I first heard this song – from The Four Eyes’ Five Songs About Videogames... EP – I knew I had to end an episode of the podcast with it. The only problem is that it’s about twice as long as the average song I play. Still, this one was a track I just didn’t feel comfortable editing down; the length plays into the song's progression and is a big part of its garage rock charm. So, I elected to use the long solo sequences to let Wil wrap up his argument. I thought it worked pretty well and hope you feel the same.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 29: About a Girl

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that the bulk of the best songs written in the history of human language have been about women.

Is that so farfetched?

This episode of RFH presents a (baker’s) dozen of my favorite dorky tracks about the ladies. Some are sweet. Some are angsty. Some are fuckin’ filthy.

I’ll leave it up to you to determine which are which.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 29: About a Girl [hosting provided by Antisocial] Size: 42.6 MB Running Time: 46:36

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – “Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)”
Okay, so maybe this track isn’t exactly about the ladies, but it does put you in a lovin’ mood, right? No? Just me? Okay.

Track 1: mc chris – “First Date”
“First Date” is both one of those classic album-less mc songs and one of the few floating around out there that isn’t exactly a rap track. You can check out a lot of mc rarities over at MDT’s place.

Z’s first interlude: “The soothing sounds of The Fine Print.”
This episode starts a little different than most in that I use the lengthy instrumental intro from “Strawberry Jam” as background music bed for my first voiceover.

Track 2: The Fine Print – “Strawberry Jam”
Does anyone out there have an in with Tycho? I seriously love all The Fine Print material that I have, but unfortunately that ain’t a lot. I really need more of their stuff.

Track 3: Quagmire / The Four Eyes – “Dylan McKay”
The Quagmire bit just seemed to fit perfectly between The Fine Print and The Four Eyes. Speaking of, buy Five Songs. It’s wonderful, even if the title is slightly misleading.

Track 4: Random – “Aqua Soul (Robot Love)”
Random is one smooth cat. Case in point.

Track 5: DJ Earworm – “Promiscuous Lola”
The last couple eps have skimped on the mash-ups. I really felt it was time to work those back in.

Track 6: Grandmaster Pink and Diabolik – “Interplanetary Girls”
Pinky and D always deliver. I hear rumblings from down under suggesting there is a new album in the works. I await it with baited breath.

Track 7: Long Duk Dong / Hidari – “Girl Girl Girl”
Wow. In retrospect, that intro bit could be construed as a little culturally insensitive. Hidari are gonna kick my honky ass!

Z’s 2nd interlude: “For all the women who are independent and all the men who are… co-dependent.”
Wow. That was pretty damn lame. Even for me.

Track 8: Party Ben – “Independent Room”
This is another mash that I’ve been sitting on for ages. I hope y’all dig it as much as I do.

Track 9: The Princess Bride / The Goondocks – “Sneak A Peak”
Every time I hear the delightful sounds of the Goons I am reminded of how very far away I am from the epicenter of geek culture, Seattle, WA, and I weep like an abandoned child.

Track 10: TYT & PCK – “Drunk Chicks (feat. YTCracker)”
Nerdy South forever!

Track 11: Shael Riley – “Bits and Pieces”
Shael is another cat with a new album in the works. I am working to get some exclusive tracks from said project. And by “working” I mean awkwardly shuffling my feet and stuffing my hands in my pockets in hopes that Shael will notice my subtle charms.

Track 12: Tenacious D – “Fuck Her Gently”
“That’s fuckin’ team work!”

Z’s final interlude – “We seldom limit ourselves to what is proper.”
I take a perverse sort of pride in the fact that I routinely include extremely offensive materials in this podcast. It's how I get in touch with my inner 12 year-old.

Track 13: Pigeon John – “Money Back Guarantee”
This is another track that Pinky turned me on to. Suffice it to say that he and I have very similar tastes in music.

Let me take a moment here to explicitly state that this podcast (along with damn near every other project in which I am involved) comes courtesy of my pal Antisocial. Soc provides me with the storage and bandwidth to make stuff like RFH and Nerdcore Undercover.

So, if you dig the podcast and other projects, thank Soc.

And if you hate the podcast and other projects, curse his name!

In the magical land of Oz

Though I'm pretty sure all my Australian readers are already aware of this - as they are, in fact, the two bastards performing - I'm gonna go ahead and suggest that any Aussies in the Newcastle area head out to check Grandmaster Pink and Diabolik at Bar on the Hill tomorrow evening.

The boys take the stage at 7:45 in the PM, so show up early and...

Wait.

Is it... is it Thursday in Australia already? Am I posting this too late?

Goddamn time zones!

Anywho, assuming that it's not already, y'know, next Monday in the land down under, be sure to make an appearance and support Pinky and D. Shit, buy 'em drink.

They loves the sauce!

Nerd News in Brief

Query: why is that when Sony launched a $600 gaming console we were all up in arms about the exorbitant price, but when Apple sold us a $600 cellular phone we were totally cool with it?

There’s a bit of disparity there. I’m just sayin’.

And now, my fellow consumers: Nerd News in Brief.

Come correct: What band of nerds dare summon the most hallowed landmark in hip-hop history? Only the most deserving: Random, Zealous1, MetaMystiks Inc., Jesse Dangerously, Maja, Grandmaster Pink & Diabolik, LogicOne, Down Underdogs, Dirty Taz, Q.Ledbetter, Siver, Valentin, and C-Enes. Collectively known as The Sedgwick Avenue Alliance, these sixteen rappers and producers have recently joined forces, and rap will never be the same. Your hip-hop education begins now.
El nerdcore: Nerdcore hip-hop (and the Nerdcore For Life documentary) got four glorious pages worth of coverage in the latest issue of Spanish magazine Calle 20. To hear Dan tell it, “What started as a little interview about a quirky little indie film evolved into a really expansive piece. I always try and plug a lot of artists when I do an interview but this reporter went buck wild and worked in a ton of people.” You can check out the whole issue via the magazine’s Web site, and even download it in PDF.
Legitimacy, here we come!: On the subject of Web sites, it looks like our pals from Nerdapalooza have finally got their official presence up and running. You can catch all announcements concerning the project via the new blog, and Hex Warrior has been kind enough to remind me that the biggest of big announcements, the finalized band roster, will be posted on July 9th.
Brief respite: It looks as though our anguished cries have been heard and headed. Well, sort of. SoundExchange has recently proposed a $2500 cap on advance payments for Internet radio stations licensing and The Digital Music Association immediately agreed, but “only if the term for the new arrangement were extended to 2010 — or, preferably, forever.” Chalk one up for the good guys? We shall see.
This Blog is Not Punk Rock: MC Lars’s newest project, a DVD “jam-packed with over an hour and a half of […] old home [videos], backstage antics from his Bowling for Soup and Simple Plan tours, a full episode of his college TV show, a special behind the scenes feature on the "Ahab" video, and complete audio commentary” is now available for pre-order. I wonder if you’ll ever be able to purchase it at your local Hot Topic? That would be deliciously ironic.
Super Shinier Metal: Optimus Rhyme’s much anticipated He Dies in Rocket School is now available! The album can be downloaded from Dig Station, or you can buy the for-real CD from the fine folks at CD Baby. How good is it? Do you even have to ask?!
More Gabe. More mc. More madness.: Nerdcore News is at it again, this time Gabe and Syn caught up with mc chris at Seattle’s Chop Suey shortly before Saturday’s gig. Wackiness ensued.

Sink the Pink

Australians are fuckin’ crazy. I’m just sayin’.

Maybe it’s got something to do with the fact that half of the country was settled by Europeans via penal transportation. Hell, maybe it’s due to the alarmingly high number of indigenous marsupials; being in close proximity to that many pouched critters could make anyone loopy!

Personally, I think it’s the beer, and, with that in mind, let me present exhibit A. It’s a video sneak-peak of some of the new material you’ll be hearing from Canberra’s own Grandmaster Pink and Diabolik on their forthcoming EP.

Notice the crazed look in Pinky’s eyes. Notice the startling nature of his meticulously calculated flow. Notice the wild gyrations. Notice the beer.

Still, as crazy as those cats are, I can't help but be excited for the new release. Rest assured that I'll do everything in my power to score some exclusive preview tracks for the podcast. I have ways - crazy ways - all my own.