Nerd News in Brief

I am a Star Wars hater. I wasn’t always that way. Hell, as I child I petitioned to have my name changed to Luke. Had my mother conceded, I may’ve stayed firmly entrenched in Star Wars fandom, but that wasn’t the case.

As a result, I write this as a Lucas-ignoring shell of a nerd.

Star Wars backsliders are quite common these days, but I had actually lost most raging Force boner years before those shitty prequels ruined to saga for the rest of you. I am neither proud nor ashamed of this simple fact.

I’ve still got those misty water colored memories of the original trilogy in its original form, but (with the exception of the occasional re-watching of Empire) I’d rather not revisit it. But my secret shame, my secret hope, is that I’ve been looking for something to make Star Wars fun again for more than a decade.

Thank you, Family Guy, for doing just that.

• In Cali: This Saturday (September, 29th, for those of you who are currently calendar deficient), BOSSFIGHT’s ZeaLouS1 and IllGill will be performing at San Diego’s SDSC. The show starts at 9:00 PM and also features live House/Trance mixing by DeWitte. There’s no cover, so all 21-and-ups are encouraged to attend.
• Nerdy rock goodness: Glenn Case has posted 48 new Half Racks videos from their 9/14/07 Comet show at his Web site. Most bands can’t pull off compelling covers as diverse as Prince’s “Take Me With U” and The Who’s “Boris the Spider,” but most bands ain’t the Half Racks. Take a gander and be amazed at this eclectic collection of excellent original and cover material.
• Behold The Sinister Six!: At long last, the identities of The Sinister Six have been revealed! To get a taste of what MadHatter, YTCracker, ZeaLouS1, Benjamin Bear, Big Stephen, and ShelShocker have in store, peep the group’s site for a teaser track as well as their first single “Make Way” in both MP3 and video form.
• She's our girl: MC Router recently confirmed that she did, in fact, send in a submission for VH1's Female Rapper Show. Concerning her chances, Router remarked that she was pretty sure she wouldn’t make the cut, but that if she did she’d “let them know nerdcore is taking over” and not let us down. We’d expect no less from our First Lady! :D
• I already do: Router’s big bro and frequent collaborator Beefy has a new track up on his MySpace entitled “You Can Call Me Beef.” It boasts amazingly polished production by the other half of 1337 Geek Beat, T-byte, and a flow that’s not to be believed. It’s quite different from a lot of Beefy's earlier work in that it’s has a very fast, rocked-up feel, but he manages to work some Scrubs references in there so as to remind that he’s still the same old Beef… only better.
• Wait, we’re a minority now?: Something Awful hates you and all you stand for. I mean, of course they do – they’re Something Awful – but this time they’ve designated “Ironic Rappers and Their Fans” as the third most awful minority. The piece takes aim directly at MC Frontalot, and also manages to cast mc chris, MC Paul Barman, and the Beastie Boys in an unflattering light. The highlight has to be: “Get a microphone in front of a CS major and you can rest assured that an unintentionally racist pantomime of thug tropes will come spilling out of their mouths.” So I guess the bad news is that we’re all a bunch of bigots. The good news is that it’s totally inadvertent.
• The Bard Who Lived: The Times of India purports that a young William Shakespeare was a dead ringer for Harry Potter. Patrick Spottiswoode, director of Globe Education at Shakespeare's Globe, was quoted as saying, “We asked [a police artist] to imagine what Shakespeare may have looked like at 14 [and the] result is fascinating, but disturbingly like Harry Potter.” You Brits are weird!
• A storied past: In addition to sharing the above with me, Church also hipped me to this really odd Publishers Weekly article about… well, nerds. It touches on two nerd-related books that should make it to shelves this winter, David Anderegg’s Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them and Benjamin Nugent’s American Nerd: The Story of My People. Shit, it also includes a lit nerd timeline! It’s like Santa got my letter.
• The Kids Are Alright: I’m gonna go out today on not one but two videos, both submitted to me by my friend Matt. The first is of 8 year-old DJ Sara. I’m usually the last person to catch shit like this, but I thought I’d post it just in case you’re with me at the back of the class. The second is a live version of “Satisfaction” as performed by the band that introduced a young Z. to the concept of nerdy music, DEVO. Enjoy them with your kids.

More Nerd News in Brief

I didn’t intend to watch Kid Nation last night, but I did.

Now, I’m sure everyone has already established their personal views concerning the relative level of A) actual, feasible reality inherent in this reality show and B) exploitation inherent in involving children in such a fiasco, but let’s table that discussion for now.

The thing that struck me – more so, even, than the cheesy locales, the razor-sharp edits, and the subtle, camp counselor creepiness of host/former Sundance award winner Johnathan Karsh – was that the bulk of these children were just so goddamn nerdy!

I’m not sure why I was surprised by that. I mean, if your plan is to leave 40 kids to their own devices in a ghost town for over a month, it probably plays to stack the deck with a few extra smart ones.

Still, it lacked a lot of the Lord of the Flies quality that I was expecting, and, as a lit nerd, that was a little disappointing. I’m not sure if I’ll stick around for the rest of the season, but I suppose it’s good to see the next generation of poindexters getting some screen time.

• Pretty (Internet) Hate Machine: The fine folks at BOSSFIGHT were nice enough to send me a little press release concerning the forthcoming EP by their own IllGill. Internet Hate Machine, is slated to be released on the 25th of this month, and interested parties are encouraged to download the album’s premiere single “Hatin’.” On a side-note, the single, as well as the other tracks on the EP, was mixed and mastered by fellow BOSSFIGHT artist ZeaLouS1.
• Tear the roof off the sucka: IllGill also garnered a recent mention in the LA Times for a series of parties he’s been throwing on his roof. Gill is even included “in the picture section … talking to some dude that [he] can't remember.” California does, indeed, know how to party.
• Internet famous: Thanks to some tireless name-dropping by my pal Church, Hipster, please! was recently mentioned in the “Link Pileup” over at Geek Studies. As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m a big fan of this blog, and getting a little pop from it was a really pleasant surprise. Don’t let the moniker fool you; Geek Studies is tons of fun while still being both scholarly and culturally relevant.
• Whack Friday: mc chris has promised to release a full list of dates for his fall tour this Friday. Probably. Will mc make it to upstate SC. Will Z. buy him a beer? Will the person who took my bicycle pump please return it?
• Double your pleasure: Fans lamenting Ultraklystron’s retirement from the sphere of nerdy music got a double dose of auditory delight earlier this week when Karl released both Never Knows Best and Never Yours to Share It for free download via his Web site. After several attempts to remaster both works, Ultraklystron finally elected to release them in their original incarnations. Concerning the albums, Karl says “This is basically what I [was] capable of circa 2002-2003.” Never Knows Best is “pure Drum n' Bass and Glitch [and] not unlike a soundtrack.” Meanwhile, much of Never Yours To Share It is stuff that was originally intended for Never Knows Best and some additional material he “happened to make during a bout of inspiration that really didn't fit in with the main disc,” encompassing everything from Eurobeat to Breakbeat. While you won’t find any rhymes here-abouts, I highly recommend that fans check out both.
• In the Old Country: Matt was kind enough to direct me toward the MySpace of this British Wizard Rock festival. The roster is nine bands strong and tickets just went on sale, so jump on that shit if you find yourself across the pond.
• One more for the Wrockers: I’d also like to direct your attention toward this Tokyo Game Show update from the guys at Kotaku. Apparently they got to demo a broomstick controller peripheral. Three words: Quidditch World Cup.
• An open letter to Hideo Kojima: Mr. Kojmia, please read the following piece from Destructoid concerning film conventions that don’t translate well into gaming. Pay special attention to point 6 concerning cut scenes. PS: Lunar Knights is the shit!
• What would NNIB be without a video closer? Unsatisfactory: Throwdown is a straightedge metalcore band named after the Food Network television show featuring cantankerous restaurateur Bobby Flay. Okay, maybe not, but they are also not Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Even though they should be!

Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Ahoy and avast, ye scurvy dorkwads, it be International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

This day be of particular import to our brothers and sisters in The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, but, whether ye be Pastafarian or just a connoisseur of fine buccaneering, I wish ye a safe and enjoyable day of plundering, piracy, and miss-use of the English language.

And, for your own educational well-being, here be a little lesson in proper piratical elocution from the two what started it all, Ol’ Chumbucket and Cap’n Slappy.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

Good news/bad news

First the bad: apparently mc’s Tyra Show invite was a bust. (Yes, I made a boob pun; fuckin’ deal with it!)

But here’s a little pick-me-up from your boy MAJA. It’s his Janglish remix of Kanye West’s “Stronger.” It’s got a cool, minimalist vibe with just the slightest hint of glitch. Plus, MAJA doesn’t get all pissy and go off about Britney Spears. ;)

At any rate, it’s quite enjoyable, even to the none-otaku like me who are left a little confused by the Pocari Sweat bit at the end.

Nerd News in Brief

It’s been a shitty month for Sci-Fi/fantasy fans.

It’s been an even shittier month for Sci-Fi/fantasy authors, particularly those for whom the word “time” figures heavily into their masterworks.

Earlier this month, we lost Madeleine L'Engle, whose award-winning A Wrinkle in Time has delighted children and confounded adults for nearly a half-century. And yesterday, she was joined in the sweet literary hereafter by Robert Jordan, whose The Wheel of Time series displayed a similar love of both intricacy and whimsy.

If we can take any solace at all from these losses, I believe it to be this: people remember.

L’Engle and Jordan live on through their words, and, as hard as it is to fathom – particularly in modern America – people still read.

And that, my friends, is the ever-spreading light.

• Beam me up: Not to dwell too much on the subject of death, but Church recently hipped me to this press release concerning Star Trek branded funeral products. Yeah. I suppose it could be argued that “vanity caskets” are in poor taste, but I ain’t gonna tell you how to live and I sure as hell ain’t gonna tell you how to die.
• Help a father out: As a gamer and a dad, I’ve always felt a kinship with the titular Gamer Dad, and recently Andrew’s had a run of bad luck. A heart attack necessitated quadruple bypass surgery and more surgeries are needed. If you’ve got a few extra coins and are supportive of the cause of gaming as a family affair, you can make a donation via the Paypal link at the bottom of this page.
• On a happier note: The fine folks at MashupTown have released yet another themed bootleg compilation. Relive the 70s with less generic beats and slightly more fashionable attire with Blame it on the Bootie. You’ll be glad you did.
• Clarification corner: A recent blog post from Beef Thompson himself may help to clarify the facts surrounding The Grammar Club project to those of you still scratching your heads. *cough*MattandChurch*cough* Beefy writes that the GC is a “side project [he’s] very much involved in, but [unsure of how much he’s] allowed to talk about.” He does reveal that the other major players are “the amazingly talented Shael Riley, Glenn Case, and DJ Snyder.” He also goes on to say that the contributors are still very hard at work, and that even the track revealed via video last week on the group's Web site (known as “Bank Holiday”) “has been punched up and [now] sounds … much sexier.”
• Hot-Wired: Despite my misgivings about many of their musings on the subjects I hold dear, the folks at Wired cranked out a pretty nice piece about Tycho and Gabe last month. they even posted a song that Tycho created using UbiSoft’s recently released DS guitar sim Jam Sessions. Fun stuff.
• I'm both excited and deeply disturbed: mc chris was asked to be on the Tyra Banks show. No shit! mc seems reasonably excited about the prospect but alludes to the previously canceled Halo 3 party he was asked to headline, almost as if to let us know he’s not counting any chickens. Personally, this reminds me of MC Router’s recent talk of a Tyra Show invite. Could the two be related? Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
• More questions: Karl Olson recently posted a couple of interesting images over at his site. Does this mean that OpenSource Lyricist has indeed made it to print? More importantly, if so, will my review copy arrive soon? /doe-eyes
• Keep on Wrocking in the Free World: It appears as though a new Wizard Rock festival is in the works. Matt just tipped me off to Magus; saddened by the fact that they couldn’t make it to October's WrockStock, a handful of your favorite wrockers have taken it upon themselves to set up a festival for the coming spring. While the dates and location are sketchy at present, the roster is shaping up nicely and more information will be made available as it surfaces.
• He did it his way: Wrocker The Whomping Willows, who just so happens to be on the aforementioned roster, unveiled that his first album will shortly be making it’s way to iTunes thanks to a service known as TuneCore. TuneCore also supports Rhapsody, Napster, and eMusic, so if you musical-type dorks are thinking of making the jump any of these distribution channels it might behoove you to check the site out.
• Kiwi Nerdcore: Dan, of Nerdcore For Life fame, recently discovered a piece from New Zealand’s TV3 in which Nightline host David Farrier looks nerdcore hip-hop. Not only does the story touch on MC’s Frontalot, chris, and Hawking, but it also mentions NZ’s own MC Stormtroopa. You can view the vid at good ol' YouTube.
  
• Bad ol' YouTube!: Richard Dawkins banned from YouTube? Inconceivable... and yet true. The Rational Response Squad have lost their YouTube account. The allegations are that Creation Science Evangelism Ministries have been submitting DMCA copyright requests directed at RSS-posted videos that use footage copyrighted by the CSEM. Oddly enough, a Wired article points out that the ministry’s own Web site states that “none of the materials ... are copyrighted, so feel free to copy these and distribute them freely.” Whether you support the ideas of creationism, evolution, or some delightful mix of the two, this really comes down to a simple matter of fair use. And, while I try my best not to get overly political, I’m gonna close with the following vid. It features the RRS’s… um.. response, accompanied by a track from atheist rapper Greydon Square. Which is, now that I think about it, pretty damned nerdy on its own.

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.

ACCEPT? -->?

The video for MC Frontalot’s “It Is Pitch Dark” is currently available for mass consumption. Director Jason Scott is using the song and video to promote his upcoming documentary about text adventure games, Get Lamp, which sounds pretty goddamn awesome in and of itself.

You didn't hear it from me, but it just so happens that this track will also be prominently in the next edition of Radio Free Hipster...

Okay, maybe you did hear it from me.

More Nerd News in Brief

I sometimes forget that the American public is composed primarily of sheep. Despite knowing better, I desperately cling to the notion that we, as a whole, are capable of making an informed decision.

Moreover, I truly want to believe that people have… y’know taste and standards.

Shit, we can’t even seem to make simple choices right!

Case in point: Last Comic Standing. My wife loves reality shows and I love stand-up, so this seemed like a very rare piece of common cultural ground. Unfortunately, the producers and the voting public have solely dedicated themselves to weeding out all the funny contestants.

I have, however, gleaned from this experience one unshakable fact, one common thread shared by every talented comic the world over; they are not Bill Bellamy.

• It’s good to be king: Apparently the super secret party that mc chris had been invited to play was unceremoniously cancelled. In a blog post related to the cancellation, mc tellingly remarks, “sometimes i dont like being a nerd rapper, but i love having nerds as fans. especially when they design halo 3.” Truer words were never spoken.
• If he hits Greenville, drinks are on me!: While he might not be rocking the Halo 3 house party, mc will once again be rhyming his way across the country this fall. Dates are as follows: Oct 28 in San Luis Obispo, CA at The Slo Brewery; Oct 29 in Anaheim, CA at The Chain Reaction; Oct 30 in West Hollywood at The Roxy (hopefully); Oct 31 in Phoenix, Az at The Brickhouse; Nov 1 in Albuquerque, NM at Launch Pad; Nov 2 in El Paso, TX… somewhere; Nov 3 in Lubbock, TX at Jake’s; Nov 7 in Tallahassee, FL at The Beta Bar; Nov 12 in Birmingham, AL at The Zydeco; Nov 13 in either Raleigh, NC or Nashville, KY; Nov 14 in Wilmington, NC or Louisville, KY; Nov 16 in Greenville, SC or Mount Clemens, MI (Please, oh sweet, holy Flying Spaghetti Monster, please let it be Greenville!); Nov 17 in Bowling Green, OH or Cleveland, OH; and Nov 18 in Pittsburgh at The Rex Theater.
• Rockers need love too: The Half Racks have another marathon gig lined up this Friday at The Comet. Flying in a Tin Can will be opening, the show starts at 9:00 PM, and there’s no cover. Glenn says that their last couple of Comet gigs have been “a fairly rough experience, so [he] would genuinely appreciate seeing as many friendly, familiar faces as possible.” Spokanites are encouraged to attend and show their support.
• Comic shop chic: My girl Nikki, also known as Nikki Nefarious and/or Buttnik, likes to take pictures. Many of these pictures are of nerdy girls doing nerdy things. And a least half of them are of scantily clad nerdy girls doing nerdy things. She recently did such a shoot for online zine Geeks Magazine, which is solidly devoted to nerdy chicks in all their glory. You can peep the pics and read the interview with the girly in question right here.
  
• Better late than never: Church believes that he is the last person in the world to read this Wizrocklopeia interview with Wrock pioneers Harry and the Potters. He is mistaken. I am the last person in the world to read the piece. Unless, of course, you wish to steal my mystic Crown of Procrastination.
  
• Battle of the sexes: Who would win in a fight between MC Router and The Goondocks? It’s a question as old as time, and one that is summarily answered thanks to this clip.

Nerd News in Brief

This weekend Church went to the Baltimore Comic-Con and saw the best Transformers cosplay in the entirety of nerd-dom.

Me? I cleaned house.

I think that homeownership has been romanticized so much in this country that everyone dreams of their own half-acre and picket fence. Personally, I miss those halcyon days of apartment living.

A house is less a place to live and more a thing to do. Constantly.

We should all move into townhouses. Have our own little geek resort. Who’s with me?

• Dissecting Rapbeth: MC Lars is giving away his first three albums (Nothing to Fear, Insectivorous, and Radio Pet Fencing) for the low, low price of free. How’s that for value? With the money left rattling around in your pockets from such a find, why not pick up Lars’s new DVD? It’ll make an MC happy.
• “If you were a zombie…”: My pal Dennis, necro-crafter extraordinaire and all-around nice cat, was recently interviewed by indie art site CrankyYellow.com. He discusses his affinity for the undead therein, and even manages to name-drop both Hipster, please! and ZeaLouS1. What a swell guy!
• Future Perfect: The artist formally known as Fanatical and now pretty much just know as Jaylyn, has recently dropped a new single at her MySpace. Peep “timesplit” and then tell Jay to pick up the pace and start releasing more songs. I’m serious.
• FightForRight ReadGoodBooks SpreadTheMusic: This weekend my bro Matt found yet another Wizard Rock band of note. Potter Noyz is an interested blend of indie dance, acoustic rock, and… um… fan fiction. Though a self-professed “virtual band and fan project set after the 7th year” may seem a little odd, don’t let the concept scare ya. It’s well worth a listen.
• Harry Potter and the Broom of Experimentation: I’m not sure how much truth there is to this (particularly since Matt found reference to it dating back about five years), but this one was another jewel Church dug up that I felt worthy of sharing with the rest of the class. I’m finally beginning to understand why the Nimbus 2000 was such a big seller!
• Baltimore's own: Now that I’ve gotten all that juvenile humor out of the way, here’s another vid that Church made from his 16 Bit Genocide footage: an Entertainment System double-shot featuring “Ninja Turtles” and “Bubbleman” Enjoy.

The plot thickens

Shael. Beefy. Robots. Sweatshop labor. Acres of cardboard. A special cameo by MC Frontalot. And I don't notice until after I post today's MNNIB. Shit!

What am I talking about? The Grammar Club, of course!

Click and be amazed.

More Nerd News in Brief

Okay, so I only promised you one NNIB this week, but I’m about to serve you a second helping.

Are people really crying for more?

Probably not, but there’ve been some pretty interesting occurrences over the last few days and more than a couple of events on the horizon toward which I think you should turn your attention. Plus I had a little free time this morning so I figured what the hell.

Some stuff won’t wait til Monday.

• Word To Your Photoshop Skillz: Tired of lolcats? Sick to death of “Chocolate Rain?” Then welcome to the world of Word To Your. Surely it will wax a chump like a candle.
• Stone Fists: If you, like me, play guitar and love game rock but are just too damn lazy to figure out how to shred the shit out of "River City Ransom" on your own, Year 200x has answered your prayers. UltimateGuiatar.Com currently plays host to the only officially sanctioned and metalhead approved tab from Lansing’s favorite sons. You’ll need Power Tab software for the trick to work, but that is easy enough to procure.
• Noncommittal mc: A recent blog post from mc chris indicates that he’s once again struck geeky hip-hop gold. The coy mc stated that he’d been asked “to play a private party in three weeks for a game company that is about to release the game of the year!” Hmmmm. So said company is about to release the game of the year, and, as mc goes on to say, said gig will be in Seattle. You do the math!
• Vague mCRT: During last week’s marathon edition of The Takeover, Florida nerdcore artist and all around dirty wordsmith mCRT called in during one of the brief instances where an exhausted ZeaLouS1 et al were at a loss for words. In addition to acquainting the FCC with the proper use of the word “cock,” Rob also let slip that he’s already started laying the groundwork to secure some very special guests for next year’s Nerdapaloza SE. This act was described as a three member outfit with two members in the east and one out west. There are, conceivably, a couple of different outfits who fit the bill, but I’ve got my own (wholly unconfirmed) suspicions.
• Charming: This weekend Baltimore makes its move to steal the geek culture crown by playing host to two events you’d be a fool to miss. (A fool, I say!) Of course Saturday and Sunday will boast Charm City’s famous Baltimore Comic-Con at the Baltimore Convention Center. Frank Cho will be there, and I have it on good authority that he will be drawing buxom young ladies. Seriously. Also, this Saturday The Talking Head Club will play host to the 8-Bit Meltdown Marathon featuring BIT SHIFTER, NULLSLEEP, and the Power Gloved hands of Shawn Phase. There’s no better way to spend 7 bucks. I already checked.
• “I feel like it’s on fire.”: Church, Matt, and I are all fairly certain that this cat is taking this piss out of nerd musicians, but, in case you’ve missed him on Boing Boing and Digg, here’s some Ronald Jenkees to kick off your weekend.

Nerd News in Brief

As a member of the ever-growing legion of nerd parents, I found this item to be of particular interest.

The gist of it, for those of you who didn’t follow the link, is as follows: a new book entitled Sci-Fi Baby Names has 500 suggestions for ways to embarrass and alienate your child for years to come. It’s that simple.

Those of you in my age bracket probably remember growing up with a kid whose parents were diehard hippies and had favored her with some abysmal name like Rainbow. Well, the next generation may have to contend with a preschool class full of Sephiroths.

These aren’t hamsters you’re naming here, people; these are tiny human beings that you’re saddling with names unfathomable to folks who didn’t watch Babylon 5. Be creative, be geeky, but keep it within the bounds of reason. I’m just sayin’.

…

And before anyone starts talking about stones and glass houses let me say that my son was not named after Nicholas Brendon’s character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That would’ve been silly. He was named after the lead singer of Cheap Trick.

…

Don’t you fuckin’ judge me!

• Calling all street teams: Dan Lamoureux of Nerdcore For Life is presently looking for images of nerdcore gig flyers from the past year. If you’ve got a nerdy handbill you’d like to donate to the project, hit Dan up over at MySpace or via his Gmail (Shlomoism@).
• Fun and offensive… I’d call it Ofunsive: mCRT, the one-man hype machine behind Nerdapalooza SE, has just released his new album Bandwagon Jumper. It’s… um… profane. Really, it’s just nasty. Rob is my bro and all, but this one ain’t for the kids, the elderly, or those with weak constitutions. You’ve been warned. Those who like a good dick joke, however, are encouraged to play.
  
• Ginny is Punk Rocker: On the more family friendly end of things, The Whomping Willows recently announced plans for a new album due out sometime this fall. Whompy also dropped a few tentative track titles, which are actually pretty amusing on their own.
• The continuing saga: Everyone’s a winner at Nixon Peabody. Especially my pal Church. Hell, his [sarcasm] loving tribute [/sarcasm] to the world’s favorite self-congratulatory anthem even got him a little love from ABC. It’s all about the team.
• Snort, snort: Newsday is touting this new fall TV season as the proving ground for “the next wave of TV geeks.” No shit. It looks like NBC’s Chuck is their chief frame of reference, so I’m a little iffy. As much as the nerd-meets-secret-agent shtick appeals to me, I’m not sure I’m willing to bite yet. Time will tell.
• Nerd Ink TNG: Church has found yet another cache of nerdy tattoos. Damn… I'm starting to think this should become its own regular feature!
• Feel the power: To wrap up this belated edition of NNIB, here’s a clip of Powerglove performing "Storm Eagle" at the 16 Bit Genocide gamer festival. Church was nice enough to share his experience with those of us unable to attend, and once he described the band’s entrance – “they appeared onstage with foam-rubber Super Mario-esque accessories” – I knew I had missed something special.

Nothing to see here, folks...

As you have all certainly surmised by now, yesterday I took the day off… to celebrate labor… which is ironic. At any rate, this has thrown off the normal weekly schedule a bit.

That being said, you can expect at least one edition of Nerd News in Brief before week’s end. Aside from that, who knows! Some quick sever-fu by my man Antisocial made it possible to make my newest episode of Radio Free Hipster available over the weekend, so if you’re looking for something to do – and you’re not particularly picky with your entertainment options – you can check that out.

And while you do that, I’m gonna spend a bit of my day taking care of some housekeeping here-abouts. The “Features,” “Sites,” and “Sounds” sections of the navbar could use a good once-over!

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!

More Nerd News in Brief

I grew up a punk rock kid, so the passing of Hilly Krystal probably hit me harder than many other residents of rural America. It’s amazing to think that one simple man and one dive bar could serve as such a strong catalyst for a musical revolution. Amazing but undeniable.

One of my many music-related regrets is never making it to CBGB before its closing last October, but those are, as they say, the breaks. Still, I can’t help but think of Country, Blue Grass, and Blues as a sort of holy place, a focal point of sacred geography where many of my favorite bands coalesced.

It is thoughts such as this that remind me how amazing it is that the music to which I devote so much of my time – simple, truthful, nerdy music – has sprung up in less a physical locale and more a virtual one. When artists come together, whether for a night of nerd rock, a nerdcore tour, or a VGM festival, I’m always amazed that many of these acts who have so long admired and collaborated with each other are often meeting face-to-face for the first time.

Such is the power of the Internet, the stomping ground for geeks musical and otherwise.

• Case in point: I wanted to devote a lot of textual real estate to last weekend’s Nerdapalooza SE, but it looks as though, well, damn near everyone in attendance beat me to the punch. Behold Random’s take on the event, Zealous1’s ruminations, Sir-Up’s exhaustive account (which starts here and encompasses several chapters), and some really great pix from Denika and Sangriaa.
• Return of the King: Brothers and sisters, Hex Warrior is back again with some more college radio goodness for your monkey asses! His schedule is as follows: Monday from 5:00 – 6:00 PM [PST] Any Way You Want It (100% requests – nerdy music and otherwise); Thursday from 11:00 AM - Noon [PST]: News Humboldt (student-run news about campus and community issues); and, of course, Saturday from 2:00 – 4:00 PM [PST]: NeRPSID (the Nerdapalooza radio program show.)
• Technical difficulty: As many of you know (and have been so kind as to inform me), Radio Free Hipster is experiencing problems with ye olde server. The podcast feed is currently… not… feeding… maybe? Anywho, suffice it to say that episode 29 has been recorded and will be made available to interested parties as soon as any funkiness is resolved. Thanks for your patience.
  
• Stuff you should rightly be listening to: Last week I stewed in a musical soup of The Cult, The Pogues, and Uncle Tupelo. This week’s listening list is a little nerdier but no less entertaining. On the freebie side I’m gonna recommend Nullsleep’s Electric Heart Strike; it’s like a tiny, electronic house party in your headphones. I’m also gonna go for broke and all but insist that you purchase MAJA’s The Amalgam Project. My copy arrived a couple days back, and I’ve been listening non-stop ever since. It’s got a unique appeal to those of us who prefer our hip-hop straight from the underground, those of us who like our rhymes a little nerdy, and me, who fits neatly into both columns A and B.
• Not to be confused with The Breakfast Club: You love Shael Riley, right? Of course you do! Okay, then could you tell me what the fuck this is about? Thanks.
  
• Tetris Attacks: Matt sent me this vid under the tagline “Jack was right.” This is a form of video game violence that I am totally mystified by. Maybe it’s a cultural thing.
• Street Team or paramilitary organization?: Will you be amused – or tickled as we say in the solid south – by the tale of a Portland-area Frontalot fan who spent the night in jail for posting flyers? Yes. Yes you will.
• Look! More videos: Here are three clips from a recent Year 200x gig that you really need to check out. Nobody rocks some Duck Tales like the boys from Michigan!
• Even more!: Matt and Church have both been raving about The Mudbloods cover of “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.” I finally checked it out for myself, and I have to agree that this is probably the most inspired Wrock cover of all time.
• A brief respite: Okay, so everybody loves Bioshock; that’s sort of a given. Well, now 2K Games has made it possible for you to hear the atmospheric (read: creepy-ass) string-based soundtrack from the land of Big Daddys and Little Sisters even when you’re not in Rapture.
• Back to YouTube: The madness surrounding PAX ’07 (and, indeed, the greater Seattle area) spawned a number of memorable video clips. Hell, we got to see Router kick a ninja in the balls. Not to mention her and YTCracker Rick-roll an entire audience. But for me, the defining moment was when, like the fulfillment of some Old Testament prophesy, Beefy took to the PAX stage. Sure, he was backing up Wheelie Cyberman on “Sick Day,” but it still counts. It still totally counts.

What About Your Friends?: A Pontification on Nerds and Community

Yesterday, my son – affectionately referred to here-in as Lil’ X. – was sick again… or still… depending upon which pediatrician you ask. Anywho, as a result I stayed home from work to tend to him.

I’m a dad. It’s what I do.

Due to the fact that he was so ill, he didn’t offer a lot in the way of entertainment. (Normally he’s more fun than the proverbial barrel of monkeys, but yesterday, in his weakened state, not so much.)

So, while I had resigned myself to whiling those lost hours away doing *shudder* the housework to which I have thusly been so negligent, fate intervened to the contrary.

Hipster, please! is a blog about nerd music and culture, and, as was so succinctly stressed in Wil Wheaton’s PAX keynote, nerd culture is a far more social affair than outsiders would care to admit. Case in point: yesterday, in the space between tapping yet another bottle of Pedialyte and the all-to-frequent diaper changes, I was comforted, amused, and distracted by a cavalcade of ever-supportive nerdy confidants.

First, I discovered that, though my position as la petite domestique had rendered attendance to either event impossible, I was well represented last week at both Nerdapalooza SE in Gainesville and at the High Dive in Seattle.

In Florida, my pal Steve (otherwise known as funky49) included a little bit of his track “Hurricane Love” in a medley he performed during his set at NSE, the breakdown of which contains a little voiceover by yours truly. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, my boys the Goondocks gave Hipster, please! a shout-out before launching into their excellent contribution to the Nerdcore Undercover compilation “Posse Needs Upgrades.”

As cheesy as it sounds, those are the kinds of things that remind me why I spend time that I rightfully should be working cranking out podcasts and blog posts; though I couldn’t make it to either coast to enjoy the festivities, I know I was welcome and maybe even missed.

I also received succor from several non-musical nerds as well. Big chunks of my afternoon (read: Li’l X’s nap) were spent helping Matt give Church a little good-natured hell (of the “we knew you when” variety) concerning the fact that his “Nixon Peabody” YouTube vid has gotten mad press. MAD PRESS!!!

Hell, I even played a little Animal Crossing with a really nice cat from CAG who helped me clean up the thousands of weeds that had grown since my last sojourn to my humble town.

I guess what I’m saying is, much like Mr. Wheaton, where most folks see nerds as awkward, borderline dangerous loners, I see them as a community. My community.

That’s not saying we’re not awkward, and, yeah, some of us are dangerous, but I’d hazard a guess that the ratio is no higher with us than any or social group. But I digress.

I write all of this to frame a single event, and event that is important within the sphere of nerdy music and also pertinent within the realm of our community.

Yesterday afternoon, Karl “Ultraklystron” Olson announced on his site that he will be taking a break from his musical endeavors.

I think Matt summed up my initial sorrowful reaction succinctly with the title of his post: “Crap.”

Karl has been recording making music, in one form or another, since he was only 10. While I can’t attest to the quality of his early work, I can tell you that his recent electronic output – as well as his nerdcore hip-hop – has been some of my favorite. Ultraklystron billed himself as music for the otaku, but I always found his style appealing despite the fact that I know about as much about anime as I do bull riding.

Moreover, I was always charmed by his content. I’ve stated this before (both here at HP and via private channels), but I must reiterate that I’ve always found Ultraklystron’s ability to render a song – any song – as less a sequence of rhymes and more a uniquely personal experience to be among his most fascinating qualities. Karl always manages to draw me into a song, whether I comprehend the underlying cultural references or not, and that’s no small feat.

For all my talk of broadening nerd music’s horizons, I tend to compartmentalize. I often speak of the first generation of nerdcore by invoking the Big 3 – mc chris, MC Frontalot, and YTCracker. This by no means diminishes the work of groundbreaking artists like Jesse Dangerously, MC Lars, or, my personal favorite, Optimus Rhyme, but the former three are often the first names that come to mind when I discuss the first wave of nerdcore with fans and detractors alike.

Consequently, I’ve always seen second gen nerdcore in terms of its own Big 3 – Beefy, MC Router, and Ultraklystron. Again, there are many other influential and infinitely important artists – perhaps even artists that I, personally, enjoy more – but those three are my own personal shorthand.

Hearing that Karl has chosen to step away from his prescribe post saddens me a bit, but at the same time I know enough about the guy to recognize that he takes his music seriously, and wouldn’t take such a step lightly.

Karl has promised to help Rai and Nursehella with their current projects, and has even mentioned that his forthcoming album Opensource Lyricist may indeed see the light of day. And while we should and most certainly will lament the loss of his voice aside from these gleaming exceptions, I feel that it is important for us as a community to respect his decision and to wish him well in all his endeavors, musical and otherwise.

It takes an enlightened man to truly comprehend his own situation. It takes a brave man to admit that his current standing is not quite where it should be. It takes a strong man to dedicate his energies to rectifying his shortcomings.

Karl Olson is each of these, and it is these traits that have always drawn me to his music.

So while we as a community, as a family, mourn what we can at least hope is a temporary absence of Ultraklystron from our ranks, let us also celebrate the body of music that he has graced us with.

Karl was one of 2nd gen’s first true stars, and while he may no longer be rocking the mic, he’s still a friend to nerds everywhere.

Best of luck along your journey, Karl, wherever the path might lead, and know that when you finally come back around we'll be waiting. With open arms and ears.

Nerd News in Brief

Has technology crippled our natural, human ability to intuit?

I haven’t the foggiest. In fact, I’d never even considered the question until I came across this piece from NEWSWEEK concerning the staggering power of data mining.

Conceptually, I find the concept fascinating; I mean, why go with a “gut feeling” about what your customers want when you can crunch meta-data and know for sure.

Unfortunately, for me there’s no real practical application.

At any given time, the things you see (or hear) at Hipster, please! are basically just the items that I find interesting, infuriating, or simply confounding.

And right now I could go for some Nerd News in Brief.

• Dear Nerdcore community: Y’all need to step it up. The Wrockers are totally gaining on you. Sure, you got some love on MTV Canada, but the Wizard Rock scenesters have countered with a pair of segments on rival Much Music! Plus, in addition to their own documentary, the sensitive kids with scars and glasses also have their own music festival in the works. And have you seen how many chicks show up a Wrock shows? Someone should be taking notes!
• What rhymes with Horcrux?: In other Potter-related news, it looks like there’s gonna be a musical. Not even kidding.
• I deserve what?!: Okay, so Church found this over at the Adland, and it was too chock full o’ nerdy goodness not to share. I mean, how the fuck do you not know what a “redshirt” is?
• Fun with Libertarians: Matt passed along this gem in which Hit and Run, the blog of the Libertarian magazine Reason, discussed the NY Times nerdcore article. As you can well imagine, wackiness ensued. Read the comments for a healthy dose of posturing and a little exposition by the great Jesse Dangerously.
• Steve totally didn’t fall!: The first few pictures from Nerdapalooza SE are now available for your viewing pleasure over at funky49’s Web site. More images (and a post-show report from Denika) are forthcoming.
• 24 Hour Takeover: Join Silent D., Zealous1, and a literal slew of guests on Saturday September 1st at 6:00 PM Pacific as The Takeover celebrates its triumphant return to the airwaves with “24 hours of non-stop madness all leading up to the premiere of the Fall 2007 Takeover.” And what, exactly, can listeners expect? Well, performances, the aformentioned special guests, a séance, a Wii tournament, pancakes, a Madden tournament, karaoke, and… hell, who knows what else?!
• Still sunny: Last week I received sneak previews of two new tracks from Rai’s forthcoming album, and, while I’m sworn to secrecy as to the specifics, I can tell you that both are excellent (even in the rough-cut format to which I was privy). One song is a danceable, up-tempo number, while the other is damn-near ballad-y. Perhaps most surprisingly, both contain a lot more English than you might expect. While there’s no solid release date for the new album, I, for one, am looking forward to it more than ever.
• Billy Mitchell’s quaff: The Nerdcore and Wrock documentaries have to be the nerdiest films of note at present, right? ‘Fraid not.

More Nerd News in Brief

If you want to know what I’ll be doing during the latter half of September, let me break it down for you: I will be playing my DS.

Playing the shit out of it, in fact.

And what will I be playing?

“Surrender.”

• Brain Power: I know you guys are probably expecting me to make some lame joke about Nerdcore Boxing, a site Church found that exists to “profile individuals in combat sports that typify the scholarly warrior,” but I’m not. I know this probably sounds more than a bit strange coming from the archetypical 98 lb. weakling, but damned if this isn’t a thoughtful and interesting site. Even for those of us who shy away from physical activity.
  
• I knew him when: Church’s recent Remus Lupins performance vid landed him on popular Wrock community site WizRockLopedia. Ah, I remember when Church was my little secret. ;) Be sure to check out the ‘Pedia if you’re looking for some in-depth Wrock coverage, and don’t forget to peep this Flickr set from the gig in question.
  
• Per usual: In other Wizard Rock news, Wired magazine has continued its grand tradition writing small, relatively uninformative pieces on nerdy music by setting its sites on the genre. Truthfully, I’m just kind of happy to see Wrock get some more press… I’m also a little relieved that the community doesn’t have an equivalent to our MC Router. Yet.
  
• Speaking of: The Priapistic Press sent me the following links to what can only be described as a treasure trove of geeky tattoos. Ms. Router, may I humbly present your distinguished competition.
  
• An Alliance of Creativity: For those of you looking for something in the way of VGM this weekend, Baltimore will play host to the 16-bit Gen Gamer Fest this Saturday at 6:00 PM at The Patterson. Featured guests include Blue Leader (as guest MC) and music from Entertainment System, This Place is Haunted, Temp Sound Solutions, Powerglove, and Mega Man centric rockers The Protomen. The event will also feature “monumental canvases by 8-Bit Artist” and a ten-monitor, 20 year history of gaming. Two words: Day Yum.
  
• Finally, some nerdcore news!: My man Conyeezy, one half of CSHC, has dropped a new hacker anthem for your listening pleasure. You can check out the demo for “DG Dot Com” over at the Digital Gangster forums… as well as the kind of surreal responses one would expect from DG forum users.
  
• Amalgamate ‘em: Okay, so maybe you haven’t bought MAJA’s new album yet. Sure, you dug “Transformer,” but maybe you wanna get a little taste of another track before you take the plunge. You’re a discerning consumer, and I applaud you. Thankfully, so does MAJA. Here’s a little “online CD listening video” for the track “Go Head.” Enjoy it, and be sure to catch MAJA at Anime Vegas Convention on Labor Day weekend and Otaku University Anime Conference in Mesa, Arizona Sept 30th. 2007. You’ll be glad you did.
  

The Mother of All Gigs

Yesterday I dropped some knowledge concerning the myriad of nerdy musical events going down this weekend, but today – oh today, dear readers – I offer a little insight into an extra special gig this very evening.

Tonight Seattle’s High Dive plays host to a collection of nerdcore heavy hitters that… well… suffice it to say that it yet again has me lamenting my rural eastern locality.

The godfather of nerdcore himself, MC Frontalot, will once again join forces with hometown heroes (and let me say it ‘cause it must be said: the best goddamn band ever), Optimus Rhyme, for an unforgettable night of musical madness.

And you know what? That is wonderful. Phenomenal. Stupendous, even.

But you’ll also get to see long-time Frontalot disciple and Autobeat Ally Beefy take the stage with a rousing set of old favorites and hot new material.

Oh yeah. That’s the stuff!

Plus the John Oates to Optimus’s figurative Daryl Hall, The Goondocks, will also rock the stage with their unique blend of deceptively insightful lyricism and smoothed-out instrumentation.

Admit it: you are presently salivating.

And lest I forget, the crown jewel in the musical crown of the Lone Star State, the smart and sassy MC Router, will also rock the mic in a manner most sublime.

In summation: Router. Da Goons. Beefy. Optimus. Front.

Be there.

Plan accordingly

This weekend your geek entertainment options are legion.

Of course everyone knows that August 24th -26th marks this years Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, WA, and if three full days of dork debauchery somehow wasn’t enough you also get two evenings of geek-tastic music!

The Friday night concert welcomes Freezepop and the OneUps to the PAX musical fold, as well as returning favorites Optimus Rhyme and the NESkimos. Be forewarned: “The first 4,000 attendees at PAX on Friday afternoon will receive wristbands for guaranteed entry, with the remaining seats being given away on a first-come, first-served basis.”

Saturday night’s show will feature Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot, and the Minibosses, and they promise to rock you until the break of dawn – figuratively speaking of course. Once again, you’ll either need a wristband or excellent timing to get in.

But wait, there’s more!

Also going on in old Seattle-town this same Sunday is the triumphant return of Nerdcore Night. El Corazon will be the place to be for this all-ages event that features My Parents Favorite Music, Ultraklystron, Nursehella, Beefy, MC Router, Futuristic Sex Robotz (maybe), and Former Fat Boys (possibly). Tickets are 8 bones at the door, which, coincidentally, open at 5:00 PM with the show starting at 5:30.

Shit, there’s even an option for those of us on the east coast! While Nerdapalooza proper has (sadly) been re-scheduled, Nerdapalooza East is, as the kids say, in full effect. This Friday, at Tim & Jerry’s in scenic Gainesville, FL, cower before the collective musical might of funky49, Bushido Stylus, Emergency Pizza Party, MagiTek, Rocker Propelled Geeks, MC Wreckshin, Project Zero, mCRT, CSHC, Sir-Up, Select Start, High-C, Krondor Krew, Random, and Cali’s own Zealous1.

Due to some familial obligations, it looks like I won’t be able to make my way down to the Gainesville show, but my gal Denika is gonna be there so I’m sure she’ll let us know how it all came together.

You, on the other hand, have no reason not to attend one or more of the preceding events.

Nerd News in Brief

I envy those of you living within spitting distance of civilization.

This weekend, for example, musical dork Shael Riley and his allies from PBC Productions recorded a music video in his native NYC. Shael invited friends and fans to “show up and dance around and shit,” and I was totally down.

Except for the fact that I live an entire seaboard’s breadth away.

Damn.

Damn!

Double damn!

• Illicit materials: I have been shirking my duty of enlightening the nerd populace to all the new, sweaty bootleg action going on of late, but let me shirk no further! The fine folks at Mashup Town recently released a little album called Number of da Boots. It’s an Iron Maiden bootleg compilation. Oh yeah. They went there.
• Speaking of bootlegs: Deal Extreme currently has a Fire Linker and 128M re-writable flash cart for the GBA for, like, 10 bones. If you don’t know what this product is for, then you probably don’t need one. If, however, you are a portable gamer well familiar with its sinister purpose, you should totally snag that shit. I did, and, though the guilt is killing me, I am able to dry my tears with all the money I’ve saved on GBA games.
• Let us flee from this legal grey area!: Now, before I further attract the attention of those unsavory lawyer-types, let me point you toward an interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal that Church came across. It’s about the recent explosion of musical hybrids that touches on nerdcore hip-hop, and even features a little blurb from our beloved MC Frontalot.
• And the Willows were properly Whomped: My friends Denika and Dennis also made it a point to check out the Remus Lupins/Whomping Willows tour as it passed through Orlando. Denika, of course, took some handsome pictures of Wizard Rock’s heartthrobs which she handily deposited over at Flickr.
• Deliciously heroic: While some of you were getting your Wrock on, I spent the previous week tending to a sick wife and child. Thankfully, Church and Matt did their best to keep me entertained. Their most successful venture was sending me pictures of cakes shaped like Optimus Prime. We live in a wonderful world.
• No stoppin’ us: Jarod from alienbobz.com also helped get me aboard the happy train by letting me know that his video footage of Optimus Rhyme’s acoustic gig in Seattle had finally been uploaded. Here’s a personal fave – the boys doing both “My Peroshky” and that song's reprise – but be sure to hit Jarod’s YouTube page for the rest.