Provinces, Not States

MC Frontalot warns that we should beware our northern neighbors. I, on the other hand, suggest that we embrace them. I reckon we'll just have to agree to disagree.

From Hockey Night to Rush, Canada has a lot to offer with regards to quality culture, but one of my favorite imports is their many unique flavors of hip-hop. That is why my first official review post of the New Year centers on three fine rap albums of Canadian persuasion. Each made its way into my possession in the waning months of 2010, and each is well worth your time.

Various Artists – Bassments of Badmen Volume 2

Hand Solo's Bassments of Badmen Volume 2 was originally released in 2003, but it made its way back to the masses last year with updated cover art and across a more diverse cross-section of contemporary formats. The tracks themselves, however, are classic Hand Solo.

Right out of the gate the comp comes in with a thematic intro (Fatt Matt & The Verbals' "Enter the Bassment (The Halifax Takeover)") that transitions quickly to the clever bombast of Fritz the Cat, Mindbender and Vangel with "Bury The Bodies." It sort of loses me for a few tracks there, but Toolshed ably picks up the slack with the phenomenal "Flash Forward," and from that point on the collection continues to run scattershot, touching on a myriad of styles and themes. From spacey head-bobbers ("The Prosecution Rests" by The IF?) to oddly surrealist electronica (Restiform Bodies' "Uh-Oh") to straight-up studious lyricism (Noah 23's expertly measured "Amnesia"), Bassments of Badmen Volume 2 hits all the high points.

The stand-out tracks for me were not entirely unexpected – specifically "Sugar Cubes" featuring Choke, Thesis, Uncle Fes and Jesse Dangerously and SJ the Wordburglar's iconic introductory joint – but the beauty of the compilation is that everyone's bound to find something that appeals to their own unique ear.

Though the game has doubtlessly changed a lot in the ensuing seven years, Bassments of Badmen Volume 2 holds up well. Thankfully, things like true talent and artistic integrity are still en vogue (at least in the underground), and the Hand Solo crew and its extended musical family recast some of their best tracks of yesteryear as the earworms of today.

Hidden Fortress – All That Is

Also from the fine folks at Hand Solo comes Hidden Fortress's All That Is. The follow-up to the duo's freebie EP Third Eye Cyclops, All That Is is another thickly produced, lyrically enigmatic slice of alternative hip-hop. A mere nine-tracks deep, it still manages to make the most of the odd union that is DJ UsdNeedls and rapper nofutureface.

The opening title track comes through like a Kool Keith joint slowed to a crawl and crowned with some brilliant turntablism, and follow-up track "Good Hurt" takes that odd blend of energies and runs with it. "The Cure" brings in some glitchy, almost chiptune-style influence and powers the album to its first single "Apotheosis" featuring Toronto's Modulok. While not the strongest track on the album, it's a definite attention-grabber.

"Iconoclast," an obvious showcase song, marks the halfway-point, while "Rich Folks (feat. Planit)" succeeds a bit more on the production end than in its lyrical delivery. The waning moments of the album, however, are when UsdNeedls and nofutureface truly pull out all the stops.

"Slangshot (feat. Kaigen)" is like a musical distress call from a distant planet that comes through as a darker analog of YTCracker's recent release Space Mission. "Psychonaut" combines a delicately layered backing with reverb-soaked vocals to create a musical mind-fuck like no other, and closer "Good Bye (feat. Raven Madd)" adds a dash of brightness that is nonetheless unsettling.

Hidden Fortress are themselves a bit of a qualified recommendation from me, and All That Is even more so. If you like the unrelenting energy of horrorcore but can't abide the laughable imagery or enjoy the verbose linguistics of nerdcore but crave a more holistic, almost spiritual slant, then this is not one to be missed.

Selfhelp – Broken Shadows

Lastly is Broken Shadows from Canadian rapper Selfhelp, a cat who once described this particular artistic alter ego as "a guy who complains about stuff." Broken Shadows collects remnants of that trademark social commentary clipped from the sessions that gave us 2009's Old Friends and a nearly endless parade of earlier recordings. The 20 tracks presented were among more than 50 random cuts found backed up on numerous hard drives, all of which were songs not previously released in any official capacity.

Opener "Questioning Reality" offers an interesting blend of upbeat production (provided by Fresh Kils) and Selfhelp's trademark art school rhymes, while "Mooncat & the Girls (feat. Thesis Sahib)" is an early standout that's actually proven an all-time favorite for me. There are a couple of missteps as the collection shifts gears, but the odd jazz hook of "Kiss of Death" makes for an interesting diversion, and "Humans" is both another high watermark and stands out as Selfhelp's practical musical mission statement.

It's very much hit-or-miss from that point on, and your enjoyment of the disc will likely depend on how abstract you like your abstract hip-hop. Still, the undeniable charms of tracks like lyrical chill-out "Escher's Forehead" and the heavy-handed but still satisfying "War Pigs" made for a fun listening experience on my end. Likewise, "The Rent is Too Damn High" and instrumental "Mountain Antique" really wind it down in style. Oh, and "Misguided Child" boasts a guest vocalist referred to as Kitty Pryde, which is worth something own its own.

Offering such a broad retrospective is a bit of a risky gambit and a number of these tracks don't hold up against Selfhelp's current output, but it's an interesting enough collection, particularly for the price. If you're looking for some left-of-center indie hip-hop that's not afraid of experimentation, Broken Shadows will surely satisfy.

Road Warriors

Do you love post-apocalyptic wastelands, automobile-based combat and most importantly mc chris?

Who the fuck am I kidding? Of course you do! So read on, yo.

In preparation for the release of his forthcoming album Race Wars, mc is looking for a collection of dedicated fans to include on the project's David Mack-illustrated, movie-style poster. Part Speed Racer, part Mad Max, part Half Baked part… Segway, Race Wars is an epic tale that requires an equally epic cast.

If you'd like to serve as the visual template for iconic characters like War Racer X, Blaxploitation Guy, Axehand or The Hot Girl, head on over to mc's site for design notes and details concerning submitted photographs.

Or, consequently, just check out the image below. Y'know, whatever works for you…

You've only got until February 14th to cobble together the requisite ensemble and send in your pics, so get on that shit. The future depends on it! (Not really!)

"There's an ounce of weed in Devil's Canyon!"

Literally

I have yet to fully grasp the whole "literal video" YouTube phenomenon. I mean, thanks to the fine folks at Know Your Meme I now understand that a "Take on Me" send-up from Funny or Die started the revolution, but I guess I just find the concept more humorous in theory than in actual application.

That being said, I was introduced yesterday to this literal interpretation of Frontalot's "Spoiler Alert" vid by bassist/man about town Bl4k Lotus, and I really dig it. Maybe it's because Brandon is my homeboy. Maybe it's just because the video – even in its original form – is so perfectly surreal that it appeals to my inner absurdist.

I dunno.

Anyway, here it is. Give it a look, and feel free to weigh in.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 103: The Spazzercise Mixtape

Some podcasts get lots of listener feedback, but this is not one of them. It's a smalltime operation, and you listeners are a distinct and rare breed. So when one of you favors me with a song suggestion or show idea I always endeavor to take that shit to heart.

This episode is for Stephen. I not only appreciated the time he took in sending me an encouraging voicemail, but I also really loved his idea for a high energy show.

Contrary to popular belief many nerds do work out. Some even at gyms. Hell, before I decided that deluding myself with notions of immortality was more cost effective than a monthly membership, you'd likely find my goofy ass on an elliptical at the local Y three days a week!

During my time as an "exercise guy" I made a number of personalized workout mixes, and I modeled this first show of 2011 using that same template. It's a scant 45 minutes – as opposed to typical mixtape eps, which tend to run significantly longer – so it should be sized about right to guide you through a nice round of steady cardio or a brisk jog followed by some free weights or, y'know, whatever's your pleasure.

Of course gym music is the cousin of club music or driving music – strong and loose and occasionally offensive, but never over thought-out – so feel free to toss this mix on in the background of any activity you feel it fits.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 103: The Spazzercise Mixtape [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 42.5 MB Running Time: 46:27 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
The fucked up theme song is a true hallmark of the mixtape episode.

Track 1: How I Met Your Mother dialog / Math the Band – "Let's Hear it for Capitalism"
"Challenge Accepted!"

Track 2: The Chiptots – "Take on Lover"
The smooth track transition should help you get things started.

Track 3: The Americans UK – "Cooler Than You"
Here we have a brisk rock breakaway to vary the mix.  

Track 4: Chappelle's Show dialog / ALL CAPS – "Lumos Flies"
From there it's back to some nice mid-tempo electronica.

Track 5: Fissunix – "Rainbow in the Superfreak Dark"
Rick James and Dio keep you focused as you near the midpoint.

Track 6: Dr. Awkward – "Unlimited"
Doc helps you push through.

Track 7: The Oceanic Six – "Dude"
And this track helps you gear up for your second wind.

Track 8: Scrubs dialog / Illbotz – "The Opposite of Abstinence"
This begins our last big push. It's a subset of songs that I have come to call "The Vagina Dialogs" that boasts some of the most (potentially) offensive material in this podcast's history. Enjoy!

Track 9: mc chris – "Japanese Maid" / Glee dialog
The madness continues with one of mc's dirtiest.

Track 10: King of Pants – "Badd to Me"
And I had to dust off this classic mash-up specifically for this ep.

Track 11: The Dirty Sample– "Many Many (feat. Eternia)"
Turning the tide of all that danceable misogyny is with some Eternia. Her strong delivery reminds you that the end is in sight.

Track 12: DJ Schmolli – "T.N.T. Bass"
It builds to this sudden burst of frenetic energy by Schmolli.

Track 13: Adam WarRock – "Ira Glass"
Adam helps you wind down your activity.

Track 14: Kirby Krackle – "Take it From Me"
And KK closes things out with the cool-down.

I actually had a ton of fun putting this show together, especially during my recent time snowed in at home base. It felt good to do a mixtape-style show, and not just because I didn't have to worry about providing my own voiceovers.

From here on out 2011 is wide the fuck open. Sure, I'll do my regular seasonal shows and whatnot, but if you wanna follow Stephen's example and shoot me your ideas for show themes I would be most appreciative.

In the meantime peep this show, and please let me know what you think of it.

(Party) Over Here

R.I.P.

As I have stated quite exhaustively, last year easily belonged to the geek rock contingent. Still, the nerdcore hip-hoppers managed to break some exciting new ground in 2010. Some of the best work came complements of my new friend Eugene Ahn, known professionally as Adam WarRock.

His album The War for Infinity did for comic book-themed rap what acts like YTCracker, Dual Core and Dale Chase did for more tech-minded hip-hop. In short, it proved that the concept was not only viable but uniquely enjoyable. That is why it is my extreme pleasure to present to you an exclusive track by Mr. WarRock.

It's based on what you might call a special request I made late last year. Kurt Wagner, the X-man known as Nightcrawler, died in spectacular comic book fashion during Marvel's recent "Second Coming" storyline. As he was a character near and dear to my heart I felt he deserved a proper musical send off, and Eugene was kind enough to oblige. 

I discovered comics in the mid eighties. But before I found the New Mutants, the series that would capture my imagination and channel the full weight of my pre-teen angst, I found Nightcrawler – a character that, like any awkward child, looked and thought and felt differently. Over 35 years of character development Wagner evolved from a swashbuckling acrobat to the contemplative spiritual center of fandom's foremost super-team, but he always remained the singular outsider content with his obvious peculiarities.

While the death of this fictional character was marked with little ceremony by the culture at large – as opposed to the much more widely regarded passings of guys like Captain America or Superman – it hit me hard because of the emotional connection I have felt with Nightcrawler throughout the bulk of my life.

So I was particularly impressed by the way in which Adam took the simple, understated nature of this mutant second-stringer and related it in verse. To me this song summarily reflects both the greatness of our recently lost fuzzy German elf and of nerdcore's own crown prince of comic shop hip-hop. Please give it a listen and add it to your collection, as it is truly a fitting tribute to a fallen hero.

Download: Adam WarRock – "Nightcrawlin'"

Lyrics:
Beat: Apathy "Hard Times On Planet Earth"

Verse 1
Demon child, with blue skin and yellow eyes
Smell of brimstone, creepin' in the dead of night
Swashbucklin', prayin' to God when things are bad
That's why they tried to put the X across my head

Flip on cats, the way that acrobatics do
I'm a king, still holdin' excalibur too
And really tell me if you...ever thought that you
Was just a little different, people always stared at you

Sometimes life is a circus, it makes me nervous
And then one day, your true inner power emerges
Puff of smoke, you're moving to better places now
Doing everything that you can to make a difference now

And I remember when the kids used to be scared of ya
Winzeldorf, when growin' up in Bavaria
They said the winters were bad, you got older
Remember how they said that the nights were even colder

[chorus]
First I'm over here (pan L)
Then I'm over there (pan R)
Then I'm in your ears (pan M)
So best to listen dear

As I'm crawling through the night
With the finish in sight
Cuz it's not the way you look,
It's the way that you fight

First I'm over here (pan R)
Then I'm over there (pan L)
Then I'm in your ears (pan M)
So best to listen dear

As I'm crawling through the night
And I'm walkin' to the light
Cuz it's not way you act
It's the way that you fight
Verse 2
So you dressed a little different, some called you a circus freak
Your family abandoned you up the river creek
And you lost a bit of mystique the bigger that you grew up
Realizing that the mob was plenty angry indeed

But you stuck to your guns, made the best of the situation
Devil in the sky, but no angels were awaiting
All alone baby, you grew up maybe
Scrapped when others cornered you, you had to do that too

And pretty soon, you met a slew of other dudes
That's down to ride, and soon, you're runn ing with a crew
You met a lady, who made you feel less blue
Who looked straight in your eyes and she could see right through

Who knew, that ugly baby would grow up just to be
the person that you became, that's who you're gonna be
So when you're born in the dark, and feel your heart is a rock
Well every night becomes the dawn, you gotta crawl before you walk

[refrain line]
Crawling through the night as I'm holdin' a mic"

The 8-Bit Veg Out

But, y'know, back up the planet beforehand.

Let's face it, loyal reader – it's Friday, and we both know neither of us is gonna get any work done. Instead how about we both agree to take a little much needed me time to recharge? Shit, it can't hurt!

Me, I'm gonna head over to Hulu and check out 2 Player Productions' epic chiptune documentary Reformat the Planet, which I hear is now streaming. Maybe you should do the same. I mean, it features chip scene titans like Bit Shifter and glomag and Nullsleep and Nullsleep's super-dynamic haircut, so you know there's plenty of good things to see and hear.

Now just 'cause you can watch this film for free is no reason to go all cheap-ass, so if you like what you see don't forget you can pick up your own DVD copy (along with a whole slew of extras) from the fine folks at Fangamer.

And while you're there be sure to browse their amazing selection of apparel and accessories. Which make the perfect gift for the nerdy blogger/podcaster in your life.

I'm just sayin'

Tool Time

"Will said skills pay the bills?"

The nerdcore hip-hop community is alternately accused of overselling the merits of its artists and, mysteriously enough, maliciously hating on its own. (Figure that shit out!) But whether you feel the scene coddles or degrades its talent, the one point with which you'll likely agree is that its creators seldom share their recording and production secrets.

With this in mind artist/producer Klopfenpop recently released a DJ toolkit tailored specifically to the needs of the nerdcore community. Cobbled together from Mortal Kombat, Simpsons and Street Fighter II sound clips, glorious 8-bit noise and vocal hooks from the nerdcore elite like Frontalot and Wheelie Cyberman, it boasts a fine selection of samples with which to build your own geeky remix empire.

Peep Klopf's rundown of the contents:

1. "8-bit scratchscapes"
This is your obligatory variety bag of delightfully scratchable
white noises. These, however, were all generated on the noise
channel of the 2A03 chip found in the NES, recorded and compiled
by myself.

2. "Nerdcore Speechifications"
Your standard acapellas rap sample track, but from only the
finest nerdcore emcees on this one.

3. "Beat Fighter II"
This contains all of the audio from the RAM sampled audio from
Street Fighter II.

4. "Kombat Kuts"
A sampling, albiet not exhaustive, of sounds found in the early
games of the Mortal Kombat series.

5. "The Pimposons"
Speech samples from the TV show The Simpsons.

6. "bleep bloop"
Familiar game sounds created with the 2A03 sound chip found in
the NES recorded and compiled by myself.

7. "Sex, Drugs, and Hip-hop"
Vintage speech samples from various education documentaries from
the mid-twentieth century about sex and drugs. All of these
samples were extracted and compiled from the original source
material by myself.

Klopfenpop's Nerdcore DJ Toolkit Volume 1 is available free of charge from Nerdcore Now. Download it today for a better tomorrow.

A Brave New Nerd

I have truly been dreading the writing of this year's closer post. Not because this has been a bad year for nerd music and culture, mind you, but because I've spent the last several months making a concerted effort not to sermonize. And I reckon this will blow all that hard work straight to hell.

So please forgive me if I climb up on that well-worn soap box. If I filibuster. If I testify. Know that I take no pleasure in it.

Okay – know that I only take a modicum of pleasure in it.

Perhaps more than any year before, 2010 was a contest of opposites within the nerd community, a study in stark contrast of who we are and what we do. Case in point: this year started off with a bang as a geeky white rapper explained to us how geeky white rappers making geeky white rap was inherently racist, and we got all up in arms and shit. Like we do. Meanwhile on the other side of the meta-community, those kids who make music about that one book series were working in a concerted effort to raise money for disaster relief. Peep the dichotomy.

I'm not really sure if this set the stage for the events to come or simply opened my eyes to the very duality that defines the modern nerd, but regardless it colored my understanding of all that transpired thereafter.

It also gave me a newfound respect for subtlety.

You see, while some of us were debating the nature of geeky art others were making geeky art and employing it to positive ends. While we were mistaking self-importance for actual importance others were breaking ground and moving mountains. While we were debating what it means to be a nerd others were being – with apologies to John and Patrick – functional nerds.

This was the year that finally drove home the fact that nerd life can be whatever you make of it, and that terms like nerd, geek and nerdcore are all deceptively flexible. The trick is in making sure that those words actually mean something special. The magic is in giving them legs and, in some cases, teeth.

The best nerd music of 2010 seems to clearly acknowledge this fact.

On the nerdcore side, genre mainstay MC Frontalot seemingly ignored the unfolding drama while crafting his best album to date, the eclectic Zero Day. Likewise YTCracker favored us with the THC-laced genius of his Space Mission. Both releases powered nerdcore forward, refining its artistry and strengthening its community through example.

There was also amazing movement outside of the stylistic fence that is recognized geeky hip-hop. Navi (formally Myf of the nerdcore-adjacent Metamystiks, Inc.) dropped Lo Fi Muey Thai – a veritable roller coaster ride of beats, rhymes and aural intelligence. And he was joined by a growing number of underground hip-hoppers from east (Never Yet Contested) to west (A-1) willing to fully mine the nerdier side of pop culture for artistic inspiration. Hell, 2010 is even the year that former attorney Adam WarRock proved to us that comic books and hip-hop were not mutually exclusive concepts.

The chip music community also saw amazing strides from stalwarts like Inverse Phase and Doctor Octoroc, both of which released genuinely inspired cover albums that helped push minimalist electronica further into the minds of the masses. These were only surpassed in quality by the vocal bit-pop of works like Stenobot's emotionally wrenching Sink or Swim We'll Go Together and Doctor Popular's exquisitely day-dreamy Beeps and Smudges.

Still, I was most impressed by the musical output from our friends making what I collectively refer to as geek rock. The aforementioned Wizard Rock community – long lambasted as single-note niche acts – expanded into everything from LOST-themed concept bands to indie pop. (Big ups for my friend Matt for introducing me to the concept of post-WRock!) Nerdcore heavy-hitters ZeaLouS1 and Dr. Awkward even tossed a dash of geek metal into the mix with their own project The Bossfights, heretofore known as the band that changed Nerdapalooza forever.

The common thread throughout all these artists and releases is clearly a focus on musical nerdery that is in no way devoid of talent or craftsmanship. I can't help but see 2010 as the year when quality control came full circle. The output was so astounding that you couldn't just slide by on a couple of Zelda samples or a Star Wars tribute – you really had to create a quality product to get noticed.

For my money, no act did this better than Kirby Krackle. E For Everyone built on the formula established by 2009's self-titled release. It combined pop hooks, smart songwriting and non-stop nods to gaming, comics and nerd culture without ever alienating the uninitiated audience. Jim and Kyle have become so adept at blending equal parts geek and rock that they don't have to use one to sell the other. They are the ultimate nerd songwriters in that they are both comfortable within their niche but not afraid to step outside (as Kyle's additional body of work is sure to attest).

In a year where geek became a marketing term, a time when making actual art often took a back seat to alternately clinging to or rejecting the nerd artist label, some soldiered on. And those are the artists that truly matter. They represent the community that I support and wish to be a part of.

You see, for years I've had this grand idea that we as the burgeoning nerd community stand for something. That we have some deeper, righteous purpose, and 2010 really did a lot to shit all over such high-minded idealism.

For an example we need look no further than the recently published Wired piece from Patton Oswalt. While it is the nerd's first instinct to celebrate and devour such gems from one of our kind in such a position of notoriety, the subtext of his piece on the death of geek is really just another example of the "get off my lawn" posturing for which we dorks are famed. It doesn't matter that our hard-fought pop culture has been absorbed into the mainstream, because the grand secret of ultimate nerdery is that everyone is and has always been a geek. Whatever passion you feel for whatever diversion you find most palatable is your own shade of geekiness. In Patton's own words, "It’s the method of consumption, not what’s on the plate."

The problem here is that we've let the bright lights of the outside world blind us. We want to preserve the sanctity of nerd, but we don't want to actually have to do anything with it. We want our studious nature and our sacred minutiae, but we don't want to acknowledge that these came from a place of self-realized degradation. Ill-content to simply be accepted or even valued, we have succumbed to the urge to feel superior. We don't want to see Boba Fett on the shirts of "gym douches hefting dumbbells," instead we want to be the gatekeepers of these geek artifacts. Essentially we have squandered our cultural heritage to hedge out the dreaded sell-out syndrome.

But in the end talking about nerd culture is no way to spread the news that we really need to stop talking about nerd culture before all the straights gobble it up. In fact, the things that those we deem as outsiders can easily assimilate – Star Trek or D&D or birth control glasses – are the least important elements of our civilization.

We retreated into such nerdy passions because we felt different, because forces both internal and external told us that we were incapable of meaningful interaction with our betters. But folks like you and me and Patton and Frontalot realized that this was bullshit and we worked through it. The trick is to leverage that strength into something meaningful, be it a song about the power of fan conventions or a charity event to benefit the world at large.

And while a lot of you are likely applauding Oswalt's words regarding our obsolescence, I'd like to conclude by explaining why nerd culture is in fact more important than ever.

You likely remember the story of Katie Goldman, but in case you missed it here is the skinny. Earlier this year 7-year-old Katie was bullied by the boys in her first grade class for liking Star Wars. An adopted kid with glasses and a lazy eye, she was an easy target, and the combination of her gender and a Star Wars water bottle proved a proper lightning rod. Her mom Carrie wrote about the experience in her blog at Chicago Now, and the news spread like wildfire.

Social media sites and blogs passed the word along, and support began to swell. Clone Wars' Catherine Taber weighed in with her own words of wisdom, ThinkGeek sent her a lightsaber of her very own and a hashtag trended on Twitter in Katie's honor. Normal, functional nerds, people who were more concerned with supporting the next generation than debating fucking semantics, let their voices be heard. And I'll bet that at least a few of them were those oft-maligned n00bs only now dipping a toe into our culture.

This surely won't be the last time Katie encounters resistance in her life, but just knowing you're not alone has a steeling effect on minds young and old. Being a part of something bigger, a veritable fraternity of freaks and weirdoes has a distinctly therapeutic quality. And I can't help but think that in a time where geek culture is acknowledged (if not always positively), in a place where Kirby Krackle plays the stage at your favorite con and Adam WarRock gets love from the BBC and anyone in America can walk into a mall and absorb a little of our heritage by buying a Punisher hat and a copy of Scott Pilgrim Versus the World, the next generation of nerds of all stripes are keenly aware that they are a part of a larger whole.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 102: Double Stuf

If you find this particular episode to be too lengthy, I suggest you take it up with Snipe, Data, Scott, Kyle and Vincent. They said it was okay to extend this show out a bit, it being my last one of the year. So, y'know, totally their fault. ;)

That being said, this edition is positively loaded with studious hip-hop, quirky covers and bitpop galore, so I can't imagine you'll mind.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 102: Double Stuf [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 61.5 MB Running Time: 1:07:16 Subscribe to RFH 

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Spellah and Beefy, or as I like to call them Father Time and Baby New Year. 

Track 1: Illbotz – "At the Trap" / "Gyeah!"
I can't help but admire Stevie D's near preternatural whiteness!

Z's 1st interlude: "That's exactly what I'm gonna do today."
Yep, my usual year-end show. Don't even act surprised. 

Track 2: Wordburglar – "Walking Dope"
New hotness from Burg! 

Track 3: Glee dialog / Harry and the Potters & Erwin Beekveld – "Felix Felicis [Eighth Clockwise Stir Mix]"
Because a reggae-dub Wizard Rock remix is exactly the kind of thing every New Year's Eve party needs. 

Track 4: Hidden Fortress – "Apotheosis (feat. Modulok)"
I'll be reviewing Hidden Fortress's All That Is next month. 

Track 5: The Office dialog / Doctor Popular – "Möbius Strip Tease"
In case you missed it, Doc's Beeps and Smudges is truly his best release yet. 

Track 6: The Vitrolum Republic – "Make Believe Girlfriend"
Featuring the talents of fellow GeekDad Chuck Lawton. 

Track 7: Never Yet Contested – "Get it Down"
Speaking of, I spotlighted NYC's "Retro" single on GeekDad back in November. Since that time the EP has been released in earnest, and I highly suggest you give it a listen. 

Track 8: Tetrastar – "Crank That"
Superpowerless also covered this track with his previous project Scared of Dinosaurs.

Track 9: The Grammar Club – "Super Girls and Ghosts"
On Christmas Day the Club dropped their long awaited follow-up release MC Horse Rides Again. 

Track 10: Say Anything dialog / Stenobot – "Butterfly Wings (feat. Jen Wood)"
It occurred to me that, though I've talked a lot about his latest album, I haven't actually played anything from Sink or Swim We'll Go Together. This situation has now been remedied.

Z's 2nd interlude: "This marathon exposition."
The good news is that this episode features a larger-than-usual collection of songs. The bad is that it also features more of me talking. 

Track 11: A Little Dead Podcast bumper / YTCracker – "Take a Knee"
Because "Quarterback Kneel" doesn't have as nice a ring to it.

Track 12: sadnes – "Bittersweet Symphony"
Yet another amazing cover from sadnes. 

Track 13: Selfhelp – "The Rent is Too Damn High (feat. Ill Seer, prod. by Hoodee)"
The wise words of Jimmy McMillan's core platform celebrated in song. Next up, a track about marrying a shoe. Please?

Track 14: I Fight Dragons – "The Power of Love"
I love the original, and this chip-rock take is equally enamoring.

Track 15: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers dialog / A-1 – "Black Ranger"
A-1's After School Special mixtape is a thing of beauty, and the perfect companion piece to Doctor Octoroc's After These Messages. 

Track 16: Benjamin Bear – "Burning Away (feat. Jaylyn Hindle)"
Your second dose of Jaylyn. 

Z's final interlude: "Another year of my own exploration into nerd-friendly music."
For the record, next year marks my 5th! 

Track 17: Girl Talk – "That's Right"
Likely the best moment of Girl Talk superlative All Day mix.

Thanks to all the listeners new and old that came along with me throughout 2010. It was a great year for the podcast. I mean shit, I won an award! What more can a fellow ask?

Looking forward to 2011, inspired by a particularly interesting listener voicemail I think I'll kick off the year with an upbeat mixtape-style show. From there the sky's the limit, so feel free to hit me up with your own requests or show ideas.

And until then, Happy New Year to all!

That Southside Swagger

"Like a Louisville Slugger."

It's Christmastime and, though I imagine it breaks all manner of seasonal mores, I got myself a present. It's cool, though, 'cause you can share it too. It's an interview feature with one of my favorite nor'western hip-hop cliques, Southside.

As talking to the whole band proved problematic – Southside is a large group by anything short of Parliament-Funkadelic standards – I instead had a chat with founder, rapper, actor and all around dapper motherfucker Troy "Thunderball" Lund.

He shares with us Southside's unlikely origin story (spoiler: it includes booze), what the future holds for the band (again: booze) and the secret to his success (which is booze.)

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I often describe Southside as a musical collective consisting of every able-bodied male between the ages of 18 and 34 in the Seattle metropolitan area. While this isn't exactly true, Southside is a noticeably sizable group. Who are its core members, and how did this exquisitely eclectic crew come together? 

We first started as a ragtag group of college misfits in Columbia, Missouri. There were exactly 2 liquor stores in town, Eastgate and Southside. We all played in different rock bands at that time (St. Monday, Amish, FeeFee Bag) and decided rep Southside as our own personal party proprietor of choice. It's funny to watch old videos of ourselves at rock shows screaming "Southside!" at the crowd, long before this band was ever even conceived.

Shane (aka Buc Preston) is a graphic designer and bought an SGI computer at a University clearance sale which had Goldwave installed on it, so we started making beats for fun using music that had never really been sampled before (Danzig, Flaming Lips, Blues Explosion, etc). We would dump the beats onto stereo cassette, drop the tape into an old Fostex cassette four-track recorder, throw a party, get drunk, and take turns dropping verses. This was 1995, and thus Southside as we know it was born.

Shortly thereafter, a posse of us moved to Seattle where we just kept making beats, throwing parties, and recording songs. Eventually those songs became more popular than anything else we were seriously trying to do as musicians, so we just rolled with it and started playing parties as a live band.

We kept recording, making mixtapes (you know, actual mixtapes on cassette) and mailing them out to our friends. We were invited to play SXSW and pieced together our first ever official release, the Vibrate EP. If you have one of these, you are truly old school. Shortly thereafter, we compiled all of our recordings (somewhere around 40), weeded out the junk, and made our "best-of" mixtape. This ended up being Please Southside Don't Hurt 'Em, our first full-length release.

The crew during those days was myself, Buc Preston, Marc from St. Monday (MC scrilla), Brent from FeeFee Bag (B-real), Dave (MC Boy RD of Monkey Drool), Brandon (TheMightyGooch), Curt (Dumptruck), and Steve (Slackjaw) from Amish, Quest, Mike (TK from Schmar), and a handful of other buddies who contributed when they could. Shows were chaos – we covered everything from Misfits to Beastie Boys, wore costumes, played in Dojos, and had a ton of fun.

People moved, babies were made, things happened, time passed, and there was turnover. Space Joe (current bass player) was a friend/fan from the Missouri days and he moved to Seattle with his friend, Matt (Reno - current drummer). Shane recruited a couple of homies he works with: Ben the DJ (Tony Snark aka Crunchy Boy) and Ryan (Slim Dickens) on guitar, filling out our current lineup. This is the core group (along with MC Boy RD and The Gooch) that made Southside Liqours, our second full length release.

You typically refer to Southside's musical style as "drunken trucker garage hop." Could you further describe this designation? 

We used to call our music "drunken trucker style" like we were the white Wu-Tang Clan or something. After our SXSW show, a friend of ours who was writing for a music magazine wrote up a great review and coined the term "garage hop." We combined the two and history was made. There was actually a short Midwest tour several years ago with Metaforce and King Solomon called The Drunken Trucker Tour!

The Southside sound combines both live instrumentation and more traditional hip-hop beats with a rotating cast of MCs. How many members typically contribute during the songwriting process? 

This is an interesting question, because in the beginning everyone involved was an MC and a multi-instrumentalist. Someone would make a beat (mostly myself, but not always), we would all record the vocals, and then when we would book a show we would all sit down and figure out how to play it live. Every show was different, a whole new production made from scratch, built around whoever was available and into it at the time. There was a lot of instrument swapping, typically in-between almost every song.

With the new lineup, roles are a little more defined (although there is still crossover). We are trying to write songs together as a band, instead of producing the songs first and then figuring out how to play them live. There are pros and cons to this. It's definitely cool to now be sampling ourselves when producing beats, as opposed to digging through other people's tunes and pulling samples that way. That is something we've always dreamed of. And now with Serato we can even scratch ourselves! However it does sometimes make the process a bit more difficult and time consuming. The results, though, are turning out to be pretty rad...

The distinguished competition.

I tend to agree! In fact, Southside were the winners of Scrub Club's inaugural Versus Mode competition. How has that this attachment to Scrub Club impacted the band? 

We are proud to be part of the Scrub Club family. We've received more kudos, made more fans, and given away more downloads than ever before. It's a great vehicle for getting our music out there. The main bummer is that as a full live band it's not quite as easy for us to travel and play convention/event shows as it is for a single MC with a laptop or CD with beats. We do, on occasion, play shows without the live band (just the MC's and DJ), which can be fun. It's a totally different feel. However, the full experience with the band is a lot of fun as well.

It's funny because we've always somehow managed to elude genres (not necessarily to our benefit). We've been told we're too rock to be hip hop, too hip hop to be rock, and now in the Nerdcore community people have said that we're not nerdcore enough (whatever that means) or that we are "frat rap." We've been rapping about computers and the apocalypse for 15 years, so we don't really care how people want to categorize or not categorize us.

Which brings us to an interesting point; because of this affiliation with Scrub Club you've slowly become more linked with the nerdcore hip-hop community. Have you noticed any shift in your audience as a result? 

We have had a few people show up at live shows in Seattle because they heard about us through Scrub Club, and we struck up a friendship with Billy the Fridge via SC as well. When people were knocking us on the forums during the VS Mode challenge, he stepped up and had our back. Beyond that, we are now being exposed to people all over the world who would most likely never have heard of us otherwise, so it has been a blessing. We'd like to say thank you and Madhatter for that.

Would you say that most of the members of Southside are nerds? 

I do voices for video games, build my own computers, and have an SQL book sitting on my desk. Shane, Ben and Ryan all work in graphic/motion design. Ben has a pile of servos and gadgets in his apartment. Between us we could build a robot that could paint graffiti on your driveway, so make of that what you will.

With Liquors still getting ample play (at least by me) and Please Southside Don't Hurt 'Em recently re-released by Scrub Club, what's the next move for Southside? Is there another album in the works? 

We're in the middle of recording now. We like to record a ton of stuff, then sift through and pick out the best and make it sound as good as we can. Some of the production on Liquors wasn't as good as we would have liked because we set our CD release date and booked our CD release party before the album was even done. Because of this, we rushed some of the mixes. I picked up the boxes of CDs on Thursday afternoon for our Friday CD release show. Not a good idea. We're taking our time with this one (working title: Science Diction). There are 27 songs in the mix right now, at various levels of completion, including some collabs with names you will recognize...

In addition to Southside and your other more rock-centered projects, you also occasionally moonlight with the aforementioned MC Quest as rap duo Metaforce. With Quest currently otherwise occupied, are there any plans to officially release group's third LP Feared Science? 

Right before he went away, we recorded Feared Science. I would call it 85% complete. We are re-purposing a few of the songs as Southside songs for Science Diction, which is not too crazy as there has always been crossover. Quest is on a lot of Southside stuff, and Southside members are on a lot of Metaforce stuff. Metaforce has always seemed more of a serious hip hop project, while Southside is more about having fun and entertaining.

We played a dual Southside/Metaforce show in Seattle a couple years ago that was absolutely off the hook. We wrote all of the song titles down on playing cards and let the audience pick a card. We would then jump up and play that song. It was a party and a half. Bjork was playing across the street and some of her musicians came by to see what the hell was happening. They stayed for the whole show, and even kept a bunch of the cards that they had drawn as souvenirs. They said it was the most fun they'd had at a concert in a long time...

From Sir Mix-a-Lot to Optimus Rhyme, Seattle is a big rap town. What is it that makes Rain City hip-hop so special? 

There's something about this town that sparks creativity. From way back in the day (The Sonics, The Kingsmen, Jimi Hendrix), to the hair metal days (Queensryche, Metal Church, Heart), to the grunge days (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney), to the indie rock days (Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie), this area seems to always be on the forefront of whatever is happening musically. Now there's this whole 3rd Wave hiphop movement happening (Fresh Espresso, Helladope, Dark Time Sunshine) and a solid nerd posse (Billy the Fridge, Death*Star, Ultraklystron). Must be the combination of the coffee and the weather... It's a beautiful city in an amazing part of the country.

Lastly and most importantly, who's the J.R. Ewing of Seattle? 

Definitely Sir-Mix-a-Lot. That title is undisputed.

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It's really hard to overstate my love for the music of Southside. Though their sound was born elsewhere, it has obviously taken root in the Emerald City – it was there that a humorous, alcohol-fueled side project grew into an inspiring experiment in new school hip-hop. To me, Southside is as much a Seattle band as Optimus Rhyme, Bloodhag or The Murder City Devils.

They are a big bass kick, a sharp arpeggio and a sarcastic snort. They are the soundtrack to a lost weekend. They are my favorite things about rap and punk and electronica all wrapped up in one crazy package.

One of 2009's best albums available free in 2010

It's odd to me that the nerdcore community still falls back on the "not nerd enough" argument of ages past, especially as the new beef seems to be with those who are, in fact, too nerdy. But alas, haters, as I'm sure you've heard, are inclined to hate.

But whether detractors are decrying their perceived lack of nerd cred or their cleverly concealed hip-hop heart, Southside admirably moves forward. Still making music that mines the geeky mindset as easily as it channels the irreverent, comical nature of Golden Agers like Biz Markie and the Beasties.

Southside's albums – just like their live shows – are big, beautiful, messy affairs. Because Southside is a musical force of nature.

Loo-Tech

Nerdapalooza 2010 was an interesting affair, and not just because of DataVortex's magical confections. (Bazinga!) This year's festival featured a strong geek rock component that really helped define the fan experience. Admittedly I've already talked about this at length, but a recently unearthed video interview of yours truly by the delightful Lo-Tech of The GeekPeekPost revisits this topic. We also discuss nerd parenting and compare D20 tattoos. In a unisex bathroom.

Which, for the record, is where I shall be conducting all of my future interviews. Seriously. Check my rider.