I Spared Every Expense

I don't really get that into Black Friday. I mean, let's be honest here; I don't exactly require a lot of stuff. I've got mad stuff already, y'all. And just as importantly I'm a big fan of sleep. I cannot say enough nice things about sleeping.

Online sales, however, are the shit. We're all sorta sitting at monitors all day anyway, so that's the very definition of convenience. As such, here's a quick rundown of where I'll be dropping a few duckets throughout the day.

Mimoco
I'm sort of obsessed with the Adventure Time and Transformers Mimobots. Today those products and pretty much everything else Mimoco sells are 20% with the code BloohFriday20. And of course there are also further discounts on their dedicated sale page.

ThinkGeek
ThinkGeek's Black Friday deals are a little thin this year, but the $5 blinking D20 and $10 Star Wars family decals are solid buys.

iTunes
Let me be clear; I only ever buy Apps from the official Apple store. My music all comes from Amazon  when I want to be thrifty and Bandcamp when I want to make sure the artist gets his/her fair cut of the sale. Even when I do buy Apps I'm hardwired not to pay full price. Today's game deals include Jumping Finn Turbo – by current fave time-waster – and a volumes 1-7 of the Gamebook Adventures choose-your-own-adventure-style RPG stories for 99 cents apiece. Get 'em!

MC Lars
Right now everything at Lars's online merch shop is 50% off. That means $10 tees, $6 CDs and $17.50 hoodies. Now is the time to stock up.

mc chris
mc is doing his regular post-Thanksgiving sale as well, but currently the actual Indiemerch page itself seems to be fucked up. You can browse for merchandise manually, though, where you'll find shirts for $5-$10 and hoodies for $20.

Mikal kHill
This year my homey kHill is throwing his hat in the savings ring as well. He's offering 25% off on a bunch of digital downloads (including the pre-order for his upcoming EP buy product.) and CD/t-shirt bundles. He's also throwing in free CDs and comps with different purchases. Check out his blog for the discount code and for the pledge such deals entail.

Amazon
Last but not least, Amazon has pretty much everything else you could possibly be looking for. The first season of Adventure Time is under $20 – Have I mentioned I love that show? – and 3DS launch title Steel Diver is appropriately priced at $5. Plus when you buy shit from there using my links I get a little cash on the back end. Which is how I got all that mad stuff I was talking about.

UPDATED

Rusty Shackles
I totally didn't realize that my brother Rusty Shackles also had a Black Friday sale currently in progress! If you read this blog you've obviously seen this guy's amazing work on the old style concert posters of MC Frontalot, Adam WarRock and Mega Ran. Peep Rusty's blog for details and directions.

Fight the Dawn

Yesterday Kyle hit me up with the latest Kirby Krackle single "One More Episode." Only, y'know, I can't share. Attorney-client privilege or some such.

I can, however, point you toward this here teaser video. I'm… I'm pointing down on account of that's where I embedded the video, but you can't see that on account of this is typing.

Give it a listen, and then keep a sharp eye on KK's Bandcamp page for the proper release, which will be occurring at month's end.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 144: Dork Harvest

With less than a week until Thanksgiving, one thing has become abundantly clear: 2012 is about tapped out. We've drained all the juice from this one, folks, and all that's left is to dispose of the husk and tap another.

But we can't do that until we settle the dirty business that is my final four podcasts. Onward!

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 144: Dork Harvest [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 64.2 MB Running Time: 44:25 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Let us all give thanks for my kick-ass theme song..

Track 1: Jesse Dangerously – "Pumpkin Spice Swag (cold and flu season)"
I believe Jesse is using what is commonly referred to as the "Pumpkin Spice Defense."

Z's 1st interlude: "That autumnal spirit."
You know the one.

Track 2: Mike Phirman – "Thanksgiving Dinner"
I've never actually had a family member come out during Thanksgiving dinner, though apparently that is a thing.

Track 3: Optimus Rhyme – "Anxiety"
It's been a while since we brought the Jackson 5 back.

Track 4: Chaz Kangas – "Check My Bags"
Nice Kaufman reference, Chaz!

Track 5: DJ Le Clown – "Stand on the Sledgehammer"
DJ Le Clown dedicated this particular track to the wrongfully imprisoned punkers of Pussy Riot.

Track 6: Schaffer the Darklord – "Cocaine"
Mark just had a birthday. I hope you bought him something nice.

Track 7: The Doubleclicks – "Imposter"
It's the saddest space robot song of ever.

Track 8: Mikal kHill & Vince Vandal – "Watch That (featuring MC Stealth aka Blak Angel)"
I still haven't played Retro City Rampage.

Z's 2nd interlude: "No, not really."
That alter call was totally fake.

Track 9: The Four Eyes – "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show"
From the Secret Center Sessions Vol.3.

Track 10: Adam WarRock – "SLVATION (f/ Tribe One)"
Eugene manages to include elements of both Rancid and the Ramones in a song backed up by… Vampire Weekend.

Track 11: 8 Bit Weapon – "Miami Dub Bounce"
The new 8 Bit Weapon Collection is massive.

Track 12: The Efts – "We Can Do Anything"
"We are The Efts / We have several life phases / We can put on different faces."

Track 13: AR Classic Records – "Game of Thrones"
Been sitting on this one for a minute.

Z's final interlude: "A tribute to FX comedy The League."
Which you should definitely check out!

Track 14: Beefy – "Taco Corp"
3 Penis Wine.

One down and three to go!

My December episodes will follow the prescribed themes – all inflexible and shit. The next 'cast, however, is wide the fuck open. Hit me with your song suggestions if you feel so led.

By the Berk

So I'll admit it; I kind of ignored Hard n' Phirm for a while. I mean, Horses and Grasses gave us "Pi" and "Rodeohead," but that was the better part of a decade ago. And yeah, I know they're back and bigger than ever thanks to the Nerdist thing, but I don't actually follow that particularly closely either.

(Yes, invalidate my nerd card if you must!)

Last month, however, I interviewed Mike Phirman for my GeekDad podcast, and I found him to be a warm, funny, genuinely interesting guy. So when he hinted that a new HnP single was on the way I made a mental note.

Earlier this week the duo dropped "Gersberms (Yer Gervin Mah)" which is pretty much perfect. It combines three of my favorite things – 90s-style R&B, the Swedish Chef and Melissa Rauch – with the only image macro series that I actually still find consistently amusing.

I'll, uh, I'll just leave this right here.

The Diabolical Neck-Slap

So my homie Eugene has a new EP due out early next month. I've been following its development pretty closely, and I have to say it seems like the next evolutionary step for Adam WarRock; his shit's been getting more personal and simultaneously broadening in overall appeal for a while now, and this one definitely  follows suit.

He and I have worked out a rather unique concept for a hybrid review/interview feature that I think you're gonna dig. It too will drop on or around December 4th, but in the meantime check out this promo video.

The World Ends with Her

Okay, so admittedly, my mind's been on that other site I write for this morning, but that doesn't mean I don't have another heaping helping of musical goodness for you. Remember that forthcoming album from J-rocker/nerdcore hip-hopper/constant cosplayer Rai? That one that's been "coming soon" for, like, ever?

Yeah, well it's still coming soon. But I did get to hear an early version of one of the bonus remixes, and it's pretty fuckin' grand.

If you'd like to hear some new noise from Rai and help her out, peep her piece for Square-Enix's The World Ends with You vocal auditions. Rai's already made it to the second round; if she can make it into the third she'll participate in a live concert with people like soundtrack composer Ishimoto Takeharu, and if she wins she'll actually be featured in the new sequel!

The winners of this round will be partially determined by user votes, so head over to the contest's official Facebook to let 'em know you're on team Raika by voting for entry #5. You can also holler at the project's musical coordinators directly via Twitter: @sem_sep and @ishimoto_t.

The original TWEWY was a phenomenal DS title, and I'm really excited by the prospect of returning to its surreal version of Shibuya. Even more so given that I now have a chance to know someone on the soundtrack!

Irredeemable, Incorruptible, Invincible

Every election year we have yahoos from both sides of the aisle proclaim that if their dude doesn't win they are totally gonna move to Canada. Only the Great White North is having none of that shit -- the last thing that great nation wants is a bunch of surly expats!

And that's a good thing too, 'cause if they weren't so goddamn picky we'd probably all live there. I mean, who wouldn't wanna be Canadian? They've got progressive views on marriage, are chill enough to have two official languages and they freely share their single greatest natural resource with the rest of the world.

Of course I'm talking about the goddamn Wordburglar. That man likes his drawings with words.

Don't Blame Me

Election season is officially over, so we've got that going for us. But whether you voted for that one guy or the other guy the simple truth is you did it wrong. Turns out Death*Star DJ extraordinaire and registered Seattle hell-raiser Bill Beats also had his hat in the ring for the highest office in the land.

You can familiarize yourself with his party platform via his recent release Bill Beats for President Vol. 1. It comes in both the regular flavor and a deluxe edition. Y'know, for you one-percenters.

Back from the Dead

At long last I have returned from my extended stay in the darkest recesses of Mouse Country.

Okay, I kid; it wasn't that bad. Spending my Halloween at Walt Disney World was actually a solid choice because A) it's the off-season and B) mu'fuckin' Haunted Mansion, y'all! I had a great time and the wife had a great time and the children had a great time and we somehow managed to finagle a free meal plan, which means we got to eat on property without getting totally hosed by those outrageous prices. So, yeah, it was a rare win for Team Z.

But enough about that shit. The only thing weirder than being totally sheltered within the walls of "The Most Magical Place on Earth" during one of the biggest storms the East Coast has seen in recent memory was not writing for so long. I mean, aside from the random tweet I was pretty much silent for an entire week.

Yet that didn't mean the world stopped turning. There was a ton of musical news in my absence, and, while I won't endeavor to backtrack and cover it all now, I need to at least point you toward one notable Halloween-themed release that I managed to miss in my pre-vacation coverage.

It's the latest from my friend Mikal kHill, but it's not just his general brand of bleak hip-hop. The Walking Dead is part rap concept album, part audio novel and all southern zombie apocalypse. It has also been a labor of love from kHill and the various other members of the slowly widening NOFRIENDS circle over the past several months. A family affair, if you will.

Zombie epics are currently a dime a dozen and a zombie themed album isn't exactly unheard of either, but the difference is all in the way that Mikal presents the story. There's no camp here, there's no B-movie breaking of the (lyrical) fourth wall. It's a first-person narrative of desperation and hopelessness. It's a tale without heroes, absolutely devoid of noble Mary Sues. I won't spoil the ride for you, as it’s the storytelling itself that really makes it something special, but suffice it to say that the door message from the television show of the same name likely sums up the ultimate fate of most of the project's characters.

Speaking of, you'll hear from many of your favorites on The Walking Dead. kHill's longtime partner in rhyme Sulfur is there, as are Adam WarRock and Jesse Dangerously. Tribe One lends his voice on one of my favorite tracks, and you'll hear shades of other artists like cecilnick, DJ Empirical and Stemage is you listen closely. Hell, even I make a brief cameo – which, I'll state here explicitly, isn't the kind of thing I'd usually do. But kHill's my brother, and I realized after revisiting the album's roots that I wasn't just signing up for some schlocky monster movie parody here.

The Walking Dead is a tragedy told in 12 tracks. It's… well, I started to write "truly fucked up there," but I think that's an oversimplification. Instead I'll go with "uncomfortably personal," "oddly revealing" and "genuinely disturbing."

Yeah, those all work better.

It's available for a mere 10 bucks right now via Bandcamp. Or you can stream it for free, which you should definitely do anyway.

Halloween has come and gone and zombies have all but become passé. But human drama and living (or, y'know, not) with the repercussions of tough decisions? That shit is always relevant.

And Mikal kHill? He's like the Randy Newman of hip-hop horror.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 143: Franco-American Horror Story

Oh, second half of my annual Halloween Crap-tacular, how I love you! How I loathe you! I'm all conflicted and shit.

It's a bittersweet event, y'all. It means that the Halloween season is nearly behind us. But, of course, Halloween itself is almost here. Wrap you heads around that.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 143: Franco-American Horror Story [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 68.5 MB Running Time: 47:37 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Beefy mentioned via Twitter that he was dressing like Soos for Halloween. Dude better not be joking.

Track 1: Wordburglar – "Fred Broca"
It's hard to pick a favorite 3rdburglar track, but this one definitely makes the short list.

Z's 1st interlude: "Plastic surgery and sleeper agents."
Yeah, it's some pretty twisted shit.

Track 2: CW2K3 – "December 4th (Castlevania III)"
After the nuclear apocalypse the only things to survive will be cockroaches and Jay-Z remixes. I've done the math.

Track 3: Swamp Thing – "Creature Feature"
This album just dropped today. Go get it.

Track 4: Gravity Falls dialog / Superpowerless – "Ghost"
What you know about Halloween Tricksters?

Track 5: Maximalism – "A Beast Approaches"
When Brad Podray isn't spitting rhymes about the briny blue he's making music for the action movie that is your life.

Track 6: VOICEDUDE – "Goblin Style"
Always Alice Cooper. Always.

Track 7: More Gravity Falls dialog / Nuclear Bubble Wrap – "In Space No One Can Hear You Scream"
There's a bit of "Space Oddity" in this one.

Z's 2nd interlude: "My very first Halloween podcast."
Halloween Crap-tacular Prime!

Track 8: DJ BC – "Haunted House of Mash-Up"
I'll play anything that samples "Werewolves of London" save that fuckin' Kid Rock song.

Track 9: Nocturnal Symphony – "Trioxin Theme"
So this guy's office is right next to mine. As you can imagine horror movies and metal are our go-to water cooler topics.

Track 10: Zombie Lou – "Brains on Fire"
BRAINS!

Track 11: VOICEDUDE – "Nightmare Maybe"
Not gonna lie; this one's a work of diabolical genius.

Track 12: Sticks Downey – "976-EVIL"
Check out SD's previous Halloween tracks too.

Z's final interlude: "The bigger scares of Election Day."
Because politics is terrifying.

Track 13: Adam WarRock – "I Believe in Harvey Dent"
One of Eugene's best. And that's saying something.

And with that, kids, I'm gone. I'm on vacation for the next week, so don't expect to hear anything from me. At least around here.

There will, however, probably be some noise on Twitter. And some pics of our Halloween shenanigans. So many shenanigans.

Rock 'n' Roll Nightmares

This year's selection of Halloween-themed releases boasts some of the best (and most eclectic) to date! Obviously you'll be hearing more from each in the second edition of my annual Halloween Crap-tacular, but, in keeping with the dark prophecies traditions of old, I shall also break them down for you here in the prescribed manner.

The Monster Mash-Up collection is always at the top of my list of seasonal projects, and The Curse of Monster Mash-Up is no exception. This two volume set hits numerous diabolical highs with cuts like Thriftshop XL's gritty remix of "Bring the Noise" and Socolfn dubstep-y "Zombie Planet." It includes all the usual suspects – VOICEDUDE's "SCARY CUDA" is oddly satisfying, as is fettdog's "Texas Whip It" – but newer names like brutal redneck ("lily monster aquaviva") also manage to stand out among the album's best. Still, likely the finest selections come from stalwarts DJ BC (the project's original curator who'll again be taking the reins for next year's comp) and current coordinator cheekyboy.

It turns out the cheeky has instead turned his attention to creating original music, and another appropriate release, Sam Haynes's Halloween Carnival, comes courtesy of his evil alter ego. Created as an album that's both podsafe and specifically engineered to serve as ambient music for holiday haunted attractions, Halloween Carnival runs the gamut from the delicate "Creeper" to the dynamic "Haunted House" to the aggro disco of "Something Wicked." Of all this year's releases, this one was certainly the most surprising as well as the most cohesive. Definitely pick it up if you're looking to inject a little atmospheric creepiness into your Halloween festivities.

For those in the market for more rock-inspired instrumentals, I suggest the Something in the Dark EP by one man band Nocturnal Symphony. The light keys of intro "Cellar Dweller" quickly give way to the massive bass and smart leads of what is easily my favorite take on "Trioxin Theme" from Return of the Living Dead, and it only gets crazier from there. Paying tribute to beloved properties like Evil Dead while simultaneously exploring wholly original soundscapes, it's a satisfying slice of symphonic metal that's available for whatever you choose to pay. But maybe you should hit this guy with a couple of bucks for his trouble; David, the man behind the mask, is actually my officemate, and I know he's not exactly making mad bank at his day job.

Surely the biggest arrival on the hip-hop front is the debut full-length from Canadian trio Swamp Thing. Consisting of rapper/producer extraordinaire Timbuktu, Savilion (whose guest work on the latest Toolshed release was nothing short of exquisite) and Chokeules (equally renowned for both his gravelly spit and what is likely the world's greatest Twitter feed), the crew crawled out of the swamp earlier this year with the slasher film-themed Grindhouse EP. Standouts "123" and "All About the Brains" from that release return for the late-night picture show that is Creature Feature, and they're joined by 11 more about monsters ("B-Movie Monster"), time travel ("Time Machine Massacre") and just how goddamn dope Swamp Thing truly is. Oh and also weed ("Reefer Vendetta"). This one's a Hand'Solo joint, which means two things; first and foremost there's not a single stinker among its 13 selections, and secondly there are guests galore. Its closer, which also happens to be the title track, is a five minute, stripped-down posse cut with Modulok, Jesse D, Burg, Ghettosocks, More or Les, Ambition and my pal Mikal kHill all pitching in to rep their favorite movie villains. The bad news is this one won't be available until Friday the 26th, while the good is you can pre-order now. Which you should.

And though it's not a Halloween release by any stretch of the imagination, Random's Language Arts Volume 2 does include a relevant track that, not-so coincidentally, was just released as a new video single. So I will leave you to enjoy the pre-pubescent slaughter of "Zombie High."

Join Together (With the Band)

When I first started writing about music here at Hipster, please! one of my main goals was to enable some cross-pollination between disparate communities. I wanted to see the geeky rock crews working with the nerdcore guys. I wanted the VGM acts breaking bread with the bootleggers.

Now obviously this happened, but I'm not foolish enough to think I deserve any of the credit. It's a natural phenomenon, one that simply precipitates as a result of familiarity, and there are a vast and growing number of sites, podcasts and events that exist with that same goal in mind.

Of course I still don't mind helping it along when I can.

This brings me to the newest project from electronic musician/composer/producer r_garcia. If the name sounds familiar that's because it should. Based in nearby Atlanta, Randy is the head of Nophi Recordings, as well as their annual Nophest Music Festival. Oh, and he's also the cat behind that phenomenal Beasties remix on my recent 90s throwback compilation.

Earlier this week he issued a "challenge," which–let's be honest–is really more of an invitation.

I am releasing an EP called No Holds Bard on November 15. The EP will consist of some new instrumental/chiptune tracks + a cover of a long-lost Nerd Parade song (how hipster is that?) + a remix of a song by a really great artist I know. In addition to that, I’d like to include 4 "b-sides" from My most recent album, Resurgens.

The thing is… I’d like to collaborate with some interesting and talented vocalists/instrumentalists on those b-sides. So, my informal challenge to you is: Download the song(s). Write, and record vocals or complimentary instrumentation, and submit them to me via Soundcloud, Email link, Facebook, Twitter, or what have you. 

The "winners" will be included on the EP, expanding it out to a full length! BTW, this EP will be released for FREE in creative commons. I will press a number of Limited edition CD’s as well, and You’ll be given some to sell, give away, contemplate, etc…

Check out his official site for four instrumentals that, in true r_garcia style, hit everything from surf punk to chiptunes, and for contact information. If anyone has got some half-cooked lyrical/melody concepts lying around begging to be fleshed out or is just looking to collaborate with another cool and talented artist, there's never been a better time.

Free Fallin'

Earlier this week I watched an Austrian fall to Earth. And it wasn't even part of another horrible Schwarzenegger vehicle!

I'm not sure what I expected from a feat of derring-do sponsored by a company that slings toxic sugar-water, but when I realized I had easy access to real-time coverage I sort of had to tune in. Okay, I'll admit that I initially though Colonel Joe Kittinger was the wacky uncle of daredevil Felix Baumgartner and I was actually watching a cleverly disguised parody of the real jump, but–damn, y'all–when he took that step out into nothingness? It was pretty epic.

Sure, it wasn't exactly "from the edge of space," but it was no less an impressive moment in applied science and soft drink capitalism. It even inspired my buddy John Anealio to pen a song commemorating this most stirring spectacle.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 142: Haunted Garage Sale

I've got the spirit, friends. I already have that Halloween spirit. And I'm inclined to share. By way of, y'know, a podcast or two.

We have a lotta ghosts this time around, with some zombies and assorted demons for added flavor. Oh, and also samples from cartoons. 'Cause I am a grown-ass man!

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 142: Haunted Garage Sale [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 73.4 MB Running Time: 50:17 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
They got them treats for y'all.

Track 1: Gravity Falls dialog / Swamp Thing – "All About the Brains"
Mad excited about new stuff from the Swamp.

Z's 1st interlude: "The geeky apparitions of my Halloween Crap-tacular."
They'll haunt your ear-holes!

Track 2: The Grammar Club – "Super Girls 'n Ghosts" / Gravity Falls dialog
Apparently Beefy got bamboozled. Ghost girls'll do that.

Track 3: The Crimson Ghosts – "Hybrid Moments"
Yep, cribbed this one from Chris Haley's Halloween mix.

Track 4: cheekyboy – "Diary of a Madman"
Never: that is when I'll get tired of Gravediggaz remixes.

Track 5: Kavinsky – "Ghost Transistor"
Really thought this creepy piece of retro electronica fit in nicely.

Track 6: The Aeronauts – "Ghost's Song"
For all you steampunks out there.

Track 7: South Park dialog / A-1 – "Goosebumps"
Yet another cut from After School Special.

Track 8: Sam Haynes – "Phantom Creep"
Much love and respect to cheekyboy/Sam Haynes, without which these annual Halloween eps likely wouldn't exist.

Z's 2nd interlude: "More Gravity Falls dialog."
Expect a lot of clips from that show to continue to crop up in this podcast.

Track 9: lukemounlasolomon – "Gravity Falls Harry Potter Music Box Mashup"
Just stumbled across this one and totally loved it.

Track 10: Armcannon – "Bhost Gusters"
This is probably one of the single greatest cover songs of all time. It's Armcannon at their most Armcannonist.

Track 11: Psycosis – "Giggle Ghosties Inc."
I feel like I've been neglecting the bronies of late. So here you go, folks!

Track 12: South Park dialog / Sci-Fried and Marc with a C – "Cannibal"
From the epic crossover event known as Co-op Mode.

Track 13: John Anealio – "Undead Love Song (Acoustic)"
John Anealio singing about zombie cocks always makes me giggle.

Track 14: Death*Star – "The Devils You Know"
Such a hard joint from three of Seattle's finest.

Z's final interlude: "Shake what your monster mama gave you."
Which was this episode's alternate title.

Track 15: dj BC – "Ghost Wobble"
Have I mentioned you positively have to cop The Curse of Monster Mash-Up?

One down and one to go. That means if you have Halloween-y requests, get 'em to me with the quickness.
 
Come to think of it, the post-Halloween/pre-Christmas show playlists are starting to fill up as well, so feel free to hit me with non-spooky song suggestions as well.

Never Fear, Have a Beer

Depending on the granularity of your individual pop culture intake – not to mention your satellite/cable provider – you may or may not be aware of FX's fantasy football-centered sitcom The League. Yes, I know you don't much care for the sportsballs, but bear with me.

Two of my favorite people on these here internets, graphic arts god Rusty Shackles and nerdcore heavyweight Beefy, have just released a freebie EP based on their shared love for the series. It celebrates the sights, sounds and smells of a show that's forth season just so happens to premiere tonight.

But in the meantime get day drunk and snag a copy of Bowling For Shiva: A Tribute To The League.

Adam YachtRock

My go-to gag regarding Adam WarRock simply concerns how goddamn prolific he is; he's an artist that I fear seeing live, because by the time he makes it to the stage he's already replaced all the joints I know with brand new material.

And this trend shows no signs of slowing down.

Hot on the heels of his hip-hop retelling of the opera La Boheme – itself a 4 track EP produced by your friend and mine Mikal kHill for Opera Memphis – Euge has just dropped yet another freebie. This one reunites WarRock with Vince Vandal for a fun and infectious collection of rap-pop. It's based on the music of frat rockers Vampire Weekend, and, to paraphrase the piece's mission statement, it's meant to be a bit of a musical pick-me-up for the artist himself as well as anyone who's currently struggling with… life. (God knows it's helped me through a rough week.)

So pop them polos, kids. Shit's about to get preppy.

Sci-Fi Superhero

I sometimes struggle with how to categorize artists. For example, while Kirby Krackle is straight-ahead nerd rock and Dethlehem plays fantasy metal, John Anealio is more a… guitar geek troubadour?

The words, sometimes they fail me.

John and I recently made some time to talk about his unique style and his own circuitous musical evolution. Further, amid all this, he also hit me with his official bio. It reads thusly:

John Anealio performs geeky anthems for writers, librarians, lovers of Sci-Fi, Best Buy customers & robots. His music sounds like John Mayer, Weezer & James Taylor playing Dungeons & Dragons together on their iPhones. Check out his music at www.johnanealio.com

I reckon that about sums him up. Read on to discover the hidden mysteries of hair metal and John's own secret identity!

-

John, despite the acoustic singer-songwriter slant of much of your contemporary output, you actually come from a metal background. Was that the style of music that originally inspired you to create, or was it something you discovered after picking up the guitar?

Definitely. Being exposed to the playing of (hair) metal guitarists like Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Vito Bratta (White Lion) and Reb Beach (Winger) inspired me to play. I was determined to compose and perform those types of fleet fingered solos. Looking back, it's pretty easy to see the connection between metal guitar and geek culture. Thumb through an old guitar magazine from the '80s/early '90s and check out those photos. Those guitarists look like Sci-Fi Superheroes! Long hair, spandex and bright, multi-colored guitars that looked like laser rifles. Musically, the distorted, finger tapped solos sounded like the soundtrack from an '80s video game.

Stylistically, you seem to be drawing from a number of places, so what about lingering influences? Are you still steeped in hair metal? What about lighter fare?

I've always had a voracious musical appetite and I've always been curious about music history. I always wanted to find out who influenced the musicians that I admired. My favorite metal guitarists would usually cite Led Zeppelin. Zeppelin's Jimmy Page would talk about his love of the blues, folk and world music. If you have an inquisitive mind, it's pretty easy to get lost in all of these different styles of music and over the course of my musical life, I have.

Eventually, my love of metal led to instrumental guitarists like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, which led to prog rock. As I became more interested in singing and songwriting, I got into The Beatles and Crowded House. When I started playing the coffee shops, I started to explore folk and acoustic blues. All of these influences impact my creative process in some way. It often depends on my mood or what seems appropriate for a particular song or piece of music.

Your latest release, Laser Zombie Robot Love, has an fascinating title with an even more interesting story behind it. How did you arrive at this unique name?

I co-host The Functional Nerds Podcast. Each week we interview a different sci-fi or fantasy author. Through the podcast, my music and my attendance at conventions, I've gotten to be pretty good friends with quite a few of these folks. I didn't have a set title for the album yet, so I thought it would be fun if some of my author friends submitted title suggestions by looking at the artwork and the track list. I my Twitter/Facebook friends and people on my mailing list to vote for their favorite. Chris F. Holm, Mur Lafferty, Paul S. Kemp, Robert Jackson Bennett, Myke Cole, Matt Forbeck and Karin Lowachee came up with excellent titles, but Chuck Wendig's Laser Zombie Robot Love pulled out the victory.

Speaking of, what's coming down the pike for The Functional Nerds?

More of the same. The strength of what Patrick and I do is consistency. We put out a show every single week. Each week we interview a Sci-Fi or Fantasy author and chat about geeky topics and make music, tech and book picks of the week.

I know from Functional Nerds that you're also a voracious reader; what books or authors are you currently digging?

Well, I'm an enthusiastic reader, but I'm terribly slow, so I don't know if I can describe myself as voracious. Here's a list of my favorite books from the past year:

1. The Troupe by Robert Jackson Bennett
2. Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig
3. Dead Harvest by Chris F. Holm
4. Control Point by Myke Cole
5. The Hammer & The Blade by Paul S. Kemp
6. Empire State by Adam Christopher
7. Awakenings by Edward Lazellari

Okay, back to the new release front. LZRL boasts 11 of what I like to think of as "John Anealio classics" as well as 9 bonus remixes and alternate takes. Do you do all your own remixing, and what inspires your continued experimentation with the sounds of electronica?

I did all of the remixes for LZRL. I know a lot of traditional musicians look down on electronic music because it isn't "real" and you're not really playing. I love the "sound" of electronic music. I love how insanely creative some electronic musicians are with the development of their sounds. I also dig that a lot of this type of music can't be played on a traditional instrument. Those flurries of arpeggios and off-kilter rhythms just sound so cool and I like seeing how those sounds can combine with my traditional songwriting.

What's your recording setup like? How do you go about producing, mixing and mastering?

Here's my gear list:

1. Rode NT-3 and NT-1 Condenser Mics
2. M-Audio Firewire 410 Audio Interface
3. MacBook (5 years old)
4. Logic Pro 8 Software

I use the mics to record my voice and acoustic instruments. My electric guitars go directly into the audio interface and are then processed by Logic's amp modeling software and effects.

All of the piano, organ, synth and drum sounds are produced in Logic. I arrange, mix and master everything in Logic too.

In your day job you're a music educator; do your students know about your secret life as a geek rock super hero?

They don't! Anealio is actually my middle name, spelled phonetically. Years ago, I released music under my real name, and I started to get uncomfortable when students or parents would show up at gigs or tell me that they saw my website. When I started doing geeky and sci-fi inspired music, I decided to perform under a pen/stage name. It was a good decision. It really liberated me to write about whatever I felt like.

You recently mentioned to me that you're on the Ladies of Ragnarok bill with Molly Lewis and The Doubleclicks when they pass through New Jersey. What's the skinny on that show?

I'm really excited about this. I've had the pleasure of opening for Paul & Storm in Salt Lake City in Nerdtacular as well as Marian Call in NJ a while back. I've been online friends with The Doubleclicks for a few years now, so it just made sense for me to open for them when they come through New Jersey. This is a house concert show, with limited seating, so reserve your space now! Here's the info.

Any other gigs lined up for those who'd like to experience your live performance?

I just performed as the musical guest of honor at Fencon in Dallas, Texas, which was great fun. In addition to the Ladies of Ragnarok show in New Jersey, I'll be performing another house concert in Maryland on Saturday, October 20th. Looking to book some more concerts/cons for 2012.

So what's the rest of 2012 look like for you? Any new projects planned or holiday releases in the works?

I've got a pile of unrecorded songs that I need to get to this year. Even though my songs are fully arranged with electric guitar, bass, drums, synths etc. on record, live I perform them all with just one acoustic guitar. To sound fuller, I finger pick and use various alternate tunings. Quite a few people have been pointing out how they want to hear more of this on my albums. A friend at my recent show in Dallas went as far as to say that my live guitar playing is what makes me sound like "me." He suggested making the acoustic guitar the focus and using subtle electronics and samples to support the guitar playing. I'm really inspired by this idea and I think that is the approach that I'll be taking with my next batch of songs.

And finally, John, what single track from this new release (or any of your previous efforts) best represents what you're about musically? What's the one song that potential fans should check out to get a proper feel for who you are and what you do?

It has to be "George R.R. Martin Is Not Your Bitch." It's poppy and funny and gives a good feel for my melodic and harmonic sense. Has a prog-ish guitar solo and outro and bits of electronica.

Yeah, that's all you, man. That's definitely you.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 141: Uncle Zack's 24-Hour Drive-Through Apocalypse

On a purely artistic level, this is personal favorite podcast of mine. The song selections are superb, and I think there's a cool flow to the sets themselves.

For me personally? It's been a huge pain in the ass. Mic trouble led me to record my bits via iPhone, and with my nice headphones on the fritz mixing it was a bear. And now for some reason the bitrate/file size is coming out all funky. Ugh!

Still, I just hope you enjoy it despite its technical weirdness.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 141: Uncle Zack's 24-Hour Drive-Through Apocalypse [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 37.2 MB Running Time: 45:24 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
It's still the best damn theme I got!

Track 1: xaeroseven – Gravity Falls dialog / "Call Me Gangnam"
Yeah, totally unrelated Grunkle Stan clip there. Just because.

Z's 1st interlude: "Lo for I am the prophet."
Don’t exactly know what this is about either. Perhaps I am simply ackin' cray-cray.

Track 2: Polaris – "Waiting for October"
Just to be clear, I meant that my current mindset involves waiting for October. Not, y'know, that I'm presently obsessed with doomsday prophecies or anything.

Track 3: MC Frontalot – "Don't Wear Those Shoes"
Man, I lose and rediscover that Weird Al tribute with stunning regularity.

Track 4: Mike Phirman – "Indie"
Finally getting into Phirm's solo work. And with good reason.

Track 5: Wax Tailor – "Magic Numbers (feat. A.S.M. & Mattic)"
This one's for my brother, Larry. There's a Newhart joke in there somewhere, I just know it!

Track 6: Death*Star – "Your Mom"
Guys, I am so sorry for this. I mean, this track is foul, but I love it so fuckin' hard.

Track 7: Gravity Falls dialog / A plus D – "Close to Konichiwa Bitches"
This really seemed like the only song that could possibly follow that Death*Star track up.

Z's 2nd interlude: "Three quarters of Connecticut alterna-rockers Miracle Legion."
For the record: Pete and Pete was the best goddamn show ever.

Track 8: Soul Coughing – "Circles"
Another nice slice of 90s nerdery.

Track 9: Skyway Flyer – "In Circles"
Because circles!

Track 10: The OneUps – "Two Dragons, One Cup… of Funk"
Got a review of this whole release incoming. Short version: I heartily recommend it.

Track 11: Jesse Dangerously – "Aww Shucks"
Saw Jesse do this live in Charlotte. It reminded me how much I dig the number.

Z's final interlude: "The illusive Reba McEntire sex tape."
Yeah, I just included this to see how much country perv traffic it generates.

Track 12: MisCast – "Drive"
Pick up this one and "Name Is (Live)" right now over at Bandcamp. And thanks to Jay for the sweet hook-up!

So I'm going on vacation in late October. This means that I'll be recording both my annual Halloween Crap-tacular episodes back-to-back, and releasing them closer together than usual.

Assuming my podcasting rig holds up, of course. Curse you, fickle technology!

Mr. Popularity

If there's anything that can unseat Invisible Obama as cultural shorthand for just how fucked up things are in this turbulent election year it's Suddenly British Obama. This delightful cartoon president is the spokesman for Marc with a C's latest Indiegogo project, Popular Music.

Marc has done – and I say this with all love and respect to the man – some weird shit in the past, but this one takes the taco! Popular Music is literally an album designed by committee. Marc got in there, folks; he asked the questions. He polled the listening audience and did that market research, and that, in turn, helped dictate the slant of the album.

Now this is a horrible idea, precisely the brand of wonderfully horrible idea that I expect will lead to some of Marc's most interesting output yet.

Mr. with a C is also once again looking to the fans to help with the pressing of a small vinyl run, as well as some physical CDs for the good of those still tied to tangible media. (Poor bastards!) But unlike some projects I could allude to Marc has a definite timeline in place, and your financial support is really just pre-ordering the new hotness.

I mean, sure, there are some pretty crazy incentive items if you're really down to kick in serious dough, but even the lowest sponsorship level snags a digital version of the album. So head over to Indiegogo for the full skinny on how to cop Popular Music, a private Skype concert or maybe even Marc's own keyboard, and keep an eye out for regular updates that afford an even-expanding look behind the curtain.

YONO: You Only NOFRIENDS Once

I brought my field recorder to last weekend's final show of the NOFRIENDS TOUR 2012 in nearby Charlotte, NC. I also brought my iPhone steadicam mount to capture some live video. But I ended up leaving all that shit in the car. I decided, for the first time in a long while, instead to totally lose myself in the show. And I did.

Okay, well not immediately. I mean, first there was the requisite pre-gig dinner at Pinky's. (Sean owed me hush puppies!) And then we kicked around the Milestone's well-worn bar in part two of our ritual. Where I mostly pestered poor Jesse Dangerously – fishing for listening suggestions from the substantial number of Canadian hip-hoppers who are what you might called Backburner-adjacent and complaining about how wholly unprepared I am when approached with questions concerning things of greater global import than, say, music or video games.

The night kicked off in earnest with MC Stealth, a local rapper that I know better as "that chick that stands next to me at the Dual Core show." She brought the house to order with a blend of sultry swagger and geeky self-awareness that I wasn't quite prepared for. Up to this point I'd only really seen her do the odd guest verse with The ThoughtCriminals, and though the crowd was sparse this early in the night she played to the goddamn rafters.

Next up was Sulfur, a cat I often see perform as part of the aforementioned TCs, in a sharp but too-short solo set. In the absence of the rest of the crew, Sean's personal style – I like to describe it as that of the world's warmest and most fun-loving street corner prophet of doom – really came through, especially on joints like the atomic-powered "1945." Oh, and let me pause here to give a nod to Tribe One for pointing out that Sulfur has a spit that is rather reminiscent of another southern hip-hopper, Goodie Mob's Khujo. (Good ears, Niles!)

Sean's musical soulmate Mikal kHill (AKA: The Human Disaster) then did his thing, and I was once again reminded that, no matter how many times I see that same dude at that same venue, kHill always brings something a little different to each set. Like Sulfur, Mikal naturally comes through a little different in the absence of the funky chip-rock of his fellow ThoughtCriminals, and that dynamic naturally shifted yet again with a little on-stage assistance from his various tour-mates.

Halifax Rap Legend Jesse Dangerously took the stage in one of his very rare appearances this far south, and, as I said to the man himself after his set had concluded, it was exactly the performance I'd been waiting 5 years to experience. Jesse had mentioned going in that he planned to concentrate on newer material, but I was particularly impressed by how well his latest single, the haunting "Slept Through a Landslide," translated within what had been up to that point a predominantly aggressive musical event.

Tribe One, who served as Jesse's immobile monolith of a hype-man took point next, and, as I've been assured he did literally every other night of the tour, fuckin' killed it. From massive set-ender "Kaiju (CrushKillDestroy)" to the nigh Jesse D level of motormouthery in "The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z" (which hit hard on my Wired podcast earlier this week) to the goddamn-Niles-don't-make-me-cry-at-a-rap-show performance of "Different," Tribe delivered the goods.

A mowhawked Adam WarRock did the final solo set with a fairly eclectic selection from his vast back catalog. He came correct throughout despite late night time constraints, but "Waka Flocka Swanson," with its crazy audience call-back, was an easy highlight. I honestly expected the guys – especially Euge, who'd only recently returned from the road prior to embarking on this tour – to be a bit worn down at this show, but they were electric. I never should've doubted.

The final ThoughtCriminals set, which was really more of an everybody set, was a proper sendoff to a night of lyrical magic. I've come to the realization that there is simply never a time when I don't want to hear a live rendition of "Earthbound," though I can't imagine that puts me in the minority. I'll stop short of saying this was a perfect show, mind you, because the Milestone is no place for perfect shows; it's more a place for loose experimentation and seat-of-your-pants set lists. In short, it's the perfect place for this motley crew of musical miscreants.

The 'Stone is a live venue in the truest of fashions. It's a place brimming with history that only seems to take on more relevance as it expands its scope into an ever-branching series of distinct musical tributaries. The audience and the performers are separated by mere inches, and that sort of intimacy feeds directly into the brand of hip-hop community-building that NOFRIENDS is all about. Okay, it doesn't hurt that Sulfur and kHill quite literally grew up on that stage, but regardless it speaks volumes about both the often ignored strengths of the Queen City as a live music destination and the pure artistry of its local talent and their vast network of allies.

Maybe I didn't get to hear "Gravity Falls" or "Out of Gas," but I did get a night of unbelievable performances from friends fam old and new.