More Nerd News in Brief

It’s a good news/bad news type of thing.

The good is that I’m currently sitting on the bulk of the tracks for the forthcoming Hipster, please! compilation album and that they are excellent.

The bad is that I don’t think there’s any way I’ll be able to make the original release date of February 29th. Longtime readers certainly won’t be surprised by the fact that I was unable to stick to my own schedule, but I suppose that’s cold comfort.

I’m hoping to have everything ready to go by early March or, failing that, sometime before we rush my wife to the hospital to shoot out a baby. I’ll keep you guys in the loop as the new release date becomes solid.

• Sorry, Obama: While MC Frontalot has recently joined artists like MC Lars and mc chris in throwing his nerdy weight behind Barack Obama, I, sadly, have abandoned the candidate in favor of one who appeals more to my spirituality. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
• Nerd Ink, supplemental: Concerning matters that are just as geeky, though in an admittedly different vein, more nerd ink. It’s almost like Church has set some sort of oddly specific Google Alert.
• (Almost) ready to launch: Yesterday my pal Anthony from Game Music 4 All sent me news that his next compilation album, the Super Mario RPG tribute Heavy Troopa is Ready to Launch!, is also nearing completion. He was even nice enough to toss up a teaser track for your collective ass. It is a thing of beauty to which you simply must listen.
• Chiptunes, mouth harps, and geeked-out beats.”: Doc Popular has also entered the final lap with regards to his new album Me Geek Pretty One Day. The album page promises an early March release of a work that “shakes things up by mixing nerdcore hip hop songs with 8-bit instrumentals, electro-pop, and sexy r & b.” In addition to Doc’s work with Tanner (as demonstrated last week), MGPOD will also feature production from the great Baddd Spellah and guest rapper MC Router on her final nerdcore track. After a little good-natured needling last night, Doc also let me know that the album will come with extras (including cellphone wallpapers, remixes by Bomarr and 8bit bEtty, and iPhone ringtones) all for a meager 8 bones. He’ll also be releasing it using the SongNumber distribution system. That Doc Pop is full of surprises!
• ‘Blood brothers: Lizz of WizRockLopedia (who’s sporting a delightful new ‘do of late) has posted some live audio from The Mudbloods over at Archive.org. The set was recorded at one of the recent Whomp the House shows, and you should really check it out.
• A league of our own: In related news, my buddy Matt made a really good point about the lack of taping in the geek music community. With the exception of the Northwest's always on-point AlienBobz, there seems to be a glaring lack of nerdy concert audio. Matt even broached the idea of putting together a Netlabel with which to catalogue dorky shows at Archive. It’s something to think about.
• The ladies, the ladies: And since we can’t talk about Wrock without mentioning lady-geeks, Church pointed me toward this interesting piece about fangrrls. While I can’t say I’m in love with the terminology, the article is pretty damned thought provoking.
• I Want You to Whomp Me: To bookend this week, here’s a vid of Lauren of The Moaning Myrtles (one of my favorite Wrock outfits) singing a special song for The Whomping Willows (another of my other favorite Worck outfits). I’ve long said that the only two things missing from Wizard Rock were Cheap Trick and arboreal innuendo.

This Just In

Genuine information surrounding Nerdapalooza ’08 has finally surfaced, the most compelling of which can be gleaned from the following image.

First and foremost, we can see that the event will occur over a two-day period this July at Taste Restaurant in the College Park area of Orlando. Furthermore, it’s impossible to miss the much-touted artist roster, which boasts not only a fine selection of local and regional artists (Select Start, Rocker Propelled Geeks, High-C, EPP, etc.) but also cats from the UK (Pixel8), NYC (Schaffer the DarkLord), the Mid-West (Dual Core and Whore Moans), and Cali (ZeaLouS1).

There are also a number of “blanks.” These are, as mCRT was nice enough to point out to me, probablys as opposed to unlikelys, and should be revealed as they are officially confirmed.

Further research indicates that tickets should go on sale in March pending price negotiations.

And with all that said, the only real question is how do I convince my wife to let me sneak away to FL for a long weekend with Random, YTCracker, and Former Fat Boys and leave her home alone with an infant and a toddler? Suggestions are encouraged and appreciated.

Damn It Feels Good to be a Gamer

At long last the complete American Gamer album is available!

Produced by Random, K-Murdock, Ravage, and Macross, American Gamer mashes up the hip-hop goodness of Jay-Z’s first concept album with beats composed of loops from classic video games. The project’s title track “even features a verse from a certain Hip-Hop/Videogame head” that we all know and love.

Like any bootleg album worth its salt, American Gamer is available for free download so be sure to check it out.

In a quasi-related story – and I never thought I’d actually be typing this – someone from MSNBC totally got things right vis-à-vis Jack Thompson. Will wonders never cease?

Let's Hear it for The Boy(s)

Regular readers of this blog know that I have a very limited vocabulary. There are words that pop up fairly regularly, proper nouns that represent the cutting edge of nerdy music. Names like Frontalot, Beefy, Random, and the like.

You’re just as apt to know another couple of names, a pair that, though not attached to nerdy hip-hoppers or geek rockers, are still very much linked with nearly everything that goes on here at Hipster, please! Church and Matt feed me leads concerning everything from nerdy politics to new releases, give suggestions for additions to the podcast track lists, and, perhaps most importantly, act as the sounding board concerning my various hair-brained schemes.

This week they’ve both got some pretty interesting projects of their own going on, and I thought I’d shine the light on them… Which is a nice change of pace considering it’s usually those two pimping out my stuff.

Matt’s got a new piece up at the reinvigorated (Hopefully!) Headphone Sacrament. It’s a review of Slytherin Hearts, the Split Seven Ways EP that I mentioned yesterday. It gives an overview of the work, the artist, and her place within the scene.

Church – known thereabouts as Pike – has put together a DIY mixtape for the cats over at Galactica Watercooler. Essentially it’s an outline to make your own playlist using free, nerdy tracks that are easily available online. There are some old favorites as well as some new hotness.

Since this is a bit of a slow news day for items not related to a very languid GDC, I’d say that both of these demand your immediate attention.

Nerd News in Brief

Some products are simply too effective. Example: Hori screen protectors.

I bought a pair of these suckers for my Crimson and Black DS Lite last October and they did the trick. A defective stylus ended up giving the protector some pretty good scrapes, but the touch screen stayed clear and safe.

Over the weekend I decided to swap out the old, damaged protector with a crisp, clean, shiny, new one, but it took a goddamn act of Congress to get it off. I literally had to pry the little fellow away from his prescribed duty.

Damn that traditional Japanese work ethic and general over-exuberance!

• Lowercase “c”: I’d like to start today’s NNIB by congratulating my man High-C on his new arrival! Check out NerdcoreHipHop.org for the first images of young Gorlax Frontington Christie, AKA: Lil' High-C. And since we’re talking about High-C that could well be the child’s real name.
• Old news you already know: Let me apologize for the glaring lack of the following during last week’s documentary rundown – The MC Frontalot doc Nerdcore Rising will be premiering at SXSW! Immediately after this March 9th premiere, Front and crew will be performing a set and the great Prince Paul will be spinning some records. Holy fucking shit!
• Just Another Lazy Blogger: In other news that I should’ve mentioned, like, a week ago, Beefy will soon be launching a new weekly podcast. Beef mentioned this at the same time he revealed that he had acquired his first grown-up job. Unfortunately, his blog is dead at present, but trust me; I am not making this shit up. (Probably.)
• "Shmoos haint make believe.": Last week, Dual Core unleashed hip-hop fury on the attendees of hacker conference ShmooCon. This marked the first time a nerdcore group played the con’s after-party, and, in the words of int eighty, “It was a lot of fun, and … we sold a metric ass-load of albums and even had an encore when the set for our show was over.” You can check out some pictures from the show at their MySpace.
• Make music with your mouth: Another recent first is the real life, face-to-face collaboration of nerd music greats and two of my favorite cats in the whole world, Doctor Popular and Tanner4105. For those of you un-swayed by photographic evidence, I will direct your attention to this track. Rai willing, we’ll hear more soon.
• London Calling: Euro nerds looking to get down and/or drunk in the company of likeminded individuals will be pleased with the announcement of Dork Party UK. March 8th through the 10th in Southampton – which is actually pretty far away from London, but I stand by my tagline – there will be “lots of booze” and also, presumably, some gaming. Interested parties should PM Category for details.
• More from across the pond: UK alterna-folk Wizard Rocker Split Seven Ways has just released a new free-to-download EP entitled Slytherin Hearts featuring “8 tracks of Slytherin love and anti-love songs.” Download it and embrace the Dark Arts. Thanks to Matt for hipping me to this.
• Not to be confused with Katie Holmes’s kid: Florida MC and comic book aficionado Sir-Up was recently front-paged at CollegeHumor.com. They identified him as “Suro” for some reason, but that’s definitely our boy Up.
• Commence shilling: Game retailer Play Asia is currently celebrating the Chinese New Year with their annual sale. The Year of the Rat Lucky Sale boasts thousands of bargains at crazy-low prices, and purchases make you eligible to win free consoles, handhelds, and games. Sale prices are only good until the end of the month, so head on over and check stuff out.
• Censored: To wrap things up, here’s a little vid that Doc turned me on to. The accompanying music is the Lemon Demon edit of that old Sesame Street classic “The Song of the Count.” If you laugh, you’re just as immature and easily amused as I am.

Childe Roland to the Dork Shower Came

I am involved in what you might term a mixed marriage. I am a huge dork. My wife? Not so much.

Because of this we don’t see eye-to-eye on some things. I, for example, like to watch Doctor Who. She, on the other hand, prefers The Girls Next Door. (How that show can make naked women so interminably boring is both a mystery and an affront to God!) I listen to NESkimos while she prefers Nelly Furtado. I say tomato and she… well, she also says tomato, but I reckon you get the idea.

When she told me last week that the girls from work were throwing her a baby shower in anticipation of our new arrival, I was ecstatic; my love for free shit knows no bounds. But when we began adding items to our baby registry/wish list, our differences again became apparent.

What follows is my own personal list of nerdy baby shower presents. Each was summarily vetoed by my old lady, but maybe yours will be a bit more reasonable.

Here’s hoping you have better luck geeking your children up than I did!


The D&D character sheet onesie:

Sometimes you just need to know your kid’s stats. Like, maybe your baby wants to make an untrained skill check; how the hell else are you gonna know her ability modifier? I think I’ve proven my point.


Available at Jinx.

Baby’s First Mythos:

Reading to your children is fun and rewarding, so why not start them early on the road to an appreciation of classic geek lit? It's been proven to supplement cognitive development, and you’re never too young to be warned about the power of the Elder Sign.


Available at Amazon

Giant Microbes:

There’s been a big push of late to get girls interested in science, and there’s no better way to get your daughter hipped to the wonders of the natural world than by giving her a white blood cell plushie. Will it protect her from super-sized pathogens? It certainly couldn’t hurt!


Available at Giant Microbes

Rockabye Baby! lullaby albums:

Child-friendly covers of U2, Bob Marley, and The Ramones may not be nerdy, but they certainly are fun for the whole family. Lullaby renditions of Björk, though, are probably still pitchy and annoying.


Available at Rockabye Baby Music

Diaper bag alternative:

Those goddamn Juicy Couture diaper bags are horrible and unflattering, and I don’t just mean on the shoulders of unwitting fathers. They’re garish and quasi-functional at best. I much prefer the utilitarian messenger bag, of which this Bag of Holding is a perfect example. You won’t believe how much stuff you can get in there!


Available at ThinkGeek

NErDy bib:

Nothing says “this is my kid and I’ll dress her how I damn well please” quite like this bib. It’s especially relevant if one or more parents is a chemist. As well as those of us who aren’t above a little intellectual intimidation among the play group.



Available at Career Giggles

Baby Bot mobile:

Are you as sick or butterflies and jungle animals as I am? Then why not shake things up with a robot themed nursery! This robot-themed mobile is an excellent jumping-off point.




Available at Baby-Wise

Nerd News in Brief

Last week Li’ X. celebrated his 3rd birthday. We had his party at the local fire station, which just goes to show you how seriously we take our personal safety and tax dollars in the rural South.

In retrospect, the thing I find the strangest has less to do with the locale and more to do with the presents. His favorite gift seems to be his Play-Doh Fun Factory. This particular model looks strikingly similar to the one I had as a kid, which begs the question why the fuck have we not had any notable advances in Fun Factory technology within the last 3 decades?

I mean, come on, Hasbro, step up your game. Invest some money in Play-Doh R&D and let’s bring this thing into the 21st century. Do it for the children!

• R.I.P.: Let’s start this week’s NNIB on an uncharacteristically somber note. As my friend Matt pointed out to me yesterday, we’ve recently lost a comic book great. Steve Gerber, known best for his creation Howard the Duck (the entertaining comic as opposed to the shitty movie) and more recently his work on Countdown to Mystery: Doctor Fate shuffled off this mortal coil last Sunday. He will be missed.
• Say it ain’t so!: In other heartbreaking news, Glenn Case has left The Grammar Club. Citing the admittedly cliché “creative differences,” Glenn announced his departure early this morning. Quote the Raven, “It's nothing personal against any member of the project. In fact, I hope they will find a better multi-instrumentalist that can lead them to greater success than they have achieved with me.” As sad as I am to see him go, I can’t help but wish Glenn and his former bandmates the best.
• Crit fail: Always on the look-out for the next meme, Church happened across The FAIL Blog, the only site where failure is, indeed, the only option. Go ahead and look; it’ll make you feel better about your own shortcomings.
• All-beverage extravaganza: My Parents Favorite Music's second re-release EP Wheelo Exgirlfriends is here! Again! You know the deal: you give Steffo 5 bucks for a sticker and he gives you a CD to go with it. What’s not to love?
• Nerdapalooza Southeast 2008 update: My boy Rob, otherwise known as mCRT, was nice enough to let me know that he and HexWarrior will be doing their first episode of the new weekly Nerdapalooza News radio show on Rocket Propelled Radio on February 19th at 9:00 PM. He later elaborated, saying that topics covered will include the venue, the performance lineup, ticket info, and dates. Yes, dates. As in more than one!
• Loki Destroys Student-Run Radio Station, Film at 11:00: Last week MC Loki did an interview with RADIOKSOC. In addition to repping the scene in the larger sense, Loki also namedropped Whoremoans, 8 Bit Boys, Don Vito, Nerdapalooza, INFO2k8, and many more. He even made the file available for those who want to check it out.
• Doowhatchalike!: I’m not the only cat making with the Valentine’s themed podcast. Random just released episode 11 of the RandomBeagle Show which celebrates the ladies of hip-hop. It also features an exclusive interview with Shock G of Digital Underground (whom you may remember as Humpty Hump.)
• He’s got wood: killsaly has a new demo available for fans of Mega Man. He says that “Woodman” was “inspired by my own love of Mega Man, and Random’s 'Grow Up' beat.” You can peep the track at killsaly’s site.
• He’s a Toys ‘R’ Us kid: In other Ran-related news, a new remix of Mega Ran's “Grow Up” (by my pal Antisocial) has just popped up over at the Mega Ran group. You have to be a member to hear it, but I think we can all agree that membership does have it’s privileges.
• Vote the Wrock: It’s time for the 2008 Wizard Rock People's Choice Awards. This time around the voting process is pretty straightforward, you simply and paste the categories from Wizrocklopedia into an email and send it to awards@wizrocklopedia.com. For more info and a comprehensive list of awards, check out the ‘Pedia.
• Maple Syrup Recanto: Folks in the Jersey area who are fans of both Wrock and… um… breakfast for dinner are invited to attend Wizards, Witches, and Pancakes at the IHOP in Bloomfield on Sunday, March 9th from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM. It’s $6 for adults, $5 for youth, and free for kids under 5, and everyone gets a buck off if they come “in costume or HP wear.” Thanks to Church for the link!
• Hotdog-flavored ice-cream and the power of RAWK: Today, I leave you with a fine entry from our friend Z. of PBC Productions. Yes, another delightful episode of Little Miss Gamer! This time around, LMG takes on PS2 classic Gitaroo Man with the expectedly charming results.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 39: Last of the Crush Note Troubadours

The complicated love song is the bread and butter of Radio Free Hipster. This is what, like, the fourth time I’ve done a show centered around romance and heartbreak?!

Still, you can’t discount the importance of the lovesick ballad within the echelons of geeky music.

This time around I elected to focus more and singer-songwriters than rappers and DJs. Sure, you get some nerdcore and some mash-ups (and even a chiptune), but the vast majority of these tracks are firmly rooted in the guitar rock, folk, and, of course, tears.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 39: Last of the Crush Note Troubadours (hosting provided by Antisocial) Size: 46.3 MB Running Time: 50:35

Show Notes

Intro: Baddd Spellah – “Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)”
I love those boys like Joanie loves Chachi.

Track 1: Jonathan Coulton – “The Future Soon (Live)”
This version of “The Future Soon” was recorded live in Second Life.

Z’s 1st interlude: “Flirting and miscommunication and missed opportunities.”
After you’ve done, essentially, the same show three or four times, you start looking for variations on a theme.

Track 2: The Fine Print – “English”
This was very nearly a sad affair. You see, “English” was my fourth and final Fine Print track. Thankfully, I found another couple of songs on their MySpace. Crisis averted.

Track 3: Roonil Wazlib – “Green Eyes”
Historically, my podcast selections tend to skew heavily toward male artists so this time around I made it a point to include some great tracks by females. This is one such song.

Track 4: Nullsleep – “Her Lazer Light Eyes”
I've had people tell me they think of chiptunes as being sterile and devoid of character. I disagree, and I think this song is just as lively and organic and relatable as any more traditionally composed track.

Track 5: DJ Paul V. – “Tequila Lip Gloss (Lil Mama vs. The Champs)”
Another jewel from Mashup Town’s Best of 2007 comp.

Track 6: The Cure – “Boys Don’t Cry”
Geeks love The Cure.

Track 7: mc chris – “Boys Don’t Cry”
Wait. Why didn’t I save these for my same-name-different-song podcast? Shit!

Track 8: How Airplanes Fly – “Forget the Girl”
Some more excellent Wrock. This one was a special request from my pal Church.

Z’s 2nd interlude: “Romantic troubadour pathos.”
Sometimes even I can’t believe the shit I come up with.

Track 9: Glenn Case – “Wedding Song”
The first of two Glenn Case songs in this episode. This is the sad one.

Track 10: Mary Prankster – “The World is Full of Bastards”
Sure, Mary’s “Valentine” would’ve been a more appropriate choice, but I like this one better. ;)

Track 11: Party Ben – “Tender Umbrella”
Mash-ups are a convenient way for me to get non-nerdy acts (like General Public) into the podcast!

Track 12: RiddleTM – “Ballad of Ron and Hermione”
The Wrock scene has become home to many amazing musicians. RiddleTM are another example of that.

Track 13: Ultraklystron – “Gleam”
Any song from Karl’s Romance Language album would’ve sufficed, but I really love the groove of “Gleam.”

Z’s final interlude: “Love can and does work out… even for us dorks.”
That’s your Valentine’s card right there.

Track 14: Glenn Case and Rachael Layne – “Need Stilts”
Glenn tells me he and Rachael are rerecording this one. I can’t wait to hear it!

And there you are, friends, more music for the lovelorn.

I guess you’re probably wondering if, with this installment, I’ve finally gotten this love songs songs/hate songs thing out of my system. The answer: not at all.

Awkward, heartbreaking, and very often ill effective love songs are at the heart of nerdy music, and each time I encounter a new song about, say, trying to romance a woman through World of Warcraft, I can’t help but start thinking of putting together another show in this interminable sequence. But I try to temper all these sweaty palms and tear-stationed cheeks with some tales of successful romance. Because, as Tom Petty once said, even the losers get lucky sometime.

Did you love this ep? Hate it? Come away with a sense of profound indifference? Either way, let me know. I always appreciate your comments.

I had next episode pegged for a mixtape, but I may put that off until March (also known as New Baby Month.) Hopefully, if we’ve all been living right, the next edition of RFH will coincide with the release of my newest compilation album. Only time will tell.

The Long, Slow Crawl

I’m not sure if this is worthy of its own post, or even newsworthy at all within the broader sense, but I figured I’d throw it out there.

As I’ve already mentioned, a couple of weeks back I was invited on Wired’s Geekdad podcast as a special guest. The Geekdads are a great bunch of guys who manage to make the dudes-sitting-around-rapping-about-stuff method of podcasting both topical and sort of therapeutic. The life of a geeky dad is often a fairly solitary existence, so getting the opportunity to talk pop-shop with likeminded individuals is a treat.

It was a great experience, and I think it really helped me put into perspective the astoundingly wide array of attitudes and topics that exist under the umbrella of nerd culture. It was, in short, enjoyable for me both as geek and as a father.

Shortly thereafter, I again spoke to Editor Ken Denmead to thank him for the opportunity. As warm and accepting as the crew had been to me, this idle pleasantry felt altogether necessary. Ken responded in kind and then invited me to come onboard as a contributing writer to the Geekdad blog.

It’s not, as we in the South like to call it, a payin’ gig, but it’s an opportunity to get more exposure for my dorky ventures and, in turn, for those that these foolhardy schemes promote. I can’t see it really changing the way I do things around here, as the Z. from Hipster, please! will still be the same foul-mouthed, malcontent that you’ve come to love accept expect; it will just provide me with a chance to do a bit of writing with a more paternal slant.

Will it open up doors for me to go on to become the for-real writer that I’ve always longed to be? Probably not, but I don’t reckon it could hurt.

I know the relationship between Wired magazine and nerdy music has been fairly rocky and that I’ve probably cracked more jokes at Wired’s expense than most, but I’ve softened my stance, particularly since Jason Tanz came on as Senior Editor. Having the opportunity to interact with folks like Ken and Geekdad contributor Brian Little has given me further pause to reflect, and there really are some good guys over at Wired.

This could be another inroad in my crawl toward legitimacy, and, even if it's not, it's still fun. Let's not forget that this is even more important.

More Nerd News in Brief

Today begins the Year of the Rat.

I don’t know what that means, exactly, I just happened to notice it on my wall calendar and was kind of taken by the concept.

Further (half-assed) research at Wikipedia points out that this is more specifically the Year of the Earth Rat, which is kinda cool. Though personally, I would’ve preferred maybe a Were-Rat… or former Damned drummer Rat Scabies.

He deserves his own year, right?

• But still, not very.: Arizona State University’s Web Devil has a nice article about MC Frontalot and the nerdcore scene entitled “The 1337 1if3.” (It seems that no nerdy mention escapes Church’s keen eye!) Rather than approaching the subject with that typical journalistic sense of disdain, the piece is actually fun and borderline complimentary. Check it out.
• Calling all MCs: Decepticon-19 needs rappers. He’s just crafted a new club-banger and he’s looking for someone to help him flesh it out. He admits that the song “probably won't lead to a finished track, [he just needs] some practice mixing.” Check out “Apollo’s Son” at his MySpace, and holler at D-19 if you’re interested.
• Calling all MCs again: Don Vito is also looking for MCs to add some supplementary verses to his new track “World of Whorecraft.” (Not to be confused with that other project of the same title.) Looks like Vito needs two more verses focus less on WoW and more on online attention whores. Check out the song so far at thesixtyone.
• Take Back the Music: Sudden Death has just wrapped up a new album called Fatal Error. It features over an hour of music, all of SD’s hits from The FuMP, guest appearances, a video interview, and – get this – a video game. You can preview and pre-order the album over at the Funny Music Project. Hell, “My Atari” alone is probably worth the ten dollar price tag!
• In Rai we trust: J-rap princess, otaku heartthrob, and cult leader Rai has a new demo available. “Hallow (Pinzu Bakudan Mix)” can be found at her MySpace. Rai admits that the quality is “teh suck” and that the track probably needs re-recording, but it’s definitely worth a listen.
• Sadly, not a tribute act dedicated to my tattoo: Stan may be the worst ninja ever, but he’s got good taste in books and RPGs. Plus, as Church was quick to point out, he’s planning to make his first foray into nerdcore. One of several projects he’s working on in 2008 is a nerdcore hip-hop concept (or group or solo act) called D20. I don’t know much about the cat save that he writes a good blog, but he solicits for comments, questions, and ideas, and I figured who better to provide those than my own nerdcore legion?
• But does it transform?: Knowing that I’m always on the look-out for more useless shit to buy, Matt sent me a link an Engadget post on the Autobot flash drive. One gig of storage? Check. Of questionable legality? Check. Runs on Energon? I’ll have to get back to you.
• Untapped potential: Anthony from Game Music For All directed my attention toward the chiptunes doc Blip Festival: Reformat the Planet. It will be premiering at next months’ SXSW, and the screening will be followed by a musical showcase including Nullsleep, Bitshifter, and many, many more. Check out his post for more details.
• Wrock Doc supplemental: Just as one Wizard Rock documentary is wrapping up, another is likewise making its grand entrance into the mainstream. We Are Wizards focuses not only on Wrock but also on other aspects of Potter fandom. It features everyone from Brad Neely to Melissa from The Leaky Cauldron. Most importantly, it too will be featured at this year’s SXSW film festival!
• The years had gone by fast.: In other Potter-related news, Church also hipped me to this new retelling of Harry’s story a la Charles Bukowski. Yep, it’s full of foul language and allusions to naughty bits, just like Chuck would’ve wanted.
• No more mess: As much time as I spend watching children’s programming with Li’l X, I somehow managed to miss this one. It’s a clip from Nickelodeon’s new show Yo Gabba Gabba! that features a track by ska greats GOGO13. Matt sent me this vid two weeks ago, and I’ve watched it religiously ever since.

Spoiler-free

Over the last couple of weeks, Dan Lamoureux has chosen a handful of insightful individuals to screen the rough cut of his documentary Nerdcore For Life. For reasons known only to Dan himself and the ancient gods of dorkiness, I made the cut. In exchange for my thoughts on the doc, I was granted permission to share with you my take on the film.

Out of respect for Dan, the project itself, and the artists included, I won’t be giving too much away, mind you. Just consider this more of a teaser review than anything else.

Documentaries are – much like these Internets – serious business. Still, it’s hard to pin down exactly how realistic these films can be. Such questions generally hinge on the amount of directorial control exhibited over the movie; will the man behind the project ultimately take it upon himself to spin the tale he wants to hear or reflect on the events as they happened?

In my interview with Dan last year, I proclaimed that he was telling our story. Upon seeing the almost finished piece, I would like to recant that statement.

The truth is, within the bounds of the Nerdcore For Life documentary, we are telling our story.

Dan’s there, of course, but I failed to see many of the directorial fingerprints that I’ve come to expect from the modern documentary. Unlike Moore or Spurlock, Dan never portrays himself as a player in the film. He is unseen, and, for that matter, unheard. The voice of the picture – the voice of nerdcore – is the voice of the artist and that of the (informed) fan.

More often than not, that voice takes many, often conflicting, tones. From the characteristic swagger of High-C to the measured and conversant ponderings of Jesse Dangerously, nerdcore hip-hop is approached as both a movement and a musical umbrella. From the self-effacing Ultraklystron to the totally outlandish Lords of the Rhymes, it is both touted and deconstructed. From the calculated ambivalence of mc chris to the rampant enthusiasm of Krondor Krew, it is portrayed in all its many guises. Some of my favorite musings come from cats as disparate as Beefy, Nerdcore News’s Gabriel, and MC Lars. These are men of blindingly different artistic outlooks, but the underlying thread is that it is through their own words and actions that they are characterized.

Nerdcore For Life is, and I’d like to stress this part, a warts-and-all portrayal of the birth of the nerdcore hip-hop scene. Some of the moments portrayed therein are not our finest. Some of the artists featured may not be our biggest names. Some of the gigs are far from our greatest draws. But the truth is, these things are realistic. The verisimilitude of the film is anchored by the fact that our highs are documented and also our lows.

We see Optimus Rhyme take the stage at PAX as a king mounts a bejeweled throne, but we also see passersby refusing to accept handbills for the Nerdcore Night gig at The Shark Club. We hear countless artists praise the skill and vision of folks like MC Frontalot (who is, of course, covered despite the fact that he’s featured in his own documentary), and we also revisit a handful of beefs that would be better forgotten. We bear witness to the scene as it was during the time in which the doc was being filmed, for better or for worse.

And with that, let me broach the sticky subject that is “the morning after.” As you all well know, a number of artists featured in Nerdcore For Life have since left the fold. Karl Olson took a bit of a sabbatical to focus on more pressing issues, mc chris broke very publicly with the community after the brief acceptance of his role as a driving force in nerdcore, and recently MC Router departed amid a firestorm of controversy.

The film, as I saw it, didn’t end with any where-are-they-now placards. (Alas, we’ll never know what happened to Waldo!) Yet I am of the opinion that it doesn’t have to and, on some level, probably shouldn’t. This film, this project, is a time capsule. It recounts the events as they transpired to the folks who lived them. In the end, whether this person went on to greatness or that one faded further into obscurity is of little consequence.

More than anything, Nerdcore For Life is about that moment when nerdcore hip-hop became a blip on the radar. Much like nerd life in general, some grokked it and some did not. The same goes for the film.

If you are looking for a reason to hate it, be it the focus of the doc, the players portrayed, or the timetable included, you’ll certainly find something to complain about. Of course, if you are hell-bent on enjoying the show you’ll probably find this to be the finest geek-centered film of its generation. But, and this is the kicker, if you watch the movie hoping to be entertained, informed, and maybe even a little enlightened – be you a nerdcore devotee or a casual naysayer – I think you’ll be pleased with the tale.

Nerdcore For Life isn’t just about nerdcore hip-hop; it’s about people, it’s about ideas, and it’s about that glorious – if tentative – modern acceptance of the self-identifying nerd (of which I believe we are a symptom rather than a root cause.)

If the film has a star it could be Beefy. It could be Former Fat Boys. It could be the Sucklord. It could be Monzy or MC Plus+. But I think that the real star is the music, and, more specifically, the music’s message. What that message is differs depending upon whom you ask and in what context, and Dan portrays that through the thoughts and deeds of a myriad of musical freaks, geeks, and misfits.

It’s his film, but it’s our story. It doesn’t go out of its way to glorify us or to vilify us; it simply gives us a mechanism through which to express our unique set of attitudes and beliefs. And I think it does so skillfully.

Nerd News In Brief

I didn’t really watch the Super Bowl last night. Seriously.

I mean, it was on on the small TV in the bedroom – Li’l X. was getting his game on the larger set in the den – but I didn’t pay it much attention. Last week I managed to snag both Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and From the Abyss, so my mind was elsewhere.

I did put the DS down for halftime, though. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are, in all honesty, the band that got me into music in my early double digits, and any chance to catch them perform is like Christmas for me.

I dug it and it looks like some other folks did too. That’s good. Petty and Co. have been bringing solid, expertly crafted rock ‘n’ roll for longer than many fans have been alive, so it’s always nice to know people still get it. Despite performing a truncated version of “Freefallin’” and Mike Campbell’s weird white-guy dreads, it was an affair to remember.

• Kryptonite Lightsaber?: Church pointed me to this Gizmodo post asking the age old question: Which is more powerful, the Man of Steel or a Lightsaber? The answer may surprise you. Actually it probably won’t. Now that this is settled, on to more pressing matters.
  
• See mc: Once again mc chris will be opening for Pinback on there forthcoming tour. You can catch him throughout February at the following venues: 02/05/2008 07:00 PM - San Diego, CA - House of Blues; 02/06/2008 07:00 PM - San Diego, CA - House of Blues; 02/07/2008 07:00 PM - Pomona, CA - The Glass House; 02/08/2008 09:30 PM - Visalia, CA - Cellar Door; 02/09/2008 08:00 PM - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst; 02/10/2008 07:00 PM - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore; 02/11/2008 - Arcata, CA - Humboldt State University / The Kate Buchanan Room; 02/13/2008 08:00 PM - Bend, OR - The Domino Room; 02/14/2008 08:00 PM - Seattle, WA - The Showbox; 02/15/2008 07:00 PM - Vancouver, BC - Richard's On Richards Cabaret; 02/16/2008 07:00 PM - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom; 02/18/2008 06:00 PM - Berkeley, CA - University of California, Berkeley / Bear's Lair; 02/19/2008 08:00 PM - San Luis Obispo, CA - Downtown Brew; 02/20/2008 07:30 PM - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theatre; 02/21/2008 08:00 PM - Los Angeles, CA - The Avalon; 02/22/2008 11:00 PM - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle; 02/23/2008 09:00 PM - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle.
• Geek the vote: As Super Tuesday creeps ever closer, more and more geeks are sharing their thoughts on the current political clime. While Ron Paul and Mitt Romney have both been getting a bit of nerd love, it looks like the choice of two prominent nerdy rappers is none other than Barack Obama; MC Lars has long been promoting Obama, and recently mc chris did the same.
• Challenge of the Superfiends: February 1st marked the start of this year’s RPM Challenge. For those of you not in the know, the contest challenges musicians to create 10 songs (or 35 minutes) worth of material over the span of a month, similar to NaNoWriMo or the Crate Digger Death-match. Notable nerdy contestants for his year include funky49 and Redvoid and new duo Calvin & Hobbes (consisting of DJ Snyder and Entity).
• Remix the Ran: Random has the opportunity to get his Mega Ran track “Grow Up” on a movie soundtrack, but he needs you to make it happen. As that song is backed entirely by samples, Ran’s looking for someone to supply some original beats. Ran says that in return you get: “your name in the credits, my love and respect, and on top of that I'll gladly record anything new for your own project that you might need.” You can snag the 181 BPM aca easily enough, so get to mixin’!
• You’re strange to me: On the topic of remixes, Optimiss has a new remix available on her MySpace. It’s her take on the mc chris classic “Geek.” Should you check it out? Yes you should.
• More Beats: Ran isn’t the only man searching for beats. Nerdcore For Life is “on the brink of being done,” but the film requires more music (in the form of beats) to run under interview segments. Dan’s looking for “stuff that’s interesting but also subtle; beats that will add flavor and emotion to the film without distracting the viewer from the primary action.” If you’re interested in contributing, hit Dan up: Nerdcoreforlife@gmail.com.
• Math Rock for the rest of us: To wrap things up, here’s a vid that Matt turned me on to. It’s Lena from Wrock outfit The Butterbeer Experience. Apparently she’s trying to launch her career as an incredibly passionate Muppeteer.
  

More Nerd News in Brief

Lost. Lost! LOST!

There are a lot of really exciting things going on around Hipster, please! at present, but all I can think about this morning is Lost.

The Season 3 closer featured flashforwards of Jack’s miserable post-island existence, but knowing where things are going has only served to make me more excited about the remainder of the show. Well played, J.J. Well played.

With Charlie and Mr. Eko gone, I’m hoping that my two other faves Sayid and Sawyer get some good facetime/plot twists. I’m also hoping that Locke didn’t kill Naomi; I’m not sure if I like what she's bringing to the show character-wise, but she sure is nice to look at!

• It’s hard to pronounce: My pal Anthony and the other fine fellows at Game Music 4 All have officially announced their Super Mario RPG tribute compilation Heavy Troopa is Ready to Launch! There’s also plans for a nigh-incomprehensible B-side comp – that we’ll, of course, call Geno – that will accompany it. For a full rundown of the artists attached to the project, check out the GM4A forums, and be sure to Digg the story to help the boys out!
• A guy like him: And while we’re on the subject of cool things you should support, let me hip the uninitiated to a little Web show called A Guy Like Me. It features the music (not to mention the acting debut) of my bro Glenn Case, and you should totally check it out. I mean, we get two hours of Lost tonight and then what? A whole bunch of network TV nothing.
• Brutal compression = disdain: Matt recently called my attention to this post by Scary Go Round’s John Allison concerning xkcd’s Randall Munroe, and there’s been palpable tension in the air ever since. You see, Church and Matt are xkcd fans and I – though I do dig Randall’s humor – am solidly in the SGR camp. Our friendship has weathered worse (like that time I bought a Zune), so I imagine we’ll come through this intact. :)
• Mister B sounds like The Streets: Category just posted a new track featuring Mister B and Dan Plus Add called “Things That Suck.” Thankfully, I did not make the list. It’s very chippy and incredibly English. You can check it at Cat’s MySpace.
• Edutainment: Projekt Zero is once again calling for a little help in his pre-med studies. His Bio Album 2.0 project is currently accepting contributors over at Rhyme Torrents. PZ says, “For those who don't know, last year, I asked for some help memorizing a large amount of phylogeny for my General Biology course. This year, things are a bit more advanced, so the subject matter might be above people's heads. I'll do my best to explain what I can. Also, I do give all the material needed to rap up front, along with general instructions on how to use it.” So, if you’ve ever wanted to chance to rap about Cellular Biology and Vertebrate Zoology, this is it.
• Still gaming: If you’re interested in learning about what Random is currently up to – and let’s face it, you are – then pop over to RT and check out a couple of previews of his American Gamer album. You get a chance to peep “Party Life” (backed with the music of Final Fantasy) and “Ignorant Sh*t/No Hook” (backed with Mega Man beats). Ran’s looking for feedback, so let the man know your thoughts.
• The Oscar Wilde of this rap shit: Yesterday, Church directed me to this vid in which comedy rapper Bino White professes his love for nerdcore. He was nerdcore before there was nerdcore. Just like everyone else.
• I’d dream of beats: I gotta give it up to Jesse Dangerously for pointing me (and everyone else from RT) to the Sara St. Onge directed video for Wordburglar’s “Cream of Wheat.” I’ve included it below for your viewing pleasure. I’m sweet like that.

G33kD4dz

Last night I had the great honor of being a guest on the Wired Blogs GeekDads podcast. It was actually a really fun experience, and, while I was a bit nervous to start, it’s kind of impossible not to feel at ease around those guys.

I spend a good deal of my time here ruminating on geeky issues, but I seldom get to talk about “dad stuff” so it was it was a big deal for me to get to explore the latter and its relation to the former. We talked about everything from table-top gaming to bread making to the 50th anniversary of the modern Lego brick to Li’l X’s new “tattoo.” I had a blast, to say the least.

Special thanks go out to panelist Dan Olson and Vincent Janoski for being so welcoming, to my man Brian Little for extending the invite, and to editor Ken Denmead for making it all happen. Hopefully I didn’t come off sounding like a total jackass, and if I did, Ken, I expect you to fix that in post. ;)

The show in question is Episode 11, and it should pop up on the RSS soon. Take a listen, and be sure to give the Geekdad blog some love as well.

EDIT: And here it is! Check out The GeekDads Episode 11: You Too Can Purchase A Tattoo For Your Child.

Live from Black Mesa

I shared this with Matt and Church last week when it hit Joystiq, but it wasn’t until my pal Anthony mentioned it to me a couple of days ago that I actually considered passing it on to you. In retrospect, I can’t quite figure out why.

At any rate, since this one’s too good to wait until the next NNIB, I thought I’d spring it on you now.

The following audio is from a recent call-in to Coast to Coast AM in which a theoretical physicist named “Gordon” tells host and listeners about a mysterious government agent that seems to be following him. While this isn’t the first time someone’s given a voice to our usually silent Half-Life hero – Antisocial’s “Remember My Name” comes immediately to mind – it’s damn sure the funniest!

Nerd News in Brief

I actually went out sans family this weekend. That’s a rarity. In fact, I’m hard-pressed to recall the last time that I actually went somewhere that wasn’t work without Em and/or Lil’ X. in tow. As guys’ nights out go, it was actually pretty fun.

Two of my oldest friends took me out to see a Led Zeppelin tribute band. Not exactly my first choice for entertainment, mind you, but it was a good time.

I’m sort of amazed by the concept of tribute acts. It’s pretty much musical LARPing, and that’s simultaneously amazing and a little bit sad.

I sometimes wonder what the new generation of tribute bands will bring. I mean, what’s the next logical step? Bartender: The Ultimate T-Pain Experience?!

/shudder

• Calling all cars: Church wanted me to pass along this helpful link regarding the Radio Free Rollover podcast. DJ Gwyn is looking for some nerdcore, remixes, and mash-ups to play on this Tuesday’s show. So if you’re looking to get a little promo, this seems like an excellent opportunity.
• Fair & Balanced: Last week, when self-help author Cooper Lawrence joined Fox News pundits in mischaracterizing Mass Effect as interactive pornography – despite the fact that she’d admittedly not even played the title – gamers reacted in kind. They headed over to Amazon to give her new book, The Cult of Perfection: Making Peace With Your Inner Overachiever, 1-star reviews and tag the book with the keywords “ignorant,” “garbage,” and “hypocrisy.” The outcome? Lawrence eventually admitted that she misspoke. I reckon that just shows to go ya.
• Tag. You’re it.: Doc Pop came across this graffiti on the corner of 18th and Mission in San Fran. It “seems to say INFO in one area, and NERD on another.” This makes Doc (and me) wonder if it’s at all connected with the Internet Nerdcore Family Outing.
• You’re all clear, kid: The fine folks at Toronto’s Hand’Solo Records have just provided underground hip-hop fans a little taste of their forthcoming release Hokey Religions & Ancient Weapons (are no match for a good blaster). This free mixtape is already nearing completion and “will consist of classic tracks from previous Hand'Solo releases, a few unreleased tracks from the vaults, some exclusives from upcoming albums, and a bunch of exclusive verses over instrumentals from Hand'Solo vinyl.” In the meantime, check out this track featuring Big Ref, Myf, and Noah 23 over the Beatmason-produced track “The Wordburglar.”
• Sny-Fi: DJ Snyder’s also got a new remix making the rounds. It’s of YTCracker's “flow.c” verse, and you can hear it on Sny’s MySpace. And you should do just that.
• More rap/rock that doesn’t suck: Don Vito stepped up to D-Form’s remix challenge and took on seminal Chubby Chasers’ track “BBW BBQ.” You can download the track from DV’s profile on thesixtyone. You should also probably add it to your listener page. I’m just sayin’.
• New nerd in town: Looks as though the media has crowned another potential presidential candidate “the election’s new geek.” Mitt Romney, it seems, has replaced Ron Paul as ’08’s political geek of the week. Sometimes I can’t tell if we’re being pandered to or if journalists are just trying out a new buzzword.
• Don’t blame me: I’m admittedly pretty liberal, but if I were to vote for a right-winger, it’d have to be this guy. He’s certainly got potential.
• The hits just keep on coming: Church found this post from blog Sources and Methods that promotes MC Frontalot’s “Secrets from the Future” as the NSA’s unofficial theme song. It’s funny ‘cause it’s true.
• Beautiful musics: I’m a fan of Pixel8, micromusic in general, and my Nintendo DS, so this vid is aimed squarely at people who are my gender, my approximate age, and are me. Pix demos a new piece of software that turns your DS (via slot 2 device) into a real time synth.

More Nerd News in Brief

In all my preparation for the new kid, it’s important that I not forget the kid I already have. I mean, shit, he’s practically still brand new himself; though not as new as he used to be. Why, in scant days he will be celebrating his 3rd birthday. That’s a pretty big one for a kid, as it marks a glorious time when he realizes that he’s getting older but he hasn’t yet developed the faculties to realize that one day he’ll get old. Like dad.

Hell, Li’l X. has already received his first birthday gift. Yesterday I checked the mail to find an unexpected parcel that, it turned out, contained a little something from Matt, Church, and the GF. It was this delightful “That’s How I Roll” D20 t-shirt.

Thus far, it’s been a big hit with the entire family!

As X. currently has no concept of table-top gaming, though, I’m afraid he simply equates the iconic twenty-sider with my tattoo. So he refers to the shirt – exclusively, mind you – as his tattoo.

I’m sure that’s gonna spark an interesting conversation between me and the ladies at day care.

• Knocked up nerds: In a related story, check out Geek Parenting’s Baby Shower Gifts for Pregnant Nerds. Though I, myself, am not pregnant, it is of note that after receiving the aforementioned t-shirt I now have 3 of those 5 items on-hand. Hmmmm. Perhaps I’ll have to put together my own list of geek baby shower ideas next week.
• Capthcha and release: Antisocial is getting his moment in the spotlight over at Reddit. My Texan brother is currently number 6 on the front page with the headline “Clicking this link loads 120,000 copies of the RIAA's captcha. Clicking would be wrong, don't do it.” Will you click it? I dare not say.
• Heavy Eyes: Soc also pointed out to me that, while I bumped them on my year-end podcast, I never made a formal announcement concerning the new album from The Deprecation Guild. In Her Gentle Jaws is an amazing blend of dance rock, indie pop, and chiptunes. It’s also free. Download it now.
• I must be getting senile: Last month Don Vito hit me up with a sweet preview of a new track from his forthcoming album Geek Funk Vol 2... True Tales of an Online Gangsta, and I completely neglected to mention it! (My apologies, DV.) A concept album of sorts, Geek Funk Vol. 2 “revolves around the concept of taking net life and applying [it] over 90's style westcoast G-Funk beats.” Vito is handling all of the production, and you can get a little taste at his Social Case.
• Support your local Grammar Club: If you haven’t already, you might want to consider joining the forums over at The Grammar Club Web site. It’s a good way to stay in the loop concerning band news, info on their hot new remix kits, and other interesting developments.
• Crapbots vs. Bad Robots: The only thing stranger than real commercials is fake commercials. And the only thing weirder than Dan Lamoureux making a documentary about nerdcore is Dan Lamoureux also winning a Cloverfield tie-in make-your-won-Slusho-spot contest. No foolin’. Dan says, “The 5 best commercials get a super fancy $3000 "Slusho" Alienware laptop. Since that's more than my car is worth my laptop will be on ebay minutes after I get my hands on it. I had to assign my copywrite to Slusho (AKA: Bad Robot Productions) which now that I think about it as actually a pretty good prize in and of itself because now I can say that JJ Abrams owns the rights to some of my material.” So if you’re looking for an ultra-limited edition laptop, you might want to keep an eye on this. And you'll definitely want to peep his video.
• Far from news: This is pretty much the equivalent of me remarking that the world is, in fact, round, but I am totally hooked on thesixtyone. Glenn warned me that the site was “like CRACK to people like us,” and he was right. I’m gonna suggest that you join up and start checking out all the cool shit there too, both because it’s an amazing way to support your favorite musicians (and find news ones) and because zombies must propagate.
• I paid the full price: To wrap up today’s NNIB, let me share with you a vid that a number of people (from Matt to Brux to everyone in between) have sent to me this week. It’s Pete Miser’s musing on the joy of iPhone ownership. I’m sure Church, Doc Pop, and the rest of you iPhone owners agree.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 38: But Seriously, Folks…

I kind of refused to agonize over this edition of RFH.

That’s not to say that the podcast is, in general, agonizing, but I do tend to get a little overly concerned with the mechanics of an episode. Things like track transitions and show length – while they probably seem fairly arbitrary – are usually plotted weeks in advance.

This time around I didn't let myself do that; I just threw a bunch of great songs together and hoped for the best. The edges are maybe frayed a bit, but I think it came together.

But I reckon your opinion is the one that matters. ;)

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 38: But Seriously, Folks… (hosting provided by Antisocial) Size: 44.6 MB Running Time: 48:47

Show Notes

Intro: Baddd Spellah – “Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)”
The funnest song of them all. Yep: funnest.

Track 1: Steve Martin – “Ramblin’ Man (Theme From)”
It was either this or “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” Competition was stiff.

Z’s first interlude: “Higher artistic value.”
I often tend to try and make artistic statement in this podcast via the art of others. This is not one of those times.

Track 2: Tanner4105 – “Intro” and “The Luda King”
I stand corrected.

Track 3: The Advantage – “Ninja Gainden (Mine Shaft)”
Man, I need to break down and buy another Advantage album!

Track 4: 14 Year Old Girls – “Q-Tip Bliss”
There’s a video for this track that I had somehow managed not to notice up to this point. It’s very Q*Bert.

Track 5: The Weasel King – “Luna”
The musical scope of Wizard Rock never ceases to amaze.

Track 6: A+D – “Pour Some Hot Sugar”
As I commented in the show itself, there are a lot of mash-ups this ep. I don’t anticipate any bitching.

Track 7: MC Frontalot – “Penny Arcade Theme (Katamari Mix Live)”
Yes, Front sounds winded in this one, but that should come as no surprise to anyone who’s ever seen the bald dynamo perform live.

Z’s 2nd interlude: “You have these deadlines.”
With the new kid on the way, I’ve really been feeling pressure to get stuff done while I still have the option, but that tends to make this seem more like a job than a hobby. So expect a more relaxed (but hopefully still productive) Z. in the near future.

Track 8: The Onion Radio News – “Blues Musician To U.N.: 'Yemen Done Me Wrong'”
The composer of such blues classics as “Dead Cow Blues” and “Butter My Bread.”

Track 9: DJ Lobsterdust – “Walkin’ Yo’ Girlfriend Out”
The glory of bastard pop is that it can take a handful of songs I can’t stand and transmute them into a single track that I love.

Track 10: The Grammar Club – “Heart Tits”
The Grammar Club represent all that is good about nerdy music. They make sweet musical love to your earhole.

Track 11: Beefy – “Be Aggressive”
For those who haven’t heard the original.

Track 12: Pixel8 – “We Can All See Rainbows”
Historically, RFH is a little light on the chiptunes and the Wrock. This year I’m’a try and fix that.

Track 13: The Four Eyes – “For the Horde”
By show of hands, who here doesn’t play World of Warcraft? Just me, huh?

Z’s final interlude: “Putting together a second Hipster, please! compilation.”
I’m not being quite so tightlipped about this one as I was Nerdcore Undercover. I’m not trying to over-hype it or anything, but I do like to let folks know that something else is coming down the pipe.

Track 14: Z-Trip – “Breakfast Club (ft. Murs & Supernatural)”
“I used to like to get a big, fat bowl of cereal and watch cartoons, motherfucker, and if you can’t relate to this song you’re taking this shit too serious.”

Unnecessary bonus track: “Mr. Yuk”
A terribly low bitrate version of a song that still creeps me the fuck out. Blame Church for its inclusion.

Your cries for a second mixtape episode have been heard, and you should be getting one soon.

In February? Possibly, but certainly, y’know, eventually. In the meantime, let me know what you thought of this one. And if you found a new artist that you dig, take a look at their site and give some of their other stuff a listen.