Nerd News in Brief

This weekend, in between checking out its rock-ass children’s library and helping Diego rescue Baby Jaguar’s growl, the family Z. were afforded an excellent opportunity to explore downtown Charlotte. Honestly, it’s been a while since I soaked in the unique charm of our closest urban center, and, while most of the old sights, sounds, and smells were as I recalled, I seem to have forgotten that Charlotte, NC is a scant 20 miles from the surface of the goddamn sun!

There is simply no heat like city heat, and it is with that feeling of oppressive clamminess that I was most impressed. Well, that and the sight of that guy dressed like My Buddy carting two My Buddy dolls around in a stroller buying what appeared to be hand-made, macramé pot holders from an elderly biker couple.

Ah, the city!

• Rock out with your dork out: Earlier this month, Glenn Case’s group The Half Racks played a show at the Comet in Spokane. Glenn was nice enough to upload a shit-ton of clips to YouTube, and you are fervently encouraged to check ‘em out.
• On the road again: In other news from the Northwest, my boy Beefy has finally gotten the bulk of his summer tour plans ironed out. Upcoming events include shows at Club Hypnotiq in Lebanon, OR on June 22; The Trove in Grants Pass, OR on June 24; shows in San Francisco, and Soledad, CA on the 28 and 29, respectively; another OR show on July 1 in Bandon; and, of course, the WOW Hall gig with mc chris in Eugene, OR on July 3.
• Fancy-schmancy: Rhyme Torrents mastermind High-C has recently found some time to return to the boards, and has just dropped the knowledge that the seventh edition of the compilation will be a bit of a change from the previous incarnations. “This one will have to be very pro,” High-C says, “MC Chris is going to be on it, probably MC Lars. Hopefully Frontalot, too […] That means you need to have top-notch production, tight-ass delivery. You have six months to do a single song that is gobsmackingly cool.” Artists interested in smacking gobs should contact High-C immediately.
• NASCAR!!!: Last week, Doc Pop posted his own hand-inked, hilariously rescripted take on a classic page of Jack Kirby-penciled Thor. The results are delightful!
• Shadow over Chilliwack: Sadly, I neglected to mention that Canadian Lovecraftian rockers Darkest of the Hillside Thickets celebrated their first ever Fan Appreciation Day last Friday. The newest Thickets album Shadow Out of Tim is scheduled to drop this Thursday, and that album’s first single, “A Marine Biologist,” is available for free download at the band’s MySpace.
• Cephalopod with opposable thumbs: Taking the above booboo into consideration, I offer this pic as penance. Cthulhu Monkey implores you to forgive a wretched blogger of his errors. (Thanks, Church!)