Nerd News in Brief

Last weekend I had my fist bubble tea. I imagine this event would be the equivalent of baptism within our Cult of Rai, and I have to say that it has brought me a greater understanding of Her Holiness.

After slurping down all that green tea (not to mention a half a box of Pocky) I achieved an almost Rai-like level of weirdness myself.

Her will be done.

Now, as it’s been a while since I favored you with a proper round of nerdy news, here’s NNIB.

• How monsters are created: Since the release of YTCRacker’s latest hit “LOL Money,” a veritable cavalcade of artists have added their own spin to the track. The latest installment in the LOL Wars is Ultraklystron’s “LOL Moe,” which is simply brilliant. You’ll also want to check out Antisocial’s “LOLMoneyCats” mash-up. This meme will bury us all.
• Long gone: In other news from the Karl Olson camp, his first nerdcore album Revision4920 is now completely sold out. In Ultraklystron’s own words, “Should any ever turn up, I’ll auction ‘em off for Child’s Play. Don’t get your hopes up though.”
• Gold Five to Red Leader: I drive a Scion xB, which (coupled with my fuzzy D20 rearview danglers) is pretty dorky. And yet, as Church pointed out with this link, the nerdy automotive world has so much more going on.
• Smack-a-baby: Last week mc chris announced that he had both booked this year’s Warped Tour for all 42 shows and that he’s providing a guest verse on a Talib Kweli track. More info on the Warped engagement is forthcoming, but recent confirmation leads me to believe that mc recorded his stuff for that project yesterday at 5:00. Cool no?
• Down by the river: In what can only be described as less interesting news, mc is also selling his old tour van. I mean, I’m sure it’s a great van, but it sort of pales in comparison to Talib.
• Toys!: Matt hipped me to these custom-made 19th century Justice League figures, and I was astounded. Then Church countered with this collection of custom mini-figs, and I truly began to grasp how totally uncreative I am. :(
• Obey: Andre the Giant has a Posse and The Grammar Club has a flyer. Much like the stickers emblazoned with the former, you are also encouraged to plaster the latter all over any flat surface in plain sight. Do it for the team.
• Exploding MPFM: My Parents Favorite Music’s Steffo recently hipped me to a lot of very interesting new developments on the MPFM front. First and foremost, the Wheel o’ Exgirlfriends album has been reprinted and should be available for purchase within the next two weeks. The new album Testing the Waters is approximately 75% done with a projected April release. Steffo and company will be performing at the Middle Tennessee Anime Con along with the likes of Random, Peelander Z, Kenny Wisdom, The Slants, The Man Power, and Chickenbox, and this event will (hopefully) serve as the release party for the new album. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly: a lineup change. Longtime MPFM member Stellar is no longer a part of the group; instead, we welcome new member Jeremy Breedlove (AKA: J48, AKA: Aggro-crag.)
• Big Ran: And speaking of Random, be sure to check out the free-to-download mixtape Napoleon Mindstate presents Meaningfull Music Vol 1. Ran is featured on track 16, “Twice Over.” You can also watch a really nice “behind the scenes” video for the Random/Maja track “Halo Head” on last week’s Maja Monday.
• A fun ship cruise: In my quest to find interesting, fun, and geeky music, I am prone to overlook some real gems. Thankfully, many of these artists acknowledge my superlative slackitude and instead opt to come looking for me. I recently had the good fortune to become acquainted with The Rivercrest Yacht Club, a hip-hop outfit that not only drops fairly dorky rhymes, but also employs an eclectic cast of MCs ranging from gauchos to anthropomorphic gorilla dentists. Suffice it to say, they’re worth a listen.
• What is this nerdery?: If you’re looking for something with a bit more of a singer/songwriter slant, may I humbly suggest the delightfully English Dan Plus Add. You can check out Dan’s first release Of FNARs and ZINGs free of charge from his site, and you can hear some cuts from his forthcoming follow-up album on his MySpace. Tell him Z. sent you!
• A love of tasty sandwiches: But let’s say you want something with a bit more jazz flair. In that case, you’ll definitely want to check out Evil Giraffes on Mars. “Fueled by a deep respect for all things musical,” EGoM combines element of jazz, rock, funk, punk, hip-hop, classical, world beat, and that love of sandwiches I mentioned earlier. The band also features the sax styling of Jamaal Sawyer, whom you should remember from Hipster, please! favorite Foxhound.
• Meet Me at the Arcade: While I was resting on my laurels in early January, my pal Anthony from GM4A was reviewing the highly anticipated new album from UK chiptune artist Pixel8. Peep Ant’s review of The Boy with the Digital Heart and be amazed.
• Poorly concealed secret project: As I mentioned previously, early ’08 is scheduled to see the release of a second Hipster, please! compilation. While I’m not yet ready to divulge the full meat of what this album entails, I will say that – on paper, at least – it marks a blissful intersection of nerdcore hip-hop, Wizard Rock, VGM, and geek rock. The artist roster is fast coming together, and thus far I’ve secured favorable interest from everyone from our own Baddd Spellah to Shawn Phase to Dumbledork (also known as Coma Boy, DJ Bentelli, and under a wealth of other names.) Stay tuned for more info.
• The power of Wrock: A recent article by the Young Adult Library Association – found by Church, of course – outlines a few really interesting (and nerd-friendly) music trends to look out for in ’08. Most fascinating to me was the role of Wizard Rock in retooling libraries into music venues. If that ain't a boon for geek artists, I don't know what is!
  
• "Fuckin' tall as shit!": To promote the new DVD Lords of the Rhymes: The Untolde Tale, your favorite Hobbits have posted some little teaser vids on YouTube. This one features Morgoth the Suck Lord... espousing the plans for the greatest of his sinister mechanizations.