Nerd News in Brief

This Nerd News in Brief was set to drop yesterday. But then, a cold!

Still, I'm cutting myself some slack. I mean, at least I'm putting 'em out on an almost regular basis again.

So I got that going for me. Which is nice.

At any rate: NNIB!

• The Rising Phoenix: This Memorial Day weekend, geek rockers Kirby Krackle will be appearing at the Phoenix Comicon from May 27-30. They'll be performing Saturday night at 8:30 and you can see them throughout the event at table T-8, so definitely head out to catch 'em. Just, y'know, bring proof of citizenship.
• The Return of the King: Just in time for E3, my pal Anthony and the Game Music 4 All crew have planned the triumphant return of their West Coast Wigout event. WCW2 goes down on June 15th at Gallery Nucleas in Alhambra, CA and features The Megas, Mega Ran, Evilwezil, Tanuki Suit Riot and more. Check the event's official page for full details and hit up Gallery Nucleus for discounted early bird tickets. 
• Comical: This week's edition of web comic W-A-S-D featured something a little different. Okay, four things a little different – MC Lars, YTCracker, MC Router and Mustin. See for yourself. 
• I'm with JoCo: This just in – Jonathan Coulton will be presenting new material from his forthcoming album at live dates throughout July. Also, he is slightly neurotic. These are the reasons we love him so.
• Confirmed Bacheler: Big ups to Harry and the Potters' Joseph DeGeorge who is now a Bachelor of the almighty Arts thanks to his time at Clark University. The Potters will be playing throughout the northeast in the month of June, so head out to a show and congratulate him yourself. 
• Very Metal: Congratulations are also in order for VGM masterminds Powerglove. The guys were just signed to record label E1 Music, home of both Swedish melodic metallers In Flames and the Sesame Street catalog. I think they'll fit in nicely somewhere between the two. 
• The Lass That Loved Starfleet: Y'know what we don't have enough of around here? Talk of sci-fi musicals. Thankfully, Church came through with this story concerning a H.M.S. Pinafore/Star Trek mash-up. The best part? It's playing throughout June at LA's Crown City Theatre. 
• Unquantifiable: This week's celebration of Geek Pride Day sparked lots of talk within our community. One particularly interesting piece that came out was this missive from AOL's Tony Deconinck. It starts strong, reminding us that we don't need our own fake holiday to be who we are, but ends with a whimper and a whine. In this case more "if you don't know all this shit you're not one of us" foolishness. 
• Nerd Words: Church supplements this with a link to Technologizer's astute (and timely) investigation into the origins of the term "fanboy." Oh, the power of words! 
• Klingon as a Second Language: In case you somehow missed the buzz surrounding this piece, here is the finest geek parenting story of all time. It is truly a viktorious read. 
• Strike Quickly and Fade Into the Shadows: Somewhere in Australia, there is a pack on ninjas protecting German exchange students. I don't know if this exactly plays into the whole nerd culture slant of the post, but it is pretty fucking awesome nonetheless. Also, if this were Twitter I would be honor bound to hashtag it #krondorkrew. Just so you know. 
• Betty Rage: For those of you with oddly specific fetishes, Church found this collection of NSFW retro 50s-style D&D pinups. My opinion? Needs more Halflings. 
• A Famicom Affair: Let it be known that Mega Ran/K-Murdock masterpiece Forever Famicom is presently available for pre-order. Pre-ordering nets you a physical CD (upon release), an instant download of the album and a fine selection of bonus tracks. Music get! 
• A Massively Useful Thing: Earlier this week, on Towel Day to be precise, my boy Antisoc dropped his new album Future Hop. I've already said my proper piece about it, but let me reintegrate that you need to add it to your collection immediately. Oh and Beefy, give Mark his goddamn shirt! 
• Rumble Pack: Also on the new release front is an ambitious and imminently satisfying mash-up project that combines hip-hip a cappellas with beats cribbed from classic N64 tracks. It's 15 joints of geeky gamer genius from PK Mao, and it's free! 
• Six Shooters: Another amazing freebie comes to us from epic comic book rockers Americans UK. Their newest single, "John Loves Wayne" has just been made available. The song also ties into the band's newest 40-page comic anthology, available from Indy Planet. 
• Horses With Fake Legs: Our musical allies from netlabel Pterodactyl Squad have just released their 25th album! It comes to us from chip-rockers Noisewaves. And, like all the fine music from the Squad, this instrumental 5-tracker is freely downloadable. 
• Bringing the Heat: The last few weeks have also seen an interesting crop of new music videos. The White Shinobi T.y.T. is back with a new collab with Savannah-area rapper Darkchild entitled "C-port 2 Tokyo." Meanwhile, Shael Riley's new video for Double Ice Backfire banger "Publishing Rights" is on fire. Literally. I couldn't decide which to end on, so I've elected to give you both. 'Cause I'm sweet like that.