I’m getting slow. Age is taking its toll. That’s the only reason I can think of to explain why both Matt and Church essentially lapped me reading Deathly Hallows. They’re both finished, and I’m still hanging around the half-way mark.
Sure, I didn’t actually start reading until late Saturday night. And, yeah, I did tear through 450-some-odd pages in a day and a half, and that’s not too shabby. But those fragile excuses are cold comfort at best; saving face simply isn’t an option.
So all I have is the age thing…
Even though technically both those cats are older than me…
You build with the bricks you’re given, people!
Don’t Curse: The genius that brought us the Mega Ran project, Random himself, was just interviewed by the fine folks at Capcom. Ran talked about his music, his love of video games, and the plight of the American educator. Personally, I dig how he didn’t play down the lack of violence and profanity in his tracks… thus the Heavy D reference.
Because I don’t bother artists enough on my on: Speaking of interviews, my brothers from GM4A have asked me to help them write a series of profiles of the artists on the finalized Nerdapalooza roster. Of course, I couldn’t think of anything more fun/nerdy to do than to tag team with my boys Anthony and Hex Warrior, so I was, as the kids are saying, “all up ins” this offer. What? The kids aren’t saying that? Shit.
Ain’t too proud to beg: Okay, so here’s the deal: I’m currently looking for some kindhearted individual to do me a solid. John Allison, creator of my all-time favorite Web comic Scary Go Round, is gonna be at the Dumbrella booth at this year’s COMIC-CON, and I’m looking for someone to pick me up a t-shirt. I’ll totally give you the cash for the shirt and shipping – I ain’t tryin’ to screw you into lavishing me with free shit or nuthin’ – I’m just looking for someone to take a few minutes out of their con schedule to pick it up for me. Any takers?
What it’s all aboot: Let me wrap up today’s news with a couple of pieces of footage from last week’s nerdcore debut on MTV Canada. They feature some Q&A with Dan, YT, and ‘Hella, as I’m sure you were expecting, as well as a brief history of nerdy rhymes by the great Jesse Dangerously. In verse, no less.
I’ve gone to the movie theater on two separate occasions this month. That’s, like, a record for me.
I’m slightly intimidated by the whole cinema experience. At home, if a movie gets a little slow and I lose interest I can easily do something else (like play DS or drink a beer or, and stay with me here, play DS while drinking beer), but at the theater I am beholden to stay for the long haul. That shit ain’t cheap.
Still, despite this minor neurosis, I do dig movies, and, moreover, I dig movie music. This episode is all about that. So grab some overpriced popcorn and settle in. I’m’a turn the lights down low and break out the projector.
Intro: Baddd Spellah (feat. Beefy) – “Radio Free Hipster Theme”
If Radio Free Hipster was a feature film, this would be the opening credits.
Track 1: Richard O’Brien – “Science Fiction/Double Feature”
Say what you will about Riff Raff, that cat’s got some pipes.
Z’s 1st interlude: “A slightly belated edition of Radio Free Hipster.”
A certain compilation project put me a little behind schedule, but I am trying my best to catch up!
Track 3: Talons & Tea Leaves – “Halleluiah”
This is a Wrock duo formed by two cats from two different bands. Their style is really unique, and I find their sound fascinating.
Track 4: The Advantage - “Goonies II”
It felt wrong not to include this track, despite its noncanonical nature.
Track 5: DVDA – “Now You’re A Man”
“No; it’s probably the titties.”
Track 6: Dual Core – “War Games.”
Dual Core have a lot of tracks on their Zero One album that are movie related, but I settled on this one because it played so well against the rest of the songs in the set. It’s got such a thick and complex texture.
Z’s 2nd interlude: “If you’ve seen the film I’m sure you get the joke.”
If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and watch Orgazmo. It’s delightfully quotable.
Track 10: Emotron – “The Bethune Theory” Angus is my hero.
Z’s final interlude: “But don’t hold yer breath or nuthin’.”
I’m trying to crank out this month’s podcasts as quickly as possible so as to get back on schedule. I’ve already started putting together the sets for ep. 27, and they are looking pretty damn good if I do say so myself.
Track 11: The Greenskeepers – “Lotion”
In lieu of providing my normal paltry post show notes wrap-up, I’m just gonna include this fan-vid for “Lotion.” I know everyone’s probably seen this but me, I figured I’d throw it out there just in case.
Now wasn't that more enjoyable than me prattling on?
To say that I am chomping at the bit to read the new Potter book is an understatement. I am consumed. What will happen to Harry? To young Hermione? To poor Ron? To token dork Neville? We’ll all know in a couple of days.
Is the urge to ruin the ending for the rest of us – not to mention the urge to be sued within an inch of one's fuckin’ life – so overwhelming that this somehow presents itself as an option?
The world may never know.
Hail to the Queen: Somehow, despite the time-consuming and, no doubt, nerve-wracking task of appearing on MTV Canada, Nursehella has found the time to craft what may well be the most fantastic nerdcore track of 2007 thus far. Peep “Geekend Freakout” over at PureVolume.
Short notice: Nerd rocker Glenn Case and his band The Half Racks have stepped in (on very, very short notice) to play a show at The Comet in Spokane on Saturday, July 21st. If you’re in the greater Spokane area that evening and would like to have your socks rocked right off, I highly recommend attending.
I’m pretty sure he’s from earth:Alienbobz has a shit-ton of new vids up of everyone’s favorite foulmouthed malcontents, Futuristic Sex Robotz, from their June 30th opening gig for the venerable mc chris. Take a look and enjoy the rampant profanity!
Hopeless and Romantic:Church has a much publicized knack for finding weird shit. This, for example, is a veritable how-to guide for creating the perfect geek date using editing software and NES ROMs. I’m serious.
What the fuck is this?: Just… what… what the fuck? Jaylyn found this and posted a link in a thread over at Rhyme Torrents, but, truthfully, I thought she was joking. She’s not. It’s real. Undeniably real.
Welcome back!: Church, Matt, and I have been trying to figure out why the hell we didn’t come up with this final bit. I mean, c’mon, it pretty much writes itself. Plus we’re all old enough to appreciate both pieces of source material. Since I’m in full-on Hogwarts mode, I thought this’d be a fitting vid to wrap up with.
We live in a big ol’ country. As such, some things better serve the needs of American nerds when they employ a two-pronged approach, an east-west approach.
So, in that grand tradition - started by such geek mainstays as The Avengers and the Teen Titans - allow me to present to you the line-up for an event called Nerdapalooza Southeast.
This mini-festival, taking place on August 25th in Gainesville, FL (between the hours of 1:00 PM and 1:00 AM) at local watering hole Tim and Terry's, features the following acts repping our little corner of the US:
Okay, I realize this isn’t at all entertaining, enlightening, or pertinent, but I feel the need to bellyache a bit. Y’all’ll indulge me, right?
Anywho, in August of ’06 I was shocked to discover that my beloved Nintendo DS Lite – a system that I purchased on launch day despite the fact that I had a perfectly functional DS Fat – had a nice-sized crack in the left screen hinge. Now this defect is far from unheard of with this particular model and it certainly didn’t effect gameplay, but my OCD compelled me to have it repaired.
Apparently repair for such a minor cosmetic flaw proved to costly or labor intensive, so Nintendo simply replaced my system with another unit. No harm no foul, right?
Well, unfortunately I just noticed that my replacement system now has a hinge crack all its own. I called NOA and they agreed to ship me another pre-paid label so that I can swap this system out for another non-cracked version via one of their service centers. I’m just sort of wondering if I’m gonna have to swap this one out in a year as well.
It’s kinda hard to get pissy when I’m essentially receiving a new handheld for my trouble, but I must use the power of the Internet to ask the following question:
There are tons of DS Lite owners out there, and a good many of them have suffered the unkind fate of a hinge crack, but am I the only two-time loser? Anyone? Bueller?
I don’t get out much. That shouldn’t exactly come as a huge surprise, but I felt like reiterating. And even if I did hit the club scene regularly, there is a definite dearth of dorky entertainment here-abouts. Thankfully, I have my own private army of geeked-out operatives who act as my eyes and ears when nerd culture rears its homely head in their individual locales.
Church is my Baltimore area point-man, and he recently caught an mc chris show at a neighborhood bar. He was even nice enough to do a little post-gig write-up.
Behold his nerdly musings:
Thanks to Z's NNIB post, I got a late heads-up that MC Chris was coming to town, and better yet, was playing up the street from me. I don't hit the clubs much these days, but I had to check this out. Ideally, I could get some video.
There were three opening acts, and I was deliberately trying to miss them. Partly because I had never heard of them, but also because that meant fewer parties who could object to me wandering around with a camera. I did the math: three bands, figure 30 minute sets and ten minute changeovers... Chris should be on about 11:00. As it turned out, I got there ten minutes later than I planned.
The Ottobar is set up a bit odd. The main entrance can be either the front or the side door. When it's the front door, as it was today, the entrance is right next to the stage. This was good on one hand, because the place was packed, but it made it hard to converse with the doorman. I asked when Chris went on and the doorman said something and pointed to a note taped up behind him, "MC Chris 11:05." Cool, I had only missed five minutes!
I asked if there were any objections to shooting video, and he ruffled through his papers. That was a good sign, since it meant the club didn't have a blanket policy. To my surprise, though, Chris apparently allowed only still photography. What? I double-checked. The guy has a fan video section on his web site. How are people getting footage? Nope, still photography only. Maybe it's some kind of nerd arts challenge. Once you snatch the footage from the club you get your blastic belt. I decided I was content with Padawan status.
I walked up to the stage, which took about four steps. There's a wall by the entrance that blocks the back half of the stage, so I was at extreme stage right. The stage is spacious, in club terms. The area directly in front of the stage held the most enthusiastic attendees, naturally. The back connects to an elevated room that holds the main bar and a few tables. That was well filled also. On stage left there is an odd balcony that is taller than the main room, so you can look down onto the main floor and stage area, but you pretty much have to be sitting. That was full as well. I noticed a bit wryly that some people with newer digital cameras were spending a LONG time framing their shots. (Congratulations, grasshoppers!)
Chris was bantering with the audience. I don't know if he had messed up, or if he just really knows Charm City, but he went into a spiel about how he saved his "A" stuff for California, and we only rated his "B" material. It's an odd way to play an audience, but it works in Baltimore, which has a bit of an inferiority complex. He then moved on to a hypothetical situation involving himself and some lovingly described pot.
Naturally he resumed his set with “Wiid.” He continued on covering a lot of older material. “The Tussin” got huge cheers, as did “Fuckin Up My Christmas” and “Fett's Vette.” He was cueing the audience to do various gestures, and everyone followed enthusiastically. When he got to “Dare to Be Stupid” he "fucked up" halfway through, restarted, and did it again seconds into it. I didn't catch the mistake, so I'm not sure if it's part of the act (screwing up a song about being stupid?) Either way, it's an interesting way to engage the crowd, and they were fully with him.
And then it was over.
An EN-CORE chant went up, while I double-checked the time. Half an hour? He's the featured act and it's 35 minutes long? No wonder I misjudged how long the opening acts were. And he only did one song from his last album? Waitaminute... that start time must have been Bar Time. Fuck! I missed twenty minutes of his act!
Of course, he got up for an encore. This seemed even more loose than his main act. He'd ask for requests, and work off that. He'd tease a song, such as the opening of Transformers theme, or abandon one that he wasn't liking. He had everybody do the robot, and then did “Robot Dog.” It wasn't a direct lead-in, more like he reminded himself that he had that song. It was obvious that he was having fun, because if he wasn't he'd just stop and start doing something else. It was very punk rock in that sense.
One girl was fading as the night wore on, and she became the object of some light ridicule from Chris, which she was thrilled by. One of the groundlings had made it up to the balcony and was managing to rock out while hanging over the edge. About this time I realized that his encore was lasting at least as long as a normal set. Is this planned? Does he just go on until he's tired? I have no idea, but I loved it. It's like flipping through the radio would be if Clear Channel only played MC Chris. It's a hell of a lot of fun.
Chris promised us a return visit in the fall to support a new album. He ended with “DQ Blizzard,” and the crowd went wild. (Note to other performers: good reason to have some of your stuff available free. Everyone in the club knew the song.)
I'm probably showing my age, but I was struck by the fact that after the show he just jumped back on stage, stuck his mike in his pocket, put his laptop in a backpack, and headed over to the merch table. (Yet another adjustment to my set-length math.) I was going to hang around afterwards and talk with Chris, but I had to be at work in about eight hours. I just bought a CD (free sticker! I love free stickers!) gave him a thumbs-up and a "Good show," and headed home.
-- Church
Postscript: After I got home, I gave the GF the recount - she didn't come along because she assumed I'd be "working" (filming) — and expressed my surprise at how many people were there. I attributed it to a "pent-up demand for Nerdcore in Baltimore." She found that phrase hilarious, and insisted that I include it in my review, so there it is. I'll grant that that was likely an overstatement, but it's friendly territory at least.
July is the quintessential month of nerd merriment. No shit. And in addition to all of the other nerdy happenings, this month also boasts the 25th birthday of the computer virus.
Ah, you sneaky little bastard; I knew you when!
Poor Impulse Control: Geeky tattoos are a bit of a passion of mine. I love how they combine nerd iconography and the hipster ideal of body modification. It’s a marriage, says I: a lovely marriage of disparate forces. Oh, and this one is also a vague endorsement a certain nerdcore hip-hop documentary.
A funky Fire Sale:funky49 is known for many things; he raps, he produces, he sends delightful care packages and even the occasional drunken email. And right now funk is known for his unabashed poverty. Following his recent cross-country jaunt to open for mc chris, funk is a little light in the ol’ wallet. Of course he counters this the same way as any nerd: eBay. Why not check out his auctions?
It ain’t exactly Herbology: My pal Church knew that I was hitting up the new Potter movie this weekend – it was good but not great IMHO – and as such, he knew I’d come outta the theater with a thirst to get my craft on. Sensing my need to bust out the ol’ glue gun, he directed me toward this Hogwarts-themed Instructables challenge. The more adept among you may want to throw your (sorting) hat in the ring for the contest, and the rest of us will busily paint our paper wands.
Lingering Anti-Nerd Sentiment: Meanwhile, Matt passed on this piece about cops harassing defenseless (read: naked) nerds. I could try and explain the situation myself, but you’ve no doubt just went back and re-read the naked part, so lemme just throw in a link.
The Zed Word: And lastly, ZeaLouS1 has made an appearance – albeit in voice alone – in the most recent Monster By Mail video. Listen to some Z1 and watch a dude draw a zombified comic shop owner. Good times. Good times.
Okay, so maybe not our MTV - MTV Canada - but that still totally counts! Dan dropped the knowledge over at the Rhyme Torrents forums yesterday, and the response was... a tad underwhelming. Suffice it to say that this is, perhaps, the biggest thing to happen to nerdcore as a whole in the ( admittedly brief) history of the scene.
Peep the unbelievable:
In case you ain't heard the word, Nerdcore is finally set to hit MTV. MTV Canada that is. A few weeks ago a producer from the network's "flagship" show, MTV Live contacted me and asked if I was interested in calling in and doing a phone interview about Nerdcore and the doc. He also asked if any nerdcore rappers lived in Toronto (home of mtv live) or planned to be there sometime this summer. If so, they would be interested in devoting more time to nerdcore and Nerdcore For Life.
Long story short, two nerdcore megastars, Nursehella and Ytcracker stepped up and volunteered to head to Toronto to do a live appearance....on mtv. Is that some crazy shit or what?
The producer described MTV Live as a more cerebral version of TRL. One of their gimmicks is to do remote interviews via webcam. That's how I'll be doing my interview. They asked me to send a copy of the trailer so they'll air at least a bit of that too. This whole thing is so absurd that I've been apprehensive to mention it to anyone in case it fell through. But the plans seem to pretty solid at this point. It sounds like they're even going to let me send a camera guy to get some behind the scenes footage.
Now I'd really, really love to see this episode as soon as possible or at least get a recap. Does anybody here get MTV Canada? It'd be great if parts of the show were to make it on to youtube long enough for we Americans to see it. And it would be even better if someone in canadialand could tape it or dvd record it for me. The show could probably get me a copy but that could take weeks and in my experience, when people say they're going to send you a copy of their show or footage, they usually forget to do it.
But anyway, yeah, Nerdcore on MTV Canada; Tuesday, July 17th, sometime between 6 and 8 pm EST.
Sure, Li’l X. has taken to some late night hall wondering – always a dangerous hobby in the home of a rampant zombi-phobe – and E3 hasn’t yielded quite as much earth-shattering news as I’d’ve liked.
But still, not a bad week at all, especially for Nerdy News.
First-Person Gothloli: MC Handler scored a head-shot for nerdcore fans everywhere by not only getting some music in the newest iteration of open-source FPS OpenArena, but also helping to have a character named after our own Rai! Apparently, she has hover-boots. No good can come from Rai having an ability to fly; mark my words!
WizRockStock: There’s something in the water in Washington. How else do you explain the high concentration of nerdy artists therein? Why, that state is even home to WizRockStock, which is a lot like Woodstock… only not so offensive to the olfactory sense… maybe. Anywho, check out Harry and the Potters at the Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library on Friday the 13th and The Parselmouths at University Book Store Mill Creek on Saturday the 14th.
The Nerdcore Beach Party Massacre: The following Friday, July 20th, check out Optimus Rhyme at Alki Beach. OR will be performing at The End’s Beach House (2530 Alki Ave. SW in West Seattle), right across the street from the beach as part of the station’s summer festivities, and they’ll be doing it “BBQ style (think acoustic guitars and ocarina's).” The set’s only open to the first 40 folks who grab a spot, so come early and help the boys celebrate the release of their new album He Dies In Rocket School.
Fuck-to-the-yeah!: The Advantage on tour! Check some high-quality game rock at one of the following events: 08/14 Salt Lake City, UT (Kilby Court); 08/15 Denver, CO (Hi-Dive); 08/17 Omaha, NE (Sokol Underground); 08/18 Minneapolis, MN (Triple Rock); 08/19 Chicago, IL (Beat Kitchen); 08/20 Detroit, MI (Magic Stick); and 08/21 Cleveland, OH (Grog Shop). Check their MySpace for more dates and locations.
Nerdapalooza FTW: In other concert news, my brothers from the Nerdapalooza crew have just announced the final line-up for the nerd music festival to end all nerd music festivals. The (alphabetized) list boasts a most impressive array of artists: 8 Bit Bandit, 8-Bit w0nder, 8bit bEtty, The Alphabetics, Beefy, Big Beat Battalion, Category, Decepticon-19, Drown Radio Therapy, Dual Core, Dungeon Master, Electro Static Discharge,Freezepop, The Great Luke Ski, Hot Waffles, Josiah the Messiah, Love You Long Time, MC Gigahertz, MC Lars, The Megas, My Parents Favorite Music, The OneUps, Optimus Rhyme, Pixelh8, Powerglove, Random, Rappy Mcrapperson, Robotronica, Rocket Propelled Geeks, Shael Riley, The Stunt Junkies, Super Barrio Bros, Temp Sound Solutions, Uncle Monsterface, Wordburglar, Worm Quartet, YTcracker, & ZeaLouS1
The title of this compilation is totally misleading.
First off, not all of the submissions are hip-hop, and some of the artists themselves actually eschew the nerdcore label. Second, it’s not simply a collection of covers; it’s more a selection of reinterpretations ranging from covers to parodies to full-on rewrites.
Of course Nerdcore Undercover has a much more pleasing aesthetic than An Anthology of Song Reinterpretations by Artists That Are Nerdy But Not Necessarily Nerdcore. That shit just sounds silly.
I’ve been working on this compilation for the last few months, and I have to say that by “working on this compilation” I mean haphazardly emailing artists to ask for submissions. They did all the real work. This is their project. Clearly, I’m just here to hijack the credit.
Let me reiterate: a lot of hard work went into putting this release together, and very little of it was on my end. Guys like funky49 and Ultraklystron did more than their fair share by creating excitingly fresh covers and helping others do the same. Cats like Doctor Popular and My Parents Favorite Music scoured their back catalogues for old gems. Hell, artists like Shael Riley and Goondocks even went so far as to have brand-spanking new songs deftly recorded and competently mastered, almost as if this were a legitimate album and not just a downloadable freebie from some hick’s blog.
I truly can’t thank them enough.
The same can be said for folks like my pal Brüx (who tried to distill years of recording and sound engineering experience and instruction into a half-dozen emails for my benefit), my faithful comrade Church (who helped me wade through my text-heavy elucidations concerning the project), and my friends Dennis and Denika (who put together the cover art amid moving cross-country.) Truthfully, I owe tons of thanks to a bunch of people. So much so that I gush over them in the liner notes, so please read ‘em.
If you're still scratching your head concerning where, exactly, this album came from, that's totally understandable. I obviously didn’t do a lot in the way of pre-release promotion for this project, and that was due to a number of reasons.
The most straightforward is that I had to forgo an open submission process in order to limit the number of tracks I was dealing with. Even though mine was the easy part, there was no feasible way to get more than a single disk’s worth of music together and still meet my self-imposed deadline. I started down a list of nerdy musicians – beginning with those with which I already had a working relationship – and then stopped when I got close to 20 interested parties. As a result, a lot of really deserving artists got left out, and that’s the only thing about this comp that saddens me.
The most compelling reason, however, is that I’ve developed a recent allergy to hype. Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating, but with all the publicity nerdcore’s been getting of late I thought it might be fun to work in secret, to simply focus on putting together what I hoped would be a really fun CD and not worry about making too much preemptive noise along the way.
That’s what this is all about: fun.
I had fun putting it together, and you can tell the artists had fun with their individual submissions.
I hope you have fun listening.
Moreover, I hope you hear some material from some folks you know and love as well as some you might not be so familiar with.
Mostly, I hope that some part of this compilation strikes a chord with you and reminds how much fun it is to sing someone else’s song at the top of your lungs as you motor down the highway with the windows rolled down.
I’ve got high hopes for the latest Potter movie. First off, the book itself was an excellent read, and that definitely helps. Plus, I find it hard to believe that it’ll be plagued by quite as many ridiculous product placement spots as Transformers.
Then again, you never know. I’m sure they’ll work a plug for the new iPensieve in there somewhere.
I’m in yer projects choosin’ their titles: Last week I got an interesting email from my pal Beefy. He was bummed to report that his summer tour plans had fallen through, and, truthfully, I was a little saddened as well. And yet, he was happy to report that this extra free time will permit his new album, formally called Fighting Crime but now entitled Rolling Doubles, to be pushed up from September. That album will be “sellable and whatnot and released by Nerdy South Records.” It will also be accompanied by a free album called – wait for it –The Adventures of Beef Thompson: Private Dick that will “collect sample-heavy songs … recorded since Tube Technology as well as a private investigator story for the ages!” I win! I fuckin’ win!
The show that was: Of course I’m not gonna let this opportunity slip by without mentioning the recent mc chris show in Eugene, OR that featured HP supporters Beefy (whom mc recently described as “polite, gracious, [and a performer who] nailed his set, and didn't come off like a tool”), the lovely and talented Nursehella, and the equally lovely and talented funky49. funk himself was nice enough to do a really in-depth write-up about the show and its surrounding events that he posted over at his blog. Take a few minutes and check it out.
Even weirder: Church found something too strange not to share. I know: shocking! ;) Apparently, PowerFX has just released “Vocaloid Sweet Ann, a Saucy Virtual Vocalist Who Sings Your Words and Music.” It gets better; Annie’s got a MySpace. Is it me, or does this whole thing reek of some obscure perversion? Some very, very specific fetish? Oh, just me, huh?
Back to reality: The fine folks at the Sedgwick Avenue Alliance had their own good news/bad news scenario this week. The good: they've added 2 new artists to the group. One being the undeniable YTCracker, and the second being “a very talented rapper/singer/musician from Chicago by the name of Savant.” Unfortunately, they also lost founding member, Q. Ledbetter due to a current inability to contribute.
W-R-O-C-K in the U.S.A.: Wrockers Harry and the Potters have some show lined up in the nerdy Northwest this week. Check ‘em out July 9 in Spokane, WA - Caterina (All Ages); July 10 in Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom; July 11 in Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Armory; July 12 in Olympia WA - Olympia Timeberland Library; and July 13 in Seattle, WA - Seattle Public Library.
Mama said knock you out: Probably the biggest nerdcore news of late came from the Nerdcore For Life camp this weekend; nerdy perfection, thy name is NERCORE HIP-HOP LIVE AT THE 2007 SAN DIEGO COMICON! Oh yeah, kids, Capcom approached Dan Lamoureux about this early in the year thanks to all the buzz generated from the YouTube trailer. And, after some deliberation, a “full-on nerdcore concert” was settled upon “and eventually one concert turned into two.” The pertinent info is as follows: “two Nerdcore concerts featuring YTCracker, Beefy, The Sucklord, Ultraklystron, Nursehella, and The Former Fat Boys….in a boxing ring…at the Capcom booth…in the middle of the San Diego comicon….during peak afternoon hours.” Huge, huge news! Congrats all around, guys. Make us proud!
“They have not told me that this is going to happen…”: Today’s closing clip comes from my boy Matt. I had actually picked another piece of mc chris footage, but, upon closer inspection, I do believe that this is one packed with more nerdy goodness. Enjoy!
Due to yesterday’s little power outage – and thanks to a helpful suggestion from my man Church – I’ve elected to postpone the official release of the Hipster, please! no-longer-so-secret cover song project until Tuesday.
Sunday didn’t seem like such a great time to launch and album. And Monday? Well, Monday is Monday. So Tuesday it is.
The artists involved seem cool with that, and that’s good enough for me. Thanks for bearing with us through this minor logistical snafu. Your patience will be duly rewarded. Trust me.
Hi, all. I am currently blogging - beer in hand - from the back yard of scenic Chez Z. An unpredictable round of summer weather has caused some recent power outages, and I'm afraid that's gonna delay the release of the comp a bit. Sorry to disappoint, but it should be up tomorow. I was hoping shit would be resolved before midnight, but the chances look slim. :( Again, I am truly sorry. --Z.
Michael Bay’s Transformers is equal parts slapstick, horny teenagers, ham-handed politics, slow-motion collateral damage, sketchy science, even sketchier dialogue, and old-fashioned Hollywood racism.
Was it a fun summer film? Sure! A good film? Eh… maybe. But was it a Transformers film? Nope. Not in the slightest.
Our beloved “robots in disguise” were, for the most part, merely a convoluted plot device.
In addition, the movie was full of characters that didn’t do anything and set pieces that existed simply for the sake of destruction. It was a summer popcorn move, plain and simple.
And yet I had to see it. Because I am a huge dork.
Put ‘em on the touch screen: Not to be outdone, my man Church countered with news that Suicide Girls has just dropped some exclusive iPhone wallpapers. ‘Cause, y’know, that particular piece of tech was sorely missing tattooed boobs.
Lather, rinse...: The final preview track for nYgel’s forthcoming nerdcore mixtape has been officially leaked… which is damn near oxymoronical. You can check out “Repeat Again (feat. Cyanide Soda and MC Shinigami)” at Shin’s MySpace. I could tell you more, but then I’d have to kill you.
Below the Sea-Town: And lastly, my main Seattle home-skillets the Goondocks, have just released the video for their fantastic track “1st and Yesler.” The clip was recorded over the span of 2 months across 18 locations, and was directed by Raffaele Riconsciuto, Jr. And it is awesome-sauce, although I reckon you already knew that.
But, within the realm of music, the remake, the cover, has always held a special place in my heart. This episode explores that love with the help of some nerdy artists and their reinterpretation of others’ material.
Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? You decide.
Intro: Baddd Spellah (feat. Beefy) – “Radio Free Hipster Theme”
Someone needs to cover this track. It’s my favorite.
Track 1: Able-X – “OutFox’d”
There seems to have been some debate of late concerning Jesse Dangerously, his skills, and his attitude. Personally, I’ve got tons of respect for Jesse both as an artist and as a person.
Z’s 1st interlude: “ I’m a big fan of covers songs, parodies, reinterpretations of all sorts.”
Which should go without saying, but, y’know, I said it.
Track 2: Beefy– “Roommate From Hell”
In this track, Beefy plays the parts of both narrator (MC Lars) and roommate (mc chris). Please save your weight jokes for a later date.
Track 3: Ultraklystron – “Nerdcore For Life (feat. Beefy)”
Covers are a big part of 2nd gen nerdcore hip-hop, and to hear Karl cover Beefy’s track is pretty entertaining in and of itself, but the quality of the cover and the participation of Beefy himself make it even more so.
Track 4: Shael Riley – “Bizarre Love Triangle (Peculiar Affection Isosceles)”
Shael has a ridiculous number of cover available, and I have yet to find one I don’t like.
Track 6: Switchblade Kittens – “I Fought My Mum”
Hearing the Kittens cover The Clash covering The Crickets may be too much for some people. I am not among those people.
Z’s 2nd interlude: “He thought I’d dig it, and I definitely, definitely do.”
I think the biggest perk surrounding doing this podcast is that folks often direct me toward tons of cool-ass music that I might otherwise miss. Thanks, and keep it up!
Track 11: Glenn Case – “Let’s Stay Together”
This classic track was going to be Glenn’s submission to my forthcoming compilation, but Glenn was nice enough to record an exclusive track just for me, and by request, no less!
Z’s final interlude: “The reasoning behind this particular ep. is the following announcement.”
Could y’all tell I was reading that announcement? My wife says everything I say on this podcast sounds scripted. It’s because I’m using my try not to sound like such of a goddamn hick voice. It's quite ineffective.
And there you have it, folks. Thanks for listening. I hope your appetite was properly whetted for the covers comp, and I hope you hit me up again this weekend to check it out. I honestly can’t thank the artists involved enough for contributing.
Nerdy musicians are good people. They’ll talk with you at shows and IM with you on MySpace and sometimes they’ll even let you use their songs for a poorly planned compilation album for your sub-standard blog. I am embiggened by the simple fact that they lower themselves to associate with me.
Query: why is that when Sony launched a $600 gaming console we were all up in arms about the exorbitant price, but when Apple sold us a $600 cellular phone we were totally cool with it?
There’s a bit of disparity there. I’m just sayin’.
And now, my fellow consumers: Nerd News in Brief.
Come correct: What band of nerds dare summon the most hallowed landmark in hip-hop history? Only the most deserving: Random, Zealous1, MetaMystiks Inc., Jesse Dangerously, Maja, Grandmaster Pink & Diabolik, LogicOne, Down Underdogs, Dirty Taz, Q.Ledbetter, Siver, Valentin, and C-Enes. Collectively known as The Sedgwick Avenue Alliance, these sixteen rappers and producers have recently joined forces, and rap will never be the same. Your hip-hop education begins now. El nerdcore: Nerdcore hip-hop (and the Nerdcore For Life documentary) got four glorious pages worth of coverage in the latest issue of Spanish magazine Calle 20. To hear Dan tell it, “What started as a little interview about a quirky little indie film evolved into a really expansive piece. I always try and plug a lot of artists when I do an interview but this reporter went buck wild and worked in a ton of people.” You can check out the whole issue via the magazine’s Web site, and even download it in PDF. Legitimacy, here we come!: On the subject of Web sites, it looks like our pals from Nerdapalooza have finally got their official presence up and running. You can catch all announcements concerning the project via the new blog, and Hex Warrior has been kind enough to remind me that the biggest of big announcements, the finalized band roster, will be posted on July 9th. Brief respite: It looks as though our anguished cries have been heard and headed. Well, sort of. SoundExchange has recently proposed a $2500 cap on advance payments for Internet radio stations licensing and The Digital Music Association immediately agreed, but “only if the term for the new arrangement were extended to 2010 — or, preferably, forever.” Chalk one up for the good guys? We shall see. This Blog is Not Punk Rock: MC Lars’s newest project, a DVD “jam-packed with over an hour and a half of […] old home [videos], backstage antics from his Bowling for Soup and Simple Plan tours, a full episode of his college TV show, a special behind the scenes feature on the "Ahab" video, and complete audio commentary” is now available for pre-order. I wonder if you’ll ever be able to purchase it at your local Hot Topic? That would be deliciously ironic. Super Shinier Metal: Optimus Rhyme’s much anticipated He Dies in Rocket School is now available! The album can be downloaded from Dig Station, or you can buy the for-real CD from the fine folks at CD Baby. How good is it? Do you even have to ask?! More Gabe. More mc. More madness.: Nerdcore News is at it again, this time Gabe and Syn caught up with mc chris at Seattle’s Chop Suey shortly before Saturday’s gig. Wackiness ensued.
I don’t give an unholy fuck about the iPhone. I can’ afford one, I couldn’t find one if I had the scratch, and I no doubt lack the adequate amount of Mac-fanboy swagger to properly operate the infernal device even if the previous criteria were met. Plus it’s tethered to the iTunes service, which is, I truly believe, the devil.
But I am not your average joe.
You all probably want an iPhone. You, no doubt, lust for it’s oddly ceramic aesthetic and its uber-funky functionality. And so, I present to you the following links.
Um…Why not watch Stephen Colbert review an iPhone he didn’t get. That’s entertaining. (Note: Steve’s from South Carolina, a state with no Apple stores. I’m just sayin’.)
For those of you who’ve already given up hope of finagling such a device, why not read the most recent Democratic Debate Report Card. Politics is still a relevant subject, right? Even in our post-iPhone world?
I am fascinated by “news,” and I use the term loosely. From the grisly to the entirely impertinent, I am bombarded daily with nuggets of info that in no way enrich my life.
HOTH WAMPA!:mc chris recently got some face time on Star Wars dot com as part of their Star Wars Rocks collection of features. It’s a pretty interesting read as it covers not only mc’s current nerdy predilections, but those of the halcyon days of his youth. Mostly, I was just relieved to see that I’m not the only person who hasn’t grown any taller since early childhood.
You’re his only hope: According to a recent MySpace bulletin, mc and company accidentally sent the pirate t-shirts intended for the Dante’s show to WOW Hall. As a result, Mr. Ward is currently looking for “one of you guys to drive up four boxes from Eugene to Portland.” What do you get for your trouble? Gas money and free admittance to the show for starters. Plus, mc’ll “give [you] free pirate merch and [you] can sit in one of the VIP seats at the Transformer screening.” His promises to also get you laid, buy you an iPhone, and give you a robot, unfortunately, look to be hollow. Holler at mc (deadmc@mcchris.com) if you’re interested.
Glenn Case on Glenn Case: Northwestern ultra-nerd Glenn Case was recently interviewed for the Spokane 7. He talked about Song Fight!, the Half Racks, his remixes, and his “vinyl birthday.” Read it to find out.
Fo Free: LA rockers Totally Radd! will be performing at the Viper Room for the Indie 103 Check One.. Two night on Monday, July 2nd. The bad news? The show’s 21+. The good news? The guys’ll get you in for free if you RSVP: rsvp@totallyradd.com
RvB no more:Church just reminded me that the series featuring his namesake, Red vs. Blue, will shortly be no more. The finale of “The Blood Gulch Chronicles” should be available for viewing tomorrow. This is pretty much common knowledge, so I’ll just put it in a memo entitled “Shit You Already Know.”
Like Ross and Rachel:Northwest Nerdcore is on a break. In Tanuki’s own words, the project “has been pretty much running on sheer determination for about two months now. We're burned out. We're taking a break.” Nook and company will, however, still do the mc chris show on the 3rd and, of course, Nerdcore Night at PAX. Everything else, though, is up in the air. Nook, y’all know where to find me if you need anything.
Catfight!: And lastly, Beefy has started posting pix on a new Flickr account. There are a lot of as-yet unseen shots from The Mediocre Tour, and I found this image particularly charming. Girls will be girls.
I would regale you all with tales of my recent vacation, but I reckon the Dead Milkmen have already provided a pretty fair summation.
I am not a beach person. I am a desk person. And from this desk I bring you Nerd News in Brief.
Calculate your Dangerosity: In answer to “the cats who apparently disagree that [he’s] on another level, skill-wise,” Jesse Dangerously has issued the following challenge: haters are encouraged to download the instrumental for his track “Outfox’d” – a personal favorite, if I do say so myself – and record a “a karaoke cover version that does any kind of justice” to the original. Jesse’s kindly provided the lyrics at his MySpace, and will be keeping a running tab of the attempts at his blog.
Meanwhile, back at the Baxter Building: My man LogicOne has just dropped “Give 'em More,” the first official single from his debut release The Fantastic Dr. Richards. You can check it out at his MySpace.
A parting shot: Before heading off for his summer tour, Beef Thompson dropped a new track as well; this one is Beefy’s own personal diss track and is entitled “Diss Missed.” You can hear the song here and chart its response over at the RT boards.
Weeding out the Replicants: Ill content to let funky 49 snatch his crown for the weirdest submission to a NNIB, my bro Church counters with the following: The Wave Magazine (EDIT: not-so) recently administered the Voight-Kampf test to San Francisco mayoral candidates. Tom Ammiano earns bonus points for getting the joke.
Tales from the comic shop: And lastly, here’s a clip of Sir-Up unveiling his new track “Duo of Destruction” at a (newly retooled) Emergency Pizza Party show at last week's Florida Supercon. Enjoy!
So far on this vacation, I have learned I am allergic to children's sun screen, the wife has left our car unlocked on the street for a full 24 hours, and my sun has fervently vomited in a local diner. But it ain't been all bad; the weather has been wonderfully mild and we hit up a great sushi place this evening. Still, if I had to sum up the trip in two words it would have to be totally inappropriate. Which is also how I describe this picture. --Z.
Okay, I realize this isn’t at all entertaining, enlightening, or pertinent, but I feel the need to bellyache a bit. Y’all’ll indulge me, right?
