3rd 4 t3h NRRD! Monthly music.

I found it eerie and fortuitous that the last time I really spoke of nerdcore was last 3rd (of June) mayhaps I can maintain a monthly set schedule for blathering about beatmasters and lyricwrights? (probably not, so don't get your hopes up.)
This months Nerdcore Artist is the band Optimus Rhyme. Their site is over NYAH! and you can buy some of their music hierNYAH.
Based out of the wet north (hehe, wet . . ) of Seattle, Washington, the Autobeats (yes, they embrace their theme) seek to destroy all Wackacons. With tight guitar tickling, steady bass rhythms with some phunky skank on em, steady crashes from the drums, all give a garage band feel to set Wheelie Cyberman's rapid-fire clean and clear lyrics against.
Honestly, this is one of my favorite artists. Wheelie has a wicked flow, can keep the words pounding and bouncing like a cheap . . . well, and he keeps his voice running the scale like high school bleachers.
If there's one thing that will start to turn me off about most nerdcore rappers is the monotone, one note, speaking fast, bull. Yes rapping is heavily comprised of dense verbage, but its also a MUSIC style, which means, unless you're as good as Cake (which in my opinion, still matches the little variation he has to the overall songs) get some music theory in your spit, j0!
aright, back on to Optimus Rhyme . . . I'm also a bit of a sucker for things that stick to a theme and do it well. O.R. does this. The pseudonyms the band uses when they're performing are amusing, as well as a greater portion of the catalog uses the transformers theme as song content. Another selling point is that although they embrace the theme, they dont nessecarily beat you over the head with it. Not every song is literally "we autobots, hur, hur, wackacons esplode when we play, yay!" well, one or two are like that, but by and large the songs accept that they exist in this reality and don't beleaguer the point. At least for me.
As mentioned before, I love the guitar. Powerthighs lays it down by keeping a steady back drop, but definitely keeps the strings taught and tickles them mercilessly. He can drop down and meld with the group to create a harmonious sound, but brings it right back up for fast fingered audio filigree.
Stumblebee, the bassist, do what a bass do. Sets a steady line that the rest of the band may walk, but when you walk, you gotta have a swagger if you're as bad ass as an autobot. When not keeping it steady he throws down and rumbles the speakers, dancing the chords with an ease and skill that would make the fleetest of fingered lesb . . . what? Music is sensual. well, actually, the bass, its so phunky. I'm shaking my own head typing this at how this doesn't even begin to describe it.
As for Grimrock, honestly, he does what any good drummer needs to do. Plays so well you don't realize he's there. Honestly! A lot of nerdcore is geek rap, right? Most of it is back beats and samples with an MC in front of it. For someone to be a live beat machine, and stay in sync with a live band, AND stay steady with a repetitive beat setup, is a challenge. Its a mix of paying attention, staying IN the music and keeping tempo. Not a task for the flippant and lame. Serious kudos to the kicker/thumper of Optimus Rhyme.
Choice songs include -Anxiety- off the album "TransF0Rmed" - Powder Blue Egg Hatch- & -JZ75- off their self titled EP, "Optimus Rhyme" (in case you didint realize) and also -AUTOBEAT AIRBUS- off "School The Indie Rockers"
All of those are very high energy songs, but that's one of the reasons I enjoy them so. That should wrap it up for now. Nerdcore 4 life, microsoft-WERD!

Maintaining Youth

This will be a repeated theme, I'm sure.
Growing up sucks, ooh, real ground breaking, I know. But, I have found many people have managed to circumvent the ravages of adultship and maintained an immature lifestyle, I also seek this status.
A couple nifty things Theatreg33k poked for me this very morning include SCIENCE!! which is pretty funny, we have many friends who need TONS of these badges. as well as, well, One of the more obvious perpetrators of my childishness. I see a Scout theme. hrmm . . I blame the Pixar film UP as well as the fact I haven't been harassed nor harassed by a peer in the woods. (maybe next S.G.I.S.Con? don't worry, I will post more about this particular convention in another blog)
Another not-so-secret obsession is to be a nerdcore hip hop MC. Combined with the fact that I need a new phone (old phone is old) the fiance found this abominable app that would allow me to mix beats on the fly and spit rhymes to my i-box-o souls.
But yes, linkgasm aside, I remember back my parents told me to enjoy being young because I didn't know how good I had it. No, my parents made me well aware of how lucky I was, and as such I have continued to -Not grow up-. To the point where my theatre mentor, V-A, nicknamed me Peter Pan, and the group of my friends at "Ehouse" were dubbed my lost boys.
Often enough it is merely the balance of meeting responsibilities and refusing to be hindered by what is considered childish or silly. In many things in life (relationships, business) confidence is key. The mantra "be yourself" or even Polonius' "this above all, to thine own self be true" resonates across the ages. Even if he was kind of a weaselly little bugger (played by Bill Murray in a horrible modern version of Hamlet). Lessons I still haven't learned, I know, but that's why we seek to emulate the things we value. Otherwise we would all be perfect, and if art has shown us anything it's that a perfect world is a BORING world.
Hrrm, distractions, I lost my groove. More on this later.