Bass Wheelie Squee, Ultra-Nerdcore, & REAL!

Wow, that whole "late update" thing got away from me. I have great ideas and plenty of free time for next week's post, but let me try and make up for this week a bit.

On Twitter, my personality shines through to other personalities. One of my Fave. front-men (lawl, Nerdcore, FRONT-men) Wheelie Cyberman, previously of Optimus Rhyme, now of SuperCommuter tweeted . . .

Upright bass solos are boring.
— Wheelie Cyberman (@WheelieCyberman) April 23, 2012

And I though to myself, now that can't be right . . . I love stand up bass . . . So I hit the webs and found this little gem after some poking about . . .

And tweeted out at him "Skip to 1:50 and then 2:30. I didn't think it was that boring . . ."
And then, one  of my fanboy moments occurred where an idol of mine interacted with me on the internet.

@h47 I give it bonus points for the zebra print.
— Wheelie Cyberman (@WheelieCyberman) April 24, 2012

I was over the moon.

So that was fun, also, in other Nerdcore News, if you haven't heard, Ultrasklytron dropped a new HUGE album. Go snag that. some excellent gems in many areas of musicality. Try out here . . .

AND . . . speaking of nerdy goodness . . .

IM HOSTING PANELS AT FANIME!!!!!!!! WOOO!!!
ARMOR-GEDDON In association with THE TWILIGHT KNIGHTS (who have been running The Dojo at Fanime for years ) Present:

Is It Real?

No restrictions on video recording or photography.

Suitable for All Ages.

A panel on blade knowledge basics. Twilight Knights & Armor-Geddon-ites discuss tips & guidelines for the modern collector & user regarding classic weaponry. Functional v. practical, display v. live steel, martial arts schools, jokes, with a Q & A to follow.


Yup on

Saturday, 12Noon-1pm in the Dojo (The Almaden Ballroom in the Hilton Hotel)

&

Sunday, 5pm-6pm in the Dojo.

yours truly will be hanging with the Knights and teachin' about blades. COME AND SEE IT!!

3rd 4 t3h NRRD: Nov. '11

Way back at the beginning of this blog, over two years ago, I did a post about Optimus Rhyme which would begin what I now call 3rd 4 t3h NRRD. In the comments below that post I typed up a short follow up mentioning - Supercommuter.
Well here we are again.


Two albums deep, Childs Play proceeds gig with Penny Arcade and a solid track on Nerdcore Now means these cats are steady and strong. You can check them out All Over The Internets, except, strangely Wikipedia. Can someone please take a few to make a worth-while page for them. Apparently the last one was deleted for "lack of relevance" or something like that. They have a link and are referenced on the Opt. Rhyme page, but then you get the deleted page.


Why should you listen to them/buy their albums? Duh. I know a lot of nerds who love some clean chip-tune/chip-hop work, so you get that. I have covered how AWESOME Wheelie's vocals are before, see the link above, I can't put enough of his vocals in my earhole. All of that combined makes for silly-good tracks, and the added vibe that the bulk of them were written & composed during the actual COMMUTE up in WA makes it even more fun.
So, click through those links, find that playlist up on youtube and get chipped off these beats & rhymes. I wanna hear those beeps, boops, thumps & spits out on the asphalt while I'm stuck in that gridlock!

3rd 4 t3h Nrrd: March '11

Nerdcore Now, a compilation of several Nerdcore artists from across the intarwebs comes strong with their first release covering everything from scene drama, to a six minute epic as the characters from Hitch Hiker's Guide.

Here's a taste, one of my fave tracks on the entire collection. I've got this one just about memorized.

The refreshed RhymeTorrents site in it's new incarnation as Nerdcore Now is keeping High-C's dream alive by supplying a constant stream of Nerdcore News, Downlaods, and a forum to discuss Geeky raps.

Piloted by Danger Aaron (whom I am extrapolating due to his profile says he's the webmaster and Admin of the boards, so, Kudoos to him for this undertaking) the new guard seems to be keeping it calm by keeping it simple and I don't know if there is a new system or if the submissions are getting better but the crop seems to be improving since the days of HamStar. Not to say I don't feel HamStar has his place in music or the internet, I just agree with many others in that perhaps a "serious" Nerdcore Hip-Hop compilation was not the place for him to be spread around.

So, any whip, go snag those fesh new nerdy beats and stick em in your ear hole. While here I shout atop the Inter-tubes, "Rhyme Torrents is Deader than Nerdcore! Long Live Rhyme Torrents, Long Live Nerdcore Now!"

Hard Core Nerds Who Aren't "Nerdcore" prt. 1

(Lords of Nerd . . . and other kinds, of Rapping)

It has come up a couple times when talking about my Blog (Mr. W. Awesome, I'm looking at you) that I do a monthly focus on a Nerdcore artist, you might have even read one or two, and when asking others who I should focus on next, the names MC Lars and MC Chris have been mentioned.

No, I will not do a 3rd 4 t3h Nrrd on either of these artists. Why? Because they are not Nerdcore, they do not self identify as Nerdcore, and although I enjoy both artists and may do a normal update about either of them, they will most likely never be a focus of my monthly spotlight.

Some hullabaloo has circulated around both rappers about their stance on & as Nerdcore rappers, and being a dutiful rumormonger I made sure to root around and hear the words from the horses mouth. Below are MY impressions of what occurred, I might be off, neither of them have EVER talked to me about the subject and I can only hope that if you have any doubts or suspicions about what is addressed here that you go seek out the events yourself. They are still very well documented around the IntarWebs.

------------------

A while back MC Lars put up a post on his blog titled "RIP Nerdcore 1998-2009" and proceeded to expound upon how the "wave" of Nerdcore hit the shore and began to recede. Also saying how many fledgling "Nerdcore artists(I use the terms loosely)" have been sending him horrible, cheap, copy cat samples. Understandably this was disheartening and did not impress him as legit musicianship in the Nerdcore world. He then listed a few rappers (Nerdcore and otherwise) who he thought make great artists as well as his favorite hip hop influences. All throughout asking starting musicians to strive to pioneer and move the music forward.

A backlash swept through the nerd rap community and well, shit exploded, more like it. Eventually there was a 6 page thread on MC Frontalot's BBS (some very mature and thought out arguments there) and a few threads on Rhyme Torrents Forums as well. Some not as well articulated, but definitely vocal. Hipster Please also put up a take on what Lars was talking about, and after a few days Lars chimed back in to clarify his intent.

Apparently the title was a joke off of another hip hop album, that combined with the less than flattering content that sounded like it was aimed at the entire Nerdcore Community, the damage had been done. The apology helped, but less people on the Nets care about "sorry" than thinly veiled geek bashing.

While I'm on the subject, Mr. Horris has been hosting a discussions on his site as to whether or not Nerdcore is racist. This was in reaction to an off the cuff comment he made in Metro (yes, NorCal-south bay readers, OUR Metro) and he wanted to clarify his statement. A 5 page thread ensued with some cheap shots from both sides of the argument, I think both sides took the jabs in stride, and finally, The Great MC Front, came to the rescue, again, and helped Lars go over some key points on the issue and better clarify his opinions.

MY SUMMARY: I agree completely with Lars in that it is ignorant, and even potentially racist for the CONSUMER, the LISTENER, (and not the Nerdcore artists themselves because every artist I've ever looked into has at least a working knowledge if not a fanaticism for traditional hip hop) to dismiss roots of an art based on it's current popular incarnation. I assume, why he said that Nerdcore was, was a goof on his part.
I agree that you need to continue to move forward, and continue to develop as an artist, regardless of your genre.
I DISAGREE with the idea that Nerdcore compares itself to traditional(or otherwise) Hip Hop hardships. NEVER!, NNNEEEVVAAARR!! have I heard a song from a Nerdcore artist that even came close to this. but . . . . oh yes, I have a but . . . I like to think it is a big, budonkadonk butt, yeah . . sorry. (I'm paraphraseing here, shoot me, but my readership is so small I don't really care, if I blow up because -I'M RIDING THE COATTAILS OF NERDCORE AND MC LARS- well then, sweet, i can start paying some bills and write 2 blogs, do an interview with metro and have 3 5-page threads to explain myself, eh? (sorry, its late and I'm getting snarky) " comparing getting a wedgie to having the south Bronx ruined by an entire train system." anyone who has taken a basic critical thinking class can see this is a fallacy in gross generalization. To be honest, I love them and have used them. But to use it as part of your explanation on CLARIFYING the intent of your statements, not a great idea. So, Let me expound, okay, nerd life is no where comparable to the African American experience. No argument from me, that isn't the point.
*takes a second to collect thoughts*
Let me try again. Have Nerds/geeks/dorks been persecuted on the scale African Americans have? NO, not at all, I'm not drawing that parallel. However, fuck you (that's a "fuck you" in general, not to anyone specific) if you don't believe we don't have hardships. Where the hell did all those nerd empowerment films come from. Where have all the stereotypes and jokes originated, if not from actual events. Social disorders, estrangement, depression, suicide!? These are not legitimate issues for one to address in their chosen art form because someone who has come before you had it worse? Well damn, than only the ancient Greeks have license to produce art as I'm not sure how much worse you can get than slavery, incest, rape, wars and the disenfranchisement of peoples. Does this not fit the argument?
Because the plight of the African-American is on such a grand scale, the plight of nerds will always pale in comparison. This should not belittle the experience of the minority, it is just as real and just as influential. To use an analogy, its like saying a rape victim shouldn't be so upset because she's not a Jew that suffered through the holocaust.

To be fair, I don't think Lars had that in mind at all. But that would be me putting words into Mr. Horris's mouth, and I'm sorry. It sounds like he is a real cool guy, always kind, but he's not naive by any means either. I think the popular consensus at this point is that he needs to think before he speaks, but then, what fun would that be?

2 Smart Hip Hop Shows

These last couple weeks have been "alternative Hip Hop" heavy.

Monday, Feb. 15nth T1nk & I were up in The City at Cafe Du Nord, a shwanky little place, for the MC Frontalot show (someone whom if you are at this blog you should become familiar with).

Opening act was Ken Flagg (While performing with Front his moniker is Vic20) was good. He had a shout out song called "merced" and I was disappointed to find it was not a depressing song. Flagg has a mellow alternative sound to him, very easy for everyone to listen to.

I really enjoyed Brandon Patton (Blak Lotus). Great songs, great stage presence. Excellent storyteller. When I can afford it I should buy some of his albums. " MUNCHIN THE KOOTCH!"

AND > > > >

FRONT! 2 new singles. Better at Rapping and 1st World Problem from his latest album "Zero Day."
He sang It is Pitch Dark, and a deep cut of Front the Most.
Guests included GMinor7 & MC Lars. The "Encore" was Goth Girls. A blast.

I also got to watch Frontalot have "technical difficulties" while trying to take cards. Since Du Nord is sub-level he had to stand next to the stairs in order to get a solid signal. The approximate quote was "there's a down arrow, no? damnit, work, you fucker" as he waved the phone at the stairway.

----------------------------

Later, Sunday Feb. 21st we found ourselves at The Bottom of The Hill for MC Lars, YTCracker & Kay Flay, with a special surprise guest.

Lars Senior laid down some poetry. Yeah, it was very cool, MC Lars' father was there because it was his 10nth anniversary show and read some prose as an opener.

Next up was a true space man. There was some serious YTCracker love from the central valley as myself and a handful of dudes up front sang along with every song. You could tell just from looking at him YT was a little impressed by us knowing who he was AND loving his music.

Kay flay has mad beats and a new fan in my fiance. This skinny chick just rolled up, threw it down and rocked the house with some alternative, some rap, some beats, some remixes. This girl is a musician in every sense of the word.

Lars was as good as usual, putting all he had into his performance.He was sweating his fool head off but continued to be a true player through the whole set. It was a solid night all the way through.

During his last song, which was Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock, he called for a mosh pit to form. I was impressed by the concert attendees. A very professional mosh pit formed, only the people who wanted to be in it were involved, the wall was not heavily assaulted and it reformed into crowd with no one being badly injured. Kudos to the moshers at The Bottom Of the Hill that night.

3rd 4 t3h Nrrd: Feb. '10

Kabuto the Python is a mythical beast 50 feet long covered in spiky scales. Or something like that. He might also be MC Frontalot's bad alter ego as some theories have suggested. But whether these two pieces of trivia are true, what is true is that this Guy Fawkes mask wearing, hat-core, dirty sounding, star wars referencing nerdcore artist has skills.

A member of Scrub Club Records Kabuto has been laying down steam since around '07. A constant contributor to Rhyme Torrents, I also grabbed his Parsletongue album as soon as it was available for download.

He's got a gritty sound, hes got great flow, his lyrical style has just enough twists and turns that I cant come up with what his next rhyme is gonna be, but still enough cussing to keep that smack talking vibe that not only comes from the street but chat rooms, Ventrillo, and X-Box Live.
I get the feeling Nerdcore is what Kabuto is living. Some people flame and bitch about his mask, his style, his unsolicited grudges with other recognized geeks. I think they need to lighten up. Maybe its that plastic grin painted onto his mask but I get the feeling its all good to The Python. He gets down in the trenches of forums and V-blogs on youtube BACK! And He fully embraces his persona as a big bad mutha-fuckin rap snake machine thing. I may be an RP sucker, but I respect someone who sticks to character. On top of that, all that I've seen of him has been . . . real. If you can ever apply that to a Nerdcore Rapper who wears a mask and wont give his "mortal" identity. I mean, he's not cruel, yet he wont think twice about coming down on you if you talk shit, and hes not malicious even though he will carry a grudge until he finishes it. Maybe I'm not totally explaining this correctly, but hopefully you get an idea. This speaks to me as loud as a good mix and some fast words.



I will keep my eye on Kabuto The Python, even if it's only to keep from being swallowed whole!

3rd 4 t3h nrrd, Dec. '09

I know, it's not the 3rd. Get over it. moving on . . . .

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, the King of Nerdcore, an innovator in NerdRap, YTCracker!

This pale poet is among the most hard of the nerdcore element. Actually prosecuted for hacking crimes, he is a true Digital Gangster.

For detailed accounts you can go here, heyer, and NYAH!

Musically, YT is a rapper extraordinaire. A very -true- rapper, his content is always straight forward and practical. The subjects are just as telling about his life and times as mainstream artists, they just happen to be from a very nerdy G. While more well known performers will speak about tough times on the streets and their illicit activities, YTCracker has just as many songs about his hacking days, his struggles as a musician and is a prolific member of SpamTec Crew.

His samples and beats are excellently crafted. Whether producing original loops, borrowing from police station sound files, or Pirating from well known entertainment (turn this one up LOUD, i roll to this ALL the time) houses, the sounds slam you hard, and keep thumping till you can't take anymore.

As a wordsmith, he holds it down with a practiced and confident flow. I don't often hear anything overly complicated or lighting fast, but I don't think he needs to spaz through a song to keep it going. I believe he has an excellent sense of timing, pitch, and tune, and the songs are sick every time.

Currently he has been touring nationwide with MC Lars and Kay Flay, and is always producing more content.

Here's to YTCracker, stay l337, please don't hack me!

Meme-Orables: Memeingful Interactions

Around May/June '09 I decided to increase my net presence by joining a bunch of social networks. Since then I have been reminded why I disdain many people and their issues. I have discussed this phenomena with some friends and I think many might share my view that if you're going to post your soul for everyone to see . . . . .
*looks down at soapbox* balls, where did that come from? Um, short and concise . . . I have some of my soul up here. I've read it a few times and am prepared for whatever comments might come up. I feel they are entertaining/give an insight into the mind that is blabbering around here, and they have not scared off any of my readers. (the whole handful of you!) Maybe I will go into this more later, somewhere else . . .

The POINT! Oh, there it is! Back when I used to frequent less than savory forums and message boards where the cruel rule of schoolyard logic and bullying ruled, we developed harsh yet concise manners of conduct and if they weren't followed, everyone let you know what you did. Blathering, Flaming, generally being a whiny, stupid noob was not only frowned upon, but attacked. To be honest, I miss some of these times and as such, got nostalgic about some of the relics from that time. I have dug them out and present them here. Two of my favorite standbys. As well as a catchy song to get you into the mood.

3rd 4 t3h nrrd, Nov. '09

This month, we bring you a lady of Nerdcore, A chick of geek chic, a hotty of N-Hip-hop!

NURSEHELLA!!!!


Throwing down hot rhymes, this slim siren has a distressingly short set list as far as I can find. She has the speed and the smarts for some fantastic verses, and she's in good with numerous big names in Nerdcore. Just a few are YTCracker, Badd Spellah, and Ultrakystron.

Riding Rhyme Torrents her talent became obvious to me and I've enjoyed all of her work since. She is aware of her power as an attractive female geek, and has fun with it.

Musically, she holds it down. when She's on stage she is confidant and accurate. Whether live or recorded her energy translates to the listener. She has a decent ear to rhythm, pitch and tone which is maintained in the live videos I've seen. Also, her content is deliciously fun in it's geekyness. Ranging from Harry Potter fetishes to using leveling metaphors for getting it on to just plain pwning lil'boy geeklings.

From my research, she seems to have some personal issues and I haven't found hide nor hair of her on the webs for months now. This is unfortunate. Nursehella? Get better and come back? You're a rockin chick and as far as I'm concerned worthy of the Nerdlinger mantle.


She pops up in "Nerdcore Rising" as well as "Nerdcore For Life." Both of which are documentaries, I have a copy of "Rising," and "For Life" has not been released yet. Often touring with Ultra, I now await too see if she's gone the way of Optimus Rhyme, or has just been laying low to throw out a geekgasmic bomb of beats upon her unsuspecting fanboys.

Pass the Test - J!nx on Nerdcore

My homepage is http://www.rhymetorrents.com/ and one of the latest posts was THIS and of course, I had to go check it out!

The TEST is here.

My score was 10/10, I felt like a Nerdcore Pimp, and yet, so sad. Heh, Win!
(Not my leg, if you Know This Guy, you might recognize the significance)

3rd 4 t3h n3rd!, Oct. '09

(H47, Front & T1nk @ SD CC '09)

Lets get something out of the way. MC Frontalot and Nerdcore Rising have affected me in ways that I just can not explain. To hell with it, they have changed my life, OHNOS! cliche's!?

"This here's The Front . . alot and I expect, that yall" should know who the hell this guy is by now, OR, conversely, that he is the godfather of Nerdcore hip-hop.
&
Thar be a ridiculously nerdgasmic Documentary film by the visionaress Negin Farsad, featuring The Front, perhaps you've noticed I've mentioned it a couple times.

Enough commercials (for now). "Gee H47, WTF w/ur hard on about this dood?" Honestly, he is the ultimately balance, FOR ME, of references, beat usage, lyrical content, as a label all around, he is the most put together to me.

After seeing THIS TRAILER I started investigating the genre and Front was not the FIRST Nerdcore "artist" (I use the term loosely, because some of them are NOT) I encountered. I think MC Chris and MC Lars were the first guys I found. Chris being more well known (ATHF) and Lars being more local (live105[scroll to bottom of page], CA bay area). But as soon as I found Frontalot's page and started listening to the feed on the main page, I was hooked.

After researching what I could about Nerdcore, the musical genre of geek rap, MC Frontalot kept coming up and his music was consistently good quality. Last time I checked he was the undisputed champion of Song Fight! and every collaboration I've heard him do has been very awesome (INC LINKGASM!!!1!). Jonathan Coulton, MC Hawkings, Dr. Popular, MC Lars, Jesse Dangerously, Rai Kamishiro, Optimus Rhyme, Kompressor, Brad sucks/achewood (sorta), and even wil wheaton. (WHEW!!! was that good for you? it was good for me.)

So Front has been around for a while, hes been doing his thing for some time, and the talent + work has given this incredible result. lil here, and the documentary are my fave places for info. as a matter of fact, if you feel the least bit as jazzed up and geeked out as I do, please host a screening of Nerdcore Rising, even if only at your place with some buddys, Nerdcore could rise up, but only if the geeks get behind it, and more and more these days, everyone's at least a little bit geek.

Dance of Dizzdillie Pixies

(written for T1nk a few years back, shameless filler! We assure you, real posts are under construction!)

Tony Elfson

12-10-04

A Dance of Dizdillie Pixies

a dark wood, a cautious tread, enter a green, cool glady

before you stands a welcome sight. a most lovely lady

she turns to depart, a quick smirk and wings of sparkling light

your feet move of their own accord as an eerie tune fills the night

you move quite fast as the two of you reach the clearing’s center

you stare into each other’s eyes and you notice a stag move by at a canter

lightning bugs buzz about. or so they appear to be

other creatures of the wood begin to congregate, from the bear to the flea.

she wraps her arms about you, moves to touch your lips with hers

a sharp intake of breath as the night air gently, tree boughs, stirs.

the kiss is sweet, heady and dripping with delight

your eyes open and where the beasts once were, there are woodland spirits all about yoursight.

the tune grows louder, it comes from the wood itself

the tempo winds itself into a jig and all begin to dance. faerie, sprite and elf

the gnome taps with a couple imps while two fae flight about

elves raise their voices in chant but you shall dance with this pixie, there be no doubt.

the reveling, the singing, the dance goes ever on

no time is there, you prance through air, there’s magic in the song

no mortal could replicate this eve, it happens once every nevertime

you were the one, it was told , you’re the son.

this dance will ne’er be done

so you will move and sway with your pixie queen underneath the bright moonshine

Bosun Trent's Two Haul

(Yet another sampling of my nautical themed verse, penned at our weekly Pub outing.)

"Bosun Trent's Two Haul"

Attend, ye dogs, call back, one and all!
(Callback) - Timmeh whey heave one and haul!
Think of the girl you left in port, for good or for foul,
- Timmeh whey, pull m' boys, till the winds howl!
We need to get home lads, put your backs IN
- Timmeh whey backs into it, or we'll have to pull agin!
Keep on it, buckos, steady and true!
- Timmeh whey, HA! Easy call for you.
Till we all get there, or till we all die!
- Timmeh whey, to the deep blue then, says I!

Jace's Lullaby

(I cooked this up for a D&D campaign. My character sings it at night before bed when they make camp, or each night while hes on ship, after the changing of the first eve's watch.)

Jace's Lullaby

My pretty lass, my pretty lass, how I miss your lovely face

You know not who's singin' lass? Tis your darlin' Jace.

My pretty lass, my pretty lass, I long for you to be near

bless my bones my pretty lass, my song can you not hear?

Ahoy my darlin' how have you come to me?

Ye' shant be here, yet I you've found, out upon the sea.

What is wrong my pretty lass? Out of sorts you seem

you gaze off into the distance as if in a dream.

What is that my dear, you have found me at last?

But you were safe in port while I followed the mast.

Oh heavens no, it can not be true.

You threw yourself into the blue.

Alas my dear you know not what you've done

because you've drowned yourself my dear we can not be one.

For when lubers die, they go to heaven or to hell,

And when I pass the Blessed Ilse is where I shall dwell

So, now my love, travel on and take heart

Though forever we must now be apart,

One shall sing for you, your darlin' Jace,

My pretty lass, my pretty lass, keep a smile upon your face.

Optimus Rhyme: P.S.

If THIS!!! filled your ears and your soul as it did mine . . you might wanna see/hear/osmose THIS! (Supercommuter)

*edit 8/18/09*

*hits dead horse with large 2X4* What? this is fun. what more proof do you need of how awesome Optimus Rhyme was?

A Ballad I Ran

A Time or two ago there was a man who traveled afar
He traipsed across the countryside and frequented inns and bars
Through his travels and adventures he gained fortune and fame
A bard, a hero, a scoundrel, Ran Dansin was his name.

For a time he had not been seen in all his home lands
Twas rumored he was in other worlds or simply relaxing on the sands
The world was still young, not all places had been traveled
One merely had to seek out beasts to quickly be unraveled

One of these creatures awoke and sought out destruction
none can recall what it was called, just that it caused great disruption
needless to say it was of an evil way, terrorized and slew
a few tried to get it to die, but none knew exactly what to do

The beast had been sighted near a hamlet, the folks shook with fear
but over the crest of a hill, a merry tune being sung, they did hear
a tall hat with checkered pattern and wear, atop a man with great stride
an overlarge nose, odd cape, boots with red fringe and a rapier at his side.

Turn away traveler, the townspeople warned,
a beast most fowl and its company you should scorn
HA! cried the man, a good song it will make
Bring me your strongest willing bodies and, perhaps some tea and cake?

so assembled, the few of the village who were true
they wondered at this odd man and wondered at his world view
as to the creature, what does it do he inquired after tea
it tears and bites and knocks down walls, none has returned that did see

The crumpets were delicious, he said, but use creme instead of milk
as for this creature, i might be wearing one of its ilk
do you have any remnants from an earlier attack?
why yes, some piped up, our old great uncle, carl and aunt jack

they brought forth a pretty thing of lace and set it below Dansin's face
ah, mayhaps were they tailors and this was their last piece
no it was jacks, the two were lost in the last attack
oh, eheh, gimme a moment to inspect the item, in the meanwhile, have any sack?

so they brought for a jug a few went glug-alug and dansin sat in thought
he turned the fabric this way and that and sniffed it an awful lot
after the booze had been drunk up, he suddenly jumped
i know this creature, ive fought one before and have a trump

he flipped off his hat and placed it upside down and began to dig within it
he cursed and hooted and jumped once or twice, the bottomed seem to have no limit
till finally he pulled out a bottle as well as a fishing pole
and to the questioning looks he replied, im not getting close to it would any of you souls?

he set out to the hillside where the monster was last seen, other brave townies in tow
he hooked the bottle to the pole and set it in a tree, and said, watch how we do this just so
they waited in quiet, they waited in fear, the suspense was great at the time
then it got late, and a few yawned and graped, but then, there was a tug at the line

all of them sweated and strained to see, but the dusk confused their sight
they knew it was the beast from the snarls and teeth against bottle, its bite
Ran just held the pole, line slack and limp, he didnt real or tug, just sat
then the line went taught, the bottle went crash, and the villagers froze where they were at

coughing and wheezing and howling and screaming came from the beast
then slowly but surely the ruckus got quieter and the it made noise the least.
Ran waited an extra moment then said that should do it and just strolled towards the bait
and the people heard him say we live but for this thing, its too late

it took a few minutes for the truth to sink in, but at last the people knew
the thing was no more , they were safe now, for Dansin had slew
but they heard knife against bone and grunt and slash and feared for Ran's life
one brave went to Dansin, but found him knee deep in its blood and in his hand a new bone fife

my companion got the last one, he said with blood on his brow
i only got this belt, but balls to him, i have the set now
the creature was unrecognizable, what it was only Dansin knew
but the leather was supple and its meat made a great stew

at the banquet that morning many inquired what the bottle was
Dansin told them truthfully, it was no more than dandelion and suds
they were dumbfounded, and stunned, to believe many were loath
Ran calmly explained, that that creature was fiercely allergic to both

A Time or two ago there was a man who traveled afar
He traipsed across the countryside and frequented inns and bars
Through his travels and adventures he gained fortune and fame
A bard, a hero, a scoundrel, Ran Dansin was his name.

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!

AFTERCON 09!

AFTERCON 09: MC LARS, Cyanide & Happiness,SMBC,Doomtree,MC Frontalot, ytcracker

AFTERCON 09':MC LARS, new animated shorts by Cyanide and Happiness, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Theater, Doomtree, MC Frontalot, ytcracker.
PERFORMANCE INFO
Sat, Jul 25
Doors at 7:30PM Casbah San Diego, CA Ages 21+ Only $18.00 - $20.00 Onsale Jun 27

happening Comic Con weekend, less than 10 mins from the con. best beleive i will be there.

Represent The Nerdlife, forthright!

The Traveler

How 'bout some of my work?
I am an artist of words.. lessee?


The Traveler

A vacant heart that doesnt twitch
Revealed behind a dark gray mist
A time 'afore history was writ
I give to you an elven myth

(chorus)
He danced around a great stone ring
He did dance and he did sing
Into the frigid cold of night
Beneath the moons silvery light

Through a weirding forest I did walk
And only the owl my path did mock
Then into a clearing I saw through my hair lock
An odd man with a great hat who skipped among many a rock

(chorus)

he stopped a moment and then sighed
to my unspoken question he replied
this is where I jig for this is where I died.
I was smote here by mine own spirit and most trusted guide

(chorus)

so here I dance but also wait
for this very single date
when I shall find one to mate
my hat to themselves and my spirit take.

So please take to your heart my desperate matter
Its not just stylish, oh, but rather
Will give you powers that can bind and tatter
So place this upon your crown and be ever known as a hatter

(chorus)

I then accepted this mantle from his head
And even though he was very dead
it was alive. black and white and tall and red
And the hat has lived up to everything he said

Also, as you can see
Since the day he gave this thing to me
His spirit has lived and does agree
That the true hatter for now is me

(chorus)

JabberWow

4-8-08
JABBERWOW
Twas WoW time, l337s and noobs
did Pug to raid.
The Gold Beggars yell LOLBBQ!
And Chinese farmers got paid.

"Beware flagged skulls, dood,
one shot and you are pwned.
Shun loot ninjas, the rude,
and players who are stoned."

He accepted the quest,
Fiery chant on a Grey item.
He medded to grind the next.
Targeted? he'd take 'em.

Aggroed out of no where,
an elite rare did add.
The Lowbie hit his cool down buttons.
Now he's mad.

Oh shit, crit crit, finishing blow.
The mobs went down.
He bandaged, looted just so,
and hearthed back to town.

"You roxord boxors of creeps?"
The quest guy did ask.
The rewards: a silver piece
and a blue quality mask.

Twas WoW time, l337s and noobs
did Pug to raid.
The Gold Beggars yell LOLBBQ!
And Chinese farmers got paid.