Money Boys - Count3rCu1ture @ Nerdapalooza 2012

Okay, first of all, if you're easily offended by sexually explicit content? Then this isn't for you. I'm sorry, but I have to let you down gently if you're of a sensitive constitution and explicit, detailed talk of deviant sex acts disturbs you.

Now, with that out of the way...





You know...just to be on the safe side...

***PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE DISCLAIMER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE VIDEO. THE MONEY BOYS SET CONTAINS VERY EXPLICIT CONTENT THAT CAN POTENTIALLY OFFFEND OT TITTILATE. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!***

EXCLUSIVE! After running the streeets of South Lake Hills with a tight oral grip, The Money Boys bring the dude-on-dude action to Nerdapalooza. Count3rCu1ture @ Nerdapalooza 2012 continues here.

I can't really claim to be homophobic (thank God), so this was a wild time. Some of the most fun I've had at a show (that wasn't a Nerdapalooza set) in a long time.

Sci-Fried - Count3rCu1ture @ Nerdapalooza 2012

It starts right here!



Sci-Fried bring all-new material and some special guest stars to Nerdapalooza on the heels of their brand new album, "Co-Op Mode".

A couple notes here. This is already out there and I've gotten some great feedback from the Slacker and the Man guys as well as Z from Hipster Please! I'm glad everyone enjoyed the video; I made it a point to have it out ASAP to make sure those who couldn't see it or those who wanted to again had that opportunity.

Which brings me to point two. You notice this is pretty much raw. Not a lot of editing or production values (like I had those anyway?) going in to the series this year. I want these out as soon as it can happen. So, there won't be a lot of editing with any of these, unless it's absolutely necessary. The music and the artists are the stars, not me.

Third, Sci-Fried was the first one but there are already more out there. You can see them at my YouTube channel. When they hit here, they're "officially" out there - but there's more content to be had already. Enjoy and thank you all again.

Nerdapalooza 2012 Full Lineup Revealed (Plus News)

Nerdapalooza 2012 Full Lineup Revealed - Orlando rock music | Examiner.com

Yeah, I know. Talk all that trash about why I have to come back and then go away again for a while. Good grief, I’m starting to feel like The Rock.

I at least have a good(ish) excuse, though. I’ve been trying to get something huge off the ground. I don’t want to speak too much on it yet because I have a lot of work to do yet to see if it’s at a point that it’s even doable. Working on that. I’ll let you know more once I know.

Anyway, this is the good news. Next after this comes the bad news, along with something I need to say. Stay tuned

Revenge Of The Nerds

First of all, a formal announcement will be made on this site, its future, and mine. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that. In the meantime, consider this a shot across the bow.

So I discovered that Substream Press changed their web layout shortly after they changed managing editors (which I knew about already). The result is that the piece below wound up homeless.

Hell with that. Not on my watch. There's no way I could let this fade away and die. Not after I spent five months working on this damn thing.

So, here it is. Originally posted in January of 2011, it's back as we now look toward Nerdapalooza 2012. Grab some popcorn and enjoy. And thanks again.





“Revenge of the Nerds”By: Michael Melchor


“Maybe Luigi wants to fuck the Princess!”

A crowd of several hundred shouted a chorus detailing the possible lonely desires of Mario’s oft-neglected (both in storylines and in fandom) brother back at British rapper B-Type. The audience shares quite a bit in common with the forgotten Mario brother. Always an underdog and somewhat cast aside, no one thinks about Luigi’s desires. Hell, not many bother to pay attention to him, period. He can’t even be referred to without mentioning his more popular brother!

Those fans screaming for a Luigi victory could be heard from the nearby busy Orlando, FL highway where A Comic Shop stood. Many times, they could even be heard over the heavy traffic, letting their enthusiasm carry them away. Some of them drove from right down the road, some of them flew in from across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to be at an event that could be on the cusp of being one of the biggest events on the music calendar. All of them were at the Eisner-nominated nerd haven on a steamy July, 2010 evening to be among their own for Nerd Music’s biggest event of the year.

Nerd Music is a movement that has been around for quite some time, but has gained heavy momentum within the past five years. While its lineage could arguably be traced as far back as Rush and even The Who, it is heavily agreed upon that “Weird” Al Yankovic is the father of the modern movement of Nerd Music. This was aided and abetted by his appearance in the documentary Nerdcore Rising, a film about the technologically-savvy, grammatically-refined Godfather of Nerdcore rap, MC Frontalot. “Weird” Al has been acting, playing, and singing like a nerd for a few decades. In doing so, he has inadvertently led what might become a revolution.

Nerd music defines itself with its subject matter, but expresses itself with genre-breaking acts, a passion for both music and the state of being outcast from general society, and a passion for unabashedly showing their true selves. From the Mega Man-inspired epic arena rock of both the Protomen and The Megas to the quirky references of Nerdcore’s answer to the Wu-Tang Clan, Emergency Pizza Party to the catchy, punky comic-infused folk of Kirby Krackle, are all considered a part of the movement. Many different styles from all over the musical landscape are used in expressing the prides and passions of those who find joy in their fandom and alienation. More acts, like the Harry Potter-espousing electronica of Ministry of Magic to the 8-bit harmonies of Shael Riley to the dirty, funky, Guy Fawkes mask-clad Kabuto the Python, to even bigger acts, such as Barenaked Ladies and Weezer, are all considered part of the scene as well.

Calling Nerd Music a genre would actually be somewhat inaccurate because there are realy no bounds as far as style. Many influences from rock to rap to techno and even 8-bit old-school Nintendo-sounding Chiptunes are used to create the music, while the lyrics range in style from being about proud of being a dork to the finer points of The Legend of Zelda. All of this - and much more - falls under the umbrella of Nerd Music because it’s not as much about style as it is about subject matter. It’s a state of simply being more than it is any style of playing or singing. The one common thread among all the artists carrying the banner of Nerd Music is simply being an outcast from normal society since childhood and finding others that are like you that finally belong somewhere.

In that vein, Nerd Music is a fascinating scene that works, in many ways, the opposite way most trends and fads in music do. Most movements have artists that go out of their way to perpetuate and corporate labels go out of their way to force as the new cool of the moment to bring people in. Nerd Music, much like those that propagate that scene, know what they like and support those that sound like they feel. In most cases, fans follow a particular scene so they can be a part of it, but in the case of Nerd Music, most times the scene reaches out to the artists themselves and welcomes them in.

Such was the example of Schaffer The Darklord. Once a stand-up comedian (albeit simply to improve his performance skills) and metal drummer, Schaffer found his real calling with “The Rappist”. With straight-razor delivery and tongue planted firmly in cheek, Schaffer found his song - about he’s not a “rapper” in the truest sense, but since he parlays that talent, he could be considered a “rappist” - welcomed by what was thought an unlikely crowd. Since then, Schaffer has taken his place alongside giants like MC Frontalot and Random as one of Nerdcore rap’s biggest acts. His delivery and presence have helped him in his success, but so has being an explosive performer.

Schaffer (also a Burlesque emcee) explains how, at first, he was almost taken aback by the invitation. “Oh, no, man - they reached out to me,” he laughs. “I had no idea this scene was even out there, but apparently they found about me. They were really cool, too - like they invited me in, made me a drink and asked me to play some Mario Kart. They’ve been the greatest; once they like you and take you in, they’re so loyal to what you do.”

Schaffer earned their loyalty and his keep with his breakout performance at Nerdapalooza 2008. It is that event that B-Type had the unenviable task of kicking off this past July during the Pre-Party at A Comic Shop. It is also become the event on the Nerd Music calendar – a massive party amongst the socially unkempt. Baseball has the World Series, WWE has WrestleMania...Nerd Music has Nerdapalooza. The festival holds a few dozen acts each year over a July weekend each year in Orlando, FL, and has become the showcase of not just the best talent in Nerdcore rap, but all of Nerd Music. Aside from Schaffer the Darklord and perennial headliner MC Frontalot, many others in Nerd Music have seized their moment at that very show. 8-bit pop punk outfit I Fight Dragons were signed in February 2010 to Atlantic Records after a blistering set at Nerdapalooza 2009. This past year, Nerdcore luminaries ZeaLouS1 and Dr. Awkward joined forces along with a full backing band and blew the crowd to smithereens with the rap-metal fusion of attitude and video games known as the Bossfights.

Aside from being a music festival for a very specific crowd, the other difference between Nerdapalooza and a Bonnarroo or a Coachella is that here you can talk to, meet, and party right alongside the performers as they also take in the show and go out of their way to meet those that made a home for their craft. Each year, the performers go out of their way to give their best to those that have made them feel welcome and supported their careers by not only doing their damndest to decimate a stage, but to take the time to talk to, hang out with, and thank each of the fans that come to the event each year from far and wide.

Random, a Hip-Hop artist based out of Arizona, was also taken in by the Nerd Music fans right around the time of the very first (official) Nerdapalooza in 2007. It helps that his alter-ego is MegaRan, a character named after and based the Mega Man video game franchise. With unparalleled ability and a penchant for good, clean, video game fun, Random is another Nerdcore titan.

Random started out in Gospel very early on, but then moved in to Hip-Hop in 2006 with the release of The Call. However, it was after that he then found a different calling altogether. He explains, “Musically, I just wanted to take a new direction. I had no real intention or any sense of direction after that. I felt like I had said everything I wanted to say as a musician, I talked about everything that was bothering me and everything that was good with the world, and I felt like there was really nothing else to say. I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a follow-up album and one thing I didn’t want to do was create the same album. I just sat music down for a while - didn’t make or play anything - and eventually I got back in to video games. I was playing a lot of retro stuff, especially the Mega Man series that I loved so much, and that made me want to do something with that. I wanted to do a Mega Man rap album. I searched around to see if anyone had done anything like that before, and no one had, so I said, ‘I’m gonna do it.”

Soon after, another door was opened – this time by the company that created his alter ego and means of becoming one of Nerd Music’s stalwarts. “The press release got out and it got out to a couple major gaming sites, and then I got a message on MySpace from Capcom. I was afraid of getting my MySpace shut down, but this wasn’t a cease-and-desist letter. They wanted to work with me. The head of the Capcom Community Division contacted me and wanted me to be a site moderator and invite me out to events and work with them. They invited me out to [the San Diego] ComiCon and I had a great time. I think a lot of game developers have a lot to learn with stuff like that. Capcom is way ahead of the curve there. They could have easily shut me down, but they realized it’s not hurting anybody and, really, all I’m doing is promoting their character. It’s been unbeliebveable since then; I can’t say it’s a dream come true, because I never even imagined something like this would happen.”

Random would seem, by the act of using such a noted game character as an avatar, to court the Nerd Music audience, but at that point they were almost too few to count. By the time they had grown, they found other musicians that had much in common with their way of thinking and invited them in to the fold. Such was also the case when the movement was brought to Orlando, FL’s Marc with a C. Marc, now a 12-year music veteran, started out with songs about an unhealthy love for That 70’s Show’s Laura Prepon and “Chicken Pox and Star Wars Guys” before growing both his subject matter and craft in to a loyal following, both regionally and worldwide thanks to a savvy use of the internet.

The invitation was extended to Marc in 2008 to be a part of Nerdapalooza - a move that both surprised and comforted him. “I was shocked at how a music scene I didn’t know was thriving was so open to embracing,” he explains. “I had played at so many smoky bars and sweaty clubs over the years and didn’t fit in with the Indie Rock scene, the bar bands, or the hipster set for that matter. It was comforting to see a weekend full of people from all over the United States that went, ‘you’re home. We like what you do and you’re now a part of this thing you didn’t even know was happening.’ As soon as I get on stage, there’s a kinship there that, I don’t have to explain what makes me nerdy. You can see it right off the bat. They get it. You can do a couple songs to establish some common ground, but they they’re just on your wavelength and excited to hear something a little different but with subject matter they can relate to.”

Another act seemingly born for Nerd Music is the Classic-Rock-and-Science-Fiction raised Sci-Fried. In-between their last album Geeks Unite and their newest effort set for release later this year, Future Tense, the fun-loving guys in Sci-Fried saw their star rise greatly thanks in large part to having their parodies of Indiana Jones and Battlestar Galactica out there. Soon, fans discovered that Sci-Fried was about more than just parodies. Geeks Unite featured all original songs all over the geek map from “Saturday Night on SyFy” to “Don’t Phase Me, Bro”. The humor was there, but as well was the inclination that Sci-Fried was as serious about their music as it was the love of geeks everywhere.

In-between albums, Sci-Fried made their first Nerdapalooza appearance last year and spent much of the weekend leading up to their set being stared at. In a world of social outcasts, Sci-Fried, looking like the Island of Misfit Musicians with their bar-band sound, were skeptically regarded among the established Nerd Music guard. However, three songs in to their set, Sci-Fried were being cheered as the crowd partied along. By the time they were done, they became only the second act of the festival at that point to earn a call for an encore - the first being the explosive Schaffer himself, who went on early while Sci-Fried did battle with technical difficulties and sound issues.

Geeks Unite, for the band, is as much a creed as it is an album title. The question Uma Thurman posed to John Travolta in Pulp Fiction about whether he was an Elvis person or a Beatles person - how one could like both but no one liked one more than the other and which one a person liked more - could just as easily fit the world of geekdom. Many fans like Star Wars and Star Trek, but there’s always a preference of one over the other, and which is preferred could reveal a lot about a fan. Sci-Fried realizes this, and uses it not to divide fans, but to unite them. Despite whether you like Star Wars, Star Trek, or even Stargate, all nerds are in the same boat, according to Sci-Fried, and should all get along equally and realize they have the power to change the world.

It is that philosophy that leads Sci-Fried’s lead singer Dr. Vern to believe that the nerds are well on their way to taking over the world - and that Nerd Music will soon be as well-known and well-loved as any other genre. “Every other form of entertainment is inundated with material aimed at the same fanbase,” he says. “Movies, comics, games - they’re all aimed at the same group of fans. It would stand to reason that, the more fans that are exposed to this music, the more fans could be generated from it. When you’re talking about a mainstream, break-through audience, I believe that could be the case. A lot of people don’t know because the music industry doesn’t know what to do with geeks. There are a lot of things that people nerd out over, and there are more people writing songs about it now. The music industry’s not promoting it, because they think it’s bad and not a lot of people are buying it. And I don’t believe that.”

Marc with a C concurs with Dr. Vern’s statement, albeit on a wider scale. “It’s an interesting time to be in Nerd Music. With Nerd Music, you have to remember that it’s not all just comic books and video games. It extends to Wizard Rock, it extends to basically anything you can get more than three songs out of,“ Marc laughs, “someone else is going to be really in to it as well.

“Everybody is geeky about one subject. See George Hrab, who I just saw [at Nerdapalooza 2010] for the first time. All of his songs are based on science and also being a general skeptic about the way religion and history are recorded. He went over like gangbusters! Then there are the commercial successes - things like Transformers, X-Men, all these Batman films. They always do gangbusters at the box office, and they’re not just #1 for a week. It won’t be long before those interests spill over in to popular music. If the fans are this enthusiastic and hardcore, right now, about all the things we are all nerdy about and shows no signs of slowing down, how can it become anything but the next big thing in music?”

Indeed, the genre is growing. Nerdapalooza tops its attendance record each year, and more and more artists have been connected with the festival as far as rumored performers. The Fat Boys campaigned on Twitter to be a part of the 2010 iteration and missed it by a literal matter of mere days (although they are apparently intent on being there this year. Another, Del the Funkee Homosapien, is surely open to the idea of performing at Nerdapalooza while in the midst of recording a long-awaited sequel to his side-project with Dan the Automator, Deltron 3030.

When citing some of his influences, Del explains that, “I’m kinda dig some sci-fi. I’m not an incredible fan; I’m not a Trekkie or anything like that, but I like those kinds of themes that are out there. I’m much more in to Anime and Manga than anything else. I like that stuff but I’m not way in to it. I was when I was younger. I’ve actually been wanting to get back in to comics for a bit because you can read them on the computer now, and I’m on the computer all the time. I wouldn’t mind playing Nerdapalooza.”

Others, like the Aquabats and even Weezer themselves, remain just rumors. For now. It’s a very good possibility that artists like these - and many more - could be a part of Nerdapalooza in the coming years. Many of them, whether they realize it or not, are already considered Nerd Music by its faithful fans and would love for them to come on in, kick up their feet, play some Mario Kart, and be a part of the community, too.

With the success of films such as Iron Man and Transformers - not to mention that two of the highest grossing box-office films in history feature elements of science fiction (Avatar) and comic books (The Dark Knight) - the nerd culture has slowly taken over the entertainment landscape. How long will it be before that seeps in to music as well? Nerd Music is making an impact in music in ways that have been subtle but are about to become much bigger. The underdogs outcast in school could go on to become the dominant entity in all of music. And maybe Luigi will get his shot with the princess after all.



Photo of Schaffer The Darklord courtesy of Wikipedia user Salty Boatr.

Spoil THIS.

Okay, I understand I’m walking a fine line here even before I start. Because, you know, God forbid I offend anyone in today’s uber-sensitive climate where people can have their feelings and sensitivities ruffled over just about anything. Even with that said, I’m trying to be the bigger person here.

So, I’ve seen and heard quite a bit lately about people having to read “spoilers” on their social media feeds. Now, we’re not talking about crucial plot points of a movie or show that hasn’t been released yet being given away to a mass audience. That’s more than understandable. No, this has to do with people commenting on events as they happen and rubbing those that can’t see it the wrong way.

For clarity’s sake, let’s use AMC’s The Walking Dead as our example. The season finale aired back on March 18 and roughly 9 million people saw it. (I wasn’t one of them because, between all the podcasts and online geek news I keep up with, I’m pretty much able to follow both the comic and TV series’ without reading or watching either one. I’ll probably get around to both someday.) While it was happening, a new charac--

Wait, wait, wait. So nobody gets mad at me, either...despite the fact that this happened nearly a month ago now...**SPOILER WARNING**, okay?

Anyway, a new character, Michonne debuted. By new, I mean new to the show, as the character has quite a following as far as the comic series fans go.

There, there’s the end of your **SPOILER WARNING**, okay? But it might come up again, because that’s the entire point of this piece, so maybe I need another **SPOILER WARNING** just for the rest of the column so nobody gets mad. We cool? Okay, great.

People watching the season finale live commented all over the place, as they were uber-excited to see an appearance from Michonne. However, there were people that had to work, or be somewhere else and couldn’t watch the show live, having to opt for seeing it recorded later on.

Despite being so busy they couldn’t see the show, however, they were certainly not too busy that they couldn’t check their social media feeds or go online and see people talking about this all over. And then they haul off and call the people talking about the show as it was happening “assholes” and other cute names just because they had the temerity to go online and read about what they weren’t able to see yet.

Now, let’s clarify something here. Despite how sarcastic (caustic, perhaps?) I’ve been up to this point, I actually try not to give away details of something I’m watching live. I definitely threw out a comment or two about WrestleMania 28, but I kept it to commentary and not giving away results or anything. I actually try to be careful about that sort of thing because, well...I’ve kinda walked away from being a newshound. I spent several years doing that sort of thing and, frankly, there are people like Randy at Geek World Order who have taken up that mantle and run with it better than I’m able to nowadays. That’s also one of the reasons I hardly update this thing anymore, but that’s a digression for a-whole-nother time.

Back to our point, I try to be careful about not giving away details when I’m watching a big event for the sake of those that may not be able to see it right then and there and don’t want everything given away before they can see it. With that said, I also don’t agree with those same people getting all mad and claiming the internet as their own sovereign ground, not to be disturbed or treaded upon by those who are watching whatever event live and want to express their excitement in the details they are seeing unfold.

It’s called “freedom of expression”. You remember that, don’tcha? The thing we’re all guaranteed in the First Amendment of the Constitution? The same freedom that those whiny maggots who yelled loud enough to have the ending of “Mass Effect 3” changed have surrendered their right to argue in favor of ever again because of their over-inflated sense of self-entitlement disguised as nerd rage? Yes, we all still have it. We’re allowed to rant, rave, and yes, discuss things that are happening live, right here and right now, even if we’re told by a few that we’re not allowed because now they can’t be surprised.

If it’s that big of a deal, may I suggest not being on the internet while said events that you can’t see live are happening? Or, at the very least, stay the hell off of the social networks on your phone. The expression “curiosity killed the cat” exists for a reason. If you deliberately stick your foot in an ant mound, who do you really have to blame when you get bit several dozen hundred times? If you know all your friends are watching the show and probably talking about it, then don’t go near it until you’ve had a chance to watch it. It’s really that easy.

I’m sure this came off as being biased toward one side of the argument, but it’s really not. It’s a lesson we can all learn because it’s honestly not that difficult. For those of you that can’t see it as it happens, have a heart for those who can and let them enjoy it in peace while they’re watching it. If you know good and well everybody’s going to be talking about this thing, don’t be so egotistical to think the entire world’s going to steer clear of details because you can’t join the party quite yet. And those of you that are talking about it? Try and have a care for those who can’t see it quite yet. Commentary is fine, but you don’t have to give away every little detail before everyone can see it, because there will be those who simply can’t see it as it happens.

At the end of the day, it’s all about consideration. It’s not as tough as everyone thinks it is, though it does involve some effort in not thinking about just yourself. If we all spent a little more time looking at ourselves to see how we could me more considerate toward others rather than sticking noses in everyone else’s business and picking self-righteous arguments when anyone says something even remotely possibly insensitive toward anyone or anything, I swear to you this world this world would be a much better place. As my good friend Marc would say, “In a world of trolling and negativity, the most punk rock thing you can do is just be nice.”


The classics never get old



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Remember what I said about not breaking news like other dudes? Yeah, everybody and their mom’s already beaten me to this one, but I don’t have to care. I don’t want to be the first to share anything anymore; I just want to share what I like.

Sci-Fried has a new video out for a track called “Never Fall”, an anthemic ditty about the Avengers. So is the video. See, watch:





Oh yeah, and my buddies here are also trying to get to Bonnaroo. Can you find it in your heart to help them out? Maybe even once a day? I promise it won’t cost a dime.

C3C1 @ NAP2011 - The Marc with a C / Sci-Fried Power Hour

This is it.

The final installment of Count3rCu1ture @ Nerdapalooza 2011 is here - The Marc with a C/Sci-Fried Power Hour. Get comfy and watch two fan-favorite acts at Nerdapalooza command the stage for over a solid hour!



Setlist:

Marc with a C:
Since I left My Baby I Can't Stop Flossing
I'm In Love With Everyone I Know
You're My Princess
Love My Little Squiddy

Marc with a C + Sci-Fried:
Motherfuckers Be Bullshittin'
Nerdy Girls
Foiled Again

Sci-Fried:
Evil Dead Guy
Geek Rock
LV 426
Away Team
Fifty One
Chosen One

Marc with a C + Sci-Fried:
Hash Pipe

Sci-Fried:
Fett's Vette


Once again, a huge thanks to everyone along the way who made Nerdapalooza 2011 an awesome weekend. You guys know who you are. Let's do this again real soon. Say, about a year from now?

Sci-Fried makes "Con-tact" at Nerdapalooza

Sci-Fried has gained an unstoppable momentum by marrying rock and roll with all things geek in heretofore unheard of ways. This is their story.