Leisurely Geeks

I ran across this the other night. Not sure if anyone here has seen any of her stuff, but it is really good. I especially like this little diddy.

ENJOY!!!!!

If there were to be say a “Geek Hall of Fame”, all three things involved in this video would have a place. Ben Folds Five, Fraggle Rock, and The Nerdist. This is the video for Ben Folds Five new song “Do it Anyway” featuring Fraggles and Chris Hardwick from The Nerdist. Watch untill the very end of the video. I hope this signifies more work on the Fraggle Rock movie http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Fraggle_Rock_(movie). Also check out all the other great stuff from
The Nerdist Channel on youtube.

Related articles

• Ben Folds Five and Fraggle Rock Official ‘Do It Anyway’ Music Video
• EXCLUSIVE!: Ben Folds Five and the Fraggles Sing “Do It Anyway”

Yeah, I am definitely ready for some more Walking Dead. Here a couple interesting versions of the theme I just came across. I really should play the game too.

Enjoy!

This is one mans account of the events that happened at the Vans Warped Tour held on July 17, 2012. This may not be for the weak of heart or people with high blood pressure, also you must be at least 5’10 to ride this ride. Ok, so that last statement may not be true.

Band 1. Ballyhoo!
Ballyhoo! is a rock, pop, punk, reggae band based in Baltimore, Md. This is the first time I have heard of this band, and my friends and I decided to check them out while waiting for the Polar Bear Club set to start. Ballyhoo! has a decent stage presence, and are fun and full of energy. Their reggae sound made me feel like my summer has finally began.

Band 2. I Fight Dragons
I Fight Dragons is a rock band from Chicago. Their music combines pop/rock songs with original electronic sounds and even some metalcore and nintendocore influences. The electronic sounds are made using Nintendo Game Boys and Nintendo Entertainment Systems. Again this is a band I just discovered at this point, and was drawn by the guy jamming out on a guitar hero guitar. Pretty impressive sound and I would suggest this band to and of my geek friends.

Band 3. Polar Bear Club
Polar Bear Club is a post-hardcore band from Rochester and Syracuse, New York. Formed in 2005, the band currently consists of vocalist Jimmy Stadt, lead guitarist Chris Browne, rhythm guitarist Nate Morris, bass guitarist Erik Michael “Goose” Henning and drummer Steve Port. I was super excited to see this band live for the first time as some of the members are from my hometown of Syracuse, NY. Polar Bear Club energy of their live performance was off the chart. I even decided to mix it up in the pit when they played my favorite song by them, ‘Living Saints’. They also played favorites such as “Bottled Wind” and “Hallow Place”. One of my favorite sets of the day.

Wow! I know we love the Humble Bundle which does great work for both charity and getting Indie games into people’s hands. Now for the first time they are doing a bundle of music. It’s called The Humble Music Bundle.  Artists and albums are: MC Frontalot‘s Favoritism, Christopher Tin‘s Calling all Dawns, They Might be Giants‘ Album Raises New and Troubling Questions, Hitoshi Sakimoto‘s Best of The Valkyria Chronicles, and Jonathan Coulton‘s Greatest Hit (Plus 13 Other Songs). Pay more than the average (which right now is only $8.12) and get OK Go‘s Twelve Remixes of Four Songs. All albums come available as both mp3 and lossless FLAC files without DRM. Quite the nerdy collection. And as usual for Humble Bundles, you can decide how much of your cash goes to the artist or charity. Time for some Particle Man!!

A 12″ record, a 7″ record, and a CD-ROM. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have been meaning to post about this for a month or two. I have a decent sized mp3 collection. And I have subscribed to services such as Rhapsody, MOG, Rdio, and current favorite: Spotify. But the subscription model leaves me owning nothing. This is especially true of newer music or music I didn’t explore back when I bought CD’s and used more nefarious methods to get my music. Now, I fully recommend a subscription service. Nothing beats using them for discovering music. Heck, Spotify can be as cheap as free if you don’t mind forgoing mobile access and having a few advertisements.

With all that said, the state of actually buying music couldn’t be better. The competition between iTunes, Amazon MP3, and Google’s Play store is a heated battle. This has led to each marketplace having some pretty great sales. In my opinion, Amazon takes the cake in this part of the marketplace. They have done 100 $5.00 albums which change each month for a long time. But they also do a weekly themed sale of $2.99 albums. These sales are amazing. Don’t let the price fool you. Amazon has done a great job using social media, including Twitter, to get the buyers voice to curate the artists and albums on sale each week. This leads to a smaller but more focused sale that looks like a best of collection set around the theme for the week. Due to my diverse tastes I am usually buying 1-3 albums each sale and it is costing me less that one full price album. Add into the fact that the opportunity to earn $ credit on Amazon is very easy. If you follow them on Twitter @amazonmp3 you will get opportunities galore to add a dollar or two with no real effort. Which doesn’t sound like much unless you can buy an entire album for $2.99.

This weeks theme is “Turned Up to 11″ which does in fact include Spinal Tap and a bunch of great rock albums. What to buy?..What to buy?

Check out the sale here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000803791

Related articles

• How to (Legally) Boost Your Music Library Without Spending a Dime(lifehacker.com)

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Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer playing at a wedding in Oxfordshire, 19 June 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Need something silly to get your weekend started? Listen to some Chap-Hop from Mr. B. The Gentleman Rhymer. One of the most interesting and funny musicians I have ever seen. All of his videos are great and worth the watch.

Geeky?

Indeed!

Check out his site here: http://gentlemanrhymer.com/

Sometimes forgotten in the highlights of screenshots and game-play. HD 1080p, 3D, refresh rates, multiplayer servers. I argue that often a game makes as much impact through it’s music. This goes back to the beginning of video games and continues to this day. There are current series with music so great that purchasing the soundtrack is something I do as the credits are rolling from my first play-through. Mass Effect with each of its games dark ambient electronica. Heavy Rain and its atmospheric tracks of sadness and desperation. Alan Wake and its symphony of insanity dispersed with chapter ending songs. Then there are some of the classic series such as Mega Man, Mario, Final Fantasy, Castlevania and so many others. And listening to any music from those games brings you back to sitting on the floor with a corded controller (gasp) and staring at a TV with wood built into it. Taking turns with a friend, brother, or sister and knowing you have found common ground.

Finding the time to revisit the classics in their entirety is impossible for most as the rush of responsibilities is on us like oncoming traffic. But, music is something that can be enjoyed in a different way. We can slip it in by turning on something while working, driving etc… . We can enjoy some of that nostalgia and relive some of the coolest moments of both current and classic games.

Caught this thanks to following wired on twitter. ‘Rub some bacon on it’ by Rhett and Link. Funny internet meme filled video. Some cheesy, geeky fun. I only worry how it will effect the zombies. For an explanation of that concern , read  Andy’s recent post: This is how it begins.

Check out Rhett and Link‘s youtube channels:

http://www.youtube.com/rhettandlink and http://www.youtube.com/rhettandlink2.

Original article by Angela Watercutter on the Underwire section of Wired. Always good stuff: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/05/rhett-link-rub-some-bacon-on-it/

Yes the geeks will indeed inherit the earth! And a great Weezer cover!