The Ursa Major Awards is an annual award show that recognizes the best in furry arts. 2023 was an INCREDIBLE year for me, and not just for my music. I worked
on a lot of games, been to a lot of cons, and built a great little fan
community. Below is a little voting guide so you know what to nominate
to help me out!
I mean, this video pretty much covers it. I put on a lot of awesome shows at a lot of new cons and I'm starting to be recognized more. Finally, I'm getting somewhere!
Once I hit the big 3-5, (now I'm 36 for clarity's sake) I've made peace with getting older, and I'm officially in my late 30s. However, the furry fandom is filled with awesome people still having this creative, energetic spirit, even in old age, and that's what I wanted to capture with my song Gray Muzzle.
I'm just very wary of how it's all going to GO WRONG. After my FWA show, I was worried that something bad was going to happen to me on the way home.
It's still a struggle to recognize that GOOD THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO ME WITHOUT SOME KIND OF KARMIC RETRIBUTION. That sounds easy, but when you're acutely aware of the cost of EVERYTHING, it takes the joy out of the small accomplishments. And when you've perceived everything as transactional, it can make relationships where people just want to be around you make you feel like you did something wrong if you've never ACTIVELY tried to impress them.
Sometimes, things are just free.
FAVORITE SONG I MADE THIS YEAR: "Hop On"
Number one with a motherfucking bullet. Long time fans would know I sang it at FWA 2022, but this makes when I actually finished it and started performing it live.
EVERYTHING clicked here: I found a range and delivery that fits me perfectly, and it's "What if a Disney Villain sang turn of the millenium pop punk?" I mentioned this was originally supposed to a collab with Teddy Wynton, but as schedules changed I finally decided to knuckle down and finish it myself.
The song is about just not... feeling right when a good opportunity presents itself. You're out with friends, peoples are getting all up ons, but you're just not there, and you have to force yourself to tell the little voice inside your head to just shut up.
this came to me in a living fever dream and god DAMN it's so sick. Granted, I made it up in a Pomodoro stream when I decided to tune my guitar to Drop D and let it rip, but that's neither here nor there. All I was given was
Fox is no slouch in the music department himself. He's not a composer, but my job on the FITF podcast this season was JUST musical arrangement, and he picked out the (royalty-free) tracks to use. For someone who claims he has no musical knowledge, a lot of his picks were inspired and on POINT, even suggesting transitions and ways to Frankenstein the track to what's needed.
He has given his 100% to every aspect of production on this where you don't even NOTICE that it's done independently.
Chord Progressions is a slice-of-life VN that takes place in a music store, and, even in its early stages is very charming as you play Eddy, a fox from a country town who moves to the big city. There's a lot of sweet moments and plenty of intrigue in what's only the first couple "days" of story. I liked Extracurricular Activities, and this is very much along the same lines.
I voice Darrell, a big ol' hunky lion who plays metal! It's fun seeing everyone's reactions to this, and in the next build, you can listen to a song the author BowserPuma and I worked on called "Fuck Around and Find Out".
FUCK YES, my music finally made it into a video game!
While it's not much, I'm still pleased people enjoyed this to varying degrees. It's still very well put together, and now you can put your OWN models! Wait, I do have a couple models from VR Chat/VSeeFace...
This was a fun one I NEVER saw coming, but that's the great thing about the furry community: You'll find creativity in unexpected places to help magnify the expereince!
From the copy:
The show's all wrapped up, and lucky you! Thrash invites you out behind the venue where he's got something stiff for ya! With notes of rosemary, lime, tequila, woods, pits and balls musk~ Note this does come with the 18+ label. Proceeds go to the thrash panda himself!
Shoutouts to ENBIETY for helping me arrange the meeting and for their input with the scent.
The base of this was a drink called the Salty Raccoon, which is made up of Tequila, rosemary syrup, and lime juice, but then EN came up with the suggestion of forest-y stuff, and trash. Then the "story" of the scent clicked together: a post-show hook up with Thrash where he's brought a stiff drink and stiff... muscles.
TREND I LIKED THE LEAST: "AI Will Put You Out Of A Job!"
Ma'am, I'm an Engineer. And my job is in no risk of being automated.
But I love making art and those who make it, and as I say on my Pomodoro Streams:
ART IS A SERIES OF DECISIONS
If you can't do something, or feel something else, and still proceed, THAT'S A DECISION.
We may not always get "why", but at the base level we can shrug and go "well, that's we got at the end"
Those championing AI, cackling with glee over putting "those creatives" out of a business, while they waste water on images of Drake doing 9/11 or whatever, are no one special. They're either salesmen looking to profit off of it, or are so afraid of producing something to be judged on that they offset it by having a program automate everything.
As Bianca Del Rio put it, what DO you do successfully?
TREND I LIKED THE MOST: Won't Get Fooled Again
WELL, despite the people above, the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America both got great deals for their strikes, and people for the most part seemed to be on their side!
Every cynical ploy going "Well, golly, those GREEDY WRITERS AND ACTORS want to take away SPIDERMAN from you!" was met with "well then pay them"
Which paved the way for UPS and the Auto Workers to ALSO go on strike and get better deals!
And now, with what's going on in the Gaza strip, the public seems to for the most part, seems to support a full on ceasefire, even Republicans! Though I think that's more "Finish your Ukraine first >:("
"B-but Hamas!" "Yeah, and that was absolutely horrible, however, we've been through 9/11 and now we know how bad all that stuff the US did looks on the other side. No thanks, stop the genocide. Free Palestine."
WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY TELL ME ABOUT THIS SOONER? Dead By Daylight
Played this a long time ago on the Xbone as part of Game Pass, but didn't put much time into it. However, I also had gotten it free via Epic Games Store, and during a Backlog Blitz, I actually played a few matches, and enjoyed it!
"Enjoyed" is actually a very strong word here, since it was more "a very engaging tension", but you know, you get the deal.
Basic premise: You play as either a survivor who, along with three other survivors are tasked with repairing five generators, or you play the killer who has to down the survivors and "sacrifice" them by hanging them on a hook.
Sometimes the game can get away from you on either side, and as I've learned with Lethal Company, unless I'm a big fucking pisspants baby I am magnetically attracted to Things Killing Me. Regardless, the developers put a lot of effort and attention to making each killer FEEL different, and like the movies themselves, make them entertaining spectacles.
As I said before, I die a lot playing survivor so I'm unable to get that much nuisance out of the different survivors, but who doesn't love a good "OH SHIT, THAT WAS CLOSE!" moment.
The honeymoon period for the game is over, and I haven't touched it in a while, but I wholeheartedly recommend it if you are interested in ANY major horror franchise. They'll find someway to get you.
*cries in 2 Resident Evil DLCs*
I DIDN'T REALLY LISTEN TO TOP 40 RADIO THIS YEAR OR NEW MUSIC IN GENERAL SO LET'S JUST MOVE ON TO THE GAMES
OLD GAME OF 2023 RUNNERS UP:
5. Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People (PC)- The best from Telltale's infancy period that I finally put to bed this year, which made my old Millennial ass feel relevant again, if only for a bit.
4. Sherlock Holmes and the Devil's Daughter (PC)- A game that, while a tad overloaded with minigames, does a really good job by providing a fun, episodic adventure that puts me in Sherlock Holmes's hot Ral-Zareky shoes for a bit.
3. Adastra (PC)- I now get why all you people simp for Amicus, and like all Echo Project games, while it's presentation is straightforward , it is exceedingly well written for what started at off as "I got in a fucked up mental place while writing Echo, now I want wolf sm- oh i acidentally wrote a text on queer identity and murdering fascists"
2. The Darkside Detective Series (PC)- Can be obtuse at times like most point and click adventure games, but DD 1+2 use the opportunity to make even the most mundane interactions entertainingly silly.
#1 OLD GAME OF 2023: Final Fantasy 6 (PC)
I have never been one for JRPGs, as the overarching plots always feel too long, and the side bits too numerous to be overwhelming, but Final Fantasy 6 is the one that got through to me, and I enthusiastically wrapped up every last morsel I (reasonably) could.
A lot of people praise the game for things like combat, or writing, but I loved its PACE. Each play session (of about 2 hours) is felt like the episode of a TV show: A character would be introduced, or there would be one new development, or one location we'd have to go to, and I was eager to return to it week after week.
One major departure that you can say got my attention was the setting: instead of a typical swords and sorcery fantasy setting, it takes place after a major war has essentially rid the world of magic. Everything runs on "MagiTek", combining Magic and Machinery, putting FFVI more in the realm of Steampunk as opposed to full on Fantasy. The game also starts with your party fully powered, so you have a chance to play around with the combat before each new character introduces their new mechanic.
OH, THE CHARACTERS! After every new introduction, I was able to make a silly little description that jumped out:
Then as the game progresses, their story changes, not just in reaction to the main plot (dictatorship and The Joker try to revive magic so they can solidify their grip on the world), but we learn more about their history, which in turn can change how we perceive them.
Every FF fan is going to have their own favorites, and some may argue this was a TERRIBLE one to start with or not as good as some other one, but it's the Final Fantasy I finished, and it left enough of an impression on me to make it my number one old game of 2023.
NEW GAME OF 2023 RUNNERS UP:
5. Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triangulate (PC)- I guess this is the year of "Two Homestar Runner Games in the #5 Slot" where I still find this now relic-y webseries entertaining after all this time!
4. Advance Wars Reboot Camp (Switch)- Two games from my teenager-dom now spit-polished and readily accessible, with the music even MORE ear-wormy!
3. Baldur's Gate 3 (PC)- I know this feels a little too low, for a game where I can make my DnD character, solve problems in numerous ways, fuck a bear, while STILL happening upon something new around every corner, but I... didn't beat it yet, which with a game as meaty as this is (hopefully) understandable.
2. Chants Of Sennar (PC)- Thanks to Nyx for getting this for me, because this game is very much My Thing, where I'm left to figure so much out via context and I feel like a smarty when I get the right answer AND can see the evolution of the languages you have to decode and how they relate to the societies you find yourself in.
#1 NEW GAME OF 2023: Hi-Fi Rush (PC)
Despite all of the layoffs and fuckery at The Game Awards, it was a pretty good year for gaming, and Hi-Fi Rush, for me stood head an shoulders above the rest. I was awestruck at Chants Of Sennar's ending, but Hi-Fi Rush made my cry.
A game that came out of nowhere starring a dork who wants to be a rockstar in a brightly lit cartoony hack-and-slash rhythm action backed by alt-rock? 100% Bastardcore Game.
Combing Rhythm Games and other genres have been a mixed bag in the past:
Metronomicon mixed RPG spellcasting and Amplitude, but it was a little
TOO easy to fall into a zen-like state and leave strategy by the way
side. Metal Hellsinger I couldn't get into, because I don't play
shooters the same way I play rhythm games, so it was too much for me to
get into the rhythm game flow state, but that meant my shooting strats
were in effective.
Hi-Fi Rush finds the sweet spot that makes
EVERY action feel quick and easy to do by giving me a variety of attacks
on beat, a grapple hook to get to far away enemies, and a parry, so I
don't break flow by having to move too much for a better vantage point
and then get back on beat.
This is a Wwise-ass game, by which I mean, this game uses every part of its soundtrack. The environment pulses in time to the background music, from basic level features like pipes and bushes, to platforms and conveyor belts you have to jump on. The guitar notes that accompany successful hits are in the same key. As you build up your combo, so does the background track. Stages of a boss fight are broken up into the "Verses" and "Choruses" of the licensed soundtrack.
Now, in this age of streaming and overzealous copyright infringement,
there is a "Streamer Mode" where you can use alternative tracks, and the
in-house cover bands did a wonderful job.
We can argue about how "dated" the licensed tracks are, but Hi-Fi Rush follows in the footsteps of Martin Scorcse and James Gunn to absolutely NAIL the needledrops at the right time. "Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys, a song that's felt generic for a while and used in 100s of soundtracks and commercials, starts off our little adventure as previously mention Dork Who Wants To Be A Rockstar, Chai, makes his way through Vandelay Industries (From Importing and Exporting to Robotics?) as part of the Armstrong Robotics progress, ignorant of those scheming behind the scenes.
"Invaders Must Die" by The Prodigy, a song you use when you want to give your action movie a bit of nerd cred, is the the background of all out brawl in the employee cafeteria. In a company that only employs robots.
Not going to go into spoilers, but there is one section in the game where Chai goes, "I AM a rockstar!" that I mentally keep drifting back to get me through the rest of the year.
And all THAT, is what puts Hi-Fi Rush as the best 2023 release I played in 2023!
ANNUAL REMINDER I SHARE A BIRTHDAY WITH MC BAT COMMANDER:
Well, no I’m doing… stable. I guess the scary 35 is here, and I wonder if all of this is worth it.
However, even though I didn’t do a lot of music this year, I still traveled a lot: this year alone was Maryland for Magfest, Atlanta for FWA, Chicago for MFF, and I went back to Orlando TWICE.
I guess that’s what Rhythm Bastard has been for me: A way to get out. Out of my shell, out in to the world, outside of my own head. People recognized me at these places and it finally felt like I was getting somewhere.
Until my Twitter suspension, but I don’t want to dwell on that.
But even that doesn’t deter me because as inconvenient as it was, it made me try harder and starting over helped me slim down and learn how to cultivate an online space, which is a necessity in these anger-inducing times, but more on that later
My inspirations like MC Bat Commander, Mark Mothersbaugh and Billie Joe Armstrong are 40+ and are still doing goofy shit, so why can’t I?
TWO UPCOMING SHOWS SOON: OTAKUFEST AND BIT BRIGADE
Otakufest (as I'll post later) is the best South FL anime con, and Bit Brigade is the REAL show I'm working hard on!
At long last! I've been saying "I'll get around to it!" for over 2 years, but now it's finally out! It's a best of/road mix but at the first couple cons I've been able to sell it at, it also boosted the sales of my OTHER albums as well!
FAVORITE SONG I MADE THIS YEAR: “Shutdown”
I didn’t do a lot on Patreon song wise this year, it was a lot of build up for other projects, and I guess I was in a malaise, hence why I started doing weekly updates for my Patreon. It felt like I was doing SOMETHING with you all.
Shoutout to ThirdKoopa from GameGrooves for helping me out immensely with this, and for introducing me to the concept of “ear candy” that gave the song a big boost.
Also helped the stories for Neon Dynasty and New Capenna ended up being really good? It was VERY clear that there were themes to explore within the setting of tech vs. nature, and that was a NATURAL fit for Shutdown.
PODCASTS I'M A PART OF! RPG Pals Club-
…We’re wrapping up at 100 episodes which should be soon.
The Dragon Heist Campaign has been wrapped up, we’ve all had big changes in our lives, ONE OF US HAD A BABY! It sucks, especially with late stage RPG Pals being so fun and carefree with our improvisation, but the podcast itself is stagnating. We can have fun without needing to record and edit it.
As much as I love my punk drow monk and his motley crew, maybe opening their dog cafe is the “ride off into the sunset” moment he needed.
I love Luke, Sahoni, Sam, Jean and Madison so much, and want to keep playing with them.
Taste Of Dragons-
Not only do I do their theme song, but I was FINALLY ON! I have not seen these people in person since the pandemic started and it was great to see the 3KB crew again!
OTHER COOL SHIT I DID Did music for Quinton Reviews I made the fake “credits" to the actually real "Gibby!" pilot for his "The Scandal Of Sam and Cat" video. Quinton's one of my favorite Youtubers and I was really glad I got to work with him on this.
A lot of Backhouse Mike's music sound like "What if Nine In The Afternoon by Panic At The Disco sucked?". Definitely "White Guy Who Is OK At Blues Guitar" energy.
I Was Interviewed By One Of The Largest Furry News Sites, Dogpatch Press Damn, what is it with furry outlets and good interviews? Dogpatch Press has been in the game for a while, covering a lot of very diverse topics within the fandom, so it was a huge honor. Patch O' Furr really talked me up AND I STILL WANT THAT CAT/RACCOON GRUDGE MATCH!
Finished a fursuit Full body, front and back with muscles included. There's a shitton of pictures in various stages of completion, but I have it COMPLETED. There's still some work to be done in regards to giving that bitch some ventilation, but I'm so happy I was able to accomplish what I have, learning so many new skills in the process.
Even made a last minute Sly Cooper costume for it!
Played a bunch of new conventions
MAGFest - National Harbor, MD What if a con had everything you wanted in it? And was reasonably walkable to decent food?
Otakufest - Miami, FL
What if a local FL anime con was good?
Furry Weekend Atlanta - Atlanta, GA I don't need a mic stand to fucking shred. But I love attending these big conventions where I can do nothing but play Commander games all weekend.
Midwest Furfest - Rosemont, IL PAX East for all my furry bullshit. Well, not really. PAX East is where I see a bunch of shiny new stuff, MFF was more meeting people I've only known online through handles and hashtags.
Made Stuff In VR Chat SPEAKING OF FURRY BULLSHIT...
i swear to xenagos there should be like a double jeopardy on this shit
TREND I LIKED THE LEAST: DIVORCED DADS MAKING THEIR CASTRATION OUR PROBLEM
Elon Musk, Kanye West, and Johnny Depp are the biggest examples of this, but a lot of the Proud Boys here in South Florida are so divorced, I'm starting to think that Fidel Castro invented the concept of alimony.
If you want to stem the rise of fascism, just award the man at every divorce a certificate saying that they "Won The Divorce". That's what it is: people who wrap up their self worth not in what they do, but in a preassigned role in the hierarchy.
See also: Men who only have children to prove that they're straight. If their children turn out Not Straight, then that means he is "defective", bringing into question his Straightness. Drag is not "Straight" so it will infect the child, where as Hooters and church is considered reinforcing How It Should Be
TREND I LIKED THE MOST: COMMUNITY SOLIDARITY For all the threats of men in the former category wanting to murder people for being Not Straight, local communities showed up in numbers to protect each other, especially when Antifascists show up armed to scare the gravy seals.
Yeah, I know it's not some video game or internet thing, but half my brand is Being Swole, and I found a new routine that works for me.
Long story short, 8 sets, 8 reps, 30 seconds of rest. I do four exercises per workout focusing on two different muscle groups. It's time efficient, gets me a good pump, and forces me to retreat a little on the weight so I can make sure I'm hitting those SIXTY FOUR REPS with the best form I can. Work out wise, I've been in a rut for a while, and this is getting me out of it!
NOT FOR BEGINNERS, THOUGH.
FAVORITE SONG OF 2022: "C'mon Loretta" by Trixie Mattel
Trixie Mattel has two modes: Catchy as fuck Pop-Rock or introspective country. "C'mon Loretta" is a power pop tribute to the late country star Loretta Lynn, that still has the storytelling DNA of the latter genre. In Trixie's usual fashion, it's a dire story, told with a peppy and uplifting facade.
Of course, the video is pure sunshine-y camp, recreating the Bille Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs match, featuring a cameo from UNHhhh co-star Katya.
TOP 40 SONG I HATED THE LEAST IN 2022: "About Damn Time" by Lizzo
This was no contest, Lizzo rules, and has been a shining star in the pop music landscape in the past few years. About Damn Time is a disco song with fun turns of phrase like "I'm gonna need two shots in my cup: One to get up, one to get down" and "Bad Bitch O' Clock/Thick Thrity" and it's impossible to feel anything close to bad while listening to this.
OLD GAME OF 2022 RUNNERS UP: 5. A Golden Wake (PC)- An historical point-and-click adventure game that's perfect if you want something light and, like me, are an NY to FL transplant that will have plenty of "Oh! I know that place!" moments, even though the game has you playing a Floridian realtor in the 1920s who turns to crime, which reminds me of how his counterpart 100 years later will turn to divorced Fascism.
4. Doom (Switch)- Hey, turns out the old FPS that influenced many other it its wake is a good game!
3. Danganronpa v3: Killing Harmony (PC)- Its conclusion is similar to Zero Escape in that it will leave you wondering "Well what's the point?" but the madcap happenings will make you forget about all that and leave you with an hype swan song for the series that FINALLY MANAGES TO MAKE HANGMANS GAMBIT NOT SUCK!!!
2. Grand Theft Auto IV (PC)- Everyone was sour on this game for "NIKO, IT'S YOUR COUSIN!" and being less humorous than its predecessor, but the game tells a story about how the American Dream is a bunch of bullshit upheld by crooks and liars and gets the immigrants to turn to crime to scrape at each other in a New York City expy that felt so real I teared up a little just driving through the different boroughs.
#1 OLD GAME OF 2022: Timespinner (PC)
Jeff was kind enough to gift me this out of the blue and once I was an hour in, I then played it in its entirety on stream. Metroidvania's are a dime-a-dozen, especially in the indie scene and this wears it's "I LOVED SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT" inspiration like a lighthouse beacon. I never played Symphony of the Night.
Where Timespinner shines is how it uses the "AHA!" Moment, in every aspect of both its setting and its gameplay.
As the name implies, you'll be traveling between two separate time zones, as you play the role of a titular "Timespinner", someone who is tasked with going back in time to warn your tribe about danger, at the cost of you essentially restarting a new life since you were erased in the old one. It makes for some very bittersweet moments, but also allows some very intense AHAs! when you finally are able to warp between time periods.
For example, when you first encounter the castle area, you encounter it in the past, so the technology is medival, and while the soldiers are tougher than the flora and fauna you've been tackling thus far, they don't do THAT much damage. But in the "present", the soliders are more technologically advanced, are tougher, and require new strategies to beat. And that's just the tip of it: Flooded areas drain, pathways become blocked by walls that have crumpled over time, even basic layouts become rearranged.
It's a game that builds all of these connections as you play concluding in one grand tearjerker of an ending.
NEW GAME OF 2021 RUNNERS UP: 5. Beacon Pines (PC)- While it doesn't have a whole lot of game play going on, its hand painted presentation and wholesome, 80s movie adventure left giving it a solid recommendation to play through.
4. Vampire Survivors (PC)- The indie darling everyone's been talking about hits all the brain parts of a clicker, but has enough strategy required to make it a game worth coming back to that has plenty of challenges to shoot for.
3. Grapple Dog (PC)- While it juuuuuust misses the mark by being failed by its main mechanic in the later levels, it's still an extremely well designed platformer with a soundtrack that recreates the 90s in all the best ways, mainly with orchestral hits.
2. Neon White (PC)- A platformer experience that starts and ends strong, and keeps you coming back for more creative ways to explore your environment, Neon White also has the crisp art style and strong audio aesthetic that makes the game feel like a fever dream.
#1 NEW GAME OF 2022: Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers (PC)
Two years in a row! Kinda!
Where it's predecessor took notes from the workplace romance sitcoms of yesteryear, Arcade Spirits: The New Challnegers takes its cues from the 80's Sports Movie, complete with a douchebag rival team and a gang of misfits you work your may to the top. If you're coming off of harder fare like say, an Echo or Adastra, this is like a sweet, fluffy cotton candy after that meal from the movie The Menu.
Arcade Spirits is not a series about MAKING DECISIONS, it's about HANDLING SITUATIONS. It's more about whether or not you, for example, handle a dispute between teammates by being aggressive, humourous, or logical, making every piece of dialogue feel natural and like you're just carrying on a conversation. While there are certain interactions you can "fail", those are more like "There's no good way to handle this". Towards the end there are "Boss" interactions but those are more about leaning in to your natural way of handling things.
Can I just say, as I posted on a Twitter thread, this game addresses social issues WAY better than most media out there? Discussion about social justice and those who pursue it (BASED COMRADE BOYFRIEND LOCKSLEY), the Gamer Branding, technology and its consequence, all written in a fairly lighthearted story about playing Not League Of Legends.
ANNUAL REMINDER I SHARE A BIRTHDAY WITH MC BAT COMMANDER:
Last weekend, I went to Megaplex, Florida's one and only furry convention, and it was a BLAST!
FRIDAY Since I'm still new to my current job, I'm scant on PTO, so I had to work longer days Monday thru Thursday, then leave Friday morning.
Check-in didn't take long when I got there (maybe about 11:30 AM?) but parking at the Caribe Royale is a gamble where the BEST you can hope for is to break even. Every was set up in enough time for me to go audition for Furry Jeopardy. Got the perfect score on the quiz, and made it to the MAIN SHOW!
The biggest project I had to worry about was of course, Megaplex Megafest. I noticed they put me in Main Events, as well as three smaller artists (going solely by Twitter numbers) all afternoon, and Cassidy The Civet, a pop singer who's actually been on Canada's Got Talent (fuck you Howie Mandell) on Saturday.
I've been down this road before, and it would have sucked for each of us to beg for people to show up. So, I thought why not just present us all as a unified front? We're all going on one right after the other, so this is our opportunity to make our own festival!
It didn't take a whole lot to organize everyone and they were down from the word GO. I also suggested Zack Loup of Psychopomp to do the poster art, since I love his work, but never got to commission him yet.
I kind of envisioned it like a Warped Tour parking lot, with people coming and going, with plenty to do, but the logistics weren't possible and mine and Jane's shows were age-gated.
Everyone had a good show, especially considering it was the first live performance for Jane and Atlas. "Run Over Ronnie" continues to go over big, and my covers of "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Mexican Radio" went so well, I can add them to my repitoire.
At the end of ZandZ's show on Friday, everyone got up for a rendition of "Don't You (Forget About Me)", a nice little cap to everything!
And it felt GOOD to elevate other people! It felt GOOD to be part of something bigger and it felt GOOD to not have to feel like we were in competition!
I did INCREDIBLE on merch this weekend! I'm almost out of Swoletariat T-shirts, and the new CDs, Hardcore Nerdcore Punk Rock did incredible!
It's like everything I've learned over the past 10+ years of doing cons has finally come to fruition!
SUNDAY
Started the morning at the Fitness Furries panel where I began the day with a nice sweat! Cassisy had her concert the day before, and over the weekend everyone's been signing the poster. We donated it to the charity auction where it netted over almost $400 for the C.A.R.E. Foundation!
I got home in PLENTY of time to unwind, and overall, a kick ass weekend!
JAM OF THE WEEK: "Song For A Beer"
Z n' Z use this as the "summary" song, where they also include lyrics from other songs, and they had us come on stage and sing a little bit from ours. It's a fun little acoustic jam that gets stuck in your head SO bad.
This was done over text with DogPatch Press, furry online periodical of record. They've done good interviews and features before, especially when it comes to the fandom within larger societal issues, such as queer pride and "furry panic" in schools.
Patch was very easy to talk to and VERY complimentary with my whole ouvre, so it was really fun to do!
This one was good to update some stuff I had in the previous podcast, 3 years ago. Most of the conversation was focused on making sure everything WORKS when you have a convention setting. It was just nice talking with Kent who knows the scene and knows my career where we can focus on putting myself in front of people and making me look good.
Either way, both interviews had me indulging in my furry side, so with
JAM OF THE WEEK: "Cool Patrol" by Ninja Sex Party
Ninja Sex Party's been hitting different since Game Grumps Dan a much wider audience and a bigger budget, but they manage to make the song SOLID first and foremost. The verse are the setups, the choruses are the punchline and they evolve as the song continues, and the Cool Break is just... so cool.Very reminiscent of 70's pop-funk, which makes sense considering the music video takes place in a roller rink.
