STATE OF THE BASTARD 2018- I'M 30 NOW!

STATE OF THE BASTARD 2018

HOLY SHIT I'M 30


(artwork by Talez01)

1. 2017 was a goddamn clusterfuck. The rich got richer, the poor have less footholds to climb out of, and a bunch of my fellow white dudes decided that they'd support fascism so they'd no longer have to be inconvenienced with things like "acknowledging other people exist".

And on top of that, I'm 30 now. For some reason, that number makes me feel like I've missed out on SO MANY opportunities. I waver back and forth between "I'm too old for this shit, get real, stop dreaming" and "There are plenty of other people within my niche finding a way to make it happen regardless." I'm always left with a feeling that I could be doing better.

I've been dealing with depression and anxiety for most of my life, and the possibility for autism, which for a while have made it really difficult for me to be out socializing. Ever since I've moved down to Florida, I've been able to join the Magic, convention and nerdcore communities, just feel more comfortable just TALKING to people.

I know it sounds odd, but in its own way, I AM doing better.

Also some of those white dudes faces some measure of comeuppance:
<iframe width="400" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JZj9rvnVd6U" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

2. Also, hey I do music!

MOST RECENT SONG: "Unstable"


This was a fun one to do! I managed to get Tweakbench's Triforce while it was free, and every time I use it, I learn something new. Also I managed to get like 5 people to pretend to be attacked by squirrels, so you know, win for me.

FAVORITE SONG I MADE: "Fire In The Hole"


My first Overwatch song! Also my first song I did an N64 Remix for. It would have been featured on League of Heels's PAXAMANIA III, but sadly they had audio issues. It was featured in the Official PAXAMANIA III video, and was played a shitton during The Great Australian Bash. Appropriate, since it was inspired by an Australian video game character.




3. OTHER COOL SHIT I DID

Music For Suplex Saga


This was fun to do! I caught them at the right time, and while the Kickstarter failed, they're still dedicated to the project, so hopefully you can see all of that come to fruition soon.

Patreon 
Honestly, this has been the best motivation for making new music. People line up to listen to your music, and because of that I want to do nice things for you all!

3000 Brigade
Last but not least, the 3000 Brigade, an insane show that was incredible to see come together and 100% worth it to put on. I can only hope I'm around for next year's show!

3. 29 YEAR OLD RESOLUTIONS? DID MAKE THEM?
-More collabs.
Sort of? I've been working with more people for gang vocals and stuff, but nothing TOO deep. Roborob helped with the bassline for Unstable, but that's about it.

-Album #3. Not quite finish it, but have an idea of where it's going.
I do have three "album" projects lined up:
1. A "Best Of/Road Mix/Introduction To" album I can sell at cons. 

-A proper music video. With like a crew and shit.
ha ha nope. I became unemployed halfway through the year.

-Another game. Maybe it's part of a bigger project, maybe it's another game jam. WHO KNOWS?
Yes! It's called Coastal Chomper!

And I did it with Trace Evans aka Pseg on the internets!

I also was part of a video game show "Arcade Pit" with him, and we got our asses kicked...


-500+ Fans on Facebook.
Yes! And 25 more!

4. 30 YEAR OLD RESOLUTIONS!
1. To participate in a League Of Heels Event.

2. Put one of my Album Projects

3. Hit my first donation goal in Patreon

4. Get on something outside an album. Work on a game, VO work, etc

5. PODCAST STUFF!
ECHO CHAMBER- Music, video games, and More?
I'D RATHER NOT- Bad decisions and how we make them!

5. OK NOW GO OUTSIDE THE BOX
GAME OF THE YEAR-The Metronomicon In The Woods 7: Biohazard

We're doing an Echo Chamber episode on this!

WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS BEFORE AWARD?- A Link To The Past

Finally beat it this year. If your game is well designed enough that randomizing it can be not only possible, but another puzzle in and of itself, you did good. Been waiting TOO long on this SNES classic.

BEST MOVIE I SAW THIS YEAR- Get Out

It is the epitome of "fridge brilliance": everything in this movie is so tight and deliberate, and any question I do have is presented with an answer.

The best horror isn't to MAKE some scary. It's to take something we're afraid of and make it tangible.

TOP 40 SONG I HATED THE LEAST- "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man.


"Hard Times" by Paramore would have been number one with a bullet but it didn't crack the Billboard Hits. Truth be told, I don't even like this song that much. It's got a good vibe to it, and is technically rock.

TREND I LIKED THE LEAST- "Coddling Bigotry" as an occupation.
Remember kids, you don't need to consider other people AT ALL! You're not being racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic! It's the marginalized groups you're picking on should have thicker skin!
Also, guys wearing Kekistan Flags at cons, which are modeled after Nazi Battle Flags.

TREND I LIKED THE MOST- Assholes getting what's coming to them.

See above.

OK THAT WAS KIND OF A DOWNER, HERE'S SOMETHING FUN, AKA MY REAL FAVORITE SONG OF 2017.



ANNUAL STUPID REMINDER THAT I SHARE A BIRTHDAY WITH MC BAT COMMANDER

Status Quo Sunday Is In The Hole

NEW SONG: FIRE IN THE HOLE!


This song was in the cooker for a while, but I finally got it done in time for PAX East! Shout out to Owen from Heel Turn/The Zonecasts AND MORE for letting me make the PAXAMANIA version to use in PAXAMANIA 3. Sadly, audio issues fucked up my big break.

That version was made using a tool called N64 Soundbank Tool where you take the N64 ROM, dump it into this program, and you get a soundfont that lets you use the different instruments and sound effects in that ROM.

Yes, it is inspired by Overwatch and no, I don't know when and how many more songs I've got.

OMNI EXPO RECAP

2017 is Omni Expo's first year in the Florida Mall, and it is probably one of my favorite shows so far. Someone bought me a beer, someone bought a T-shirt, and a pit opened up, so at the very least I had a fun gig.

The con itself suffered a bit from the new location since everything was spread out over two separate wings, but that was balanced out with being right by the Florida Mall, so I was able to shop around during the down time and get a cheap bite to eat.

Hopefully they use the space better next year, because it seemed like the staff and everyone knew what they were doing.   

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Lone Digger" by Caravan Palace

You should all know by now I loves me something with a good boogie and a sick music video.

"Lone Digger" is an electro-swing song by the group Caravan Palace. It's very heavy on samples, but they help elevate the beat and the vocals beyond A Good Pop Song and add some fun and chaos.

For the music video, it's Hotline Miami in Zootopia: very sharp, distinct color separation, a dark palatte, and a hell of a lot of blood. Also animals are there. Is it one of my favorite animated music videos? It doesn't quite crack the upper escelon, but it's worth watching.

PAX EAST YESS!!!!

Oh man, how can I sum up such an awesome weekend? Well, for starters, it was really great be surrounded by friends and happy, creative people where I got to try a lot of new things even though it was cold as fuck.

Then I came home to humid weather and the job I hate.

All right, so I'm just going to go after the highlights right now from what I can rememeber:

THURSDAY

-Brattle Theatre had a screen of the League Of Heels Documentary, and it was a nice recap of some of the earlier events I had missed. Kudos to Arron Trites and Eric Pope for having this dumb video game thing last so long.

-Body Slam is such an 80s movie it hurts.

FRIDAY


-Didn't play as much Magic as I wanted, instead I got into a draft with Weff. He beat me down with Tezzeret's Touch/Walking Ballista Combo and I never quite recovered.

-Got to play Secret Hitler for the first time with the devs of "I Expect You To Die". It's a fun game, because unlike Werewolf, there is WAY more leeway and merit for accusations than "You have a lot of chest hair, therefore you are a wolf"

-Played Open Sorcery, an interactive fiction game about an AI used to banish evil spirits. It's intriguing from what I've played and not that much if you want a short story.

-The Harmonix Rock Band Party was good times with many drinks. Didn't play anything, but, you know, many drinks.

SATURDAY

-Spent the morning before PAXAMANIA walking around with Owen, playing some indie games. First up is Smuggler Craft, a racing game akin to Episode I: Podracer for the Nintendo 64. Felt a little slow, but it looks really promising from what I played and they said they'll look into increasing the speed.



-Back Off Barbarian was a game by The Behemoth, an arcade machine that was set up in their booth. Apparently I'm late to the party on this one, since it was included with Castle Crashers Remastered.

-Then came PAXAMANIA!



Audio issues prevented my song from being played!
Highlights: Being name dropped, Starting a Fuck You Owen chant, and Trin shutting down a heckler


-Whatever panel this came from:


SUNDAY

-Didn't do a whole lot that day since I had a flight to catch, but I did manage to catch up with a relative who lives in Boston at this place called Laugh Boston

All in all, a good trip!

Status Quo Wednesday Goes A Wrasslin'

I'M DOING THE OFFICIAL THEME SONG OF PAXAMANIA III!

#PAXAMANIA III is on Saturday for the first time EVER! We'll see you on March 11th, from 4-6pm.

THAT'S RIGHT: 2 UNGODLY HOURS. BUCKLE UP. pic.twitter.com/4JrDOJCI7c

— League Of Heels (@LeagueOfHeels) February 7, 2017

That's right! A little something I've been working on is being remixed using the Wrestlemania 2000 soundfonts! The song is called "Fire In The Hole", and my plan is before PAX East to release a single version with the original song, the AKI remix, and a BONUS song.

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Splash Woman" by Mega Ran

Black Current-cy Month continues with a man I saw 3 times live in the span of a year: MEGA RAN.

"Splash Woman" is his most popular track, and it ends every set of his. He makes a chill dance groove with Splash Woman's stage music from Mega Man 9 and manages to make it a tragic little romance.

What's got me hype is that he's going to be at Mat Mania: The Revenge on March 31st at The Social in Orlando. He's a big wrestling fan, Wrestlemania's in Orlando, and it's going to a BLAST, considering I'm missing him and Lars next time they're in town since I'm going to PAX East. The weekend before that however...

OMNI EXPO
The link to the Facebook Event is there. So far not a lot to report on, but hopefully I'll have more to announce as things get closer!

Status Quo Wednesday SLAM MASTERSS!

JAM OF THE WEEK: "WCW/NWO Revenge Opening"





"Hey Rhythm Bastard, why are you starting this week with a Jam Of The Week?"

Well...

This March, gaming rivalries are set to EXPLODE! @LeagueOfHeels #PAXAMANIA III is coming to #PAXEast 2017! pic.twitter.com/U6s360jjBG

— Owen Douglass (@The_Ozone) January 17, 2017

My music is being used in (a) PAXAMANIA (promo)!


These AKI Engine games always have a distinct sound to them: that squealing guitar, how every drum beat manages to sound like it's in quadruple time, that guttural rhythm guitar. Everyone remembers the Mario 64 games and everything Grant Kirkhope did, but this has lowkey been one of my favorite songs on the N64.

So, I don't have any music updates this week. I'm experimenting with some stuff, and my brother's getting married this weekend, so I will be lite on updates for a while.

STATUS QUO STREAMING!
I beat Mystakin in Hitman. Here's the proof:



YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT MAGIC NOW, DON'T YOU?
Yup!

I went 2-2, going with a W/B deck that relied on Revolt. Oddly enough, I wasn't able to get Revolt off, since a lot of my matches were basically "whoever got their engine off first". I had a lot of bombs in Consulate Crackdown, Noxious Gearhulk and Cataclysmic Gearhulk, and a sick combo in Call To Unity and Hidden Stockpile, but nothing to support them.