Catching Up Before The End Of The Decade

Hahaha, it's been a while...

NEW SONG ON PATREON: "Remember"
This is a song that I've had kicking around for a while, ever since I finished listening to the podcast
The Weezer Bracket. It was a podcast that, March Madness style in Song Vs. Song matchups, set
out to determine the Worst Weezer Song (spoiler: It was "Beverley Hills").

In the process, I've learned a couple things:
1. They have A LOT of songs that are "We're going back to our roots! We don't suck anymore, we promise!"
2. Rivers Cuomo has A LOT of weird song writing strategies.
Most fun: Adderall, tequila, and a nap on a hammock.
Least fun: A notebook full of chord progressions he refers to like a textbook.

From all of this, I kept getting the impression that Rivers Cuomo, after being embarassed by Pinkerton, got kind of... desperate for approval. One day at work, I saw that there's a special "Weezer Island" on Fortnite, and I went "HOLE- EEE SHIIIIIT"

Little by little, the song came to me.

NEW SONG ON YOUTUBE: "Mercedes Merced"


Last week, the trailer for Black Widow dropped, and while I haven't been keeping up with the Marvel movies, I have kept my eye on this one, since one of the villains is rumored to be Taskmaster.



Taskmaster, as I've mentioned before, is one of my FAVORITE comic characters. His power, photographic reflexes, allow him to copy any movement he sees and replicate them perfectly; whether it's fighting like Iron Fist, shooting arrows like Hawkeye, or throwing his replica sheild like Captain America. He's a mercenary scumbag, but the fun kind of scumbag, where he'll interupt a villain's speech about their goals or whatever, and Tasky will be like "Don't care. Fuck you. Pay me". I love his dumb skeleton pirate costume, as well as his Tacticool Luchador from Udon, which I actually cosplayed as!

 

He's been explored in a variety of ways throughout the years, and the song Mercedes Merced, was inspired by his 2011 limited series, "Unthinkable". Mercedes Merced is actually Taskmaster's wife, who he forgot about over the years, as his in order to use his powers and commit it to muscle memory, his brain "forgets" an explicit memory, and the series chronicles him reconnecting with his wife, then later forgetting her again to save his life. It's a really bittersweet tale, and I recommend it immensely.



So for this song, I made it about a relationship you half remember but it ended up being way more important than you were led to believe.

HEY RHYTHM BASTARD, HOW DOES HE LOOK IN THE MOVIE?



uhhhh... WHO WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT SOME CONVENTIONS?

ANIME IWAI RECAP!
FRIDAY!
-Iwaivor Series 2019!
We crowned a champion after a lot of fighting and a lot of promo cutting. We're slowly, but surely getting a grip on how to run future events efficiently. Namely, people REALLY aren't prepared to cut promos!

Also, as we get more popular, we're going to get more crowded, and we don't want to turn anyone away, so we'll just be doing 4-man Royal Rumble Heats until we get down to Two Finalists.

-My Concert!
Went swimmingly! It was my last concert of year, and my friends at the 3KB made sure it went over big and got HYPE AS FUCK!

-3000 Brigade Show!
Maybe it's because this is my 3rd show, maybe it's because I had so many costume changes, or maybe it was just that we were super confident in our show, but this year flew by.


First I was a Herald for the Fort Knights from Fortnite, then I was Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat, then Shitty Drag, then Green Link, and then Johnny Cage again. Then I went shirtless and the crowd went wild.



-Also, I attended a "Fursona" panel, and this is the artist's interpretation of the "Thrash Panda" protag:
 
Art by IsadoraDraws

PAX UNPLUGGED RECAP!
I LOVED PAX Unplugged this year! I sold a shit ton of MtG cards and got to play some new games.

Honestly, my favorite part of PAX Unplugged is the city of Philadelphia. My friend Owen's a local, and took me out to all the cool food places. I got a Wawa's, I got a proper Cheesesteak, I ate scrapple at the Reading Terminal Market, all those boxes were checked off.





















As for actually playing games, I played a round of Commander for the first time in a while, and my group couldn't have been nicer. I only had the Mind Sieze Precon from 2013, but it provided me with a nice enough base to build on, and I've been building a couple decks back here at home, with a third commander deck on the way. Oops...



A game I tried and ended up buying was Raccoon Tycoon. It's a game about producing resources, selling them for profit, and buying property to help you on your way. You get into a good pace once you get going, and it is straightforward after a couple of rounds. It's got a nice, old world style, and even though raccoons are scavengers, not capitalists, it was worth picking up for $40.



Pat Baer, who helps run League of Heels, the PAX Wrestling Federation, also runs a lot of fun comedy panels, one of which is the Improvised Postmortem, where you make a game concept and make a postmortem on it on the fly from just a title. Loading Ready Run talent, and lots of other familiar faces are there, and did a great job!

JAM OF THE WEEK: "The Passenger" by Siouxie and the Banshees


Recently I checked out the series "Infinity Train" because the second season was advertise with a trailer that has this cover of Iggy Pop's "The Passenger". The Iggy Pop version was also used in the trailer for The Outer Worlds.

Outer Worlds rules, Infinity Train rules, this cover rules, and this was also in the credits for "I, Tonya" which I didn't mind, so if you want me to check out your thing, put "The Passenger" in the trailer.

Anime Iwai: Rushnanigans

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Spirit Of The Radio" by Rush


RHYTHM BASTARD AT ANIME IWAI: RUSH- FRIDAY!

3000 Brigade Presents: Iwai-vor Series 2019 
7 PM to 8 PM, Panel Room 1

"A Tag Team Throwdown where you and a partner can pummel your way through the competition to win the Championship Belt in some old school N64 Wrestling games! There will be thrills. Chills, spills, and maybe one of the commentators will wear a silly costume! Flashy outfits & ridiculous promo cutting encouraged."

Yes, we're back for Round 3! We still need to work on the belt stuff, but it's coming along pretty OK, I just need to test everything.

We ARE only taking 8 teams though, so pre-register here!

Other Panels I Might Check Out:

3000 Brigade Presents: Pun Panel 3000
3000 Brigade Presents: Ask A T-Girl
Anime Iwai Launch Party!
A Crap Guide To D&D: A DM's Lament
AMV Pool Party
Fursona 19

RHYTHM BASTARD AT ANIME IWAI: RUSH- SATURDAY!

Hardcore Nerdcore Punk Rock with Rhythm Bastard
5 PM to 6 PM, Panel Room 2 

"Want to take a break from the K-Pop and whatever some rando is blasting on their portable speakers in the hall and JUST ROCK THE F--K OUT?

Rhythm Bastard's been shredding the Florida Con scene for several years, and his brand of Hardcore Nerdcore Punk Rock has opened up pits in panels rooms a plenty.  So if you're the kind of person that wishes they had LAN Parties on the Warped Tour, this is 100% your jam."

You MIGHT hear something new!

Pre-Show/Doors Open for 3KB Live! 
7:30 PM  to 8 PM, Main Events

"It’s almost time everyone! Please proceed in an orderly fashion to Main Events for The 3000 Brigade Presents: 3KB Live! There may be song, there may be dance, but there won’t be seats once the show starts so grab ‘em while you can!"

Get there, because there will be shenanigans!

The 3000 Brigade Presents: 3KB Live! 
8 PM to 9:30pm PM, Main Event

"It’s 3KB Live! Your favorite troupe of cosplay actors are back and ready with a whole new show filled with your favorite video game and pop culture characters. Want to know more? Make sure to get a seat early to find out this season’s crazy plot."

We're finally making good on our "SNL Meets Video Games!" Premise! I can't reveal who I'm going to be playing, but it's safe to assume they will be a hunk of some kind.

3000 Brigade Meet & Greet
9:30 PM to 10:30 PM - Panel Room 3

"You just watched them live on stage and now they’re ready to answer all of your burning questions!  Come hang out with the 3000 Brigade and relive all of the moments with the cast & crew of this amazing performance group."

It will also be the time where I'll be taking autographs ;)

Hentai Variety Show (18+ ONLY)
11 PM to 1 AM, Main Events

"Florida's original 18+ costume contest and stage show has returned and will be harder, better, faster, and stronger than ever before! WARNING: NO CAMERAS, CELLPHONES, or BAGS of any kind will be allowed in past our doors. Bring your photo ID!"

This is always a sexy good time, and, like Rocky Horror, it's only as humilitaing as you're comfortable being.

if that makes any sense.

Other Panels I Might Check Out:

Nerds Know: Disney Sing A Long
8 Bit Wave Live
Pattern Making For Cosplay
How To Become A Foamsmith

RHYTHM BASTARD AT ANIME IWAI: RUSH- SUNDAY!

3000 Brigade Presents: Smash Game 3000
2-3pm: Panel Room 3 (Atlantic)
"It's the 3KB's take on the classic Match/Snatch Game. Come and enjoy the hilarity sure to happen when your favorite Brigaders do impersonations of their favorite celebrities in the classic fill-in-the-blank game."

This is the only thing I really CAN attend, but I will be out about throughout the day. Anyway, if you loved me at the preview show, you'll love me at this.

WHILE YOU'RE HERE...

Status Quo SPOOOOKY!!!

I'VE BEEN INTERVIEWED FOR NERD MUSIC MELT DOWN!



Nerd Music Meltdown is run by Kent Ward of Ongaku Overdrive, which puts on great nerdcore shows in the Orlando area, and it was an honor to be interviewed on a show that's had so many big names in the scene before.

We talked about my work ethic, my inspirations, the furry community in relation to punk rock, and lots of other tangential topics.

LUMI-CON!!!

 

LUMI-CON is a Florida Halloween Convention based off Animation, Video Games, Cosplay and Interactive events!! For ONE NIGHT ONLY I'm going to be doing a show at this spppoooooky Halloween themed convention!

Saturday, October 26th at 8 PM!


ANIME IWAI!!!


And I'm back to Anime Iwai! Lots of awesome to go around all weekend!

Iwai-vor Series 2019- Friday at 7 PM

Rhythm Bastard Concert- Saturday at 5 PM

3000 Brigade Show- Saturday at 8 PM (which hunk will I play this year? oooOOoOOooH!)


NEW RPG PALS CLUB!

Jonah M. Jackson of The Quest Company joins us as Goblin Prop Comic, Grimshaq! I went REALLY extra on the editing for this one, and this was a great episode to just goof around in character.

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Juice" by Lizzo


HOW HAVE I NOT TALKED ABOUT HER BEFORE?

oh yeah, because I'm lazy as fuuuuuuck.

ANYWAY, in what looks a strong contender for "Best Song/Best Top 40 Song", we have Lizzo with "Juice". This is a such a fun song, with bouncy delivery of ridiculous lyrics ("Boy I'm not a snack at all/Look baby, I'm the whole damn meal", "I be drippin' so much sauce/Got a bih looking like Ragu"), backed to some sweet, sweet, funk guitar.

I wanted to talk about this song WAAAY sooner, because when I was tipped off to the song's existence, I loved it on the first listen. Every sound and beat is like dopamine and Lizzo's vocals are so confident and full of self love, it's impossible not to smile. However, it was featured as part of the 3000 Brigade Preview Show at Mini Iwai, so it had to be our little secret.

Also liking her other singles "Truth Hurts" and "Good As Hell", which are just wonderful pick me ups.

Status Quo Sunday's Feeling Kinda Fuzzy

NEW CON CONFIRMED FOR BRAWL!

Otakufest! 

OtakuFest is a two-day festival that celebrates anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, comics, and more. You can dress up as your favorite character or come as you are, we aim to be a very inclusive convention. OtakuFest is new to South Florida’s convention scene, but its creator/show-runner Winji Mesadieu has been a part of Supercon as well as the South Florida convention community for over a decade. OtakuFest expects to bring in 4,000 people over 2 days for its first show in 2019. OtakuFest will feature activities and celebrities from the realm of comics, anime, animation, cosplay, manga, comics, gaming, and more!

It's also the day before Labor Day, so you can guarantee I'm getting all Socialist-y at this show. And you can get shitfaced and not have to worry about work the next day.

I did get word back on one OTHER new con, but I'm waiting for an announcement on them first...

SPEAKING OF NEW CONS...

MINI IWAI!

Mini Iwai was a blast as always, and the show was fun to put on.

However, my two favorite events of the day were the ones where I didn't play.

First up was "Cosplay Relay". which is a good concept that needed refining, and will be one to watch when Iwai: Rush comes around in a couple months. Basically, two teams of three work together to make a cosplay for a "model" (which I was) using a bunch of supplies provided for them. The catch is, every member is only given 10 minutes and can not communicate with each other. It's got potential, but it seemed like everyone only had a 80% grasp of the concept, so it needs ironing out.

Then came the 3000 Brigade Preview Show, which was just great.

As opposed to a preview show where our TOTALLY REAL BOY BAND B12 performed, it was Match Game where everyone was different charachters. We've done this before at other shows, and this time I was Tenya Iida from My Hero Academia because I spent $50 on a UA Gym Uniform AND GODDAMN IT I WAS GOING TO USE IT AGAIN.

Also turned out to be really popular. Huh.

MEGAPLEX AND AFO!

Same weekend, that started with Car Troubles: namely my car overheating a couple times and a hole in my tire. So I had to drive 50 miles on my spare, then wake up at 8 AM to get a new one the next morning. Then Sunday on my way home, my battery died.

ANYWAY, HOW WAS THE FURRY CONVENTION YOU ASK?

I had a good time! The night I got there, I caught Foxes and Pepper's Concert, which is the musical project of Fox Amoore and Pepper Coyote, two big musicans in the furry scene. If you're a fan of very folksy alt-rock, along the lines of say, Counting Crows.

The next morning, Fuzzy Logic had an escape room set up, which more cons should have. Escape rooms can do a great job of reinforcing the theme, get attendees to meet new people and are different than the usual fare. Obviously my team won, because Zero Escape vet here, duh. 



I was lucky enough to secure a slot in the Artist Alley via their Lottery system (ALSO A THING MORE CONS SHOULD DO), and I did WAY better than anticipated. I think I sold more CDs there before a show than any other convention.

As for the show itself, tech issues made us start late, but I wanted an eager crowd, and I GOT ONE!

Definitely a great experience and I think there might be a higher cross over between furries and punk than with anime/gamers and punk.

SO ARE YOU A FURRY THEN?

...Let's say Thrash Panda was something of a "soft launch"



Then I went to AFO, and of course Tiny Waves killed it at the rave.

Though people asked me about Megaplex with the same tone you'd use to find out someone was in the hospital...

NEW SONG: "FUCK TERFS (BUT DON'T HAVE SEX WITH THEM)"






For Gay Wrath month! Got a lot of requests for it at Megaplex, so I figured, WHY NOT?

JAM OF THE WEEK: "We Are All On Drugs" by Weezer



The tech issues mentioned earlier were that my laptop died, so I had to use whatever backing tracks I had on Google Drive, and I didn't have the Backing Track of "Hunting Bigger Game" with "Magic" by Mystery Skull tacked on the end, so I requested house music, and this is what they came up with.

So basically this makes Jam Of The Week because a week ago I ran around shirtless throwing Magic The Gathering cards to this song.

Status Quo Sunday Snuck Up On Me

OK, lots of stuff happened, so let's run through it!

FIRST THINGS FIRST, I PLAYED "PREACHER OF LONELY STREET" FOR ERIC POWELL OF THE GOON HOLY SHIT!!


Shout outs to Jo of the 3000 Brigade for recording, and Tate's Comics of Lauderhill!

Speaking of Tate's Comics and the 3000 Brigade...

TATE'S COMICS NOT AT COMIC CON! 

This is a little sale/party for those of us who are not going to be at Comic-Con in San Diego. There's mini panels, sales and games. Also the 3000 Brigade will be there, since half the cast works there!

It's this Saturday from noon to 4, and I'll probably bring my guitar and be in cosplay as well.

UPCOMING SHOWS ARE NOW ON FACEBOOK!


Mini Iwai!

Megaplex!

RPG PALS CLUB EPISODE 13- DOG CAPITALISM!

The City of Waterdeep has seen people fade into the night, but how will it deal with people who want to stay up all night?

In which Oi is told the concept of fall, and hey turns out you can put onions in martinis!

Also Kiir gives C'th'ulu the address to our party's house,

JAM OF THE WEEK: "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden


Fuck YEAH Iron Maiden.

This is the Jam Of The Week because while there is something else I've been kicking WAY more, it's a spoiler for future shenanigans.

Also I've really enjoyed learning this in Rocksmith recently, so there you go.

Status Quo Is Getting Ready For Summer

UPCOMING CONVENTION NEEEEEWWWWS!!!

First thing's first! My first CONFIRMED set of the season is Megaplex in Orlando, FL!

It's shaping up to be a big stage, Main Events, Saturday Night!

And, by the time you read this, it'll be made public that I'm playing Mini Iwai, in Ft. Lauderdale!

I will be having a concert at 1 PM, AND will be part of the 3KB Preview Show! What will it be this year? Fiiiiinnnnd oooout!

RPG PALS CLUB: EPISODE 11- "SCARECROW-TASTROPHE!"

"The City of Waterdeep has seen crimes punished and committed by the party, but how will they deal with horrors?"


As esoteric as my naming schemes are, the descriptions mask the amount of insanity deep within these hallowed MP3s.

THE NEXT EPISODE IS NAMED "Skulking In The Streets!" and that's about as normal as it gets for quite... a... while...


JAM OF THE WEEK: "Tiger Mask" by Rocket From The Crypt


All right, so one time, I was looking for the theme song to the Tiger Mask W Anime on Spotify, because Tiger Mask W is a fucking banger. Naturally, a lot of the titles were in Japanese, and I couldn't tell one from the other. So, I clicked on the only one in English, and this came on.

Fun fact: This song appears in two forms: the first on Dope, Guns, 'n' Fucking in the Streets, Vol. 11, a compilation album from Amphetamine Reptile Records in 1997, which is considered the "final" version, and All Systems Go 3!!! a compilation of the bands B-Sides and oddities, which features an instrumental version.

I am obsessed with this song. It starts of dirty, like an assassin wearing a Tiger Luchador Mask wearing an all white suit speeding down a Miami Highway, covered in blood, head out the window.

Then the saxaphones come in.

YOU BELOOOOOONG... TO TIGER MAAAAAASK!

Status Quo A Lot Of Shit Hasn't Been Confirmed Yet So Here's What I've Been Into Recently

Now, here's the thing about my silence: It's not that I HAVEN'T been working, it's that what I've been working on either:

• can't be talked about (legally)
• can't be talked about because it isn't done
• can't be talked about because it isn't confirmed.

So, here's some stuff I CAN tell you:

RETROMANIA

Hey everyone, here is something I just through together to show some alpha footage of the game. Again, this is pretty early and we have a LOT of work to do. But just wanted to show what we are working on. (There is a track of music if you want to listen to it. ) pic.twitter.com/Tbnd5eQLtf

— Retrosoft Studios (@RetrosoftStudio) May 27, 2019

Not much to say YET, but if you're a fan of old wrestling games, you might want to check this out.

I got to do a song for it! That is the most I can comfortably say I'm involved with it, AND THAT'S GONNA BE A RUNNING THEME.

CONS

I was at Mizucon in May, and it had a REALLY good comeback! The hotel they used is beautiful, there were a lot of people there, and my panel, Mizu-Mania II (Under New Management)! had a full house!

Also, I invested in a new type of goodie: BADGE RIBBONS!



HOW CAN I GET ONE?  YOU ASK:

1. Buy at least $5 in merch at my table


2. Return 25 MTG Cards that I threw out into the audience


My next cons are Mini Iwai (with the 3000 Brigade) and Megaplex. WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE?


JAM OF THE WEEK: "Godzilla" by Bear McCreary feat. Serj Tankaran


The intro makes it sound like they're either announcing the coming of a God or at least erecting a big-ass statue of them lest they have their thatched roof cottages burninated. Serj Tankaran has a unique, operatic voice and it suits the song well, since it takes a more "HERE COMES THE FUCKING APOCALYPSE" take on the still great Blue Oyster Cult originial.

Some of the production in the way certain notes hit makes me feel this was produced to make it seem more "trailer friendly". For another example of this, see Gary Clarke Jr.'s version of "Come Together" for the movie Justice League, and how some of those guitars sound like the Inception BWAAAAA.

Still great workout fodder. Moreso than the original.

SINCE IT'S E3: THE BEST E3 PRESENTATION EVER



If you want to see a bit evolve over the course of 25+ minutes, watch this.

All I want to say is: Fuck The J-Haters.

WHAT I'VE BEEN OBSESSED WITH: SONIC 2006 REAL TIME FANDUB


First, nice Marching Band cover of Ke$ha's "Die Young". Second, nice Zebrahead cover.

This is an example of just throwing shit out there, and seeing what people latch on to. It's over an hour, but surprisingly consistent in all the bullshit it makes up.

Status Quo Monthy? Nah, Just Busy

WHEW, LET'S GET SOME SHIT OUT OF THE WAY!

Not that I haven't been active, I've just been busy, and the site just works as an aggregate of what I've been up to, and since I've been flying by the seat of my pants for a lot of it, I haven't focused on the site as much. A lot has happened since the Spring Update video, and I will share it all with you...

ULTRACON 2019!
This was the return of Ultracon after a couple years, coming back to the MACC. It had a great turnout, even though the layout wasn't that good, with panels on a top floor where other events went on at the same time, and the dealer's room was on the bottom floor.

Thankfully, I was helping run ULTRAMANIA! on the same floor right before my event.

I made a lot of new fans that show, but like Omni Expo, I hope it can learn to use its space better.

BASTARDMOBILE STREAM!
So a couple weeks ago I ran a 12 hour stream to raise money to help fix my car. To recap:
1. A bunch of friends and fans were eager to help me out in a time where I could use some help
2. I organized a big event with minor technical fuckups.
3. I put on a damn good concert
4. I made Twitch Affiliate.

So there was a broad swath of games, and a broad swath of guests, and here's the recap of the schedule:
12:00 - 1:00 PM - Fallout New Vegas w/ Steven from S15 Costuming
1:00 -  3:00 PM - Torchlight 2 w/ RPG Pals Club
3:00 - 4:00 PM - MTG: Arena w/ WeffJebster
4:00 - 5:00 PM - Dicey Dungeons w/ Hupfen
5:00 - 6:30 PM - Diddy Kong Racing w/ Ben Briggs
6:30 - 7:30 PM - Sunset Overdrive w/ John GM
Concert at 8
Halo and Rock Band 4 Open play afterwards

Special thanks to everyone who watched and everyone who came on to play!

I really want to do another one sometime in a couple months just for a "Hey, let's build a warchest and hangout with all these cool people I know"

MIZUCON PLANS!
So far it's just Mizu-Mania on Monday, but we are working hard to bring you an excellent event! It will be on the main stage, and since we've got a couple of these under our belt, we can deliver high impact digital wrestling action with MINIMAL technical fuck ups!

JAM OF THE... WEEK? "Rose Colored Boy" by Paramore


So, new Paramore kinda rules actually? More poppy, and apparently they don't want to play "Misery Business" anymore, but who cares?

Hayley Williams's acting in this REALLY sells the story as she becomes more and more detached and disinterested with each segment of this cheesy 80's news show. "Rose Colored Boy" is also about a rarely expressed sentiment: "No, I'm not happy, and fuck you for thinking I could just get over it"

SPRING UPDATE VIDEO

I DID A LOT OF STUUUUUFFF!

Status Quo Sunday Is Going To Conventions!

NEW SONG: "Preacher Of Lonely Street"

The Goon, one of my favorite comic series is back! In Comic Form! So now the song is on YouTube and Soundcloud and all o dat!

Youtube:


Soundcloud:


UPCOMING CONS!
As you may have seen on the sidebar, I have a couple new cons on the horizon:

Ultracon Of South Florida! (April 12th-14th, 2019)

This was a con that's been away for a bit, but now it's back! I'm not sure what else is on the schedule yet, but if you're a collector, it's a really good con for that since the dude that runs it is notroious for having a big G.I. Joe Collection.

Mizucon! (May 26th-27th, 2019)


Mizucon I've had a lot of good times at in the past, but they went away last year, and are now under new management, some of whom are from Anime Iwai. There's a lot I can't confirm yet, except that I do know they will give me a show, and another panel that we're going to bring back!

Hint: Mega Ran was part of it.

Other Convention I've Never Played Before!
For an audience I never played before!

PAX EAST HYPE!
What am I looking forward to?



PAX East Rumble! It's a royal rumble at PAX East! It will be an absolute clusterfuck.


DJ Roborob! All his stuff! He, Ben Briggs and other friends are going to be at the Jamspace at 10 PM on Saturday for a big VGM Dance Party!



The Improvised Post Mortem! Pat Baer is always good for an entertaining time, and he brings some improv fun times to PAX East in one of my favorite panels in any con ever. The premise is simple: Given a game title, these people make up a game and how it could have gone better/worse.

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Tempted" by Squeeze

This song is my goddamn white whale in Rock Band 4. I have YET TO FULL COMBO IT!

But it's a nice song.

Omni Expo Recap And What To See Soon

Geek Tank did an incredible interview with me at Omni Fandom Expo this weekend! Very in-depth and if you want to

We talk about:
-My music
-My process
-The 3000 Brigade
-Resident Evil
-Alt-Right Incel Lucas Baker
-Capitalism interference in Nerdery
AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

So. Omni Fandom Expo was pretty good! The concert, despite some sound issues, went well! Thanks to the crew behind Geek Tank and Roy from Omni Expo's staff for helping me out!

Part of the difficulty came from not wanting to be a dick during Paul St. Peter's voice acting panel, which was pretty good. I've seen him at a lot of local Florida cons, and while he's not SUPER prolific, the few panels I've seen him in have been a good time, and worth seeing.

Since I've had a lot of downtime, here's the skinny on what to expect:
Saturday, March 23rd- I'll be at the Mizucon Beach Party!

Sunday, March 24th- Status Quo Sunday with a new song made public, and a look forward at PAX East

April- More details on my show at Ultracon!

Stauts Quo Sunday Doesn't Care BECAUSE IT'S TOO BUSY GOING HARD ON THIS

NEW TRACK! "THRASH PANDA"!
On Bandcamp!


On YouTube!


On Soundcloud!


Cover Art by Fernando Dolagaray

This song came to me not long after seeing someone do a One Page RPG called "Crash Pandas", and between that Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 calling Rocket Raccoon a "Trash Panda" and that nickname catching on, it was only a matter of time before I did this.



Oh yeah, and they also named a Minor League Baseball Team after the nickname "Trash Panda".

Why this didn't come out sooner? Well, I was looking to do a commission of the titular Thrash Panda, and Fernando Dolagaray did a great job on the character!

I always like doing songs that tell a little story like this. I should do it more often!

JAM OF THE WEEK: "I Don't Care" by Fall Out Boy

HEY RB WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO A SONG THAT'S ALMOST 10 YEARS OLD?

Because it's a fun, bouncy song and I like watching Fall Out Boy commit G-Rated crimes.

Just Be Glad Status Quo Sunday Is Here After All This Time

RELEASING A TRACK THIS THURSDAY!

NEW CONCERT: OMNI EXPO!

Saturday, March 16th, 2019
Panel Room 1, 8:00 PM


I'm making a GLORIOUS return to Omni Expo! This is my first con set of 2019, and I'm really excited to be back, since it seems like they leveled up everything since the last time I was there.

RPG PALS CLUB!

I'm part of a new DnD 5th Ed. Actual Play Podcast called "RPG Pals Club", and I play Oi!, a punk drow monk. 

You can listen to our first two episodes here:

Episode 1 - Bar Fights!

Episode 2 - Dock Danger!

 It's DMed by Luke Herr, aka Koltreg, a long time internet friend of mine, and while we're realllly far ahead of the episodes released right now, I look forward to every play session :)

Anyway, here's the backstory on how both A. Got into punk music and B. Left the underdark

Every night, as he’d check on the slaves in their quarters, Oi noticed something odd developing. It started off innocently enough: a slave would bang out a beat on their walls, but then others started joining in. Eventually one of the slaves fashioned a guitar and bass out of some enchanted webbing and various bits of wood. It was crude, but it was incredible how it all came together. Normally it was Oi’s job to keep these people in line, but he couldn’t help but be enraptured by harmony of it all.

And then they started singing. 

They sung about their pain, they sung about their feelings, they sung about those from the surface they had missed after being brought down to the underworld. Each night, a different tune of loss and hopelessness and while most drow would revel in such pain, Oi only asked them this:

“Could you do it faster? And louder?” 

For a while, the band of slaves acquiesced to Oi’s requests. The music filled Oi with raucous energy; he could move twice as fast, lift twice as much and when he was on “errand boy” duty, he, uh, ahem, provided much better “service”. While the slaves didn’t mind so long as Oi didn’t cause them any trouble, they still longed for the lives on the surface world. 

“You know,” said Pubrin, a half-elf bard from Waterdeep, “I used to be part of a band before I was captured and brought down here. If you let us out, I can reunite with them and you can join us.” The offer, while incredibly tempting to Oi, was bittersweet: the Underdark was all he knew, and he had heard that most surface dwellers despise the drow. “I’m sorry,” he said with a frown, “but this is all I know…” 

To which Pubrin replied, “Have it your way”

The next night, there was no music. 

This continued on for at least another week. With each night of silence, Oi could feel himself slipping more and more; his mind was always somewhere else, his body not quite working right, as if it were only a puppet. The high priestesses kept scolding him on his shoddy work and he knew if this kept going on, he could be executed or worse, relegated to clean up duty. 

Purbin awoke from his usually frenzied slumber with the sound of his cell door being ripped open. Oi was there in the doorway, covered in sweat and his Mohawk in shambles atop his head. 

“We’re leaving tonight.”

 Shit yeah! I get to do self indulgent writing again!

JAM OF THE WEEK: "The Man" by The Killers



OK, after the overwrought bombast of Battleborn to this, it feels like The Killers are going "WELL FINE!". It manages to be both simpler then what they usually put out, but still has all this largess to it.

The music video is great as it shows Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers, failing over and over again in different hats. The video does reflect the intention of the song, which is "Yeah, all this machismo bullshit has to go away eventually".

Nothing too grand about it, sometimes you just want something to make you boogie.

STATE OF THE BASTARD 2019!!!

Better late than never! I'm 31! Wooo...

For me, 2018 was a year where I tried out a lot of stuff and it worked. As shitty as things were otherwise, and at times, I felt like I was just spinning my wheels, I have a better idea of what to do going forward.

The con front was quiet, but the few shows I did put on (Mini Iwai, Anime Iwai and Holiday Matsuri), went over very well, particularly because I've got my shenaniganing down pat. I've also put out quite a few songs out on Patreon, and managed to get to a few conventions I wasn't required to play at. Like, I can just hang out and shit.

So I have a better feeling going into 2019.

Here's to 10 More Years! Yeah, I've been at this for 10 Years.

MOST RECENT SONG: "Death's Blossom"
Youtube-


Soundcloud-


I JUST rendered the video and cover out today so I can have this for you guys. You're Welcome!

FAVORITE SONG I MADE: "Thrash Panda"
A song that's still Patron exclusive, but I feel REALLY good playing this song live. The ONLY reason I haven't dropped it yet is because I do want to make a cool piece of art to go along with it.

OTHER COOL SHIT I DID:
2017's 3000 Brigade Show is finally out!

This was a good one. I still have the Wii Fit Trainer stuff, in my closet.

2018's show was even better since I had more to do! Amanda if you're reading this I still have all of your acoutrements in my closet

I've also joined a DnD Campaign long time internet friend Luke Herr is running, which leads me into...

PODCAST STUFF:
RPG Pals Club- By the time you read this, it'll be out for the public!

My character is Oi! A Drow Monk who chose the punk life over the underdark. So now he's a punk monk.

NOW HE'S A PUNK MON-

I'd Rather Not- The last episode was... not fit for human consumption, but we're nearing on 100 episodes, so the shaningans will Pentuple!

TREND I LIKED THE LEAST: Coddling Bigotry Being A Cottage Industry
Oh, wait? That was last year? And it still persists this year since all social media companies worry about is "engagement", content be damned, since 4chan Nazis have nothing better to do all day than harass transgender people and other minorities?

TREND I LIKED THE LEAST PART 2: Articles About "Going Too Far"
You know the trend: "SANTA SHOULD BE GENDER NEUTRAL!" "THEYBIES?" "EXACTLY ONE WOMAN WITH FEMINIST IN THEIR TWITTER BIO SAID A THING SO IT'S NEWS"

You've seen these articles a million times shared by friends on Facebook, usually accompanied by a "WTF?", and in the comments go something like "I'm not racist/sexist/hating on x group here, BUT..."

These stories serve a purpose to make you think that a certain marginalized group is going "too far" in the pursuit of equal rights. And when you have the fear of going "too far", its two fold:

1. You're afraid of anything being tried in the first place

2. It leaves the door open for someone more agreeable to the status quo to come in with an ineffective solution.

So the only response is to drag them to the main point kicking and screaming, "Well don't you think X should have the same rights as the rest of us?"

TREND I LIKED THE MOST: Furries Being The Comrades We All Need In This Shittastic World

This year's Internet Hero was not a man, but a fox.

A black, gay fox (everything Republicans hate) who was really, really good at fighting games.


Second place goes to a guy who shat on Elon Musk:


I've mentioned that the furry fandom/subculture is more creator focused than anime fandom, which means that is is decentralized, and all media considered "furry" is not produced by a singular entity. There may be pieces of media popular amongst furries, like Disney movies, Star Fox, etc., but the fandom itself owns the means of production, meaning it's socialist as hell, which is a good thing.   

Since there's no singular entity that produces the art, there's no reason for them to ignore bad actors in the name of profit. Video game and comics companies and the like can look at bullshit like Gamergate and Comicsgate and go, "Hey, their money's just as good as anyone else's!

But since the talent pool is widely distributed, and everything is done on a person to person basis, you can tell the Nazis to fuck off:


And yes, there are Nazifurs/Altfurries. When the entire pull of a fandom is "You don't have to be the default you", it can be a good, like a safer space for LGBTQ+ people to express themselves and feel more out (i.e. their fursona is a different gender than the person was assigned, sexuality is different, etc.). Or it can be a bad, meaning "Hey, I was kicked out of my usual group because I was a dipshit who kept making holocaust/attack helicopter/racist jokes, SURELY these people will accept me!"

As mentioned earlier, you can kick out the latter group. It's fine.

When you've been an internet punching bag for so long, you can either be a shittier person, or keep on keeping on and learn to be better on your own.

Same for the juggalos. LET'S COMBINE THE TWO, SHALL WE?



FAVORITE SONG OF 2018: "Make Me Feel" by Janelle Monae

So, the runner up for this was "She's Kerosene" by The Interrupters, but while that a lot of energy and I crank up it my car all the time, "Make Me Feel" wins out because it has sexiest buildup to any song ever, and of course, Janelle Monae at her most fun.

TOP 40 SONG I HATED THE LEAST: "Thank U, Next" by Ariana Grande

My thought process:
"Ugh, OK, like, I haven't listened to a lot of Top 40 Radio, so I guess 'Feel It Still' is in the running, but let's see what Todd In The Shadows thinks..."
"Thank U Next? That Ariana Grande song? It's a meme, but I'll give it a listen."
"DAMN THIS IS SO GOOD! Her voice is so soothing! And the song expresses a sentiment so unique! Haha! I wonder what movies I'd parody for my thank u next equivalent?"

THE "WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME ABOUT THIS SOONER?" AWARD: The Shadowrun Games by Harebrained Schemes
Shadowrun is a TTRPG setting that's basically when two designers didn't want to decide on making a cyperpunk game, or a fantasy game so they're like "FUCK IT, WE'LL DO BOTH!" and have a game where you can play as orcs who can cast magic and elves who can hack into shit.

Since 2013, Harebrained schemes have been making games based off the brand and have done so with X-Com style combat mixed with Neverwinter Nights style exploration, and while not very long, they've been fun to play and get into. Dragonfall is the best out of the three with a better story, and more connections to your usual shadowrunning squad.

GAME OF THE YEAR: See Above

ANNUAL REMINDER I SHARE A BIRTHDAY WITH MC BAT COMMANDER:

First Status Quo Sunday Of The Year!

10TH ANNIVERSARY Q & A VIDEO!
  
Since the next State Of The Bastard will be for my 10th Anniversary of Doing This, I'm making a Q&A video!

Have a question about my music? Cons? Any of the dozens of other things I've got myself into? Workout Regiment (don't lie)?

Taking questions until January 11th!

JAM OF THE WEEK: "The Day My Powers Arrived" by Kirby Krackle


Hey, look at me posting shit again!

This week's jam is from one of my Senpai's in the Nerd Music Scene, Kirby Krackle, a nerd rock project from Kyle Stevens.

The song is all about the intro and the build up, but this is one of the few songs where the VERSE is my favorite part, because the riff and the beat are so interesting, but give the vocals a lot of space to work with. Yet, the chorus can't be ignored, because the first time I heard it, my tears reflexively started jerking.

Dude's a huge X-Men fan, and the song "The Day My Powers Arrived", off his 2015 album "Mutate, Baby!", is written from the perspective of a mutant who discovered their powers and is introduced to the Charles Xavier School For Gifted Youngsters. Though someone HAS to have made a My Hero Acadmeia AMV of this somehow.

ALSO FRIDAY NIGHT MYSTERIES IS BACK WITH DANGANRONPA 2!!!

I've been streaming on Twitch every night when I can, but I've set up episodes to release every Friday on my YouTube.

VIDEO: The Average Rhythm Bastard Live Experience

Yeah, partial nudity, and flying objects sounds about right.

The sound sucks, but I figured I can still use the footage here.

Thanks to Geek Tank for the camera work!

Also thanks to Mega64 for inventing aggressive caroling!

Songs that were not mine used here:
"Santa's Coming" by CKY
"Magic" and "Hellbent" by Mystery Skulls