Status Quo Sunday Wants To Meet Jessica Harper

 *dusts this off* All right, let's get back to it... but first!

RACCOON CITY THRASHERS SHIRTS ARE NOW OFFICIALLY FOR SALE! 

 

People were psyched to get them at FWA, and now since FWA is over, my stock is for sale on Bandcamp! Scronce did a really good job on the design, and the printers are the same people who did my Swoletariat shirts, so they're built to last!

Speaking of FWA...

TFF and FWA were A-OK!

Made the rounds to Dallas and Atlanta this year, and while the specifics fade away, there's still PLENTY of highlights!

For Texas Furry Fiesta, I got to meet up with Luis Huerta, aka GamutFeathers, who has whimsical watercolor style, and if you follow the Pomodoro streams, did the "Fangs Of Fury" design practice that became a staple of me making up songs on the fly.

He came to my show, AND gave me a signed Lorcana card! I still need to play my first game, but I'll be sure to slot this in! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furry Weekend Atlanta could be best summed up with this picture:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From left to right, Enbiety, me and Scronce, and FWA was the first time we were all in the same room together. UB and Scronce are not only incredible supportive of my music, but also me as a person. I love them both very much, and could not ask for better friends. Even on our worst days, we always encourage each other to keep going.

It was also UB's first furry convention! We met back when I was regularly playing anime cons, and was floored by the sheer difference in enthusiasm, especially when it came to my shows.

Scronce is also wearing the shirt he designed! It started off as kind of a joke in our discord, but then he drew a flxing Thrash and we took it off from there. YES HE GOT PAID FOR IT. HE DOES GOOD ART, BRENT.

Before I go into the next section, I want to give a shout out to the AV teams for TFF and FWA, because they were on point the whole time. I still feel weird asking for stuff, because it's just little old me, but both cons did their best to match my freak as the kids like to say.

Discord Movie Nights: A Jessica Harper Double Feature

In an attempt to cross more movies off my "To Do" list, I've made a list of movies I haven't watched yet to go through. In an attempt to put more stuff on this site, I'll be talking about them a little bit, because let's face it, I do ignore this place A LOT. 

Phantom Of The Paradise

Phantom of the Paradise is a rock opera from 1974 directed by Brian De Palma. A songwriter, Winslow Leach, has his version of Faust stolen from him by a greedy record exec, Swan, played by Paul Williams.

I first found out about this movie through, of all things, a short made by Matthew Gafford set in his totally original universe, A Fox In Space.

The blue bird, who's totally not Falco Lombardi from the Star Fox series, is dressed as Winslow Leach, once he adopts a disguise and starts interfering with the opening of The Paradise, Swan's latest venue. Didn't know anything about it, it just looked fucking cool. 

Phantom fucking GOES after a couple brief songs that introduces a fictional nostalgia band, and Winslow's song. After that, he gets ripped off, goes to jail, gets his teeth ripped out, escapes, gets deformed and starts killing people. 70's movies have a reputation for feeling slow, but Phantom avoids the pitfall by filling long shots with a unique sense of dread, like "OooohhhhhHHHHH"

Jessica Harper plays Phoenix, a singer auditioning for Swan's new production, and GOD DAMN WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY TELL ME ABOUT HER BEFORE? She's pretty and has this voice that draws you in, Very reminiscent of Karen Carpenter. 

Overall, it's a very simple premise that's been done before: the music industry is like a deal with the devil, the humble creative vs. the greedy producer, blah blah, we've seen it before. BUT, it's presented in such an exciting and gonzo matter, with performances that for how over the top the material is, are very reserved, Phantom of the Paradise draws you in to see what's around the corner.

Right after the movie finished, I looked up how old Paul Williams was when he made this because he looked super old, and he was 34. I'm 36. People aged differently back then.

Shock Treatment

If I had a nickel for every movie I've seen where Jessica Harper plays a woman who performs well as a one off thing and then gets wrapped up in super stardom where she ends up constantly performing under the influence of drugs, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but weird it's happened twice. 

Shock Treatment is the 1981 sequel/follow-up to the seminal Rocky Horror Picture Show, dircrected Jim Sharman, and co-written by him and Richard O' Brien, the latter being responsible for the ICONIC music from RHPS. It follow Brad and Janet, now married, in the audience at a television studio. They aooear on the game show "Marriage Maze", and Brad is committed to an institution in the name of Mental Health.

The setting makes it feel very uncomfortable to watch, because it ALL takes place INSIDE the aforementioned television studio. There's no outdoor establishing shots, or off-site locations, and even "outdoor" scenes, where Janet's dad mows the lawn is done on this over-lit, AstroTurf garage. During the song "Lullaby" where everyone goes to sleep, there's a shot of the television audience asleep in their seats. It feels more like the movie takes place in a prison than in a studio.

It's not as memorable as Rocky Horror, but it ends up being more relevant, since it revolves around the themes of Americana propaganda, and ignoring your exploitation and real human problems in the search of fame. 

That being said, there still are some good songs, I'm partial to the opening number, "Thank God I'm A Man", and "Breaking Out". AND, like Phantom, I became aware of this movie in a very stupid way. 

Marc With A C made a cover album for it:

I'm like Slumdog Millionaire when it comes to movies. I ALSO HAVEN'T SEEN SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. 

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Hot To Go" by Chappell Roan

It's the end of Pride Month, I'm Bisexual, you do the math.

No Jokes, No Jesus, Just The Status Quo

PATREON SONG #5: THE DICKPUNCHER

"The Dickpuncher" is the gritty reboot to the "Dickpuncher" series, as made famous by Marc With A C and StarF. It's about a super hero who punches people (criminals?) in the dick.

I did a good thing by rebooting the series by making him a dark and brooding hero so he can better fit in with the nerdcore music cinematic universe of along with Free Bird, Token Female MC, Billy's Gigantic Robot and of course, Boba Fett.

LET'S PLAY THE ARCADE SPIRITS DEMO!

Despite how goofy I got with playing the demo, I am probably going get the full game to support a Rock Band friend and because I like the set up of it all.

Arcades will always hold a special place is this embittered punk heart of mine. When I lived in New York, there was an arcade in the shopping center I went to all the time, that despite it being a mom-and-pop establishment (no Ma though), was a pretty popular spot that still kept getting new machines. Walking in as a kid and seeing all these new and different machine was so exciting coming from a household where I still had my older brother's NES.
I'm too afraid to check if it's still there, but seeing Francine's Arcade Funplex did take me back.

Here in Florida is that they do have arcade machines in movie theatres and bowling alleys, and there are plenty of places that are "Arcade/Batting Cages/Go Kart" combos, but if you see a business that has "Arcade" on the storefront IT IS A FUCKING LIE.

If you go inside, there's just a shitton of computers that have a slot machine program running. It's like a pachinko parlor but for old boring people.

FRIDAY NIGHT MYSTERIES PRESENTS: DANGANRONPA EPISODE 6


FRIDAY NIGHT MYSTERIES PRESENTS: DANGANRONPA EPISODE 7

Because I'll be in Boston and I don't want the only impression of me to be an LP of Danganronpa where my mic wasn't on halfway through!

The intrigue gets deeper, the stakes get higher, the despair gets more depressing, and that annoying Otaku Asshole died! Part of why I started this series is because I wanted to have a series where I can chill and solve some light puzzles and basically play along with a police procedural.

Danganronpa is all that cranked up to 11 but with the added bullshit of Awkward Phoenix Wright Logic.

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Mean Machine" by Sugar Ray

I only remembered this song because I needed something badass to play during that scene in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon where you're on top of that blood dragon with a turret and mowing down everyone. Before they did stuff like "Fly" and "Every Morning", this is the kind of music Sugar Ray was doing, and... I kinda liked it.

"Mean Machine" comes off the album "Lemonade and Brownies", because of course, and their album after that was called "Floored", which is where their breakthrough single "Fly" comes from. "Floored" is a nu-metal album that they went "pop" with at the end. Since then, their music has been strictly pop/adult alternative, judging from "14:59" (that spawned "Every Morning" and "Someday") and their self-titled (that had "When It's Over").

Something similar also happened to another band from the same era: Green Day. After the success of "Good Riddance" from  Green Day's "Nimrod", their next album "Warning" had a lot more acoustic guitar in their songs, though that only lasted one album and can be thought more of as an experiment.

It's not that I hate the songs Sugar Ray's been known for, it's that THIS is what they were known for. Like the went speeding down the highway at 90 MPH to go to a chill beach party.

Status Quo Sunday Is Feeling The Feels

NEW SONG: "The Most Epic T-Shirt" (From Patreon)


My first Patreon Song, now available to all of you!

This was an idea I had for quite a while, looking at all of those crossover shirts both legitimate (See my song "Think Geek Is Not Nerdcore") and illegitimate (See, like 90% of Redbubble, Etsy and Your Local Con).

So really, why not just make a T-shirt with a million references on them?

And yes, the T-shirt will be real... very soon.

ANIME IWAI IS THIS WEEKEND! Just a reminder of the events I'm going to be at:
Hardcore Nerdcore Punk Rock Featuring Rhythm Bastard 
Saturday, November 11th
3:00 PM- 4:00 PM
Panel Room 2
MY CONCERT! Again, working on the setlist for this one is fun, since I can throw in SO MANY more new songs, and I'm working on having a new piece of merch ready by then.


I just got off of Fantoku: An Orlando Nerd Fest Show, and I'm ready and raring to go with a killer new set!


3000 Brigade Presents: Mushroom High Rules!

Saturday, November 11th
Doors Open at 8:00 PM
Main Events
OR Fast Times At Mushroom High
The 3000 Brigade is the largest active cosplay performance troupe in the country! They are proud and excited to bring their next performance to anime Iwai. It is a comedy variety show with amazing costumes, wild sexy dancing, stage combat, and many of your favorite beloved characters acting very inappropriately. This year marks a decade of 3KB shows. Please come celebrate with us!

3000 Brigade Meet And Greet
Saturday, November 11th
10:00 PM
Main Events

Did you enjoy the show? Did you hate the show? Did you forget to get there early and want to know what you missed? Come and ask any and all questions from the cast and crew of the latest 3KB show.

 

I did this late, and RAW is on, so I'm kinda rushing through all of this.

Iwaivor Series

Saturday, November 12th
3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Panel Room 2
A Tag Team Throwdown where you and a partner can pummel your way through the competition to win the Championship Belt! There will be thrills, chills, spills, and maybe one of the commenters will wear a silly costume!

It will be on WCW/NWO Revenge for the Nintendo 64 until we can find another game. Bring your own Nintendo 64 if you want to ensure that they'll work.

FANTOKU: AN ONF EVENT

I forgot to post it up on here because I was given the slot 48 hours before the show, and I was ALL HANDS ON DECK preparing. The great thing is that I tried a lot of new stuff with regards to my live act, and it went over well! Look forward to that for future con shows!

I played the opening slot on Saturday, and there were people there ready to rock out! Unfortunately, there might not be much in the way of video, since the stream wasn't up by the time I began.

However, there will be pictures, some of them shirtless!

Overall, it was great to see everyone again after so long. Orlando Nerd Fest's description isn't kidding when they that it's also part family reunion. While Orlando is probably the capital for Nerdcore music, there's a lot of us spread throughout the country, and major events like ONF and MAGFest are good opportunities to reunite with people you've only talked to and worked with online. I got to meet with Twill in person, watch her crush her set with Wreck The System and reenact the infamous MIRACLES! scene, I got to see DJ Roborob after so long, and I reunited cool Orlando guys Marc With A C, Eye Q, Sci-Fried, Jackson Parodi and Ben Briggs.

I challenged the lead singer of Sci-Fried to Hearthstone, because they have a song called "Boom Boom C'Thun". He declined, because he knew what would have happened:




(Picture by Zippo514)
(I'd be Gul'Dan BTW)

For breakout acts, ONF 2015 had (in my opinion) SkyBlew and Navi. This year, was Wreck The System's year to shine. 


Wreck The System are 4 MCs (Cam3, Lady J, Osiris Green and Twill Distilled) who've banded together to create awesome music and put on kick ass shows. Seriously, they were intense and their stage show was well choreographed.

Which I can aprreciate, since 3000 Brigade practice is making my body feel stupid.

JAM OF THE WEEK: "Berserk" by Wreck The System

They have another single that release last month, "Hotel Party", that captures the feeling of 1 AM debauchery on the Friday Night of a con, but this one better shows  their skills on the mic.

Marc With A C "Unicorns Get More Bacon" Album Review

Reppin' a fellow Florida musicman Marc With A C with his new album "Unicorns Get More Bacon":


The first thing you'll notice about Marc With A C's "Unicorns Get More Bacon" is the cover. It's obvious for a CD, even in these Bandcamp/iTunes days, but let it sink into your eye-holes.

A garish, pink and blue Lisa Frank trapper-keeper cover. The album's title barely readable, as it's written out in elements from the Periodic Table.  It's bright, attention grabbing, "quirky" and the combination of "Unicorns" and "Bacon" make it sound like something I could pick up at ThinkGeek along with my Death Star Waffle Iron and Taun-Taun Sleeping Bag.

Given how I feel about ThinkGeek, I was a little turned off.

However, I really liked Marc With A C's (or Cark if you work at Starbucks) sampler "An Introduction To Mark With A C" and his previous album "Exactly Where I Am". His catalog is full of fun, well-written, sometimes bittersweet songs that could easily fit in the past 40 years of pop music.

By the first chorus, the title made sense:
"They said the artist needs a patron, and unicorns get more bacon, but they cheer the loudest for what I like least" My interpretation is "OK, you said standing out is supposed to be profitable, but why aren't I being recognized?"

It's the year 2016. Everything needs to stand out and have its image and brand 100% ready. With social media being in every facet of people's lives, you are not a person, you're a brand. Everything you do needs to be omnipresent on every platform the second it comes to fruition. By standing out, being polished and doing everything right, you're blending in.

Naming your album "Unicorns Get More Bacon" and putting the cover on a relic of the 90's that thrives only in dollar stores was a good idea.

Confusion over our obsession with image continues throughout the rest of the first half of Unicorns. "Ethics In Gaming" is probably my favorite of this batch. The pounding kick drums and running bassline are a strong hook to get you into the verses, which lead you into the chorus that I've been feeling all too much: "Everything everybody does these days is a game.". It also name drops Guy Fieri and his stupid shirts. For whatever point he's making, there's always a fun line or seven to pick things up a bit.

Interesting enough, the only songs I'd consider skippable are the ones that don't really play into the overall theme, save for "The Ballad Of Dick Steel", a song about the guy who hosts "Nerdy Karaoke" at The Geek Easy in Orlando. The last two songs, "Falling Sometimes Down" and "Long Distance Dedication", both clocking in at over 5 minutes each, are among my favorites. They're both pleasant trips that get more and more desperate as they go on, culminating in fantastic endings, and LDD makes for a nice quiet closer.

RATING: 1/10. He's running a contest for a free vinyl copy and I want to seem like I've been unbiased.

Basically, a good album that I picked up at the right time, where after half the songs I'm going "Ugh, tell me about it."

Status Quo Radio DROPS THIS WEEK!!!

This week's jam:


Putting Status Quo Radio into Bandcamp/iTunes/THE WHOLE SHEBANG! Pre-orders will be up... soon.

Status Quo Radio comes out OCT 9TH!

So, this weekend...

FRIDAY: Mizucon!
There were equipment screw ups aplenty AND I missed Eyeshine/Johnny Young Bosh. Still got to meet up with some cool people, INCLUDING, someone who went to my Mizucon Show in 2013. He said I got better!

They gave out free Magic practice decks (nice!), a robust table top room (NICE!) and a dealers room that closed when I got there (not so nice). Really, the con itself seemed solid, but I was only able to go Friday night, so while I had fun, I didn't leave with the best impression.

Shout out to the Gamers With Gains YouTube channel, who will be doing a way better job of covering it than I will.

SATURDAY: Marc with a C/MC Lars/Peter Pepper/Random Encounter
Missed Marc but talked to him at the merch booth and was a super nice dude, MC Lars was great as always and a friend of his proposed during the set, Random Encounter put on a great show featuring older members, rivaling The Aquabats in former members.

Peter Pepper is like a more metal Foxy Shazam which was a more metal Queen. There was a mosh pit every song, which in the shallow venue of the BackBooth was a welcome respite from nerds standing shoulder to shoulder.

Yeah, it was worth 2.5 hours in a car both ways

SUNDAY: Battle For Zendikar GPT Atlanta
Went 1-2 drop and then went to the gym and watched some Competitive Smash Bros.
Battle for Zendikar is still a foreign language to me. 
Today wasn't terribly exciting, but I'm glad I don't have too much to do the coming weekend.

Also,
Status Quo Radio comes out OCT 9TH!