Nerdapalooza 2010

We’re inching ever closer to the weekend of Nerdapalooza, and while many a nerd are getting their geek on at PAX East this weekend, Team Nerdapalooza has much to reveal! Sorry, not the venue yet! We are still in talks with a few hotels and want to make it the BEST event ever.

First, however, I must share with you yesterday’s big nerdbuzz, for those that missed it: Bryan Lee O’Malley’s phenomenal opus, Scott Pilgrim has been translated for the silver screen by no less than Edgar Wright, the director who brought us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, two personal favorites of mine.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING TRAILER IS PRETTY BAD-ASS AND MAY LEAVE YOU WANTING MORE

I know, right? May I suggest walking on down to your local comic shop and picking up the Scott Pilgrim collection today? I know that last time I checked my comic shop of choice, A Comic Shop, carries it.

While on the Scott Pilgrim bus, Former Fat Boys have recently released a sneak track from their upcoming album in Youtube format entitled 7 Evil Exes, a tribute to Scott Pilgrim. You can hear the song after an explanation for a new Twitter competition they have going on:

I KNOW, RIGHT? Keep your eyes open for when that full album drops!

For those not hip to the Nerdy Show Podfeed, a lot happened this past week, so if you’re not listening, you’re missing out! We played a track from the new Overclocked Remix tribute album to Donkey Kong Country 2, Serious Donkey Business, as well as a track from Test Subject, the first full length album from chiptune musician, Bit Rat. Every now and then an album stands out to me as being ahead of the rest of the pack, something that really pops in professionalism, creativity, and talent. Test Subject stood out for me. I loved it so much that Bait Thief is this week’s track of the week!!

Also on this week’s Nerdy Show, we announced two amazing artists that will be returning to Nerdapalooza. From the piratous Florida coast, we’re proud to have Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew come back to the Nerdapalooza stage. They’ve been playing a number of pirate festivals and are ready to rock you once again. Also returning as the first announced headliner, none other than the Final Boss of the Nerdcore Game, MC Frontalot. He just released the brand new album Zero Day, which more than stands up to its predecessors. Go get it today! We will also be announcing ANOTHER artist on this upcoming week’s Nerdy Show, as well as an exclusive track from them.

This week, we saved one artist to announce on the blog, our first artist to announce for the pre-party, and that is MC Cool Whip. He had a memorable ode to Helen Keller that he performed at last year’s Open Mic, and this year he’ll get to show if he’s ready for a full set at Nerdapalooza. I’m betting that he is!

We are ALSO very proud to announce another sponsor for this year’s Nerdapalooza: Play N Trade Orlando Square. For those unfamiliar with the Play N Trade family, it’s probably the best brick and mortar store to get your hands on some old school video games as well as the new hotness. We’re excited to be working with them, and have some exquisitely fun plans we’re developing with them!

Last week, we kicked off our Nerdapalooza Final Boss Club, and already have two members! @DataVortex and @jtreecomics have not only locked in their tickets to Nerdapalooza for this year, but even after they’ve lived full lives and become heads in jars, they’ll STILL be coming to Nerdapalooza year after year after year. More than that, they get to chill in the VIP room with all the stars and get a final Boss Club Exclusive giveaway. Jealous yet? Well head on over and see why ThaSauce thinks it’s the proverbial bee’s knees and grab your membership today!

Last thing we got is that Nerdy Show’s Blackest Night Song Fight Music Competition has been extended to April 30th. Follow the link for details, but I know I’m gonna take the extra time and ask a few musical friends of mine to take a day out and make a track (looking at Wordburg and Kirby Krackle).

Thank you as always! In case you haven’t yet, follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook! Much nerdy love

[hex]

Another year, another volley of stories of the kick-ass variety from this year’s SXSW. While there are some reasons I’m glad I’m nowhere near the Lone Star State, I’m just not sure they trump this. Oh well, there will always be Nerdapalooza to hopefully see that line up, amirite?

For those that missed it, MegaCon was this weekend, and it was definitely a helluva fun time. I mainly hung with the Nerdy Show crew (with my best friend, Bob, in tow for the weekend), but I did end up giving away a few Nerdapalooza t-shirts. Congrats to @SilverWordz, btw, for being the awesome GhostBuster to win a Nerdapalooza shirt by recognizing me.

Now, to the REAL big news!! A bit ago, I intimated that Team Nerdapalooza was toying with offering a lifetime membership pass. Well, the time is nigh to announce it. We are launching the Final Boss Club for Nerdapalooza, which will consist of only 50 lucky individuals. Once we sell our 50 club spots, they are GONE. Now, what exactly will you get for being in the Final Boss Club, I hear you ask.

• Lifetime pass to any and every Nerdapalooza sponsored show
• VIP Access to any Nerdapalooza show you attend (where applicable)
• Nerdapalooza Final Boss Club T-Shirt
• Digital copies of any and every release that Nerdapalooza makes, musical, DVD, or otherwise
• Special exclusive goodie at every Nerdapalooza Annual Festival

As well as other treats that will open up as the years progress. This is an opportunity available only this year until June 1st. Once June rolls around, we will no longer be making this available ever again. All of this will be available for a $350 Donation to our KickStarter page.

For those that are unable to make the $350, there are other opportunities available through the KickStarter page:

• $1 Donation A thank you in our program
• $10 Donation A thank you and a sticker
• $25 Donation A thank you, sticker, and t-shirt
• $50 Donation A thank you, sticker, t-shirt, and CD
• $100 Donation All of that AND a ticket to Nerdapalooza

So, head on over and check out the Nerdapalooza donation page!

With that, we are proud to announce our next performing group! Returning after a year off to fight for the Cosmic Potato, we have the unstoppable Killer Robots to once again save the day! For those that are unfamiliar with the Killer Robots, you are in for a treat!

Last bit before running off and working on stuff for the day: my pal, Genoboost, over at GM4A is working with Nobuooo.com to bring you a brand new collaborative music project: IWADON Hiroyuki Iwatsuki Tribute Album. I wasn’t sure really who Hiroyuki Iwatsuki was, but a little research later, and I started getting excited for this project. As in the GM4A tradition, it is running the gamut of awesome genres in a 100 minute album that is gonna be released next Wednesday! However, if you happened to be going to PAX East and wanted to discuss the album with Geno first hand, there WILL be a Friday panel where he’ll be with this subject in mind! Also, in the GM4A tradition, it’ll be a free release, so what’s not to like? Still not convinced? Then I shall leave you with this. Enjoy

IWADON: Report from the 1920s from Jeriaska on Vimeo.

I know that all you parents out there are gonna call my baby a little slow on the uptake to have taken three years to walk, but when it’s a festival you’re talking about, that’s something to definitely brag about! As the story goes, three years ago, while helping with the Battle of the Bands show for my college’s radio station, KRFH,, the idea of Nerdapalooza dawned on me. What a ride it has been!! The beauty is that we haven’t even really gotten started yet! Last year we had 500 attendees and raised $5400 for Child’s Play. We are determined to shatter both of those records this year!

Now, if someone had told me three years ago that Nerdapalooza was going to be on some level playing field with PAX and San Diego Comic Con in only three years, I would have just laughed at them. However, as we posted last week, Nerdapalooza has been nominated for the Best Geek Event of 2009 by the GeekDad blog over at Wired.com! Interestingly enough, GeekDad seems to have a very similar conception date as Nerdapalooza (March 15, 2007). It must have been some cosmic geeky star alignment! However, you have until this Sunday, March 14th, to vote for Nerdapalooza!! So please head on over and vote!! Please tell your friends, your family, and your pets to do the same! Wouldn’t it be crazy if we somehow stole the gold?

I have a theory that a big reason why Nerdapalooza is in the running for Best Event in the first place is thanks to my good pal, Z. of Hipster, Please!, who I never seem to be able to thank enough for all the kindness he has shown Nerdapalooza and myself over the years! This continues even today as he kicks off this year’s pre-press wave with a question for his readers: who do you want to see at this year’s Nerdapalooza? Head on over and post your thoughts on who you’d like to see, as well as Z.’s suggestions, which are always put into consideration.

Along the lines of Nerdapalooza announcements, we don’t have much to give ya this week, as the bulk of the festival team are preparing for MegaCon this weekend. We’re not going to have a heavy force, but you may see me (hex) walking around in my Nerdapalooza shirt hanging with Team Nerdy Show or over at the A Comic Shop booth, or Masurao in Ninja garb, or Nina staring at him embarrassed.

While we’re on the topic of Cons, I thought I’d kick back to life the idea I had a while ago for a “free song of the day,” except in a manageable weekly format. This week, I’d like to showcase none other than Pros and Cons by Shael Riley and Jiggin Jon T of OC Remix fame. The lyrics will make you chuckle pretty hard when at your next convention. (Warning: this song has naughty words in it) Download the Track

Back to Nerdy Show real quick before I wrap up for today, if you’re a fan of chiptunes and/or space, I highly recommend downloading our latest episode, where our guest, Pixelh8, announced he’ll be mailing a cardboard cutout of himself for this year’s Nerdapalooza, which is pretty dang cool!! Also, I would like to announce, for any that didn’t catch my excitement yesterday. that Team Nerdy Show has had our press passes confirmed for E3! Add that to our growing list that includes MegaCon and August’s Star Wars Celebration, Nerdy Show is starting to become an actual press entity! I bring this, of course, as it is the official Nerdapalooza podcast, and you can often hear early Nerdapalooza news leaked on there before it makes it to the blog. We plan on giving away a ticket or two over there soon, so tuning in now may be your best chance to get in to Nerdapalooza for free!

Also, if you can’t wait and just NEED to get your hands on a ticket to Nerdapalooza, no matter the cost, may I recommend checking out the KickStarter page for the music video Keeping Track? Cap, of Nerdy Show, helped put it together, and is looking for funding in order to finance the graphics needed to finalize the video. Apparently if you’re a heavy donor, you can get your hands on a Nerdapalooza ticket!!

Anywho, that’s all I got for now, folks! Have a great weekend, and look for next week, where we should have a few more announcements of weight for ya!

Much nerdy love

[hex]

First off, let me apologize for the length of time since the last blog. It’s been kind of crazy over here, negotiating with sponsors, artists, and other important sounding things. We have a lot we’d like to announce, but as a lot of the details aren’t concrete yet, we are unable to spill the secrets.

I found the next bit out mid-blog, and had to backtrack to put it up here, as I find it so important! Our pals over at GeekDad have thrown together the First Ever GeekDad Awards, and I was a little shocked to see the ONLY Geek Event representing the East Coast (or anywhere BUT the West Coast ) is Nerdapalooza!! Wow! That’s a helluva honor, and we’re proud to even have been nominated. But if we were to win… that would be some crazy notoriety! Why don’t you pause the blog and head over and vote on some stuff. It’s okay, I’ll wait.

Welcome back! Since you were so nice to vote, we’d like to now reward you by announcing our first wave of artists. Two artists, each proudly returning for their third iteration of Nerdapalooza are nerd pop hometown hero, Marc with a C, and the rapping and hacking sensation of Ohio, Dual Core! Marc has just released a new album, so if you weren’t familiar with him, now’s a great chance to learn more. int eighty of Dual Core was rudely shoved off-stage by yours truly after a popular demand for an encore last year… hopefully that won’t happen again! (The rude shoving, that is. By all means, still cheer him for an encore!) And the last announcement for this week is a newcomer to Nerdapalooza who we’re proud to announce, Sci-Fried, the amazing sci-fi parody rock group from Orlando! They’re currently on tour of the local Con circuit, and we’re honored to be a part of that.

Next, Nerdapalooza is proud to announce that we will be continuing our partnership with EMPulse Records, who has done sound and live recording with Nerdapalooza for the past two years. As sound quality was a predominant complain with last year’s show, EMPulse has reassured the Nerdapalooza Team that it’ll no longer be an issue.

We are also very proud to announce the sponsorship of Starbound Creative. They will be filming the bulk of the show, which might result in a sexy DVD for sale over at the Nerdapalooza Store. As we’re on the topic of recordings, if you haven’t yet, why don’t you swing over and pick up a copy of last year’s concert album? Remember: all profits from that album go to Child’s Play!

Speaking of Child’s Play, we are now able to announce that we raised over $5,400 for the charity with last year’s show! We broke our goal of doubling the contribution from the year before! You helped us do that and we are truly grateful. Child’s Play shall once again be the official Nerdapalooza charity, so get ready to geek out for a good cause come June 26th and 27th!

I’ve received a few questions regarding Nerdapalooza that I’ll later upload to the FAQs page, that I’d like to take a second to answer:

Where is Nerdapalooza 2010 going to be held?

We’re still negotiating with our venue, so we are not yet ready to announce it, but suffice it to say we will once again be hosting it in Orlando, Florida.

How much are tickets for the event going to be?

Once again, we’re still in talks with that, however opportunities to obtain early tickets (free or through other means) will arise soon.

Can I still apply to perform at Nerdapalooza?

Yes!! We’re still working on our talent pool and are accepting applications. Send an email to our Artist Director, Josh, over at artist AT nerdapalooza DOT org for review. Do it soon, because we’re filling out our roster now!

However, if you want a chance to prove you are Nerdapalooza material, there is no better way than submitting a track to the Nerdy Show’s latest music competition, Blackest Night Song Fight! Neither affiliated with DC or Song Fight, this is Nerdy Show’s way of showing our appreciation for one of the best comic events in a very long time. The gist of the competition is to create an original song around the concepts and story of Blackest Night. The first place prize is a performance spot at the Nerdapalooza Pre-Party at A Comic Shop. We won’t be able to cover any costs coming out or housing you, only the guarantee of a performance slot. Head over to the Nerdy Show rules and regs of the competition for full details.

That’s all we have for this week. Hopefully we’ll be able to announce more secrets next week! Until then, please enjoy – in its entirety – Pixelh8’s performance of Obsolete? It was discussed in this interview on Nerdy Show and crowned the geekiest THING of 2009. This week, the Nerdy Show Team will have Pixelh8 back in the studio to discuss his upcoming performance, Observations! Enjoy!

Obsolete? from Pixelh8 on Vimeo.