Embracing your inner nerd (or geek) has always been a struggle in life. Some people have found it easy to be openly nerdy, and they have suffered the stereotypes and stigmas that come with doing so. Others of us keep our inner nerd hidden, but let it out every once in a while to get serious about gaming, comics and so on.
So what's a closet nerd to do when the mainstream pop culture doesn't fully support the nerd lifestyle? Especially the music scene? Why, drive up to Pensacola for Nerd Invasion of course, which is what I did this past weekend. Similar to the punk rock scene in the 1990's (not the one in the 1970's as that was a bit rough) the rise of Nerdcore music as a genre of popular music is currently at it's beginning stages. While there are some established artists, Nerdcore is still getting it's legs under it to walk, much less run.
As with punk rock where you are either a hardcore or punk or punk on occasion, the purveyors of Nerdcore music are either hardcore geeks or nerds already, or they have a geeky or nerdy side to their already complex personality. That is where I fall in, and where I'm sure a lot of you do as well. Like Nerdcore artist Dr. Awkward says in his song "Geekquilibrium" where he laments his struggle to find a balance between his nerdy and non-nerdy sides of his personality:
While there are small shows all over the country, the Nerdcore artists do tour, it's good for the genre to stage larger events such as Nerd Invasion or the recent Nerdapalooza in Orlando to pull in a larger crowd and chip away at the collective consciousness of the music industry. Again making a parallel to punk music, Nerdcore music speaks to me - I understand it and associate with the subject material. To be specific, I don't prefer rap music. A good chunk of Nerdcore is hip-hop and rap based. However, there is a change in subject matter to something I can associate with. Instead of rapping about guns or stacks of money, the rap is about D&D, comics and so on. The music then takes on a whole new feeling and elicits an emotional response based on association.
It's why I've come to enjoy Nerdcore music almost as much as our resident GeekDad Nerdcore expert, Z. Actually, it's his influence that has brought me into the scene almost as much as I was inundated in the punk scene back in the 1990's. It's that influence that brought me to Nerd Invasion. Nerd Invasion is a burgeoning annual collection of music and gaming to fill in the gap between Nerdapalooza and well, Nerdapalooza.
Similar to a convention though it functioned a bit on the exhausting side, Nerd Invasion was an all night lock-in event (we weren't actually locked in.) Nerd Invasion featured gaming, music and movies. For me, the highlight and sole reason for going was the music. I'm not much for D&D or Magic: The Gathering anymore, so I just wanted to experience as much music as possible. Thanks to some very awesome people, most prominently Nerd Invasion promoter and maestro of Scrub Club Records MadHatter McGinnis, I was introduced to all the artists and realized that these are geeks like me.
That's what makes this genre of music so great. While it's not all children friendly, there is a lot of Nerdcore music that can be shared with the whole family. Just like my father opened me up to different kinds of music from all over the world (though mostly from Britain and the dirt rock south) I expose my kids to different kinds of music. From chiptunes (using computer sounds or video game console sounds to create music,) Piratical Nerdcore (literally pirates rapping about being pirates) and Potter Rock (that's right, music focusing on Harry Potter) there is plenty of sub-genres of Nerdcore for everyone to enjoy. However, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Just like most genres of music there is a hardcore element where you'll see parental advisories slapped on the album. It doesn't take away from the nerd factor though. The best place to get started on Nerdcore is with the ever varied and amazing podcasts posted over at Hipsterplease.com. In fact, there is even a Nerdcore podcast aimed at children.
At Nerd Invasion I got the opportunity to see and hear a great cross section of Nerdcore artists. Not just some of the more established artists, but also some new up and comers as well. It's still a new scene. Even the Nerdcore artists on top of the game, such as McFrontalot are still relatively unknown in the mainstream world. Before I list all the great artists that I got to meet and listen to, I have to give a huge thanks to Madhatter and Scrub Club records who made me feel like part of the group and welcomed me with open nerdy arms.
First up at Nerd Invasion was a three way rap off between MC Diabeats, Pheenix and then Thunderball from Southside. They were competing to be the next member of the Scrub Club Record label. While they were all amazing, Thunderball came out on top and won the battle. These three young rappers represent the future of Nerdcore and all of them have bright careers ahead of them. At this point in the show due to some technical problems the performances were already several hours behind. There is no one to blame for this, they did a fantastic job finally making it work. It was just bad luck.
Next the snappiest dressed Nerdcore artist Benjamin Bear took the stage followed by San Digeo based Zealous1 and then a change in schedule (and a really friendly gesture by Dr. Awkward) brought up Schaffer the Darklord. Schaffer is a stereotypical nerd on the outside but simply explodes on stage. Frankly, they all do. The energy was high throughout the whole show, even discounting the constant flow of energy drinks. Dual Core hit the stage next, then Scrub Club themselves featuring Madhatter and the uniquely voiced Kabuto the Python and the smooth Dr. Awkward. Certainly the best dressed Nerdcore acts, the rap ninjas Krondor Krew, played an amazing set following Scrub Club. Sadly I wasn't there to see them perform or see the Nerdcore crooner Shael Riley as unforeseen circumstances forced me to leave early.
The bottom line is, Nerdcore music is accessible and fun. Even the hardcore rap stuff has an edge that I haven't experienced in a long time. I encourage you to click on the links above and take a listen. This is a genre of music that is just blossoming into full existence. Nerdcore is gaining steam and gaining fans. I'm on board and can't wait for Nerdapalooza next year. Nerdcore is a music style that lets you feel free to let your inner nerd come out to enjoy life without judgment or stigma. Your inner nerd already reads comics, plays D&D and watches anything produced by Joss Whedon. Why not give it something to listen to as well?
