At the forefront of the Nerdcore scene are Frontalot, mc chris, MC Lars, and YTCracker. Front is the godfather of the scene, coining the term and embracing all that is nerdy, dorky, dweeby, or geeky; you all know him and love him… and if you don’t, you should. mc chris doesn’t like to call himself Nerdcore, but due is a nerd rapper extraordinaire; you know him as MC Pee Pants and Hesh, or perhaps the dude who did that funny track about Boba Fett driving a Corvette. MC Lars is fun and enjoyable; he’s likely you’re friend on Facebook already, having nearly as many friends as Tom has on MySpace. YTC is a cracker and hacker turned emcee; Nerdrap Entertainment System still stands as a unique and groundbreaking work.

Beyond the big four, this illustrious site has covered the likes of Beefy, Shael Riley, Dual Core, and The ThoughtCriminals/Mikal kHill, as well as nerdy acts that don’t identify specifically with the subgenre like Pigeon John. However, today presents a great time to give the readers a brief primer of some other things the world of Nerdcore has to offer. Here are 10 more nerds that you need to know:

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What HORROR WEEK would be complete without this:

thepaintedman rates this:

K. Flay, Hip Hop’s best kept secret, just released a hot FREE mixtape (available at her website) to wet our proverbial whistles for her debut full-length album. Frequent Nerdcore collaborator who has also worked with Del and Zion-I (among others) uses this release to demonstrate her production, rapping, and singing chops. Taking popular songs from all types of genres, K. Flay put together 11 tracks and a 12th bonus track where she intertwines great beats with familiar hooks and showcases her vocals for all the folks who are new to the Suburban Rap Queen.

I first got diggin’ on Ms. Flay when I heard “Other People’s Property” from The Digital Gangster LP, then I hear her on other Lars tracks, and I got my first full taste just a few weeks ago when I picked up the Single and Famous EP. Then a last week I was clicking through my On Demand music videos and saw a Zion-I video featuring K. Flay called “Coastin’”. After this, I was hooked, just in time to see MC Lars tweet about her mixtape… I immediately downloaded it.

The mixtape, as all good mixtapes do, works best as a complete product, but I do have a few favorite tracks.

The opener, “ON the bridge” immediately catches me with the RHCP sample it utilizes as the primary backing track. Flay’s flow on top of the track demonstrates her ability to chill out the listener with a sing-song rap delivery, almost like a female version of my favorite MC, Pigeon John. “boom boom pow KUNG FU” uses a cool sample of a kid saying just that with a well crafted computer drum loop to set up a perfect backdrop for her to crank up her showing of her MC skills. On “paper planes & SPITBALLS”, K. Flay chops ups MIA’s “Paper Planes” and brings MC Lars on board for a verse. Solid track, which is no surprise when considering how solid the entire tape is and that Lars is the best post-punk laptop rapper ever (he told me on Twitter that he was not Nerdcore!).

Flay samples tracks from Kanye, Missy Elliot, and a whole bunch of others. It’s well worth it’s price… and quite a bit more. So do yourself a favor, in fact, two favors:

1. Download the mixtape.

2. Watch this video of Zion-I featuring the Suburban Rap Queen.

…is my new favorite Nerdcore act. Period.

thepaintedman rates this:

Sorry Shael. Sorry Beefy. Sorry Lars. Sorry YT. Sorry Front. Sorry STD. These cats got it going on. Rock beats, catchy hooks, tons of great guests (see above list of apologies, in fact), clever lyrics, and something a bit different than most of the Nerdcore acts that I’ve been digging on, mainstream viability.

Admittedly, part of their allure is that Next Level is the first album loaded on my new iPod Touch… so they have an automatic leg up on everyone else I’ve ever reviewed. However, I have no doubt in my mind that this unfair advantage was unneeded for this great crew. Crew may be a bit of an overstatement, as Dual Core is a duo: Cincinnati, Ohio’s int80 and Manchester, England’s c64.

This duo is brand new to me, despite their 3 previous releases. While I cannot comment on these previous releases, I can state, without any question, that their latest release is nothing less than solid rockroll influenced hip-hop output. Nerds will surely find a lot here that they like and relate to, but the well crafted beats and commercial viability of their sound broadens their prospective audience greatly.

Kicking off with guitar driven rap-rock, the album progresses through 13 tracks of unique and different beats, all the while remaining a album with solid continuity. There aren’t too many tracks that standout to me as being the most impressive, mostly because the album performs so well as a whole.

If I were to choose a favorite track, it would be “Magnificent Seven”, just because it is a Nerdcore All-Star show. I am not sure I could even name everyone on the track… but I’ll give it a go: MC Lars, MC Frontalot, Beefy, Schaffer the Darklord, Mega Ran, and YTCracker… I’ll have to Dual Core how well I did on that one, because my iPod says “(featuring Nerdcore)”. Besides the track featuring everyone and their mothers, it also has a phat beat and makes me bop my head, which is usually a good thing.

Overall, I’m not exactly sure what to say about this album that hasn’t already been said on Beefy’s Amazon review of Next Level. This is my new favorite Nerdcore album and without question one of my new favorite hip-hop albums. If you are a fan of the Nerdcore guys, mainstream nerd rappers like Del tha Funkee Homosapien, or rock inspire hip-hop like Philly’s Roots crew, this is an album, you WILL be down with.

PS. How cool is it that I was able to download an App for my IPod that simulates a light saber when I swing it around?

This email interview presented unaltered… no editing… so good luck!

Thanks for taking a few minutes to chat with TPM. My readers will appreciate it. Let’s start off simple, who is YTCracker?

ytcracker is bryce case, jr. straight out of the 719 repping colorado springs until the Almighty Spam God decompiles me and puts me back in the source code.

Your website claims that you are “the undisputed king of nerdcore”. How can I verify that is is true? I mean, according to wikipedia, you seem to be have the longest active tenure of the Nerdcore cats, but being the elder doesn’t always make you the king.

even my most famous contemporaries allow me to use this tagline and refer to me as such. it must be true.

Hmmm… well, if you could be anything other than a nerd rapper, what would you be and why?

i’m way more than a nerd rapper. i eat cereal in the morning. i also run the entire internet – you better axe about me.

Good answer. So, I reviewed NES a month or two ago… basically stating that I dug it a lot. It was a great concept and the overall product was quite well executed. Whether it be NES or something else you put out, what, would you say, it Ytcracker’s crowning achievement? What is the best contribution to music that can be attributed to you?

i cooked a steak once while rapping about the steak and entertained people at the barbecue. these are the things that are important in life.

On his newest release, Lars covers one of my childhood heroes, Atom & His Package. Were you ever an Atom fan?

i was not. adam ant though holla game.

I’d personally call him an “OG”. He was kinda Nerdcore before there was such a thing. Plus, he was always freaking awesome live. Live music has always been a big thing for me. Who are the best live acts, both in your Nerdcore scene and elsewhere?

everyone in nerdcore, including myself, sucks at irl. the only groupcever worthy of holding any sort of cred live is pendulum.

How about influences, both Nerdcore and otherwise… what has influenced you musically?

i have really eclectic tastes and i play the turntables, guitar, piano, and kazoo. i like dance music a lot, so the fusion of technology and rap has always interested me.

Ok, so let’s do what I always do for a few questions in my interviews, let’s veer away from music and talk about other stuff. We’ll do some word associations. I’ll throw out a word or topic and you can tell me whatever comes to mind. We’ll start with current events. Michael Jackson.

the man. i miss you. i always stood up for you in elementary school when no one else did.

Michael Vick.

big ron mex wb you were afk.

Healthcare Reform.

libertarian or bust screw socializm.

Okay, away from just current topics, how about just some broader topics, like… Religion.

Praise Be to the Spam God and His Infinite Bitstream.

Video Games.

monkey island in HD whodi holla.

Twitter.

my life fits terribly in 140 chars or less.

And one more… The Metric System.

everything you need to know about getting high lies in the metric system.

Good. In my previous interview with Beefy, he said that there have been some heavy beefs (no pun intended) in Nerdcore. Have any involved you?

one with mc chris and i, but i think that is squashelerized.

Well, I guess I’ve wasted enough of your time, so let’s just hit a few more quick things. What should we be expecting from YTCracker in the near future in way of new music?

new album drops next month – it was called “the throne” now it might be called “the heisman” – they all have stories behind them. penis.

I know that you and, well, everyone else in the scene performed at Nerdapalooza in the past couple of weeks. How come that stuff never happens out here? When do us East Coast folks (Philly/Reading, specifically) get to see YTCracker live on stage?

tour goes live end of august – i’ll have dates up soon i promise!!!!

Ok, so… last question… what would you tell my readers is the most important thing when trying to pick up girls?

confidence and swagger. ain’t nary a none whodi say a whodi fo shodi ain’t done the damn thang with these females ya dig, goon sire.

Thanks again. Love, Peace, and Chicken Grease.

to the middle east. thanksgiving feast.

Thanks for hooking me up with an interview. I figured that since Cook did one that I couldn’t leave you out. That’s just be unfair. So, anyway, my readers have met CookBook, but the question still begs, who is Uno Mas?

UNO Mas was born Rene Palma to Mexican immigrants. I started rapping in high school around the mid 90s. Listened to a lot of different music growing up… mostly rock cuz of my older bro’s influence. I’m a founding member of the LA Symph crew. Blessed to travel the globe and perform in front of thousands of people! I like the color blue and I love tacos!

I know your name primarily from your work as a member of LA Symphony. I am most familiar with Composition No. 1 and Disappear Here. What tracks would I know you most from?

From Composition No.1 you’d probably know me best from the song “Little Shirts”. The hook is quite catchy and people always quote that to this day if they see me or Cook. From Disappear Here, I’d have to say the song “Rise”. I’ve gotten a lot of people tell me that the verse was dope and it moved them to hear it. The verse basically talks about me and a time in my life where I was very sick and hospitalized, and just what I went through.

After talking with CookBook, I downloaded the The Overflow. It’s quite a solid album and a free album is always a good thing, in my opinion. However, how can you and Cook get away with giving music away and still find a way to make a living?

Man bro, giving away music was just an idea that I kinda came up with, but not necessarily to the extent that it is with us right now. It started with just giving away a song a month back when MySpace was allowing free downloads. It eventually led to grouping the songs together with other exclusive songs to make a FREE download album. At this point we just want our music heard by any means necessary… and, by as many people as possible! We’ve never made money off of record sales. All monies we’ve seen have been from touring. So if Cook and I can gain some fans from the free stuff then hopefully we’ll earn a loyalty from them when it comes to further projects and touring. That’s the plan…hope it works!

Do you and he have anything else in the works? Or, perhaps, it’s better to ask what you have in the works, whether it be with or without him.

I’ve been tossing the idea around for a minute about doing a solo project, maybe an EP. I just don’t wanna spread ourselves too thin. My plan since day one was to do music first with my good friend Cook. The LA Symph came along and took us in another direction. Now that we’re focusing on C&U again, I feel this is the time to push as hard as possible to get our music heard. Thus came The Overflow which really did alot for us. Over 40 thousand downloads. Now we’ve got The C&U Music Factory which in my opinion is 10x’s better! It’s some of our best music to date and it has alot of dope guest spots. I have faith in our music and i believe if we can get it into people’s iPods and whatnot, they’ll catch our vision.

It seems like the LA Symph crew has been able to keep working with each other on projects outside of LA Symph releases, appearing on each other’s releases and creating interesting work together, with the latest being Rootbeer. Is there anything in particular by other members of the crew that has blown you away in the past few years?

I mean it’s real cool to see the individual members do the music they personally have in their hearts to do. Joey the Jerk is off doin’ somethin’ totally off the wall that the average LAS fan would never expect, but if you know him you’d probably say, yup that’s him. Flynn’s solo stuff has some really dope uniqueness to it that only Flynn can pull off. So it’s just dope to see everyone doin them. And if and when LA Symph gets togther for another project it’ll be us… all of us, doin’ the LAS stuff, and sound, and vibe… etc.

In the interview with CookBook, he mentioned some poor decisions involving LA Symphony. Everything in life seems to have it’s ups and downs. What do you regret about your time with LA Symphony and what is your best memory?

Man, woulda, shoulda, coulda, is never a good thing. There’s always regrets… always, no matter what you do. Too many to get into, but things coulda been done differently to make us a smoother running machine for sure. There’s always the thought of maybe we waitied too long to focus on our solo material. But, it was all a life experience, one that I do hold close. I’ve been all around the world and have seen the country up close and personal. There is way too many memories to just recall one. Like I said, I hold it all close…even the bad!

In addition to lots of other underground hip-hop, I am very into the Nerdcore subgenre. Are you familiar with the Nerdcore guys?

I’m not really familiar with the genre “Nerdcore”. Only thing that comes close would be Pigeon john when I think of that title… LOL.

Not too far off… PJ could easily be part of that scene. As I type up the questions to this interview, I am listening to MC Lars, I guess that’s where these questions came from… but anyway, what other Hip Hop inspires and influences you?

I get inspired by good hip hop… as vague as that is. I like the new artists coming out of the westcoast like Pac Div and Blu. Murs keeps doin’ his thing. Evidence has been doin’ his thing recently and I respect his hustle and music. I don’t listen much to the radio…lots and lots of sports talk radio when I’m in the car. Not necessarily cuz I say screw the stuff on radio, I just enjoy sports talk. I don’t know, there’s a lot artists out there that I respect and look forward to hearing.

How about other music, like non Hip Hop?

I don’t know. I listen to a lot of random stuff. depends on mood. you can find lots of stuff on my iPod. Random stuff like Musiq, John Mayer, The Fray, the Cardigans, Journey, Incubus, Raphael Saadiq, 80’s R&B and Pop. I’m pretty open to whatever.

Slipping away from music for a few moments, what else do you fill your time with?

Quite honestly, not much. When I’m not doin’ music, I actually stay away as far as possible from the creative side of music. I love my sports, so I watch lots of it. Football, basketball, college and pro… it’s all good to me! I’m tryin’ to get myself back in the gym. I use to be a workout fiend… now… not so much! I’ve been considering takin’ some more college courses. Try and finish up my degree. Joey the Jerk, just recently got his Bachelor’s, so that motivates me a lot. I like to read self help books on finance and whatnot. Book like Rich Dad Poor Dad. Not sure if I’m soaking up the knowledge, but I enjoy the on the spot motivation. Movies are always a favorite of mine. I’ll go catch a flick whenever the urge hits, even if I go alone. I had a bad habit of buying shoes (Dunks and Jordans), but finances brought that to an end. I’m a little more respectful of my bank account now. I like to think I can cook, if anything… I do like to eat!

I see you and CookBook on Twitter quite often. I used to think Twitter was lame, then I warmed up. How long have you been on Twitter, you an OT (Original Tweeter) or a newbie like me?

I don’t really know what is considered a newbie. I’ve been “tweeting” since about March of this year. I do enjoy Twitter… some days more than others. I’ve met lots of good people and contacts through it, so it’s been really good in building music relationships. I like reading what people are up to, especially other artists. It gives you a chance to relate to them and see what sorta things you have in common. I hate it that Diddy never replies to me, so I unfollowed him! Alyssa Milano never replies back, but I still follow her… she a sports freak! I like replying to people that listen to our music and are LA Symph fans. It’s a real good way to sorta speak to people you look up to… maybe send’em a message. Even if they don’t reply, chances are they read your message. As an artist, you do have to be up on these new avenues (Facebook, Twitter) to connect with your fans and potential new fans.

To turn this conversation in a slightly different direction for a minute, I am familiar with youand know that you are a Christian. I am also a Christian, though I am not much of a church goer and have a hard time with some of the things other followers do in the “name of God”. In fact, I’d say that most of the times I’ve been burnt in my life were by Christians. It’s hard, because I guess I hold other Christians to a higher standard or something. Anyway, I guess the question is this: what about Jesus makes it impossible for me, you, or other Christians to dismiss him based on the stupid things Christians do?

Obviously we’re all imperfect! Man will always let you down in small or big ways. I don’t put my faith in man, whether it’s my pastor or teacher, or president. I will however put my trust in them. I have to trust that they will do and make decisions that are beneficial to those they lead. I have to trust that they will do the right thing… most of the time. I have to believe and have faith that Jesus is who the bible says he is! That’s because Jesus is the God I have chosen to follow. I can’t fault man in the stupid things they do or say in their interpretations of the Bible or their practice of Christianity. I probably do things that other believers think is weird or just plain wrong. I’ve experienced a lot of judgmental treatment from fellow believers, but i can’t be jaded by it… because they’re just human, like me. I will separate myself from that, but I’m always open to learn and listen to others perspective and knowledge of faith and the bible. I don’t know, I hope that answered the question. I’m actually in between churches at the moment. But I am looking for a new place to fellowship.

On the topic, I’ve been struggling a lot personally with the idea that prosperity is based on faith. Many Christians I know seem to think that the things they have, from health to material goods, are because they are “gifts from God”. While this isn’t untrue, it also comes with the implied belief that the poor and downtrodden are that way because they don’t have a strong enough faith. If you could deliver one message to the Prosperity Theologists of the world, what would it be?

I do believe there is some level of faith when it comes to these thing like health and money. But I mostly believe, that you get what you work for. I go by the belief “God helps those who helps themselves”! I know people are different in this world and some people have it harder, maybe cuz of handicaps. We’ve all got obstacles to overcome in one form or another. God blessed me with a sound mind and body and it would be wrong for me to pray for good health and sit around downing Cheetos and cheeseburgers. Or believe in financial prosperity when I’m not at least learning about finances and how money works. I believe knowledge is key in certain areas, especially money. I don’t believe in suffering for my craft/art. If music is not paying my bills then I’ma go and get a job… period. In all things give praise and be thankful. I believe God’s will for us is to prosper and be healthy! I don’t know. I do believe God answers prayer. God meets our needs. As long as I’m doing somethin’ and not sitting on my ass, God will meet my needs when I fall short. Hope that answers your question.

Ok, so now that all of the non-Christians are getting tired of our dialogue and threatening to leave, I’ll bring it back to music. So far, in 2009, what are your favorite releases, any genre?

I’m not gonna lie… I don’t have any favorite releases for 09 yet. There’s stuff that I’ve bought and downloaded that I thought was really good. 2009 is still not over, we’ll see come December.

We already discussed your future musical plans, how about LA Symph as a whole, do you see anything on the horizon as far as another release by the collective?

Nope! We discussed briefly putting out another album, but we weren’t all on the same page or mind set. The time is just not right yet. I do believe we will release another album, I just don’t know when. Maybe next year, maybe two years from now. It just has to feel right. At this point, we have to much respect for the LA Symph name to just put some songs together and throw something out for the sake of getting something out. I think our next album has to be the best music we’ve ever done and leave people wanting more. I think our last albums were real good, but I don’t think they did that. So maybe time will create some sort of anticipation with our fans and a motivation within us to craft somethin’ truly great and timeless!

Well, I guess I’ve taken up enough of your time. Let’s wrap this up with two more questions. First, what is it that you love most about creating music?

Sometimes writing is a drag. Especially when you write your heart out and record it and it pretty much sucks! I love recording, and when it all comes together as a whole and freakin’ sounds awesome. From the track to the hook to the verse. When you realize, like damn…that’s hot right there! I mostly enjoy performing though. I love everything about it. From travelling, to the hotels, to being in front of people, and rockin’ their freakin’ minds. Performin’ is like an addiction, literally. Even when I’ve told myself, man I’m done with this. There’s nothin’ in the world like being on stage and people lovin’ what your doing!

And finally, leave the readers with some words of wisdom.

Man, just do you and be true to you. If you’re thinking of rapping… stop! Go to school… haha! I don’t know… do what makes you happy and don’t try to please others. Thanks for listening ya’ll… or reading! God Bless and go cop anything and everything that has to do with Cook & UNO!!!

Hi guys, I can honestly say that I know little to nothing about you and your band, why don’t you introduce yourself to me and my readers?

Brad Rhoades: Haha… well I can honestly say that whoever is reading this probably knows little to nothing about us, as well, but hopefully that will change soon. Anyway, I am Brad Rhoades. I play guitar and sing back-up vocals.

Bradley Boyce: Hello, race fans! I’m Bradley, and I sing and write words and some of the music! Very pleased to be doing this and introducing new folks to our sound.

You told me that you are working on recording your debut, how’s that going.

Yeah, we just started recording our album with our buddy Chris (who actually introduced us to each other back in the day). We’re re-recording 10 or 11 of our songs using Chris’s amazing studio gear. He’s a really great producer. He knows what sounds good. It’s going to sound awesome! We’re still in the middle of tracking guitars right now.

Yeah, Chris is amazing… Some of his solo stuff is just so outrageously phenomenal… It’s just… sick. It’s going amazing.

So, who are some of your musical influences and/or favorite artists?

My biggest influences are probably Blink 182 and Jimmy Eat World. I also listen to a lot of hip-hop, bubblegum pop, and even old 50’s doo-wop music. I like lots of music.

As a singer, I love Michael Jackson, Anthony Green, Frank Sinatra and Jonah Matranga. As for bands; I love Far, Sigur Ros, Bob Dylan and Jimmy Eat World.

Cool. If you were trying to sell your band to the readers, how would you pitch your upcoming debut?

Every song is on it’s own. We aren’t recording an album to fit in to a particular genre. Every song is different. We have weird Postal Service-ish electronic type songs, slow pretty songs, fun poppy songs, and big rockin’ songs! It’s really going to be awesome to get all of the songs together on one CD. I think there’s a little something there for everyone. But while every song sounds different, they somehow all sound like us still.

I think that if you’re looking for a true emotional indie rock experience and are tired of bands half-assing it… look our way, please! There’s nothing easy, safe or simple about this band. Every song is it’s own separate and weird, emotional thing. We have a lot of really big parts, too! Big, huge melodic riffs, with big emotional vocals and catchy choruses.

Don’t forget to send me a copy once it’s ready, I’ll definitely review it and let you know what I think… not as if what I think means anything. So, let’s veer away from music for a moment. What else interests you? How to you spend your free time?

My spare time is pretty much full of listening/downloading/making music, hanging out with my girlfriend, and working a job. I’m also in the market to buying a couple gerbils. Haha.

I’m a really huge baseball geek, so I’m always at a ball game, watching a ball game, looking up stats from a ball game… etc.

Have you caught any movies this Summer? Planning on catching anything else? If you haven’t seen it yet, may I recommend the new Harry Potter flick?

Yeah, my favorite movie of the summer so far is The Hangover. That was soooo funny! I’ve seen it twice already. So good. I also really enjoyed Up. I haven’t seen Harry Potter yet though. I need to still see most of the other ones… I’m behind.

Up! Amazing flick…

Hmmm… ok, so let’s get deep for a minute. While this site is not about pushing forth any type of ethos (outside of hocking good music and beer), I am a Christian and I like to ask some of those I interview about their beliefs. Do you believe in God or a higher power?

Well, being from Utah, we’re surrounded by the Mormon community. Basically, everyone here is born and raised Mormon. I moved here from California when I was in 4th grade, and the very first question anyone asked me on my first day of school was, “Are you Mormon?” and I had never even heard of that before, so I was very confused. My family took my brothers and I to church for a few years and everything. I think we mostly went to fit in. I stopped going to church many years ago because I realized that it was not for me; way too much brainwashing and stuff. I don’t believe that any organized religion is “the true” one, really. I don’t think God, or whoever, cares what religion I am. This is a topic that Singer B and I could both go on and on about, so I will leave my two cents at that and let him answer the question.

I’m going to be honest here… don’t take me as offensive, ok? I’m just giving my info… you have to believe in a talking snake, things that are easily explainable by science (for instance, when God opened up the earth and swallowed the soldiers has already been scientifically proven to just have been an earthquake by geologists examining the area, they didn’t have any science when they wrote the Bible, so anything out of ordinary that happened, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, forest fires, etc, was all just thought to of been God, instead of natural occurrence) to believe fully in the Bible. Not to mention the fact that there are more than 10 gods before the Jesus story, all having the exact same story line (born on Dec 25, born of a virgin, died and resurrected after 3 days, 3 kings adorning, 10 rules or commandments, etc.) that have been historically proven before the story of Jesus even happened. Start with Horus, the sun god of Egypt, then move up to Mithira, Krishna, etc… I never understood why history has ignored these gods that had a story way before Jesus… The Egyptians based all of Horus’ story on astrological allegory that can all be perfectly explained by nature. People just need to do a little research. Again, not to be offensive… But I find it offensive that people don’t even bother to look up Horus or Mithira, to be honest. It really is the EXACT same story as Jesus, before Jesus, and the evidence of Horus and his story is absolute, written on pyramid walls thousands of years before Jesus.

Do you think your beliefs influence your art?

Yeah, definitely. I play music that makes ME happy. I’m not pretending to be something that I’m not.

I think life influence my art. Music has been the only way that I have found to say what I want to say… That’s why I do it.

Despite the fact that being a Christian means knowing that God is in control somehow, I can’t help but notice the darkness of mankind. For example, I’m from Reading and spend time in the greater Philadelphia area, out here there has been a lot of press on a sad story about 3 guys beating another man to death outside a Phillies game. Word is that the fight began over spilling a beer… anyway, my question here is this: what can one person, like you or I, do to make this world a little less dark and dreary?

That’s a good question. Honestly, I think people need to just try and be happy, and let petty things go. Just do what makes you happy, be around the people that make you happy, etc. The Phillies game fight/murder was 100% avoidable. If people weren’t so tight-assed and just let things as simple as that go, something as terrible as that would have never happened. I really wish people could try harder to just be happy and enjoy their lives. It’d be such a better place…

Nothing has caused more death in the world than religion. The Crusades, Dark Ages, now, forever… Look….. The reason why we’re scared of Muslims is religion, the reason why the Israelis and Palestinians can’t get along is religion, the Jews and the Muslims, the Christians and the Mormons, the Catholics and the Jews and Muslims… What is it all for? Sooner or later we’re all just going to have to start looking at each other as humans, not what religion we are… I’m a human, and I love and have alot of respect for you interviewing and being interested in us, I have a lot of respect for your readers for the same. Let’s just start with something simple like that, ok? I’m a human, and I’m trying my best to make people see past labels and that’s what religion is, labeling. Hi, I’m a Christian or Mormon! No! This is not the right way…. Hi, I’m Bradley, and I’m a human being. I share this earth with you, and I want things to be better and people to get along, without the labels. Let’s all try, ok?

Thanks for indulging my probing into your mind. Let’s get back to music. What is you favorite song from 2009?

Hmm… I don’t know. I listen to so much music. It’s hard to pick just one favorite. I’ve been listening to the new P.O.S. album a lot though. Every song on that is golden.

Anything off the new Bob Dylan. He’s still amazing.

I think mine is MC Lars’s “True Player for Real”. Speaking of, are you familiar with Lars or the whole Nerdcore movement?

I am a little familiar with MC Lars. The Nerdcore movement has been around for years, I think. Weezer was considered Nerdcore right? Haha.

I’m not, no. I wear dinosaur t shirts and watch Star Wars at least 20 times a year, so it sounds perfect for me.

I must say, I think I identify with the Nerdcore thing mostly because I am a giant nerd. Do you have any specifically nerdy tendencies?

Singer Brad is the nerdiest one in our band. Haha, just kidding. I’m sort of a nerd. I know a lot about blue whales and gerbils. Hahaha.

I’m the nerdiest person anyone knows. People never know how to react to me.

Cool, well I am thinking about doing a nerd themed week in August, be sure to check it out. Also, coming early in August will be TPM’s first monthly mixtape, a new feature where I will post 10 free downloads for the readers. The first one looks like it should have some great stuff on it, including a track from you called “Night Sleep Maybe”. Can you tell us a little bit about the song?

“Night Sleep Maybe” is just a really fun song! It has a strong keyboard line that I like a lot. I’ll let Singer B talk more about the lyrics.

It’s a song about time. Making the most of it, watching it go, trying to make something of it while it’s here. Kinda romantic and fun at first, then it comes to a realization at the end that every second after you’re born, you start dying. Man.. So serious… I should’ve just wrote it about eating candy and watching baseball.

Great. Well, I look forward to hearing more from you. Thanks a lot for taking the time to say hi to my readers. Any final thoughts to leave them with?

Thank you so much for doing the interview! Let us know if there’s anything else we can do for your site. My final thought is: Believe in what YOU want and do what makes YOU happy.

I’m not as mean an ornery as I sound on some of these questions… That’s the net and answering like this… Anybody who pays attn means an awful lot to me… I don’t know you, but you’ve taken the time, and means the world to me. I’m a person, you’re a person; let’s just try and be one thing, which is people, instead of so many labels, ok? Thank you so much for taking the time to interviews us.

Take care and keep in touch!

We will for sure keep in touch, man!

thepaintedman rates this:

MC Lars’s most recent release, This Gigantic Robot Kills is a thoroughly enjoyable LP. Nerdcore rap laid on top of all different styles of music, the album is primarily just chock full of fun. This is with the exception of the only very serious track, “Twenty Three”, a sad tune about the suicide of one of Lars’s friends. Every track here is solid and there are tons of guest, from Nerdcore staples like Frontalot to rock musicians like Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship to nerd pioneer Weird Al. There is even a cover of Atom & His Package’s “Using the Metric System”.

The title of the album is an homage to Wesley Willis, which in and of itself makes the album undeniably awesome, but what’s even cooler is how little Lars cares about conforming to any mold. He’s hip-hop, punk rock, ska-core, dance pop, rock’n’roll, and electronica all at once. He just is what he wants to be, which is refreshing in a world where everyone wants to be someone else. From sampling Fugazi to writing songs about Shakespeare, nothing is off limits.

It’s hard to review the album in any one way. A track by track breakdown would be a bit excessive, while the overall sound can’t be described without doing so. The method I chose was to pick out my three favorite tracks and talk about them, specifically.

“True Player for Real” is the second track on the album and the first full track, as the opener is only about a minute long. With Weird Al on accordion and Wheatus as the backing band, the track has a fun, full sound. With a quote from Wesley Willis starting the track off, Lars heads right into his “post-punk” rhymes and his matter of fact chorus where he calls himself a “TPFR” then explains that it means “True Player for Real”. He drops names of hip-hop pioneers right along side references to wikipedia and Ralph Waldo Emerson. You even know when the key is going to change in the track because he calls out “Key Change” before it does.

“Twenty Three” is the only song that isn’t totally tongue-in-cheek. In fact, it hits a nerve, especially when juxtaposed with tracks that are nothing but fun and happy. Lars laments the loss of a friend to depression and suicide, with a chorus that notes the subject of the song will always be 23, rather than growing old with Lars and friends. I thank God I haven’t lost any close friends to suicide, but I can’t help but feel the sadness of this well crafted cautionary tale of his friend Patrick and his inability to cope with life’s pain and struggles.

“(Lord It’s Hard to be Happy When You’re Not) Using the Metric System” is a cover of one of my favorite tracks by my favorite short, chubby Jew from Philly. Atom & His Package was an integral piece in the high school experience of myself and many of my friends, as we spent much time enjoying his concerts at local firehalls in North Jersey. Lars performs the track in true Atom fashion, while still making it his own.

There are numerous other great tracks, in fact I like just about every one, but these are a few of the best. I promise that most people reading this will find something they lick here, unless they are against listening to music that induces smiles… and if that’s the case they should go back to listening to sad bastard music and stop wasting their time on this website, as they are unlikely to find anything here that they enjoy.