Kyle of the Dead

Today Seattle geek rockers Kirby Krackle released another amazing video, this one for the track "Zombie Apocalypse" from their self-titled album. It's still a few weeks yet before I shift into full-on Halloween mode, but I wanted to go ahead and share this one.

Y'know, 'cause of the unmitigated awesome.

The project was animated by Damon O'Keefe and Daisy Church, formally of the Metalocalypse team, and, aside from the requisite zombie hijinks, contains a number of notable in-jokes. Keep an eye out early on for an obvious homage to Shaun of the Dead, and again shortly thereafter for a nod to Wright's Hot Fuzz.

Oh, and Black Lantern Jim is my new favorite Kirby Krackle member.

A Winner is… Me?!

 I'm not used to winning awards. Especially those based on merit!

In case you haven't realized, this Labor Day weekend plays host to two of the absolute biggest events in nerd culture. The first is Penny Arcade Expo, a relative newcomer to the con scene but already a genuine powerhouse, and the second, of course, is Atlanta's annual Dragon*Con. Due to vested interests in the goings-on of both, I had a hard time deciding which one to attend.

PAX, though located on the opposite side of the country, was set to feature special GeekDad panel, and editor Ken Denmead specifically invited me to take part. Meanwhile, my Radio Free Hipster podcast was again a finalist in this year's Parsec Awards at Dragon*Con.

A cursory look at my finances, however, made the choice quite clear – I really couldn't afford to go to either. So instead I stayed at home with the family and did my best to keep an eye on the internet for news from both.

I was elated to hear that GeekDad's showing was extremely well received. Though, truth be told, I knew the guys would do us all proud. But I was even more ecstatic when it was revealed that my show had actually won the Parsec for Best Speculative Fiction Music Podcast!

I don't really not what to say, save holy shit! The time for acceptance speeches has come and gone, so I'll be brief and simply thank the Parsec Awards' judges panel, all of you listeners who nominated RFH and especially the other finalists Wander Radio, Wandering Geek Podcast and last year's winner the mighty FuMP.

Much love to all, and, again, thank you!

I Don't Wanna Grow Up

"Don't you know there ain't no devil,there's just God when he's drunk."

I love cover songs. And, of course, the ultimate covers project has got to be the classic tribute album.

How the hell are these ramblings relevant? I'm so glad you asked!

Our friends from Game Music 4 All are assembling a tribute to cerebral troubadour Tom Waits. He's an artist with an amazingly eclectic back catalog and an army of talented fans, so I expect good things.

Though GM4A focuses heavily on chip music and VGM, word from Ant is that all contributors are welcome to submit potential tracks, regardless of style. Here's the straight poop from the message boards:

Tom Waits VG Inspired Tribute

this basically means, you can cover Tom Waits in any style you want, from chiptunes, to metal, to techno. whatever. The only thing is, you have to be a VG inspired musician. You do not have to stay within the bounds of VGM though to be part of this compilation.

There are tons of Tom Waits songs you can check out on youtube, or just contact me, I have a ton that I think would make great covers.

Anyone is free to join, but not every song will make the cut. The album is planned to only be 12-20 songs in length. Although if we have a ton of other amazing tracks, we will definitely release a part 2 after the first compilation is released.

To learn more about Tom Waits, you can check the
Tom Waits Library for his bio, and lyrics to all his songs.
You can also, of course, hear music from Tom Waits on places like youtube, pandora, last.fm and any other musical sites, or like I said, I can shoot you some of his extensive library as well.

I really believe that Tom Waits has more than enough material that everyone can find something they would enjoy rearranging.

Also, vocals are more than welcome on this album!

The roster is quickly filling out with top-shelf acts – Action Adventure World, Chiptots, Killsaly, Nagini and Random just to name a few – but there's still ample space for other interested parties. As more than a dozen songs will ultimately make the cut, I would like to encourage all Waits fans to give it a go.

So go pick your favorite gravel-throated classic and have fun with it. Though Tom himself does eschew such frivolity.