Professor ShyGuy
Let me start off my Sunday review with a brief review of the venues and a comparison to Nerdapalooza 2010. The Beacham and The Social in downtown Orlando make for a great location for something like Nerdapalooza. They are next door to each other and connected by a short hallway between them. This made it easy for one band to set up while another performed, allowing for very little downtime. Since both venues host bands all the time, it also made set-up much easier.
In 2010, by comparison, there were tons of delays all weekend, in large part because the hotel wasn’t exactly set up for concerts. My only complaint about the venues, however, is that it was really difficult to socialize without going outside because when bands weren’t playing there was house music that was nearly as loud as the live music. This wouldn’t be so bad, except that leaving meant a search upon re-entry, which got annoying. The hotel set-up didn’t have this problem. Perhaps if Nerdapalooza happens at the two clubs again, they can figure out a way to allow people to escape the noise more easily without having to leave the venue (I’ll note that it’s possible that the balcony might not have been as noisy, but I never got up there). As I mentioned previously, Nerdapalooza isn’t just about the music; it’s also about the socializing.
But music is, of course, the primary focus. First up on Sunday was Those Who Fight, a band who have created a Final Fantasy VII rock opera. I’m going to have to check out their stuff some more because I had some trouble picking out lyrics live (not their fault!), but musically I thoroughly enjoyed them. Professor ShyGuy played next and put on a great show. He was a regular one man band, playing guitar, keyboards, drums, and computer-based beats (sometimes all at once!). Highlights included “NPC,” “Doctor Who Am I?” and “Still Alive” (during which my video camera’s battery died; I’d tried to charge it, but it wouldn’t hold a charge. Boo!). I definitely got the impression from comments on Twitter that his set was a highlight for many, and that would include me.
Lunch made me miss the Bit Brigade, but I had to catch the Money Boys. Their set was even a bit beyond a normal NSFW warning. If you’ve never checked them out, be warned that they are quite sexually explicit in their content. It’s a great satire of the homophobia that’s so rampant in hip-hop, but it can get pretty crazy. That said, I absolutely loved their set. So funny and ridiculous!
Random, Adam WarRock, and Int80 join DJ RoboRob
I knew very little about DJ RoboRob, but I’m glad I stuck around for his set. He’s got some great remixes on his own, but he was also joined by plenty of friends, including Adam WarRock, Random, and King Pheenix (among others). The latter is particularly important because he’s the one who broke the news that RoboRob would be joining Scrub Club Records! Very cool! He’ll be a welcome addition for sure, and I can’t wait to check out more of his stuff.
Stay tuned for Part Two of Sunday coming soon (probably tomorrow)!
