Monthly Archives: January 2009

Winter Music Mix: Get Your Nerd On

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My new article at AWMusic.ca is now up

Ugh. I hate snow so much and we seem to be getting a lot of it here in Toronto. But it’s also a good excuse to stay in our warm homes and amuse ourselves some way. I have a few friends who, when they aren’t being entertained by youtube, lolcats or porn, get together in a warm living room and play some Dungeons and Dragons or have a Star Trek marathon. …or a Star Wars marathon, or Battlestar Galactica, or Lord Of The Rings…or sometimes they even have a LAN party. My friends take their nerd status SERIOUSLY and I love them for it.

And so the point of this entry, my little moppets, is to give you a small taste of the nerdiness in this world. Songs that reach down in to your soul and touch that part of you that had kept your secret love for Captain Picard or Princess Leia hidden for so long. Oh, yes. This music is for the nerd inside you.

(P.S. 10 points if you knew that the Klingon in the center was Christopher Lloyd and 90 points if you knew that his character was named Commander Kruge and that the picture was from Star Trek III: The Search For Spock.)

Voltaire (web site)
Anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the goth music scene knows who Voltaire is. handsome, sarcastic and talented, he sings songs that make us both chuckle and lament. Despite being a gothic poster boy he is also a self-proclaimed trekkie.
Screw The Okampa
The USS Make-Shit-Up

Jonathan Coulton (web site)
When I finally got around to looking Jonathan Coulton up, I had realized that I had been listening to his music for a while. With infectious songs like Code Monkey and Re: Your Brains, Coulton has proven he knows just what the hell he’s doing.
Code Monkey
Re: Your Brains
Flickr

Lord Of The Rhymes (web site)
My boyfriend introduced me to these guys. Nothing really much to say other than they really love Lord Of The Rings and hip hop. Ha.
Lord Of The Rhymes (First Single)
9-Fingered Frodo

MC Frontalot (web site)
This guy was a HUGE hit at the Penny Arcade Expo and his new album Final Boss is incredibly enjoyable to listen to.
Nerdcore Rising
A Skit About Vocations Featuring the ever wonderful Wil Wheaton

101 Word Stories 2

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Imprisoned

Steven was thrown into the concrete cell. Terror had swept through his mind. What was he doing here? Why had they imprisoned him?

Minutes turned to hours and Steven sat in his cell wondering why he was there. He had been enjoying himself at Disneyland with his children when he was suddenly grabbed by two unknown people and pulled into the shadows and arrived here in this strange cell. How long was he to stay? Months? Years?

“Why am I here?” he screamed.
“Because you got drunk and shat in a bumper car.” Said a passing guard.

Oh yes. That’s right.

©Robin LeBlanc 2009

101 Word Stories.

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Peter

The blood was dripping and he was crying. The Darlings were so nice to him…but they were grown-ups and grown-ups should always be punished. He dropped his knife to the ground and went to go clean up. The children were next. They mustn’t grow up.

“Who are you?” one of the little children asked.
“My name is Peter Pan. I’ve come to take you to Neverland.”
“How will we get there?”
“Flying, of course.”
“How?”
“Close your eyes and think happy thoughts.”

When he left, the morphine had killed them and their souls were off to Neverland, to stay forever young.

© Robin LeBlanc 2009

Music I Listen To: Yat-Kha

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With the long winter days (and a newly developed insomnia) I’ve been looking through my old albums and giving them a listen. One of the ones I was happy to find was Re-Covers by the Tuvan throat-singing rock band, Yat-Kha.

Yat-Kha was founded in 1991 by Albert Kuvezin (known to some as one of the founding members of Huun-Huur-Tu) and Russian avant-garde composer Ivan Sokolovsky. After touring and playing various festivals, they took the name Yat-Kha and in 1993, made their self-titled debut album. After that, Sokolovsky left and Kuvezin went on to record five more albums, all of which combined Tuvan folk music with western rock and roll.

Re-Cover is the last of the albums and is Kuvesin’s tribute to the music that helped shaped his world. It features covers of songs by Joy Division, Carlos Santana, Motörhead, Iron Butterfly, Kraftwerk and many more. What’s almost as interesting as the album itself are Kuvesin’s comments on the songs he chose for the album. here are a select few:

Man Machine (Kraftwerk)
“Remember that time? They were very fresh and unusual
between the dominance of rock and punk. Plus very progressive.
It is about our relationship with machine world.
Almost Folkloric.”

Exodus (Bob Marley)
“Again, I love freedom and independence which are also possible
through the movement and travels.
I love to read about historical peoples movements.
Plus I like Bob and reggae.”

Orgasmatron (Motorhead)
“I always liked music full of energy.
Years ago I liked such kind of lyrics and wrote such my self.
Also this is good possibility to remind to politicians who they are.”

Ramblin’ Man (Hank Williams)
“I don¹t like when there is too much text in songs
but this one is just about my self and my brothers – musicians.
It is very close to our souls and spirit of freedom.
Actually we are all the travelers on this planet.”

Yat-Kha’s other albums are just as phenomenal, but Re-Covers has a special place in my heart from back when I was a young lass (a whole three years ago) looking for some new and interesting music. This album was the first album by them I had heard and loved (hell, who WOULDN’T enjoy a Tuvan throat-singing Kraftwerk cover?) and got me on the road to searching for their other albums (I totally suggest checking out Dalai Beldiri and tuva.rock). The blend of genres is very apparent and leaves you wanting more.

Now here’s some mp3s.

Black Magic Woman (Carlos Santana)
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)
Orgasmatron (Motörhead)

Web Site
www.yat-kha.com