Last week, I had the privilege of getting to see the Dark Horse tour in Omaha. The headlining band was Nickelback but they weren’t the only group making an appearance. Alongside them were Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, and Sick Puppies.

Sick Puppies kicked off the night and, from the first note, they kicked ass. Their teenage dressy-emo-goth-trendy look fit right into their sound as the emerging face of new-age alternative rock. I know that rock traditionalists are going to argue that this band really doesn’t qualify to be in the category but I’ve got to insist. This Australian trio has been touring over the last few years constantly to sold-out rock shows. They’ve accompanied some of the biggest names in the music business on tour. In addition, their sound literally rocks the house. I found myself listening to the melodic voice of Shimon Moore and mesmorized by the tiny (yet talented) bassist, Emma Anzai. Combined with the amazing drumming of Mark Goodwin and you have a band worth hearing (and seeing).

Shinedown’s portion of the concert was disappointing; I found myself realizing that they are a radio band. During the entire performance, there was no balance. It was just loud. The singer and front man, Brent Smith, doesn’t have a stage presence. Towards the end of the set, they did pay homage to Slipknot’s loss of Paul Gray. But I was appalled when Smith announced to the audience that the death had “speculations” and those aside, the widow is pregnant. To me, those statements should have gone unsaid and been left private. They then launched into a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man”, which seems an odd choice, but the audience joined in. It truly saved Shinedown’s show and the vibe was much more energized after that.

When Breaking Benjamin took the stage, I was expecting some big production. Sick Puppies and Shinedown both had graphics in the background for their performances. However, Breaking Benjamin took a different tone. With each song, the accompanying video played on the screen behind them. There weren’t any fancy lights or effects, just the spots on each member. It was simply four guys in jeans and t-shirts pouring their souls into the music. For the first minute or so, I could hear the adjustments being made to lower the volume and increase the quality of the sound. It made all the difference for those listening. Breaking Benjamin put on a bare bones concert but there was an intensity that those preceding them had lacked. Admittedly, I was the only person who screamed when they announced “Polyamorous” as the next song (it echoed, so I know). It was truly an amazing but simple performance. Ben Burnley showed that they haven’t lost their appreciation for the fans by repeatedly thanking the audience and the other bands. Talented and humble, what a combination in a rock band!

As it came time for Nickelback to take the stage, the crowd was buzzing in anticipation. The lights went out and the arena got quiet; which made the opening that much more of a shock- simulated gunfire. There wasn’t time to recover before blasts of pyrotechnics shot fire from the base of the stage to the ceiling. Even in the very back row of the balcony, I was able to feel the immense heat. The lights that followed constantly changed color and the graphics were moving all over the screen. It made it hard to focus. When the band took the stage, none of it stopped either. I got another shock when they began to play. The volume was so loud that I couldn’t understand anything. Let me be clear, I was sitting in the nose bleed section and it hurt my ears. I was unable to discern any of the melodies or harmonies. I couldn’t differentiate between the guitar and the bass. I’m sure there was a drum but I honestly can’t recall a beat. It was about three or four songs in (I’m not sure because they didn’t stop playing in between and it all bled together) when Nickelback took a break. Chad Kroeger announced they were “taking it back to high school” and started “Photograph”. I could hear a bit of his voice but still wasn’t able to understand the words. At this point, my ears were killing me and ringing. I left. The show just wasn’t worth permanently damaging my hearing and I could already tell they weren’t going to live up to the hype.

I wish that bands would employ sound technicians that understand; volume does not cover a lack of quality. You can’t fake talent when the show is live. Now, I know that Shinedown and Nickelback are both successful. Their radio hits are heard all the time. But what is created and modified in a studio is not the same as what is heard when in concert. Fans expect to be entertained and the caliber of the artist to be what they are used to hearing. It isn’t impossible either! (As evidenced by Sick Puppies and Breaking Benjamin.) Rock music was once on the fringe but it has become mainstream and big business. However, it should still make you want to sing the lyrics, still make you bob your head, still make you feel moved by the music.

Though, I didn’t enjoy the entire night; I still had a great time. I got to hear two of my favorite bands showcase just how good they really are and left the venue wanting to see both, Sick Puppies and Breaking Benjamin, again.

Picture Sources: Dark Horse, Sick Puppies, Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, and Nickelback.

Kinda makes you feel like you’re there, huh?

Oh, and there was a little Beard Spotting going on!

RED CARPET

Bill Paxton

"Friday Night Lights'" Drew Waters

(L-R) EARTHLING'S Matt Socia, Michelle Renee Dulin, Ryan Harper Gray

EARTHLING director Clay Liford

CARRIED AWAY's Juli Erickson and Gabriel Horn

(L-R) CARRIED AWAY's Bryan Massey, Adam Deitrich, Tom Huckabee (Dir)

WE ARE THE SEA's Neil Truglio (dir) and Chantelle Frazier

(L-R) SKATELAND's Shiloh Fernandez and Heath Freeman and Kelly Monaco

MULTIPLE SARCASMS director Brooks Branch

HOLD's Frank Mosley (dir) and Robey Storey

OPENING NIGHT PARTY

Gwen Reyes, director Daniel Laabs, Victoria Hines

FOLLICLE FROLIC's Brand Rackey and Mark Potts

P.S. BEARDS!!!!! (I promised)

Producer, director, and Beard James M. Johnston

I’ll be updating throughout the festival—or at least in my head. Tonight is our first red carpet for the opening night films, including SKATELAND, WE THE POOR, A TOWN CALLED PANIC, MULTIPLE SARCASMS, and a block of short films. I’m really looking forward to SKATELAND, and I’ve heard great things about A TOWN CALLED PANIC. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to see that one too this week.

Wish us luck! Pictures and stories from attendees are coming your way!

Buy DALLAS International Film Festival Tickets

Follow Gwen’s Twitter adventures

Follow NerdyPerv while you’re at it!

Starting this Friday, March 12th, members of the NP team will descend on the Austin City Limits for the annual film, music, and interactive orgy festival South By Southwest. This is our first year to go as press, and we cannot wait to share all the geeky goodness, debauchery, and stories with you during our stay. Come back throughout the week for updates and exclusive interviews and reviews! Oh, and maybe I’ll tell you how I crashed a few parties along the way!

BUT, before we go, we have to ensure that some of our buddies make it there too–wouldn’t want it to be a lonely trip. Our good friend and FANTASTIC cartoonist Jen from Mermaid Hostel is doing a fundraiser from now until the 26th to help pay for her trip to SXSW for the Interactive portion. She’s dedicated to sharing the information she recieves at SXSW and anyone who donates in $5 increments will have a chance to pick her brain and share in her experiences. Oh, you’ll also get a stunning hand-drawn zine and the warm, mushy feelings that come from supporting a poor college student–she needs all the help she can get.

So, read below for more information about her project. And don’t forget to stop by Mermaid Hostel to check out her work.

Cartoonist Jen Vaughn is thrilled to announce her first SXSW InteractiviZINE! From March 12th to March 16th, she will attend the SXSW (South by Southwest) Interactive Festival in Austin, TX and will “cover” the event multimedia-style in her Interactivitizine! SXSW is chock full of panels, events, and of course parties, related to social media, convergence, video games, start-ups and anything Internet. Upon the conclusion of her visit, Jen will post her drawings, notes, photos and other ephemera from the festival on her website for everyone to share the wealth of information gleaned.

Jen is accepting donations of $5 and up towards her SXSW InteractiviZINE experience via her website (http://www.mermaidhostel.com/sxsw-interactivizine-fundraiser/). Anyone who donates will receive a LIMITED EDITION (PRINT) SXSW InteractiviZINE full of panel notes, comics and other special goodies made especially by Jen Vaughn.

Jen creates a weekly webcomic called Mermaid Hostelweekly webcomic called Mermaid Hostel and her previous works include Menstruation Station: Menarche Aboard!, and Don’t Hate, Menstruate. She is also an enthusiastic member of the Rare Bits Comic Collectables.

Hope to see some of you nerds at SXSW! I’ll be tweeting (NerdyPerv and Gwen) and updating throughout the week!

Next week the NerdyPerv team is making the trek from our cushy Dallas headquarters to the raucousness of Austin for South By Southwest (SXSW). SXSW is the one festival and conference I look forward to the most. I’m ready, credit card in hand, to purchase my badge for the annual film, music, and interactive festival in August and I spend the remaining months planning my assault on the city of Austin. 2010 will be my sixth year in attendance, and I have never looked forward to a SXSW as much as I do this year’s.

The activities are amazing; SXSW will have over a thousand panels for the Interactive portion alone, and dozens of world, national, and regional film premieres. It’s also one of the major stops for up and coming musicians before they head out for their summer concert tours. I have met so many talented and inspiring designers and filmmakers attending SXSW over the years, and it is one event NerdyPerv jumps through hoops to attend. All around, SXSW is a little paradise for geeks of all types and means, and it’s a prolific organization that aims to boost the exposure of arts and creativity in the Southwest region. What’s presented here is trending six to eight months later!

SXSW is always a lot of work, but it’s fun and so worth it. The designers and filmmakers we meet, both fresh and established, inspire us to return to HQ with plans to continue NerdyPerv’s evolution for years to come. It’s a great feeling when you know that what you are doing is special and other people are willing to share their own stories and information to help you out. That’s the camaraderie you feel throughout the festival.

Oh, and I’m going to party for six nights straight, because these people know how to bring it—thank God there is a free coffee bar two blocks from our hotel!

My best friend and I drove the three hours to attend the convention with perhaps the most dedicated Toho (fan of a particular genre of Manga, see previous article: Intro to Anime), a sixteen year old girl. The latter spent most of the car ride attempting to educate me. By the time we got to Kansas City, I was exhausted and my brain was on overload. The next morning, I watched the girl don her cosplay as Marisa Kirisame while my friend and I sported the NerdyPerv gear. She rattled on about the differences between Anime and Manga, Otaku and Toho. My ears kind of tuned out after a while because I figured that the convention would be informative.

(Marisa Kirisame)

I walked into the hotel and was greeted by the most famous of comic super villains (and non-Anime I might add, the Joker and Harley Quinn). It was a sea of teenagers, all with some form of Anime costumes on. [Note: there are no pictures of these attendees as I was informed by Naka Kon staff that I was not allowed to talk to or photograph anyone underage due to the “nature of the site” and no amount of explanation on my part was able to combat this preconceived notion.] Almost instantly, I had a “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore” moment.

After registering as NerdyPerv,I was given a badge and began wandering around to try and get my bearings.

There were characters of every variety. Some people were dressed in odd clothes, that I learned were Otaku (the most minor of cosplay and Manga fans), but didn’t have on a costume exactly. Some of the costumes were elaborate but not Anime related. It seems that anyone within driving distance and who is a fan of anything nerdy likes to attend Naka Kon.

(The character Renamon from Digimon.)

There were characters from comic books, video games, and movies. I saw furries who were Anime and some who were not. There were even a few Lady Gaga’s walking around (two male, one female).

In the Vendor Panel, there were booths as far as the eye could see filled with Japanese merchandise. Almost none of it was in English and most had been imported especially for Naka Kon. There was American Anime and Japanese Manga everywhere. One entire corner of the room was blocked off and dedicated to Hentai, with staff checking the badges to verify ages of the Otaku present. A lot of what was being sold was Japanese food and drinks that are extremely, if not impossible, to find in the states. One particular vendor, Wizzywig Inc, came all the way from Michigan to sell collectibles. It was a plethora of t-shirts, toys, action figures, movies, books, and posters. You could have an artist make an Anime representation of you if you were willing to pay enough for it. There was even a booth for the Steam Punk subset that has become common at cons because of its inclusion in comics, cartoons, and movies, regardless of the genre. Brett, a fan dressed in Steam Punk, that I met was incredibly friendly. I was stunned to find out that he was a tattoo artist in the area and had to laugh when he showed me his nerdy body ink that displayed to all that he is a true Anime fan.

A lot of the panels were informative for the Naka Kon attendees. They has voice actors and animators who took the time to explain to the fans how Anime is created and how they hone their craft. It was very obvious to me that Anime is considered a type of art. Otaku could learn about the music and animation. They could take a workshop showing how to draw Anime characters.  They could take part in discussions or debates over the types of Anime. My favorite of these was the Pirates Vs. Ninjas panel. There were panels instructing fans how to create their cosplay costumes. You could learn about Mecha (the robots) or Lolitas (female characters that are childlike) and how to imitate them. The cosplay combat and samurai panels were extremely interesting. A lot of the panels took things in pop culture now, like vampires, and showed how they are represented in the Anime world.

(Two fans of the Toho, not Otaku, variety.)

Naka Kon showed fans how technological advancements have changed the way Anime is made. There were tributes to the specific areas of Anime and how it is represented in media. Like the Toho, whose characters are from the Toho Company Ltd production company’s art, books, and movies only.

The afterhours and over eighteen crowds were not to be left out of the antics either. There was a body painting panel (clothing option, of course). The staff put on an Otaku Dating seminar, teach Naka Kon attendees how to hook up with each other and then followed that with their own version of Singled Out. Hentai was not to be left out either. There were parties with private viewings of the more pornographic Hentai movies and then panels where fans could dub their own voice track to their favorite films. One panel was nothing but horror stories from Otaku who had attended Naka Kon in the past or their experiences from other conventions.

(Northpaw, an original character at Naka Kon.)

The event that garnered the most whispers was probably the Rave on Saturday night. The room was packed with Otaku and cosplay fans. It was hours of techno music and dancing, like any other rave, except most of the people were in full Anime regalia.

I got to see a whole new world at Naka Kon. There were the men in crossplay. One, an original by the name of Sonya, let me take his picture and his card explained Kigurumi, the art of bringing a 2D character to life by wearing a body suit and mask in their likeness.

There were some hiccups along the way. The hotel was unprepared to deal with the sheer volume of fans and both Naka Kon and hotel staff were unfriendly due to frayed nerves and stress. There was a lot of disorganization regarding cancelled, reschedules, or moved panels as well. I found myself getting bumped and shoved a lot due to overcrowded elevators, hallways, stairwells, escalators, and rooms. With the majority of people being children, the vibe was excited, hyperactive, and a tad unruly.

(This kid was in a contest to see who could get the most hugs at the convention. I traded him one for a NerdyPerv business card!)

For the most part, Naka Kon was an Anime fan’s dream come true. The teenager that was my guide for the weekend acted like she had found the mother ship because she was able to showcase her love of all things Japanese and Anime along with thousands of other con attendees. I learned an entire new language and found a new hobby along the way. Though I was overwhelmed a lot of the time, I was able to appreciate the effort that the fans put into their interests.

Anime is no longer a subculture; it has gone mainstream with shows like Pokémon. After Naka Kon, I feel like I’ve been indoctrinated into their society. I’m not sure I could ever be Otaku but I am definitely, now, a fan.

About a year ago, I started running across pictures of a local band online. Dirtfedd was playing rock festivals all over the country and their fan base was growing. Any time it was announced that Dirtfedd was doing a show, a big name was connected to the venue. After a friend of mine saw them open for Gwar, I took notice. With a little digging, I found out that their album, The American Nightmare, has been produced by Shawn Crahan of Slipknot and they have been perfecting their sound together for about eight years. I found a video of theirs on YouTube and was stunned. The collaboration was amazing. These six boys from Lincoln, Nebraska have managed to parlay a love of metal with their musical talents to form a musical group to be envied. After downloading their album on iTunes, seeing them live became necessary.

I took the opportunity to watch Dirtfedd perform at The Waiting Room in Omaha with 2 Cents and Shadows Fall on February 15th. The energy was incredible. Most rock bands that are well known in their areas can be unfocused or even unprofessional regarding their art but Dirtfedd got up on that stage and mesmerized the crowd. I found myself pulled to the front with a surge of people. There was the typical mosh pit but most in attendance couldn’t take their eyes off of the performance. Dustin, the lead singer, manages to cross between screaming and singing with ease. He is a consummate entertainer who draws the audience in with his antics and energy.

I could tell from the first note that Dustin, Scott (bassist), Travis (keys), Brock (drummer), Eric, and Brian (guitar players) put every ounce of energy they had into their music. The songs were catchy and I was able to sing along. When Dirtfedd played their most popular song, Shotgun Romance, the crowd went wild. Most people were jumping in rhythm to the bass with hands in the air.

Following Dirtfedd’s performance, the band stuck around for the rest of the show to mingle with the crowd. They talked with every fan, signed autographs, and shook hands with anyone who asked. I didn’t find a single one as the stereotypical aloof rockers. Dirtfedd, considering the music they play, were friendly and smiling, willing to talk about their music and showing nothing but appreciation for the support of their fans.

Dirtfedd has worked hard to build a reputation in Nebraska as a band that can warm any stage for the big name coming behind them. That word of mouth is slowly starting to spread as are the locations of their venues. Should you get a chance to Dirtfedd live; take the opportunity. These guys are passionate about their music, their band, and pleasing the crowd. You may not become a fan of metal but you will certainly become a fan of theirs.

Christin is all packed and getting her lady bits ready for the annual Naka-Kon Anime Convention in Kansas City. She’ll post some updates on our Twitter feed! And next week look for her review of the con!

If you’re going to Naka-Kon make sure you say hi to her! She’ll have her NP gear on and would love to chat with ya!

Unique “local” or underground music scenes contribute to the social constructs of all major cities. A band that no one has heard, a club only locals know about, etc… Since our readers come from all over, tell us about what is in your area and we’ll start sharing that information. And with Gwen and I are based out of different parts of the country, we can offer a bit of diversity of interests.

First up, DJ Tres (pronounced tray).

In the late 1980’s, a new sound arrived in the form of electronic music. It was essentially music that was synthesized. Subsequent to then there have been some major renovations to what we call techno. There has been the remix of disco, house, funk, electro, and even electro jazz as styles.

The 1990’s brought us the rave scene and DJ Superstar Keoki with an over abundance of trendy people doing acid and/or ecstasy, not with a true appreciation for the music. Recently, many people are aware of Tiësto (who offers a variety of electro dance) or Cascada (electro pop remixes of new or existing songs).

In Omaha, there is DJ Tres from lowercasesounds (a website that operates as an online radio for this type of music). He plays a mixture of house or as he calls it “deep underground funky house” music. I recently had a chance to hear him play at club called Nomad and was extremely impressed. In an environment of the upscale, the lounge was packed with not a single person able to resist swaying to the beats. DJ Tres shared the booth with two other DJ’s (Danny Schroeder and DJ Remedy) and the crowd was mesmerized. Instead of the normal, remixes of popular songs, these talented musicians offered their own creations of underground electronic and dance music.

DJ Tres has earned the respect of the Omaha area over two + decades of professional spinning. He is uncompromising when it comes to his art and prefers staying true to what techno is supposed to be instead of what happens to be going on at the time. He plays a lot of local gigs but has had the amazing opportunity to travel and let the rest of the country experience his unique gift.

His rhythms are all different but the thumping of the bass almost imitates the beating of your heart, the sensation gets into the blood stream and pulses through your body until it is impossible to sit still and resist the urge to bob your head at the very minimum. DJ Tres is a celebration in diversity, according to his Facebook page, and loves to see people on the dance floor moving to his sound.

I highly recommend that you give DJ Tres a listen. He is a true master in the modern techno world.

In Omaha, DJ Tres will be playing at Bar 415 on February 19^th and at the SXSW in Austin, TX from March 17^th-21^st. For a full preview of his music and schedule check out the lowercasesounds website