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MC Frontalot Brings Nerdcore To The Masses
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Dec 11, 2010
Modified Dec 11, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Dec 11, 2010
Modified Dec 11, 2010
Share
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The term "nerdcore" makes us want to punch things. So does the idea of a skinny white girl playing "Gangsta's Paradise" on a glockenspiel, or a band named "Math The Band," or someone named MC Frontalot rapping about Magic: The Gathering. Because any gathering whose purpose is to revel in uncoolness is as frustrating as the too-cool-for-anyone parties at the Boom Boom Room. We were prepared to get our snark on at last night's MC Frontalot show at Knitting Factory Brooklyn, but from the moment the first honest-to-god moshpit broke out between a dozen teenagers in a sea of plaid, our cold hearts were melted. Because these nerds were having a truly fantastic time.
The show started off with a quirky Alyson Greenfield, her glockenspiel, and some adorable raps about the Canadian border patrol. She was followed by the aforementioned Math The Band, an energetic duo beating anthems that sounded like Andrew WK meets the Reunion Show. And though we've been hearing their brand of punk-rock-synth-pop at Brooklyn clubs for the past decade, it doesn't make it any less fun. Sometimes energy is worth its weight in originality.
By the time MC Frontalot, subject of the documentary "Nerdcore Rising," hit the stage, the venue had filled up and the young crowd was pumped for rhymes about grammar rules, bittorrent and how defeating the final boss at the end of a video game is such a bitch. And despite being a 37-year-old bald white guy wearing khakis, the guy has Weezy-rivaling flow. He also kept the natural rap bravado in perspective with songs like "First World Problem," essentially White Whine but less self-involved.
Unlike most other self-aware scenes, there seemed to be an active welcoming of anyone who didn't get the nerdy references. The players realized that behind the fashion and the obscure shout-outs is that small-but-important matter of the actual music, and they successfully made it inviting to anyone who wanted to dance. Or at least anyone who wanted to mosh, and was willing to get up close and personal with that teenager in a Star Trek shirt.
Tagged
alyson greenfield
knitting factory
math the band
mc frontalot
nerdcore
Jaya Saxena
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