DOWNLOAD the FIRST EP by The Duke of Party!

To be succinct (because this Geek of the Week interview is not,) The Duke of Party are Ethan Kaye, Dan Dunford and Mike Sleap.  Their goal is quite simple: Become popstars in Europe.

If anyone can accomplish this besides David Hasselhoff (whose stardom I believe is restricted to Germany,) it is these three fellas.  I know Ethan and Dunford from the national improv community and the halls of the innerwebs.  We all used to belong to this listserv called “The Improv Resource Center” (created by Kevin Mullaney.) Both Ethan and Dunford happen to be guys who make me laugh so hard I can hardly breath.  Mike I do not know, but based on this interview I suspect that he may be curmudgeony and sarcastic – both promising characteristics in a potential friend.

Based in NYC, the Duke of Party recently released an EP that you can download off their Facebook Fan Page (or from the link at the top of this article.)  This interview was conducted in a super-secret AOL chat room a few weeks ago, enjoy…

Let’s just start simple: how do you guys know each other? I know the answer to this, but the readers might want to know.

Dan: Ethan and I befriended each other through the halls of the Internet, which led to lots of online interaction. Our friendship didn’t cross over into the physical world until… 2006

Ethan: 2007, we auditioned for World Series of Pop Culture on VH1 together.

Dan: Along with super pal, Jed Resnik.

Ah — I loved that show! And, Jed, I love Jed – he’s so cranky!

Dan: We were fucking good at it, too.

Ethan: Our team was called “The Bandit, the Man, and the Bear.” Wonder if your readers will get the connection…

Smokey & the Bandit, Chico and the Man and…? I lost the last one.

Ethan: I had also considered calling ourselves “Betty White Man’s Burden”

Dan: BJ & The Bear.

All 70s shows about truckers and outlaws?

Dan: I also liked the name “7 Brides For Scatman Crothers.”

Ethan: Not Chico and the Man, that was about a garage. I love Chico and the Man. But it was all 70s sidekicks.

Ah, damn! I was close, so close – but, fail on the trivia front!!

Ethan: And we got past the first round! We didn’t get eliminated by the written test.

So you test well?

Ethan: We cheated off each other. Shhh.

Dan: However, our run came to a thud when it came time to screentest. Turns out that 20-something female TV producers don’t think that three burly dudes are “camera-friendly.”

I’m trying to think of a snappy “bear television” reference, but…

Ethan: Our screen test was more brutal than Liza Minelli in a Vicodin factory.

Okay – so you flunked the VH1 screen test.

Dan: Yeah, but a real life friendship was born. One more real than Liza Minelli’s string of marriages to the GLBT community.

Ethan: Long story short, I kept in touch with Dan while he was living in Albany.

Aw, how sweet. A “bro-mance.”

Ethan: And through Jed’s wife, Teresa Tulipano, I was introduced to Mike Sleap at an improv group.

Dan: I soon moved down to NYC and was drawn into what I will call the “Ethan Kaye social vortex” which put me in touch with Mike as well.

Ethan: The improv group never played a show but I practiced with them for a year, Jeff Hiller was the coach. He’s kinda famous now.

So where did Dukes of Party come from?

Ethan: That was Dan’s idea.

Dan: It came from a diner on 69th Street and Broadway in NYC. One time we were hanging out there, I want to say before seeing “Funny People” and I mentioned how cool it would be to be popstars in some random European country.

Ethan: I believe it was your “goal for the autumn.”

Dan: Yes, that and learning how to ice skate.

Both lofty goals.

Ethan: so I figured that if we were to make any go of this, the only person I knew who did any production was Mike. He lives in Brooklyn with about 3000 pounds of sound equipment. And, so the idea went from “wouldn’t it be funny if” to “hey, what the heck, let’s do this.”

Dan: We laid down two tracks. One was called “Falling Down An Up Escalator,” which is on the EP… And the other one is a way, way, way fucking awesome funk track that hasn’t really been released called “Where The Wild Goose Goes.” It’s about making sweet love to a lady after you take her to a fast food restaurant.

Ethan: Wild Goose is really a good track, it’s just being sat on for the time being

Dan: A tender romantic song about making the fuck.

Ethan: We figure that sex is a universal thing that Europeans like.

Ethan: Mike told us to keep the songs simple, so we did. Wild Goose and Lying to Girls are about as complicated as we get. And both are about sex. Then, after a party, Dan and I crashed at Mike’s place and wrote even more songs while watching a documentary on the Mamas and the Papas.

A documentary on the Mamas and Papas?

Dan: The Mamas and the Papas! That’s right, I forgot about that. Must be the subconscious inspiration for “Sex Car Party.”

Ethan: Actually, “Sex Car Party” was the one title we came up with in the diner. It is about three things Europeans like.

Sex, cars and parties?

Ethan: Really everyone likes those three things.

So you’ve made an EP which is, as they say in France, available on the download? So what now: invade Europe?

Ethan: Like Napoleon learned before us, taking over Europe is hard work

Have you been in touch with Hasselhoff’s people? They may have advice.

Ethan: We’ve basically done everything local bands with EPs can do to get on Eastern European radio. We emailed them.

Dan: We were in touch with Hasselhoff’s people. The only thing that came from that was alcohol poisoning. That dude can fucking roll.

Ethan: You’d be surprised, but there are more radio stations in the US than in Latvia. But, we emailed Latvia. And, we’ve been emailing lots of college radio stations in small European countries.

You emailed the country of Latvia?

Ethan: Yeah. The problem is obvious though: if radio stations play your tracks, they don’t tell you about it. So we could be huge hits over there and we’d never know.

I may have someone who can help you with that goal.

Ethan: We’d really appreciate it.

I have an internet stalker from Romania, he’s actually pretty cool…

Dan: Then he’s not a stalker, Kate, he’s a friend.

Ethan: We’d love to be big in Romania!

He’s been following my blogging exploits since I was a wee lass who only blogged on LiveJournal.

Ethan: Or, at least played in Romania…

Dan: Stalkers do things like spray your front door with goat’s blood.

Well, there was the creepy pigs heart wrapped in barbed wire thing he made me one Valentine’s Day…

Dan: That’s creepy?

Ethan: No, Kate, that was me.

Sorry, Ethan it was the SWEETEST Valentines Day gift EVAH…

Dan: Anyway. it needs to be said – because it hasn’t already – how much of a genius Mike Sleap is.

Ethan: He really is. he knows sound construction like no one I’ve ever met. We write the lyrics, he puts them (and our voices) to music.

So you guys are all auto tune and electronics?

Dan: I’m not gonna lie to you, in real life, I sound like, well, a fat global studies teacher. Mike makes me sound like a European sex god.

You all sound vaguely Swedish.

Dan: That’s the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me!

Ethan: I look like a European sex god, but my voice is kinda nasally.

This is true, that’s the first thing I thought upon meeting you in real life was “nasally sex god.”

Ethan: Psh, you’re too kind.

Dan: I look like a Greek sex god. Because I’m round and have a lot of body hair.

Do you have Greek ‘Stache?

Dan: I have a full beard currently.

So Mike – how is it working with these guys? Do you find their work ethic fits your level of talent? Or, are they improv slackers?

Mike: They came in and sang in a can, then left. Um…improv slackers is pretty appropos, actually. Everything they did needed to be auto tuned. They sang so “well” for Sex Car Party that I had to upgrade to a full on Vocoder for the song, which fortunately made things a LOT easier in getting that song’s feel. They broke the auto tune.

Ethan: No, it’s kinda true, to be honest. Mike makes us sound like magic.

What’s is the one thing you all want to get out of this project? You know, beside fame, fortune and wimmens…

Ethan: My one goal for this is having something that someone outside my circle of friends has listened to and laughed at.

Dan: I’ll be honest. Everything involved with this project’s been fun. I never in a million years dreamed that I would ever be listening to my own voice (or a vocoded version of it) on my iPod.

Mike: My goal was just to do it, so now that’s been accomplished, I’m good.

…Okay.

Mike: Hey Kate, what did you think of the songs?

They made me snort laugh.

Mike: Really?

Ethan: I was there. She did.

Okay – last question: Do you have advice for any kids out there who want to do the things you guys do best? Specifically, advice on how to be funny and record a dance music EP which will lead them to becoming famous in Eastern Europe?

Dan: If they can figure out how to do it, tell us how.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give them to help them reach their goals?

Mike: I’m finding 100% resistance to the songs because of the content. So I’d advise sticking to common themes like having fun, dancing, etc.

Ethan: I would say just to do something, even if it’s just dabbling, because saying you want to do something and doing something are two different things.

Oh that’s actually an improv rule and a Nike slogan…

Mike: I’ve sent the song to people across the nation and on other continents. The reaction is consistent. Full hate.

Full hate is the first step to full frontal love…don’t fret.

Dan: I didn’t know we were hated! I assumed that was just Ethan’s mom.

Ethan: Let’s do something else! You guys want to write a comic book?

Mike: Are there beats?

So… Just do something – Ethan. Mike – make it something people enjoy and can dance to. Dan? Advice?

Dan: It’s all about doing something. And, if it doesn’t work, then get feedback and hone it and make it better. Nothing ever is a final draft. Ask George Lucas.

Ethan: BA—-ZING!

Yet another Star Wars product I cannot support buying due to the Han/Greedo edit.

Dan: Hey-YO!

PAAADDDDMMMMEEEEE!!! That is the official Lucas Fail moment, when Darth Vader went emo.

Dan: I would consider George Lucas’s fail moment as being the way he cuts his beard.

One of our Fanboyz Sean Campbell reported this via phone while lounging in a bean-bag chair in a bean-bag chair-filled room.

The Penny Arcade Expo, known on the street as PAX Prime 2010, is off and running in Downtown Seattle. The weekend-long celebration of gamer culture (equally divided between console gaming, computer gaming, and tabletop gaming) is in its 7th year and is more popular than ever.

Keynote Address: Warren Spector and the “casual gamer”

You may know Warren Spector as the man that brought Wing Commander to life. Previous PAX keynote speakers focused on how important it was to be part of the tribe and clique of hardcore gamers. Spector brought a very different message: embrace the casual gamers and other people we tend to scoff at in the gaming world. The first battle that gamers faced was simply trying to be taken seriously, to be seen as legit. Spector argued that we, as gamers, have already won that battle because many “normal” people are becoming “hardcore gamers” (think of your co-workers that are addicted to Bejeweled, Farmville, etc). The next step, he argues, is to take these casual gamers and teach them about real gaming.

Duke Nukem Forever….WHAT?

In the Q&A with the Penny Arcade creators, we had been expecting something as there had been rumors abound about a potential Duke Nukem Forever announcement.

After a few questions from the audience, the next voice was oddly…professional and articulate. After a bit of banter, the questioner put on sunglasses and said “I just have one question for you: Do you have any bubblegum?”

It was Jon St. John, the voice of Duke Nukem. The crowd exploded, and from the reaction of the Penny Arcade guys, I don’t think that even they knew he would infiltrate the crowd in that manner.

At first I thought that maybe it was another teaser, but on Saturday I was able to finally play it. It’s real. It’s still in the works, but by god, it’s real. If you’re not familiar with why the very fact that it’s being released is so amazing, check out The Duke Nukem List, a collection of events, videogames produced, and other things that have come and gone between the announcement of Duke Nukem Forever and now. (I’ll go more into the actual game I got to see in the next PAX post.)

Microsoft Kinect

We also had a chance to demo Kinect. We played Kinect Adventures, which is their take on Wii Sports.  It included a lot of fun minigames, including the chance to play in a raft along a river as well as a cart game. I found the concepts and technology neat, but it still felt glitchy, that the sensors weren’t picking up as well as I’d like them to. There is a lot of potential in their Harmonix title Dance Central, a fun dance game that works great and really utilizes this technology.

Protomen

PAX is also known for its geek-music scene. On Friday night, Protomen was the first band to play and I had never heard of them. Even though they’re not my kind of music, they must be doing something right because their brand of robot-fighting, silver-painted, 3-keyboard & a keytar kind of rock & roll drove the entire room crazy.

Gaming: Dungeons, Dragons, & Zombies!

After some music, we ventured over to one of the best parts of PAX: tabletop gaming. We joined a one-hour Dungeons & Dragons Delve that is meant for both new and experienced players. Playing in this community reminded me of my favorite part of these types of games: the creativity required to play. Unfortunately, since the games were only an hour long, we only got halfway through our battle before we were stopped, which sucked because we were *just* about to set a spiderweb bridge ablaze to kill all of the bad guys on it. Oh well.

We moved on to the console gaming room, which is a room filled with at least 50 big screen TVs and tons of consoles, both new and old school. The coolest thing of this year’s setup is the fact that they somehow wrangled 20 Steel Batallion games & controllers and networked them together. In comparison, they only had two at PAX 2009.  That team-based mech combat with $200 controllers was a bit much for 12am, so we just opted to kill a bunch of zombies in Left 4 Dead 2 until they closed up shop at 2am.

Ah, PAX.

[Photos by Sean Campbell and Russell Bernice]

By Kate Kotler

In honor of Dragon Con, this week’s trivia quiz is 100% “dragon themed.”

Answer all 10 questions correctly and email us the answers by Monday morning and you’ll win a super awesome custom Geek Girl on the Street dragon avatar for your website, Facebook page or Twitter account.

1. Who wrote the original music for the song, “Puff the Magic Dragon?”

2. What was the name of the evil five-headed dragon from the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon that ran from 1983 to 1985 in CBS’s Saturday morning cartoon lineup?

3. What is the name of the BBC reality show where entrepreneurs pitch their product ideas to wealthy investors in search of startup financing? (Hint: In Season 3 of the IT Crowd, Moss, Roy and Jen took Moss’s Abracada-Bra onto this show with hilarious results.)

4. What is the name of the dragon-themed board game where the object is to move your pawn over a system of bridge-like planks to other side of the board before the other players?

5. What was the name of the character that David Tennant voiced in “How To Train Your Dragon?”

6. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was originally published in what language?

7. What do Max and Emmy use to travel to Dragon Land in the PBS show Dragon Tales?

8. What is the name of Pete’s Dragon?

9. What other book is the author of “The Flight of the Dragons” known for?

10. What year was Dragon Con first held in?

Good luck, no cheating!

Yesterday, a terrifying hostage situation played out at the Discovery Channel Headquarters in Silver Springs, MD.  James Jay Lee, a longtime protester of the channel’s environmental programming, entered the building mid-day armed with explosives and guns.  Prior to taking hostages, Lee posted a list of demands on his website requiring the Discovery Channel to change its programming to reflect his “environmental agenda.”

After a four hour standoff with police and FBI, Lee was shot and killed last night, ending the afternoon’s frightening events.

In the wake of this tragedy, politicians and news sources have rushed to label Lee a “left-wing environmental extremist” and an “eco-terrorist.”  This assessment has been based upon the misanthropic content of his demands, which clearly states that Lee believed the human race to be the cause of planet Earth’s environmental issues. (And, further that the human race should be slowly decreased and extinguished from this planet.)

This rush to judgement has sparked a heated debate questioning if it is irresponsible to label this man in such a fashion.  The thinking is (and, I happen to agree) James Jay Lee was mentally ill and his ire was misdirected at the Discovery Channel.

However, what is not being said in this debate is: Lee had some valid points in amongst his incoherent ramblings.

In the wake of one of the worst environmental disasters in the history of our planet, it’s not too tough to see how someone as unstable as Lee could snap and violently direct his attentions towards a target he’d already decided in his mind was responsible for the ills of the world.

If you read his demands he states several things which are 100% true:

1. This planet is over populated.
2. The human race has a propensity for war.
3. We are destroying the planet with pollution.
4. We are plundering the planet for its natural resources, effectively ruining the natural environment.
5. We need to come up with solutions for global warming.
6. The wildlife population (in general) and un-touched forests, jungles, etc. shrink dramatically each passing year.
7. This country is in serious trouble in terms of unemployment and homelessness.
8. The reputation of the United States is pretty terrible, overall.

From a page of rambling craziness there are eight, true and very salient points this man had.  Of course, the problem was that he a.) used violence, b.) directed his anger at the wrong people (the Discovery Channel pretty much being champions of Planet Earth, yanno?)

But, didn’t Lee have a point?

I think, in the face of this tragedy, we all need to stop and think about this a little bit.  And, maybe – just maybe – in the future we should listen and pay attention to what the James Lees of the world have to say before it reaches such a terrifying and sad conclusion.

Editor’s Note: We at Geek Girl on the Street do not approve of violence as a means to affect political or social change. Further, we know several employees of the Discovery Channel who were involved in yesterday’s incident and we are all very relieved they are safe and have been reunited with their families.

By Kate Kotler

• Yesterday, TeeFury (one of the coolest t-shirt sites out there) featured the t-shirt “Robots in Disguise” that shows R2 D2 hiding inside a Dalek from Doctor Who. Can we say “holy-cross polonating sci-fi universes, Batman?”  It’s a very cool design and sure to sell super fast – if you want (as I know you do) you better go hurry up and order one. (PS: Thanks Mayka for bringing this to our attention!)
• Speaking of Doctor Who: A ton of the MONSTERS from Doctor Who invaded Notthingham Square in the UK today in support of the Doctor Who Live stage show which premiers in October. Um… DOCTOR  WHO LIVE??? (Is David Tennant involved? Oh, no just the monsters? Never mind then. I MEAN – how cool is that? Buy tickets, people in the UK who read this blog!)
• And, one more on Doctor Who: Yesterday sci-fi rock star, Neil Gaiman Tweeted that he was heading to the BBC Wales to check out the sets for the upcoming shoot of the episode of Doctor Who which he wrote. This means that the eppie is in production or near to it… and, we couldn’t be more excited. While no one knows much about the episode, Gaiman recently posted a spoiler free (and very amusing) scene from the episode on his personal website. Simply put: I can’t wait for Series 7 to begin… COME ON CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!

After listening to this album at least ten times by now, I can promise that All Cap‘s new “Bmin/E” is a must-have for any geek’s iPod.

I first discovered this band after watching Youtuber Tessa Violet, a.k.a. Meekakitty’s fan video of their single “Don’t Unplug Me”, the electronic pop song about two robots in love. The song jumped to one of the top most-downloaded songs on Itunes that week, and I knew I had to buy the entire album to see what the rest of their music was like.

I didn’t prepare myself or set up any expectation by looking up any samples of lyrics or reviews of their music and just turned the album on for the first time during my commute to work. I found myself laughing out loud and smiling at the clever and relatable lyrics. The songs range anywhere from pure parody (“Lumos Flies”, a song about Harry Potter’s Ron and Hermione set to the tune of Owl City’s “Firelies” and “You Kissed Me At the Dundies”, a super catchy tune about Jim and Pam from The Office.) to original music like “Your Song”, a super-romantic ballad about a long distance relationship.

Something I really appreciated is how funny some of their love songs are.

For example, here’s a line from “Hey Kristina”

“I like this nerdy girl that likes nerdy things…
And I’ll try not with all my might not to make fun of how he sparkles in the sunlight.
I must like you if I’m referencing Twilight. “

And oh-my-god-that’s-so-true about being an Internet junkie in love lyrics from “Summer of ’09″

“And I pretend it’s impulsive, but you already know the truth.
I just want a picture of us so I can put it on Dailybooth.
….I almost let out a squeel. You changed your relationship status!”

All Caps is a two-person band made up of Kristina Horner and Luke Conard. They both post their own music videos for their songs on YouTube, along with personal vlogs. They just finished their ROFLCOPTOUR this summer, playing their music all over the states.

I honestly feel like I can’t do this album justice with everything I’ve said. Everything about it is incredibly well-done and loveable. Just as a sampler, check out Tessa’s music video I mentioned earlier….Although I must say that her interpretation of the song is much different that the one Kristina and Luke made.

Man! Ray’s gaming quiz  was SERIOUSLY hard!  No one got all the questions correct, however – the closest to this lofty goal was Jim Schumaker with only two questions wrong… so we’re going to say that the prize of a signed copy of Deadlands goes to him!   Thanks so much to Shane Hensley for contributing this week’s prize!  Jim, go ahead and email us your mailing address and Shane will send your autographed copy to you directly…

Below the cut are the answers to this MONSTER of a quiz…

1. Champions online, started as Champions the Superhero RPG by Hero Games in 1982
2. Eden Studios – Buffy the vampire the Role Playing Game
3. Bruce Campbell, the RPG is Deadlands
4. Steve Jackson Games, the Game ‘GURPS Cyberpunk’
5. Little Wars – H.G. Wells
6. Gary Gygax. Anyone who thinks otherwise isn’t a real gamer!
7. “Demon: The Fallen” White Wolf Publishing
8. To Hit Armor Class 0 (zero)
9. Tom Hanks – Mazes and Monsters
10. Terminator. There WAS a Terminator 2 miniatures game at one point, but never an official RPG

Given that Svetlana Chmakova’s Dramacon is one of my manga favorites, it seemed fitting that my first Con experience would be filled with anime. That’s as far as the comparison goes though. I wasn’t chilling out on the Artists’ Alley and there was no romance with a brooding cosplayer, but I did find myself as lost as main character Christie.

I arrived on Saturday afternoon to a hotel filled with anything but its usual clientele. Around every corner lurked ninjas, schoolgirls and I think I even spotted a Joker. Some of the props were so well made that I said a silent prayer when a massive key blade narrowly missed my head. That’s one way to ruin your day!

After I got my pass, I found my way to the Trade Hall for a good wander. I must have done two laps of the room – one to gawk and another to assess how much I could buy. My pace definitely slowed walking past the Tokyo Fashion Traders who had the most beautiful Lolita hats. Once I realized how little money I had with me, I had to rethink my initial ‘take no prisoners’ plan of action.

So, it was Genki Gear that got my money and I got an awesome ‘Fugu’ tee in return! It was a fair trade. Check out their site because they have so many great designs and I believe they’re having a little sale now too.

Plus, you know you want to be as cool as Roy!

I may have lost my socks in the Artists’ Alley due to many talented people knocking them off. I didn’t know until yesterday that Ireland has a growing manga publication, Zenpop, and a group of young independent artists making and selling their own comics, Milky Tea.  Needless to say, I was very impressed and more than a little jealous.

When I went to check out the screening room, little did I know what I was letting myself in for. It’s been awhile since I watched some anime and somehow forgot just how strange it can be. Yesterday’s strangeness came in the form of Maid Guy, which follows Naeka Fujiwara, the granddaughter of a billionaire and the heir to his fortune. Hence, Kogarashi, the masked Maid, must protect her from those who plot against her. It’s just wonderful so I felt I must share it. You might be happy I did.. might not.

Obviously, I have to mention the cos-players again. I could only see Nom-Con’s Next Top Cos-player from the wrong side since there were blockages, but what I saw was amazing. I didn’t recognize a lot of the characters but that didn’t stop me from appreciating the work that went into them. I was dumbfounded by a few. As I said before, there were key blades – many, many key blades – the least lethal of which was made out of balloons.

I was most definitely channeling Chmakova’s Christie as I explored Nom-Con, too wide-eyed for someone my age. Having not read a manga in a good few months I felt a little like a fish out of water. I bet 17-year-old Otaku-Sarah would have been an unstoppable force!But it’s clear that Japanese culture has certainly gripped the Emerald Isle and doesn’t show signs of loosening its hold. This was Nom-Con’s first year but I see it growing in popularity over the coming years.

This week’s quiz comes to us from our photographer, Ray.  He says he’s stakin’ his rep as a gamer on this quiz… It’s tougher than most of our quizzes, for sure – as it isn’t multiple choice.  Email the correct answers to us by Monday and you’ll win some gaming schwag!  You could win an autographed copy of Savage Worlds or Deadlands!

Good luck.

1. What current MMO originally started as a RPG in the 80′s, which and is still in print (hint, the current edition is the 6th)
2. What Game Company released the original officially licensed RPG based on one of Joss Whedon’s shows?
3. Which Burn Notice star wrote the forward for a Zombie filled Steampunk RPG?
4. What game publisher had its offices raided by secret service over a game they were about to publish?
5. What is the oldest tabletop wargame still in publication?
6. Who is considered by most to be the ‘Stan Lee’ of the RPG world?
7. What game used a fictional Jack Chick style tract as part of a viral marketing campaign?
8. What does THACO stand for?
9. What Oscar winning actor was the  lead in a made for TV movie about a fictitious  RPG?
10. Which of the following movies/programs NEVER had an officially licensed RPG?
    - Dune
    - Sailor Moon
    - Terminator