MC Lars

Andrew Nielsen, who records as MC Lars, first experimented with hip-hop recordings during childhood, yet his attention soon shifted toward guitar duties in a punk band and the demands of higher education. He enrolled at Stanford, later completing an exchange term at Oxford, all while refining computer-based productions and sharpening a style steeped in pop-culture references. High-energy shows and grassroots support helped spread awareness of these home-recorded tracks, which reflected a broad array of touchstones ranging from Atom & His Package and Weird Al Yankovic to KRS-One and the Beastie Boys.

Truck Records, based in London, issued the full-length Radio Pet Fencing in 2003, prompting Nielsen to schedule concert appearances in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Although assembled entirely on his personal computer, the 2004 EP Laptop introduced comparatively ambitious arrangements that featured contributions from Piebald and Brand New alongside clearer melodic frameworks. Songs such as “iGeneration” and “Signing Emo” found receptive audiences among downloaders and mtvU viewers, and Nielsen shared stages with Gym Class Heroes and Bowling for Soup through spring 2005. March 2006 brought the arrival of The Graduate, an album title that aligned with Nielsen’s status as a Stanford alumnus.

A 2009 collaboration with Weird Al Yankovic produced the track “True Player for Real” for This Gigantic Robot Kills, while KRS-One and Sage Francis appeared on the 2011 release Lars Attacks!. The Edgar Allan Poe EP followed one year later. The 2015 project The Zombie Dinosaur LP, financed via Kickstarter and featuring appearances from Kool Keith, Watsky, and others, entered Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. Subsequent releases included the 2016 mixtape Donald Trump Has Very Bad Morals and the 2017 EP Revenge of the Nerd.