Thrift-store electronics collide with dancefloor sensibilities as Blip Festival makes its long-awaited return to New York City. Produced by 8bitpeoples in association with The Tank and Live Nation, the Blip Festival 2012 finds Manhattan once again at the center of the chipmusic universe. From May 25-27, musicians and visualists from all corners of the globe assemble at the Gramercy Theatre to perform astonishing music & motion graphics, produced on & inspired by early-generation home computers and gaming consoles.

With six years and ten international editions under its belt, Blip Festival brings together shining examples of the global chipmusic underground -- performers conscripting devices like the Commodore 64, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Game Boy, and the Sega Genesis into the service of music spanning every conceivable style, with results that are shockingly futuristic. Rounding out the event's three nights of explosive live performances will be supplementary daytime programming including workshops, how-tos, presentations and screenings -- offering a glimpse into exactly how it's all achieved, and perhaps even inspiring some 2013 Blip Festival performers-to-be.

For those of you not heading out of town Memorial Day Weekend, the 2012 Blip Festival happens May 25 - 27 at the Gramercy Theatre. Tickets (individual or three-day passes) are on sale now. Full schedule is below.

In related news, Blip Fest regulars Starscream are changing (some might say transforming) their name to Infinity Shred. Starscream play their final show under the old name on Saturday (5/12) at Shea Stadium. Says the band:

Due to unfortunate legal circumstances this will be the last show we ever play as STARSCREAM! We'd rather turn this bad news in to a fun time though so let's have a great party! Our new name is INFINITY SHRED and this will also be the release party for our first EP under that name.

The show also features Idiot Glee, and the Strongbros Crew. They will then make their debut as Infinity Shred at the Blip Fest on Sunday, May 27.

Speaking of Idiot Glee, the Kentucky artist who is playing with Starscream Saturday is in town for more than just one show. As previously mentioned, he also plays Public Assembly tonight (5/11) with Nick Diamond of Islands/Unicorns.

Full Blip Festival schedule is below.

Continue reading "2012 Blip Festival schedule posted; Idiot Glee is here; Starscream playing Shea Stadium, changing name to Infinity Shred"

photos by Brian Reilly

DOWNLOAD: Junk Culture - Weird Teenage Vibes (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Junk Culture - Summer Friends (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Max Tundra - The Rockford Files theme song remixed (ZIPPED MP3)

Girl Talk @ Wellmont Theater

Girl Talk completed the first leg of his current tour at Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ Saturday night (2/5) (one night after Lauryn Hill played the same venue). Penguin Prison opened the show, like they did on previous dates. Pictures from that show are in this post.

Now on a slight break, Greg Gillis will launch the second leg of his tour at Terminal 5 in NYC on 2/24. The show is sold out.

Opening all Girl Talk dates from 2/24-3/25 are both Max Tundra and Girl Talk's Illegal Art label-mate Junk Culture, both of whom will first play their own smaller show at Glasslands in Brooklyn on 2/23 with Nite Club and George & Jonathan. Tickets are on sale. All tour dates are listed below.

Junk Culture released "Summer Friends" this week. The full 5-song tracklist is listed below. Download two of the tracks for free above now.

"Oxford Mississippi native Deepak Mantena of creative pop-project Junk Culture developed the sound for his newest release, Summer Friends, from a lifetime collection of sounds he'd captured on a handheld recorder. Drawing on inspiration he found in the vibrant harmonies, psychedelic noises and dance rhythms that saturated his environment, he created alluring melodies using guitar, keyboard, and percussion and topped them off with choruses of his own explosive vocals. Experimenting with recording and sampling the symphony of sounds from his everyday life left him filled with a sense of freedom and a revived faith in the process of making music; the warm euphoric tunes he emerged with reflect a compelling range of influences that include everything from west-coast style pop to hip-hop mash-ups and raw punk-informed electronic dance tunes." [PR]

Max Tundra doesn't have a new release, but has been busy in the studio creating one. Meanwhile he is giving away a new track in the form of a Rockford Files theme song remix (grab that above). He has also recently released remixes for Marnie Stern, Abe Vigoda, Chilly Gonzales, Tune-Yards, Kele and others. Listen to those remixes below.

More pictures from the NJ Girl Talk show, all tour dates, and a pair of time lapse videos from the show in DC are also below...

Continue reading "Girl Talk & Penguin Prison played Wellmont Theater (pics), Max Tundra & Junk Culture playing Brooklyn & releasing stuff"

photos by Leia Jospe

Super Mash bros

Silent Barn will host a day of "music, comic books, video games and non institutional learning" SATURDAY (2/5) starting at 2PM. It's a multi-media event called OKEVERYTHING. The first part of the day is FREE and will kick off with discussion on video games and gaming design before shifting to comic book production. Right around 7PM is when the music will kick off, and when revellers will have to pay the $10 entrance fee to catch an 8-bit heavy lineup headlined by Anamanaguchi with The J. Arthur Keenes Band, Nullsleep, Starscream, and George & Jonathan.

Anamanaguchi recently supported Super Mash Brothers at Irving Plaza on January 22nd. Pictures from that show, and full details on the OKEVERYTHING show are below.

Continue reading "Anamanaguchi opened for Super Mash Brothers @ Irving Plaza (pics), playing video game & comic book party Saturday"

photos by Leia Jospe

THE SHOWPAPER 42ND ST GALLERY (which opened in October) is located at 217 East 42nd St @ 3rd Ave in Midtown, Manhattan - out of Todd P's normal territory, but Todd P-affiliated nonetheless. They recently hosted a show with Nullsleep and George & Jonathan. Pictures from that, with a listing of some more upcoming events at the space (including the So So Glos show we just mentioned), below...

Continue reading "Showpaper 42nd St. Gallery hosted Nullsleep & George & Jonathan (pics), has more shows coming"