[US] NEW YORK NY • 2012 05 25-27 • BLIP FESTIVAL NYC 2012 (Page 21 of 23)

VENUE RANT:
Most likely due to my background in playing at very small art spaces and warehouse parties, I have a general hatred towards mainstream venues. Not because I'm so cool and underground, but because they usually seem to have this fucking attitude (see above song) that it is a privilege for the artists to be able to play at their fine establishment...the situation SHOULD be like this - you, the venue, are working for us, the artists, not the other way around. Only one "big" venue I've played at has gotten this right, and this is the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. Nicest sound crew, the fucking venue owner came up to me on stage and asked how I was doing during soundcheck, if I wanted a red bull or anything...THAT IS HOW IT SHOULD BE. We are making the venue the money and bringing people in, they should, at the very least, be fucking respectful and polite.

Now obviously a bigger space is a necessary evil for an event as huge as Blip, so it's something you just have to roll with. I did mentally come close to spitting in some security person's face backstage for telling me that my wristband wasn't good enough to get me in the back, nevermind I was a fucking performer and I was trying to get to my gear...she literally argued with me for a minute before letting me back there. Idiots.

Other than that, great great great experience. I had a blast.

Highlights (besides seeing FIVE artists from Datathrash on stage at some time!!!)  -- 
1.  Nullsleep/Minusbaby/Bit Shifter (my bucket list is now much shorter)
2.  Monodeer
3.  Smiletron at the aftershow
4.  Burnkit2600

Sold a bunch of shirts and a tiny handful of discs and records.  Having a base camp for all the label guys and friends made it more than worth it, tho.  Will do again.

I failed miserably at saying goodbye to everyone.  I'm not good at dealing with distractions. 

All in all, Blip has put a big smiley face sticker on a year thats already been a perfect storm of awesome.

Edit:  explained to a puzzled security guard why there were so many gameboys for sale, pointed out to some cute little girls that if you have a nintendo you probably have a tape player (quote:  "You know nobody can play these anymore, right?")

Last edited by egr (May 30, 2012 6:58 pm)

that can go bad in a number of ways.

day one playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL28B0084DBD6706AF

exilefaker | batsly adams
shitbird | enso
zen albatross | chromacle
chipocrite | chika
minusbaby | mikrosopht
nullsleep | no carrier
kodek | jean y kim
george & jonathan

http://www.youtube.com/kozue255
http://www.facebook.com/emfedex
http://www.chipmusicchronicle.com

Last edited by emfedex (May 30, 2012 8:37 pm)

What brought that on?  Makes no sense at all...

I can say from experience a few years back (not this year) that it is extremely difficult for the Blip Festival team to find an ideal venue for the event considering the shifting status and circumstances small teams of music curators and nonprofit art spaces face every year. Bit Shifter summed it all up quite nicely.

Disclaimer: I was not on the team this year, so my perspective is that of someone who volunteered years ago. I can only imagine what things are like now, as the entire community and festival grows and grows. I am not speaking for anyone who worked on things this year.

Personally, I think the team of curators did a fantastic job this year despite issues beyond their control. This was my fourth Blip Festival and possibly the best one I've attended as a fan. I was blown away in so many ways. Unreal unreal unreal.