I think Noisewaves already sleuthed it in a previous thread, but here's all the official deets for the chip show at MAGFest in January. Shit's gonna be ALL-DAY, festival stylee. Last I heard the hotel was just about booked SOLID, so get moving if you still haven't got a room. Full info below:
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MAGFEST ANNOUNCES CHIPTUNE LINEUP
George & Jonathan, Cheap Dinosaurs, and more for a full-day chiptune showcase in January
WASHINGTON, DC -- DECEMBER 20, 2010 -- Ever since its humble beginnings, Northern Virginia's Music And Gaming Festival (MAGFest) has lovingly nurtured and raucously celebrated the growing art form known as chip music. Using the lo-bit sound chips trapped within retro videogame consoles and other vintage electronics to synthesize new, original compositions, chiptune artists across the globe have slowly but surely brought enthusiasm for their craft to a fever pitch. The basements of yesteryear have become stages, and upon those stages a new breed of performer has arisen -- not to merely evoke the nostalgic timbres of Nintendo-era videogame music, but to re-define and celebrate the limitations of the machines we once called our toys.
For this year's chiptune lineup, we are proud to present Philadelphia super-group Cheap Dinosaurs and rising star dance party duo George & Jonathan, as well as live visuals by NO CARRIER and enso and additional sets from Noisewaves (MI), Wizwars (LA), Zen Albatross (NYC), Note! (NYC), Danimal Cannon (of Metroid Metal / Armcannon) (BUF) and Inverse Phase (VA).
The showcase runs all day on Saturday, January 15th from 11:30am - 4:30pm in the Main Concert Hall, and will be preceded by a panel on chip music history and culture led by New York chip musician journalist Zen Albatross at 10:30am.
MAGFest will take place January 13th–16th, 2011 at the Hilton Marks Center in Alexandria, VA.
About MAGFest:
http://magfest.org/
MAGFest, The Music And Gaming Festival, is an annual event in the Washington D.C. area dedicated to the celebration of video games and video game music. Each year, MAGFest offers 24-hour console, arcade, and PC game rooms, over ten live video game cover bands, a vendors area, and guest speakers from the video game industry and fan scene. Numerous other events are scheduled each day. It also features a "JamSpace" available to all attendees for impromptu music performances. MAGFest 9 is scheduled for January 13-16 2011.
For more details regarding MAGFest, contact Nick Marinelli, MAGFest press and public relations director, [email protected].
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ARTIST INFO:
Cheap Dinosaurs
Cheap Dinosaurs is a Philadelphia based prog-rock group that combines poppy melodies with dark, psychedelic chip music. Harnessing the sound hardware of an original game boy, the group rides the fringe of the 8-bit music scene by mixing it with heavier and more organic soundscapes. Accompanying the group are visual artists NO CARRIER and ENSO, completing the experience with projections that run on various vintage hardware and other devices. Starting as the solo project of Dino Lionetti (ex-Chromelodeon) in 2007, the group has since grown into a full band (with members of animal style, Brown Recluse, and Store Cats) that has garnered a large and growing fan base out of philly.
http://filefreakout.com/cheapdinosaurs
George & Jonathan
George and Jonathan are pals that love music. They strive to create
the sassiest, most funkiest and slimiest music known to man.
Noisewaves
Noisewaves is a two piece band from Michigan. Fusing the sounds of the 2A03 sound chip (the nintendo entertainment system) with roaring post-rock ambience, guitars and drums pound over a complex 8-bit backdrop to create a sound thats unique, and in some ways, familiar.
http://noisewaves.bandcamp.com
NOTE!
Note!, the alias of Christophe Richard from Brooklyn, New York, explores music through a lo-bit aesthetic and aims to prove that even the simplest square waves and white noise can be textured and crafted to create something far greater and more beautiful than the sum of their parts. Oh and you can dance to it. So dance. NOW.
Zen Albatross
Zen Albatross is a musician and journalist from Brooklyn, NY. An active member of New York City's chip music scene, he uses homebrew software to craft colossal obelisks of hip-shaking sound using the antiquated circuitry of a Nintendo Game Boy. When not plugged into loud speakers or stuck on a subway train, he critiques and reports on videogames and DIY electronic music culture. His essays and articles have appeared in Vice Magazine's Motherboard, Original Sound Version, MTV Geek and other online publications.
Wizwars
Wizwars (real name Kevin Hagge) is a Los Angeles based musician who makes high energy music using old video game hardware, primarily a Nintendo Gameboy. This style of music is commonly known as "chiptune" or "chipmusic". While his music has roots in Techno and other dance music, Kevin prefers to call it "Game Boy Rock", referencing the high level of energy found in his songs and at many of his shows.
Inverse Phase
Inverse Phase seeks to achieve the opposite of arranging game music. The goal? Instead, "what would this song sound like if it were a videogame?" Armed with rules for systems like the NES and the Commodore 64, he has answered that for fans of Cee Lo, Weezer, The Cars, U2, and MAGFest performers Brentalfloss, Metroid Metal, and The Megas. After a few CDs, popularity has ramped up. Many new projects are planned.
NO CARRIER
Don Miller performs live visuals in real time under the alias NO CARRIER. He works with nearly obsolete repurposed electronics to create high energy low resolution abstract video. Part of the 8bitpeoples artist collective, he performs, exhibits, and lectures worldwide. Miller is based in Philadelphia, where he organizes and curates 8static, a monthly showcase of low-bit music and visuals.
enso
enso is Alex Bond, a live visualist and illustration student from NY currently living in Philly. He enjoys art nouveau, old computers, outer space, and good vibes. His work has been exhibited at the Esther M. Klein Gallery in Philadelphia and at the Playlist show at iMAL in Brussels.
Last edited by Zen Albatross (Sep 27, 2011 9:08 pm)
