Blip Festival New York is upon us and between May 25th and the 27th, the Gramercy Theatre is going to be full of 8-bit artists from around the world to show off their circuit bent wares and a musical and visual masterpieces. Organized by 8BitPeoples since 2006, Blip Festival shows off the latest and greatest that the chip tune community has to offer.

Philly is familiar with the retro sounds of 8-bit music and because of 8 Static, this city has become a veritable breeding ground for a new brand of musicians using old Nintendos and a bit of ingenuity to create some groundbreaking sounds. Three local artists in particular have been invited to perform at this auspicious event.

Chipocrite can be found all over Philadelphia writing intricate compositions with a gameboy and a bass for the likes of 8 Static, GameStop ads, and Lebowskifest Philadelphia. We also love him because he was kind enough to cover a rockin’ version of the Game of Thrones theme for the first annual Philly Geek Awards. He’ll be sure to treat the New York chip tune scene to some incredible songs.

“Beauty from corruption, destruction from chrominance” is that mantra of Chromacle, a digital and video artist who can sometimes be found here in philly delighting eyeballs at the monthly 8 Static over at Philly MOCA. His clever amalgamation of shapes, colors, and lights adds incredible depth to 8 bit sounds coming from vintage gameboys and the odd NES.

Enso is another visual artist lending some lights to the sounds of Blip Festival. His low-res atmospheric shows are a hit here in Philadelphia and will be sure to dazzle everyone at the Gramercy Theater and possibly put them in a psychedelic trance.

Our home grown 8 Static veterans will be sure to blast the roof off of the Gramercy and it would be a shame for you to miss out on their audible exploits.

Tickets range from one day passes to the full three day shebang. You can snag them here. Also make sure to check out the schedule so you can go cheer on our local 8-bit extraordinaires!

It seems like video game conferences are sprouting up in every city these days. From E3 in LA to PAX East in Boston, there are tons of expos highlighting the newest, biggest, and shiniest games that dev teams have taken painstaking years to perfect.

But this year Philadelphia has tossed it’s hat into the game conference arena with something a little bit different. Instead of featuring the latest and greatest games of the upcoming year, the Grassroots Games Conference will be all about celebrating the little guys who think games can be art and can be used for so much more.

Put together by Philly Game Lab, the Grassroots Game Conference will be held all over the city from April 23rd to the 29th. Tickets to the events range from Free to $20 depending on the event.

All of the events held on April 23rd, 28th, and 29th will be completely free, but you will have a chance to make a donation to the fantastic charity Child’s Play. They bring video games into hospitals so that they can enrich the lives of the many children being treated there.

If you have any interest in video games or are just looking for a good time, you should definitely have a look below and check out some of the fantastic events lined up for the week. (more…)

The chip tune impresarios are back again this month with a fantastic line up of artists to soothe your aching digital auditory inputs. Last month was 8 static’s pulse pounding debut at their new venue and now they’ve decided to dial it back a notch or two on the old hacked and soldered sound board.

Trash80 will be exhibiting his very own brand of melodic and decidedly danceable auditory delights. You’ll have your feet moving to some of the most jazzy chip tunes you’ll find. Occasionally eschewing a purely 8-bit auditory aesthetic, Trash80 really knows how to seamlessly bring together the 8-bit and analog world.

Shawnphase will mix up the mood with an ensemble of ambient electro-metal band goodness. Adding some traditional instruments to the usual menagerie of 8-bit hardware really provides some extra depth to the music.

Disassembler is going to be there to delight you with some Nanoloop grooves. If you’ve been in attendance before, you’ll know that he’s been to a few of the open mics and knows how to keep people moving on the dance floor.

Visualicious will also be there to lull your eyes into a trance with some gorgeous visuals. As always, there will be a fascinating workshop going on before the show. This month, Dino Lionetti from Cheap Dinosaurs will be talking about odd time signatures and how to craft a song using them.

All of you budding chip tune artists out there better listen up! You can sign up for the open mic, but slots fill up quickly and it is best to register as soon as you can!

This month is a show that will probably be talked about for a long time to come, so it would be best to experience it first hand rather than have someone describe all of the music to you in words. It just isn’t the same as hearing it with your own auditory receptors. For more information, visit 8static’s official website.

8static
Saturday, April 14th, 2012, 7pm
$7-10

PhilaMOCA
531 North 12th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123

Those who say print is dead are fools. The same people thought that vinyl had gone the way of the Dodo. But, somehow, you can find USB record players and newly released tracks pressed straight into the grooves on those little black plates of plastic accompanied by a digital download code.

Print is not dead, it has simply changed.

Digital hasn’t killed analog. Instead, they have combined into something grand and new. Someone who has embraced this newfound harmony is Joseph and his company Black Heart Letterpress. He’s taken vintage equipment and new technology to breathe new life into the art of print making.

Amidst an assortment of incredible steampunk-style machinery and a menagerie of wooden and steel letterpress dies, I was able to find out how a design, originally imprinted on a brain, becomes indelibly imprinted on paper.

What made you decide to start designing and printing your own cards and designs?

I’ve been designing things for years, as well as doing “fine art” printmaking. With letterpress, I am specifically drawn to the actual machines (presses, paper cutters, paper drills, etc) as well as the look of the printed materials. I also really like the repetitive nature of manufacturing something.

Can you tell me a little bit about the presses you use to create the prints, cards, and invitations?

We have 3 presses now. Our primary press is a Chandler & Price 10 x 15 New Series press. It was built in 1926 and weighs 1,500 pounds. My first press is a much smaller tabletop Kelsey Excelsior, which we bring out to all the craft shows. I think people really enjoy getting to see it and learn about how it works.

Where did you get your hands on the awesome vintage equipment?

The Kelsey was my first press, which I found on eBay. I got the big C&P from a cool old printer (Alan Runfeldt) in Frenchtown, NJ. He’s been my Letterpress Yoda for the last couple of years, and we finally convinced him to sell that one to us. We’ve gotten other random bits from all over eBay, craigslist, old print shops, etc. (more…)

Photo © Rosamond Purcell

With 18 million specimens in their vast library of amazing things, The Academy of Natural Sciences is a treasure trove for any photographer looking to turn their lenses and flash bulbs on some of the most amazing creatures that nature can offer.

The curators have recently let photographer Rosamond Purcell run amuck amongst the shelves and shelves of dead, and occasionally live, specimens. Instead of simply setting them up on a sparse table under carefully controlled light, Purcell decided to have the ones she selected them brought to the roof.

Six stories above Logan Square, truly new light was being shed on some of The Academy’s most intriguing inhabitants. They patiently waited, three week-long visits to be exact, until the weather cleared and the sunlight was just right to capture all of the oddities and intricacies in each specimen.

The collection of about 20 never-before-seen photographs are currently on display in The Academy’s Art of Science Gallery, now through May 20th. Everything Under the Sun is free with regular admission to the museum and is definitely worth your time to check out.

Everything Under the Sun @ the Academy
Now through May 20th, 2012

Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1009
www.ansp.org

Here at Geekadelphia, we’re all fans of fake twitter accounts. Not Cat Fancy, Death Star PR, and Hipster Dalek are just a few of our favorites.

But nothing can compare to the sheer amount of unadulterated insanity spilling from the tweets of one particular twitter handle. Horse Ebooks is something special. It isn’t everyday that a spam account can keep you #ROFL.

To commemorate this delightful robotic denizen of the twitter-verse, local shirt purveyors, What Say Co. are featuring three shirts to commemorate some of the more ridiculous things that have been spouted out by Horse Ebooks over the past few months.

Everyone loves geeky tee-shirts, and a shirt featuring the illogical tweets by a demented spam account rates pretty high on the Geek-O-Meter. Check ‘em out.

8 Static returns this weekend at Studio 34. The chip-tune guru’s have quite a show planned for this month with a lineup that will have you dancing like a Dalek. They do the Brisbane Shuffle inside their tin can skirt.

If you like your chip-tunes a bit more experimental with songs like “My Girlfriend Left Me For a Tentacle Monster,” then be sure to catch SKGB. Their latest album “CondomTune” is being sold via digital download code printed on packages of multicolored glow-in-the-dark condoms. Hopefully they have enough for the tentacle monster if he shows is his ugly mug.

Rounding out the bill is a quirky duo called D&D Sluggers. Armed with a Super Nintendo, a keyboard with a strap, and a guitar, these guys are able to turn out some unbearably catchy songs. They were recently at Raleigh’s Hopscotch Festival, alongside acts like The Flaming Lips and Drive-By Truckers.

Philly’s own Animal Style is back in the seat behind the projector to delight your eyes and compliment the melodies pouring out of that old video game hardware. Warning, welding goggles might be necessary cause Animal Style’s visuals are so hot they might scorch your corneas.

To top it all off, Kitsch Bend has kindly offered up for raffle some sweet bits and bobs for the budding chip-tune composer/fan. They also have some incredible gear up for sale on their site like some custom GameBoy Advance and custom circuit cases.

Sadly, after three years of rocking West Philly, 8 Static is moving out of Studio 34. Lets be sure to pack the house for this stellar lineup and give the place a sendoff like it’s never heard before! Be sure to RSVP because this show is sure to be one the geeks will talk about for ages.

As always, tickets are $8 and $5 with and RSVP. The raffle tickets are going for $1 for 1 ticket, $5 for 8 tickets, $10 for 14 tickets.

Stay tuned and we’ll keep up to date with whats going on with 8 Static and where the next show will be.

Console online marketplaces are chock full of shiny new ports of old video game titles from yesteryear. On XBLA you can snag a copy of Banjo Kazooie. On the Wii’s Virtual Console, you can download tons of games from Super Mario RPG to The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. The PS Store is no exception. One of the newest additions is a rather strange one though. “Odd” if you will.

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is solid title that oozes the otherworldly charm of those goofy cartoonish games we all played before Call of Duty busted in with clouds of debris and iron sights.

You play as a bounty hunter simply called Stranger in an old west-style town populated by talking chickens. Stranger is sick and pulling in ogre-looking outlaws that have been plaguing the sentient fowl is his way of earning enough “Moolah” to get his life-saving operation. Amidst all of this, Stranger gets wind of a town of creatures called Grubbs who are being terrorized by some sort of demon. He sets off to the town looking to solve the mystery of the monster and possibly his own origin.

Stranger’s Wrath allows you to lightly bounce back and forth between 1st person shooter and 3rd person platformer. The platforming sections are little more than enjoyable obstacles between sections of blasting outlaws with critters you pick up from the landscape. That’s right, the wildlife buzzing and jumping around are ammunition you need to hunt in order to replenish your stash.

There’s nine critters that Stranger can use in his double-barreled crossbow and each have their own unique attributes. The ammo ranges from the “Zappfly,” which look like a glowing wasp that shoots electricity like an insect stun gun, to “Fuzzles,” that are little more than toothy Tribbles. It’s quite satisfying when you lure a yammering outlaw into a trap of Fuzzles then zap him into the nearby lake.

It’s evident that a lot of care has gone into the update to the graphics and gameplay. It looks and feels crisp and clean. The artistic style of the game is a wonderful break from anything realistic and the voice acting is so delightfully over the top that you may let out a snort at some of the silly dialogue. The chickens sputter around in a high pitched southern drawl while Stranger sounds like if Mongo from Blazing Saddles was gargling gravel.

Whether you are a fan of the original game or just looking for something fun to shake off the realistic-shooter dust that’s been accumulating on your console, Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is definitely worth a look.

Or, you can just go back to sucking at Call of Duty.

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is available on PSN for $14.99
An upcoming update will feature stereoscopic 3D and PS Move support.

The Philly Auto Show is not the domain solely for the petrol-head. Geeks like cars too. In fact, without geeks and boffins, some of that sweet tech you have in your new car may never have made it there at all. Satellite navigation, radar-guided cruise control, infrared night vision, and launch control all sound like things we might want in our Fifth Element hover taxi, but they are only a small part of amazing tech that can be found in the new, green, and exotic cars you’ll find at the Philly Auto Show.

From Jan 28th to Feb 5th, get (insert motoring pun here) for some of the sleekest and most cutting edge cars to ever hit The Pennsylvania Convention Center floor. Cars large and small will be there for you to oogle, sit in, push every button on the dashboard, and pretend you are belting around the Nürburgring at 170 mph. There is also sure to be a man with a rag over by the Ferraris waiting to sop up your puddles of drool.

In honor of the upcoming show, we have a short list (in no particular order) of some of the geekiest cars from film and real life. If there’s any one you think we should add to the list, drop us a message in the comments section below.

The Ecto-1: Who seriously didn’t want to ride round NYC to bust ghosts in this glorious bit of geek transport. Little known fact: It looks even cooler covered in slime.

The Back to the Future DMC Delorean: The Delorean may have been a complete failure in real life, but when Doc Brown got his hands on it to turn it into a flying time machine, it cruised easily into the hearts of every movie geek.

Peel P50: Small cars are geeky. The Peel P50 holds the record for being the smallest production car ever made. Never mind that it was hopelessly impractical and didn’t have a reverse gear, it was so awesomely small that you could easily drive it around your office building.

BMW Concept Car: No list of geeky cars would be complete without some iteration of the Batmobile. But this is a little something different. BMW created a concept car that’s able to change the shape of it’s fabric outer shell. You can even open and close the headlights to make it look like it’s blinking. It’s very ffective for winking at pretty girls on the sidewalk.

Reliant Robin: Because of it’s three wheel configuration, the reliant robin spent more time crashing than going around corners. But, since you only needed a motorcycle license to drive it, geeks loved turning it into all sorts of incredible things.

Undoubtedly, none of these cars will be at the Philly Auto Show, but like looking at a Lamborghini’s that will be there, it’s still fun to dream.

Philadelphia Auto Show
Jan 28 – Feb 5th, 2012
www.phillyautoshow.com

The Pennsylvania Convention Center
1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia PA 19107

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Reboot your auditory sensor modules with 8 Static.

The year has been reformatted and a new operating system has been installed. Your robot ears are in need of some nourishment. Don’t worry, 8 Static is back to reboot your brain with some amazing chiptunes. On January 14th, 8 Static will once again be vibrating the floors of Studio 34 with the rumble of 8-bit rocking.

This month features the audible stylings of Burnkit2600, a trio guys that compliment their circuit bent silicon instruments with drums, bass, and occasionally a flute. They bring a mash up of funk and psychedelic sensibilities to delight of your aural receptors.

Ever wonder who is straddling the chasm between punk and chiptune? Ponder no more because Graffiti Monsters are will be here to rock your face off with some classic 8-bit sounds wrapped up in a punk rock duvet. A duvet is punk right?

Maybe you prefer your 8-bit music a bit more thunderous, frenetic, and only made with a Gameboy Color. Enter Kool Skull. With nothing but a Gameboy, this guy will rattle your positronic brain within that bone casing you call a skull. And you will like it.

To delight your eyeballs, local artist and 8 Static veteran visual magician, enso will be on hand to provide an amazing light show.

As always, each show is preceded by a workshop showing you how to bend vintage hardware to your musical will and generally become a chip tune hero. This month’s is being presented by our friend Paul Weinstein AKA Chipocrite who created a rockin’ version of the Game of Thrones theme for The Philly Geek Awards. Before the show, he’ll show you some live Gameboy performance techniques.

Hopefully that will include how to play The Legend of Zelda theme behind your head with your eyes closed.

8 Static
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
7:00pm at Studio 34 – all ages!
$8 / $5 with RSVP right here!

Hollywood Babble-On (HBO) is a podcast featuring the Sultan of SMod, Kevin Smith and Lord of Laughter and Vicar of Voices, Ralph Garman. Recently, the guys stopped by to do their show from World Cafe Live right here in Philadelphia. Ralph is local “Philly boy who went to Hollywood to sell his soul… and is still looking for a buyer.”

It seems that a few people may have purchased his soul, because Ralph lends his voice to Family Guy, is the entertainment reporter/impressionist for the Kevin and Bean radio show in LA, was also in the epic Sy-Fy monster flick, Sharktopus, and is a rather convincing psychopath featured in Kevin Smith’s new movie Red State.

I’m a huge fan of Hollywood Babble-On and listen religiously every week. Garman and Smith skewer anyone and everyone with their name in lights with their signature blend of obscenities and impersonations. Garman has the ability to mimic the likes of Al Pacino, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Ed Wynn, David Bowie, and many more. So instead of simply listening to Ralph on HBO, I actually got a chance to talk to the man that has kept my afternoons between class full of laughter.

How did you find yourself sitting down with Kevin Smith every week to record Hollywood Babble-On?

Ralph Garman: It’s sort of a long story. I’m on a morning radio show in LA and Kevin has been a frequent guest, so we got to be friends. I usually do a Hollywood news segment on the show where Kevin and I were just busting balls and cracking jokes. I pitched it as a whole show to the station and they said people were more interested in music so we just shelved the project. When Kevin started the SModcastle and the podcast network started to take off, we thought we would give the show a shot. It’s blown up from there and we are now doing the show at the Jon Lovitz Podcast Theater.

You have a big bag of incredible impressions, how do you go about learning a new impersonation?

Ralph Garman: It’s funny, I equate it to a party trick. I kind of have a knack for it. I would occasionally do skits on the radio show and do the voices along with it. I ‘d hear something and try to work on it. It would sound like someone and I would bring it out. I have picked a character before and tried to do a voice that way, but it is much more difficult coming in on it from the outside. (more…)

Update: He’ll be at the Free Library on Saturday, not Friday. – Edt

Like him or not, Chuck Palahniuk, has written some of the most intriguing stories ever put to paper. Most of you would remember his most famous novel turned movie Fight Club, but Palahniuk has published 14 books that range from his non-fiction accounts of oddities that he’s has found across the country to a legendary time-traveler who’s most famous contribution to society is the rampant spread of rabies.

His newest book, Damned, is about a thirteen-year-old daughter of a billionaire couple who dies of a marijuana overdose at a Swiss boarding school. After being dropped in hell, she meets up with a rag-tag group of kids as they wander off to have some words with the Dark Lord himself. Damned looks to be like The Breakfast Club as written by Dante Alighieri.

Chuck Palahniuk is on his way to The Free Library of Philadelphia on Oct 29TH to give you a little taste of his version of Hell and sign a few books. VIP signing starts at 12:30pm. You’ll want to get there early because the first 100 people in line will get a VIP ticket to meet Chuck at the signing. Later on at 2:00pm Chuck will read from his novel and answer some questions.

He’s famous for going way past the line when it comes to researching his novels. He’s made his way through underground fight clubs and has been to numerous sex addict meetings. For this book however, it might be interesting to ask him just how he researched Hell. Maybe he took some notes from John Constantine and had a staring contest with a cat. They’re half in, half out you know.