Look UP UP DOWN DOWN LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT at Blip Festival 2009 and you might be awestruck by the lights and sounds surrounding you. This isn’t a vintage video game…this is all real.

Blip Festival 2009 is a festival celebrating the 8bit movement. Every year, people from around the world flock to New York to hear exhilarating music from nostalgic video game consoles (NES, Game Boy, Atari, etc.) accompanied by stunning (although rather "grainy") visuals. This year’s festivities will feature great local 8bit acts as Starscream, Nullsleep and Bit Shifter. The Festival will take place at The Bell House from Thursday, December 17 to Saturday, December 19. Tickets are $15/day or $40 for a 3-day festival pass.

I recently sat down with NYC musical artist Chromix and visual artist Jean Y. Kim. We talked about what one might expect from this year’s festival. - Read Nicholas Palumbo's inerview here.

Adam Green (currently topping out NYC songwriters "Web Buzz" chart) is playing a surprise full-band show tonight at Lit, $6 cover - do not miss! His new album Minor Love will be out 2/16 on Fat Possum.

"Less is more" is one of those sayings that's good for all seasons. The Ropes stopped incorporating other musicians in their live show in early 2008, feeling that finding permanent members who reflect their ideals was unrealistic. They have described their past experience with band members "a living hell" (NYC musicians, does that ring a bell?). They started touring with an unusual two-piece live setup: while vocalist Sharon Shy plays bass, the bands' other half, Toppy, plays guitar, drums, and keyboards more or less simultaneously. The show is done 100% live. No drum machines or loops are used.
The band has announced details of their upcoming EP “Love is a Chain Store”, first available on the bands' website for download using a Radiohead style "pay what you want" model (beginning on December 15) and then released "properly" on January 12, 2010. Produced by Nic Hard (The Bravery, The Church) and The Ropes, “Love is a Chain Store” expands upon the bands’ previous musings on isolation, individualism, and anti-romance.

Wakey!Wakey! released a single featuring an acoustic version of "Brooklyn" on Monday December 7th. That same day the song was played on the TV show One Tree Hill. The single contains "Clinton St. Girl" as a B-Side, which you can download here. The Digital 7" debuted Top 20 on Itunes Alternative Albums & Singles Charts. Lookout for a Wakey!Wakey! full album in 2010.

The Beatards are a rather over the top multi ethnic electro-hip hop NYC band comprised of 3 DJs of Indian, Jewish and Korean descent (how cosmopolitan of them!) The band, which already had over 20 of their songs licensed to multiple shows on MTV and HBO, is going to release their debut album in 2010. Their newest single "Don't Step On My Sneakers" is due out January 12. The Beatards are scheduled to perform at the next Mixtape Riot! Party with Ninjasonic on December 16 at Sutra Lounge on 1st ave and 1st Street in Manhattan.