Gaming systems like DS and Nintendo Gameboy were created so their owners could slay dragons, quell alien invasions and race cars, all with their sweaty little hands. But to fill concert halls with gaming systems?
“You no longer need a room full of gear or a hard drive full of samples to be a musician,” notes Elijah “Freque” Alfonso, a 28-year-old Greenfield resident whose popular website, www.noisechannel.org, has propelled him to the vanguard of the so-called “chiptune” movement.
“Think about it,” Alfonso says. “Computers used to be the size of warehouses before the advent of smartphones. Reel-to-reel tape machines are now substituted by pure data for playback on those same smartphones. One hundred years from now, parents will criticize their children for making songs on objects the size of a grain of rice.”
For now, Alfonso and thousands of other chiptuners are availing themselves of everything from Gameboys and DS to classic Atari, Coleco, Commodore and Sega machines to actualize the sonic sugarplums that dance in their heads.
By definition, chiptunes are songs written via microchips—tapping into programmed beeping sounds software engineers invented to accompany an event in any given game. The music has evolved to the point where it can be further classified into dozens of subcategories, including Amiga (the traditional sound), Beepcore (chiptune/hardcore fusion) and Chipstep (chiptune/dubstep).
“The most amazing thing to me about all this is that it almost didn’t happen,” Alfonso says. “If the advent of the personal computer or the home video game system were delayed slightly, or the popularity of digital audio had been more widespread and affordable, history would have skipped right over soundchips, leaving a large, mysteriously depressing hole in techno-geek culture.”
Alfonso and a project he has dubbed Awesome Force have been tapped to perform at the Nuit Blanche arts festival in Toronto Oct. 1.
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In other news, your friendly neighborhood Nightcrawler isn’t quite sure of the mathematical implications of two power trio offshoots from one very popular band joining forces for a tour. But any time he has witnessed anything involving anyone from prog-Gods King Crimson, the resulting experience has proved an amazing demonstration of technical proficiency.
On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Adrian Belew Trio and Stick Men—featuring Crimson’s Tony Lavin and Pat Mastelotto—hold court at the Iron Horse in Northampton. It’s a stop on a North American tour they call Two of a Perfect Trio that will include sets by each trio and culminate in a decidely Crim-centric extended encore with all six performers each evening.
“There have only been seven members in King Crimson in the last 30 years,” notes Belew. “Having Tony, Pat and myself onstage—three legitimate Crimson players—will make this as close as currently possible to the actual thing.”
“It’s a rare treat both for us in the band and for the audience,” adds Lavin. “And the supporting cast are excellent players in their own right, too.”
Next, a Footnote: congrats to Stockbridge’s own Kenny Aronoff, the new drummer for Chickenfoot. The personable percussionist will take over for original drummer Chad Smith, who is departing for a day job with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their upcoming tour. The rest of Chickenfoot is rounded out by Van Halen alums Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, as well as celebrated six-stringer Joe Satriani. Aronoff’s previous credits include keeping time for John Mellencamp, Billy Corgan and Bob Seger, to name a choice few.
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Last but not least, a goodly number of your favorite Grand Band Slam winners are slated to assemble at Maximum Capacity in Chicopee Oct. 5 to celebrate the honor. Look for the full roster for this free show at valleyadvocate.com.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, PO Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
