Boston, MA
Boston Bitdown boots up for three days of chiptune – The Boston Globe
For this reason, Carballo and Battlemode multi-instrumentalist David “Biff” Jubinsky are feeling optimistic about the festival they’ve spent the last year organizing. This weekend’s Boston Bitdown includes over 50 musical and visual artists across five venues in Arlington and Somerville.
Most of the musical acts fit somewhere into the niche electronic genre of chiptune, which uses synthesized sounds created with the sound chips found in vintage gaming consoles. Some of the musicians work exclusively with console-based synthesizers and sequencer programs, while others mix the sounds with performance on live instruments or incorporate them into beats made with other audio software.
In the early days of the genre, “people would be like ‘oh, you can’t call yourself chiptune if you’re not actually using a Game Boy on stage,” said Mel Carubia, keytarist of Boston-based band Minusworld, which performs on Saturday. “But the umbrella has widened, and the Bitdown lineup itself is evidence of the expansiveness of the genre now.”
Carubia doesn’t describe Minusworld as chiptune, but their lyrics are often inspired by cultural icons of their youth in the ’80s and ’90s — “just a lot of things from the zeitgeist of when chiptune music was born” — and “the keytar replicates a lot of sounds you’d also find in an eight-bit emulator.” On top of that, Koji Kondo’s catchy looping themes for Mario and Zelda on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System were a major inspiration for them to learn piano as a child, they said.
“None of these songs are very long, but they grab into your consciousness, and you can’t shake them,” said Carubia, who holds a master‘s degree in music composition from Longy School of Music. “The thing I like about chiptune music is that it’s not just pure electronic music. It’s tied to an aesthetic that comes from a multi-sensory experience.”
Bronx-based chiptune artist Tyrese Hart performs as AmateurLSDJ. He was still a toddler when Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance SP, and his own device was a hand-me-down from his sister. However, after hearing Northern Irish artist Chipzel’s chiptune soundtrack to the game “Super Hexagon,” which was created with a Game Boy and the sequencer software Little Sound DJ, Hart, then a high school student, started exploring the musical possibilities of the handheld console.
Hart, who performs Saturday, is more accustomed to sharing his music on the internet than with live audiences. “I feel like I’m not as advanced in certain tech things,” he said. All the same, Jubinsky was floored when Battlemode shared a bill with AmateurLSDJ in Brooklyn.
”When he gets onstage, there’s no dancing or heavy movement … but his virtuosic chiptune is sonically insane! The music takes full control of audiences,” Jubinsky raved.
The organizers didn’t initially intend for the festival to be so big — “maybe half that,” Carballo said. Jubinsky’s work as the head of private events at Somerville’s Crystal Ballroom gave him inroads there, and the original plan was just for one day at that venue. But then, Carballo said, “it just kept going, and the response was so solid.”
Because of Carballo’s work with online radio station geekbeatradio as well as his stints booking music at Boston’s PAX East and Maryland’s MAGFest, the organizers were already in contact with chiptune artists around the world. Through Jubinsky’s Battlemode bandmate Kris Uzzell, who performs under the name Astro, they had a connection at Union Square’s The Jungle and nearby Warehouse XI. “All these opportunities were kind of there for us to take, and it seemed silly not to,” Carballo said.
Chiptune artists are “considered freaks in the electronic music scene, because we’re trying, almost deliberately in a way, to not do pop songs and stuff like that,” said Montreal-based musician Adélaïde Le Roux, who performs music with a SEGA Genesis console under the name Game Genie Sokolov. “People are kind of punk-ish.”
That hackerish DIY ethos allows for a “very good entry to music,” especially for those without formal musical training, said Le Roux, who performs Thursday. It also sets up a welcoming space for many flavors of queer and/or neurodivergent people, she continued. Le Roux, who came out as transgender in 2020, said she isn’t alone in having transitioned after entering the chiptune scene, and in the past two years, she has organized two charity compilations of chiptune music with proceeds going to organizations that support trans rights.
It’s a far cry from the years when it was “just a white boy scene,” said Carballo, who said chiptune played “one of the biggest parts” of his education on issues related to racial and gender diversity. “I had a lot to learn, growing up in Milton and Quincy. Chiptune really educated me on this, and took away any sort of confusion or doubts that I had about what all this meant. Now, these are just my friends.”
They “didn’t have to try very hard to book a diverse festival,” said Carballo. “That’s just the community reflecting who they are.”
Carballo “really cares for the artists, really tries to organize things for a genre of music that deserves some love and contains a lot of beautiful people,” said Le Roux. “It’s all thanks to Rob and the Boston chiptune community that we’ve managed to gather round, come together, celebrate one another.”
BOSTON BITDOWN
March 6-8. Various venues, Somerville and Arlington. www.bostonbitdown.com
A.Z. Madonna can be reached at az.madonna@globe.com. Follow her @knitandlisten.
As we reckon with summer’s departure, there are a variety of fun-filled events to welcome the first signs of fall. Visit two “carnivals,” each with its own twist: huzzah and hurrah with medieval jest at the Brighton Bazaar’s Knight Carnival or tinker and test interactive exhibits at the Cambridge Science Carnival. Also, Somerville celebrates its prized, local invention, Marshmallow Fluff, with the 20th annual Fluff Festival, complete with sticky games and extra sugary challenges.
Here are six no-cost activities and events for the week of Sept. 15-21, as well as two ways to save on the arts this season.
BOOK LOVERS UNITE If a book club had a silent disco equivalent, it might be the Boston Figurative Art Center’s BYOBook event. Unlike a traditional book club, everyone brings whatever book they’re currently reading to a guided discussion with fellow readers from 7-7:30 p.m. After, attendees are welcomed to read as they please on the studio’s couches or lounge area. Snacks and beverages from the studio will be available. Sept. 17, 7-9 p.m. Boston Figurative Art Center, 285 Washington St., Somerville. bostonfac.com
KNIGHT MARKET The Brighton Bazaar, in collaboration with roving merchant curators Medieval Merriment, will transform into the first-ever Knight Carnival for a night of Middle Ages-themed mischief. Immerse yourself in a live sword fight between armored knights from local melee club North Horde, a creature puppet show, fantasy-inspired musicians, a site-wide scavenger hunt, and a costume contest for attendees dressed in their Ren Faire best. If you have gold in your inventory to spend, vendors will be selling trinkets all night. Sept. 18, 5-10 p.m. Charles River Speedway, 525 Western Ave., Brighton. facebook.com/thebrightonbazaar
AUTUMN LEAVES The Boston Landing Fall Crawl celebrates the arrival of the season with a reptile show with snakes and lizards, pony rides, and pumpkin decorating. DJ Dukes will play a live set from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and country singer Louis Bello will pick up from 2-4 p.m. Meanwhile, from noon-2 p.m., attendees can join a line dancing lesson. Churros are on the house (while supplies last), and barbecue eats and other Southern staples will be available for purchase. Sept. 20, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Boston Landing, 92 Guest St. bostonlanding.co
MARSHMALLOW MADNESS Don’t expect to come out of this one clean: Somerville, the birthplace of Marshmallow Fluff, celebrates this sticky-sweet legacy with the 20th annual Fluff Festival. In addition to live music and entertainment, the event will host unique games for prizes, including Fluff jousting, where participants use pool noodles with Fluff to knock others off a balance beam, and a Fluff hair-styling contest, where Fluff and Teddy peanut butter are provided for contestants to style the best ’do. .Attendees who arrive by cycle can access two free bike valets — one in front of Gracie’s Ice Cream and another by the intersection of Somerville Avenue and School Street. The fest is free to attend, but marshmallow-y foods and drinks will be available for purchase. Sept. 20, 2-6 p.m. 366 Somerville Ave., Somerville. flufffestival.com
UP, UP, AND AWAY The City of Quincy celebrates its 400th birthday with a Hot Air Balloon and Laser Light Show at Merrymount Park. On Pageant Field, attendees can play lawn games or journey 60 feet in the air in tethered hot air balloons. Meanwhile, roving costumed performers and food trucks can be found on Adams Field. At 9 p.m., the laser show begins, projecting streams and beams onto the overhead balloons and trees. Sept. 20, 4-10 p.m. Merrymount Park, Quincy. Reserve free balloon ride vouchers on the event’s website. quincy400.com
SCIENTIFIC WONDERS More than 150 booths showcasing STEAM’s finest (and most fun) will occupy the 17th annual Cambridge Science Carnival. Visit a robot petting zoo — featuring robots of the underwater, basketball, and gummy bear varieties — check out hands-on booths to make stomp rockets, sugar glass, or bath bombs. Members of the MIT Physics Department will perform demonstrations at 1 and 3:15 p.m., and the hosts of the “Tumble Science” children’s podcast will perform interactive songs at 1:45 p.m. Sept. 21, noon-4 p.m. Kendall/MIT Open Space, 292 Main St., Cambridge. cambridgesciencecarnival.org
Deals and Steals
FINE FOR FIVE Starting Sept. 18, the Museum of Fine Arts kicks off its $5 Third Thursdays programming. On the third Thursday of each month, from 5-10 p.m., general admission is pay-as-you-wish with a $5 minimum. A crisp Lincoln grants access to the main galleries, as well as special after dark programming exclusive to each event — this month is Latinx Heritage Night featuring drop-in art sessions to make Puerto Rican beaded bracelets and Ex-Votos paintings, live sets by the Rafa Moreno Band and DJ Montro, and special spotlight talks and guided tours. mfa.org
SYMPHONY SEASON PASS Full-time Boston students with a valid college ID can take study breaks with an (award-winning) symphony when they purchase a $20 H+H Masterpass. The exclusive pass can be redeemed to access up to eight Handel and Haydn Society performances through the 2025-26 season. (Some exclusions apply.) handelandhaydn.org/concerts-tickets/masterpass
Check individual event websites for the most up-to-date information.
Send info on free events and special offers at least 10 days in advance to ryan.yau@globe.com.
Ryan Yau can be reached at ryan.yau@globe.com.
Walker Buehler’s Red Sox tenure came to an unceremonious end on August 29 when he was released to clear a roster spot for top prospect Payton Tolle to make his major league debut. His Phillies tenure, however, got off to a pretty good start Friday night.
Buehler, who signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia within a couple days of Boston cutting him, got the start at Citizens Bank Park against the Royals and delivered, holding Kansas City to one run on five hits while striking out three batters and walking just one in five innings. Philadelphia, won, 8-2, and Buehler got the win, marking his first such result since August 8, when he turned in one of his best performances in a Red Sox uniform and tossed six shutout innings in San Diego.
For Buehler, who owned a 5.45 ERA in 112 ⅓ innings for Boston, it was the third outing since July 1 in which he didn’t issue multiple walks. In 23 games (22 starts) for Boston, he issued free passes at a rate of 4.4 per nine innings. He also allowed 22 home runs.
The Phillies added Buehler to the mix in an effort to give their top starters — Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola — some extra chances to rest down the stretch. For now, he’s slotting into Philadelphia’s rotation as a sixth option, but he could serve a bullpen role come October if he’s pitching well and manager Rob Thomson wants to try to tap into the playoff magic Buehler has provided throughout his career. The 31-year-old, who recorded the final out of the World Series last fall at Yankee Stadium, has a career 3.04 postseason ERA in 19 appearances and has pitched three times in the World Series.
“He fits right into that mold of being a Philadelphia baseball player,” Buehler’s new teammate, Bryce Harper said, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. “Just a lot of fun to be around him. Obviously, he’s pitched in big moments, deep into the postseason. So getting a guy like that in our clubhouse is huge for us. And he went out there and did a great job tonight.”
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