The GeekDads

Ken and Matt chat with David Hewlett - geek, dad and actor - about Apple gadgets, Buckaroo Banzai, and the joy of geeky dad-hood. Enjoy!

GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a bi-weekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

Last week I overstepped my bounds a bit while blogging about the recent decision to ban the R4 and related devices in the UK. I meant to imply that this was an unfortunate and potentially detrimental turn of events for the European chiptune artists that employ such technology to legitimate ends, but instead it simply sounded like I was writing the whole of the chip music community off because of this single movement by Nintendo and that nation's court system.

I apologize to any in the global micromusic community that I may have unwittingly offended by employing such hyperbole, and, to help make amends, allow me to dazzle you with a trio of fresh selections from the still very-much-alive chiptune scene.

This apologetic edition of GeekDad HipTrax features:

"Heart Beeps" by ComputeHer

Michelle Mitchell is one-half of the dynamic American chiptune duo 8 Bit Weapon, but she is also the one-woman sound machine ComputeHer. This selection, from her fantastic new release Modemoiselle, ably showcases ComputeHer's unique brand of lo-fi electronica. The album (as well as a fine selection of t-shirts and other merchandise) is available at her newly redesigned web site.

"Fami-Dance" by Inverse Phase

I have long known know Brendan Becker as the man behind Virginia's annual Music and Gaming Festival, and now I also know him as chip artist Inverse Phase. His new album Retrocovered boasts 12 tracks of brilliantly realized classic electronic covers of everything from pop hits to cartoon theme songs. It's available at Bandcamp for a mere $5, and a number of tracks are up for free download for the chronically cheap.

"Float On" as covered by Tetrastar

Tetrastar is Oliver Hindle and Jaylyn Coffin – one the well known artist behind trailblazing UK chiptune act Superpowerless, the other a former member of Florida nerdcore outfit Emergency Pizza Party. Their newly released debut is also a charming collection of covers, this one entitled Songs We Didn't Write, and it collects fantastic chip-punk renditions of tracks originally performed by The Postal Service, Jonathan Coulton and Dio. The entire disc is freely available via the band's official site.

And fair warning: the mix is hot this week, because so is the music!

Since folks seemed to dig our video game themed episode from last month, we've decided to do another show in a similar vein. This time around we're touching on a trio of game-focused songs from a bit outside the traditional VGM scene.

Somehow, amid crushing technical difficulties, we manage to feature:

"crimson dreams (feat. Beefy)" by Doctor Popular vs. crashfaster

From the riveting soundtrack of browser game Knifetank – an album entitled, fittingly enough, Knifetank (The Albumhole) – comes this reinterpretation of the game's theme. Building on crashfaster's original composition, Doctor Popular provides appropriately murderous vocals, as does our old friend Beefy. Snag the album from Bandcamp, and play the game at the official Knifetank site.

"Limit Break" by Dale Chase

Weighing in at a healthy 12 tracks worth of hip-hop-flavored awesome, Dale's Limit Break is as fierce as the name implies. Intelligent, soulful and uplifting, it's an amazing effort that showcases the artist at his best. Better yet, it's available as a name-your-own price download from Bandcamp!

"If I Had a Rocket Launcher" by Insane Ian & Possible Oscar

From the new Insane Ian and the MusicIANs album The Last Arcade, "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" is a parody of Barenaked Ladies' "If I Had a Million Dollars." Thus it is not, I must explicitly point out, a cover of the Bruce Cockburn tune of the same name. If Ian's brand of humorous geek rock floats your boat, be sure to check out his extended musical family at The FuMP.

The GeekDads talk about Star Wars Celebration V, Harry Potter World, and the Jon Stewart Action Figure. Enjoy!

GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a bi-weekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

The GeekDads talk about Comic-Con, Maker Faire Detroit and Matt's newfound sex-symbol status. Enjoy!

GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a bi-weekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

Summertime is here again, and with it comes more music to move you. This edition of HipTrax kicks off with a brand new videogame music remix before moving on to a classic piece of comic book rock (revisited) and a fine selection from a Wizard Rocker's muggle band. All are guaranteed to please.

Featuring:

"Essence of Lime (Intro, Title Screen)" by Hylian Lemon

Hylian Lemon's Legend of Zelda: Essence of Lime tribute album began as a solo reinterpretation of the soundtrack for epic Gameboy title The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. But between its 2008 inception and recent release, it blossomed into a multiple artist project spanning two discs and 42 songs. Yet despite its considerable length, it's freely available in both MP3 and FLAC formats.

"Up, Up, Down, Down" by Kirby Krackle

This amazing selection from Kirby Krackle's 2009 self-titled debut was recently released as an animated video by Betsy Lee. It will shortly be joined by the band's current project, a music video for Wolverine-inspired E For Everyone standout track " On And On."

"Books Says and I Say" by Harvey Dowd

Harvey Dowd is a muggle music side project by Adam of Wizard Rockers The Mudbloods. This track is from his phenomenal 2008 release Potosi, which is available free via Bandcamp. If you're a fan of rootsy, soulful, guitar-centered songwriting, it is a must-own!

The GeekDads talk about the iPhone 4 announcement, and have some painful technical problems. Enjoy!

GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a bi-weekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

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GeekDad HipTrax Logo by Dave Banks

In the spirit of this week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, this episode of GeekDad HipTrax is all about video game music. From classic NES/SNES soundtrack reinterpretations to original music from a brand new retro-style shooter, we’ve got you covered!

Featuring:

“Bionic Commando / Don’t be Hasty, Advance with Caution” by King Hippo

King Hippo is a one-man VGM outfit out of Los Angeles. Formed from the ashes of eclectic electro-rockers Bad Dudes, King Hippo does video game covers in a style comparable to that of Sacramento’s The Advantage.

“Bowser Castle” by The OneUps

Somehow, amid producing a third of Beefy’s latest LP With Sprinkles and crafting his own Vision Quest EP, Mustin also found time to pull together another amazing release from The OneUps. Super Mario Kart Album runs 10 classic tunes from the Super Mario Kart soundtrack run through The OneUps’ own magnificent musical filter.

“Rocktronic Plague” by 8 Bit Weapon

8 Bit Weapon have just released a Commodore 64/128 two-player simultaneous shoot-em-up entitled Silo 64. And of course they’ve released a 7-song soundtrack CD to accompany the game as well. Both are available for purchase at the dedicated Silo 64 site, as are free sample tracks and a game ROM for your emulation pleasure.

Read More http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/06/geekdad-hiptrax-52/?preview=true&preview_id=35070&preview_nonce=049094e7ca#ixzz0qz14n58R

The GeekDads talk about the iPhone 4 announcement, and have some painful technical problems. Enjoy!

GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a bi-weekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.