Concert

Events, Game Music

Live Concert to Celebrate 20 Years of Tomb Raider

July 27, 2016 | Shawn Sackenheim | 2 Comments Share this

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the original Tomb Raider and the birth of the Lara Croft legacy. In that time the series has touched almost every platform imaginable and sprawled across cinema, comic books, toys and even commercials. But one place Lara has seldom appeared is at the theater, specifically with an orchestra in tow. That’s finally changing for the series’ anniversary with Tomb Raider – Live in Concert on December 18th at the Eventim Hammersmith Apollo theater in London.

The 70-minute Tomb Raider Suite for orchestra and chorus was composed by Nathan McCree who codified the series sound with its airy and haunting themes. McCree composed the soundtracks for the first three Tomb Raider games and his suite will see new variations and extensions on some of the oldest themes to accompany Lara on her adventures. As the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra plays the audience will be treated to an audio/visual presentation featuring game footage, imagery and interviews that cover the whole history of the legendary series. Nathan McCree will also be on hand for a pre-concert discussion of the Tomb Raider Suite and his involvement with the franchise.

Those who purchase VIP tickets will also get to take a little piece of McCree home with them. Along with choice seating, VIP ticketholders receive a concert programme and print of the suite’s sheet music, both signed by McCree himself. Tickets are on sale now from the Eventim Apollo theater starting at roughly $45. Any Tomb Raider fans in the area planning to attend? We’d love to hear your thoughts on the performance later this year.
Events, Miscellaneous

Nerdcore Block Abruptly Cancelled Mid-Show at Nekocon

November 7, 2015 | Brenna Wilkes | 3 Comments Share this

Gaming and nerdy music has pretty much become a staple not of just video game conventions and festivals, but at anime-related events also. Going to concerts and performances after a long day of walking the halls of an event can provide some nice downtime, and sometimes can be the main draw for a lot of con-goers.

NekoCon, going on this weekend in Hampton Road, Virginia, had a three-hour block set aside last night for Nerdcore artists to perform prior to the DJ and dancing set later in the night. According to reports, after one song into the Professor ShyGuy performance, the artist’s mic was suddenly muted and after some confusion as to what might be going on, concert-goers were told to start exiting the concert hall – the block had been cancelled. This affected fellow artists MC Lars, Tribe One and Dr. Awkward as well. The dance party was then started early, and concert-goers were given this official reason for the move.

Due to unforeseen circumstances the Nerdcore concert has been canceled. The dance will begin at 8:15pm and go until 2am.

— Nekocon (@NekoCon) November 7, 2015

I emailed NekoCon to clarify on their reasoning, but got a similar response as the above tweet. “Per our official statement on our Facebook page, due to unforseen circumstances the nerdcore concert has been canceled. ”

According to sources and the artist, ShyGuy proceeded with his normal activities during a set, moving around on and off stage. That’s when concert staff began yelling at him and the audience to exit the concert hall, some staff claiming he “stage dived”. ShyGuy and those close to him report that nothing was ever communicated to them about restrictions or rules, and he was given no warning before everything was cut off and all other acts punished as well.

Just experienced one of the most unprofessional con events. I climbed off stage like sound guys have been doing & they cancelled all bands.

— Professor Shyguy (@ProfessorShyguy) November 7, 2015

Considering my previous article about the treatment of game music composers within the industry, the treatment of game and nerd bands and performers by events seems to be a topic worth discussing as well.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Game Music

Original Rayman Composer Working on Live Arrangement Project

August 22, 2015 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Original Rayman Composer Working on Live Arrangement Project Share this

One of the classic yet frequently overlooked soundtracks of the early CD era of consoles has to be Rayman. The music is just as vivid and clever as the imagery and gameplay it accompanies. There’s also a ton of it with nearly 50 tracks that touch on jazz, rock, new age and atmospheric soundscapes all with a playful arrangement of piano, synth and percussion.

Rémi Gazel, one of the lead composers of the original fifteen-person music team, is now putting together a live performance project called Rayman 1 Music. Since February he’s been posting meetings, rehearsals and clips on the project’s site as things have progressed. Back in April a live session was recorded to produce a four-track EP which seems to have solidified their efforts. Though the album hasn’t been released yet, work continues on expanding the setlist and incorporating a visual component to mimic the levels in the game. For now we’ll have to settle for the tantalizing montage above and the few clips that Gazel has posted to this YouTube playlist.

News has quieted down since April but fans continue to gravitate towards the project as word spreads. I didn’t know a thing about it until just this week when I caught an interview with Gazel at Ongaku Concept. It’s a good read and I’m especially appreciative of Josh’s work for turning me onto the Rayman 1 Music project. You can keep up with the project at Gazel’s official site or on facebook and hopefully we’ll get to see and hear much more soon.
Events, Game Music

Final Fantasy “Piano Opera” World Tour Coming this Fall

June 25, 2015 | Brenna Wilkes | 1 Comment Share this

With the recent news about Final Fantasy 7 being remade, having a world tour celebrating its music is a pretty appropriate measure to take in get fans hyped for what’s to come.

“PIANO OPERA : music from FINAL FANTASY” is the official piano concert dedicated to the music of the video game series FINAL FANTASY. Supervised by original composer Nobuo Uematsu, the PIANO OPERA series comes live on stage in 12 countries, and for the first time outside of Japan. Relive the most beautiful and famous music of the series through the noble and majestic sound of a grand concert piano, focusing mostly on the popular FINAL FANTASY VI, VII, VIII and IX ! To enhance the experience, a never before seen in-concert video edit of game footage will be displayed on the giant screen along with the music, portraying all the most intense moments of action and emotion of the saga ! The concert will feature belobed songs such as Ami, The Man with a Machine Gun, Roses of May, Not Alone, Liberi Fatali, Melodies Of Life, Fight On!, Cosmo Canyon and Words Drowned by Fireworks among others. A brand new musical experience filled with emotions!

Press Release

The concert series itself will start in France this coming November, and make visits to London, Stockholm, Brussels, New York City and Los Angeles, just to name a few of the stops. Tickets are currently on sale on the tour’s website for these first six cities, and updates can be found on their Facebook page. In addition to the concert tour, the albums that the tour is based from are being sold together as a special edition with collector’s box for 49 Euros. ($54.92 American dollars)

So if you’re a Final Fantasy music fan and have wanted to get in on seeing Nobou Uematsu and Hiroyuki Nakayama playing some of the most iconic pieces in gaming history, this might be right up your alley.
Game Music

A New Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Tour Begins Next Year

December 9, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | 1 Comment Share this

Get ready for another round of symphonic arrangements of your favorite Zelda tunes. The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses tour has announced its locations and dates for next year. Starting in January of 2015, the orchestral concert series will be visiting several locations in Europe and North America.

This latest program, titled Symphony of the Goddesses – Master Quest, will cover pieces from Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker, A Link Between Worlds, and more. Tickets are on sale for some of the first concerts on the tour, with sales for the other locations set to begin later this month and next year. For a full list of the concert dates and locations, as well as information on the music program, be sure to check out the Symphony of the Goddesses website.
Featured, Game Music, Reviews

Video Game Orchestra: Berklee Performance (Concert Review)

November 28, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Video Game Orchestra: Berklee Performance (Concert Review) Share this

Back in early October the Video Game Orchestra, also known as the VGO, held a performance at the Berklee School of Music to kick off their latest concert tour. The group has its origins in Boston and is lead by Shota Nakama. The Video Game Orchestra has performed at a number of venues including MAGFest, PAX East, and the Boston Festival of Indie Games. At the beginning of this year, they even started their own recording studio and began producing music for some big game titles, one of the most recent being Final Fantasy XIII-3. The group’s style is what band leader Shota Nakama often refers to as rockestral game music. This is essentially a blending of an orchestra and rock band that helps create a whole new style. It’s a combination that works well for game music, especially for a lot of the material that they cover.

The VGO varies in the size of its ensemble, depending on the venue or project they are working on. In performances at Boston’s Symphony Hall they’ve made use of a full orchestra and their rock band, while smaller venues have required them to make due with just the rock band ensemble. For this performance at Berklee Hall, the VGO went with a compromise of the two set ups. The standard rock ensemble was present, but they were joined by a small string section and choir. While there are always a handful of standard pieces that the VGO likes to play at their events, some surprises and new pieces are always being added to the repertoire. What did the VGO have in store this time? Read on to find out. (more…)
Chip Music, Game Music, Miscellaneous

VCONCERT 2014 Game Music Event to Stream On Twitch Nov. 8th

November 7, 2014 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on VCONCERT 2014 Game Music Event to Stream On Twitch Nov. 8th Share this

Mariachi Games out of Mexico will be putting on the VCONCERT 2014 Game Music Event tomorrow, November 8th out of Monterrey, and streaming live through Twitch! Starting at 4 o’clock CST, a lineup of 10 hours worth of music performances from some of the most iconic names in the game music industry will be broadcast online for the masses to enjoy, including composers Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill, Shadows of the Damned) and Michiru Yamane. (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Skullgirls)

VCONCERT was started in 2012 by game music fans Mariano Latapi di Carlo and Poulette Roel through their videogame promotion agency, Mariachi Games. This year celebrates the event’s 3rd year of doing live performances. You can check out last year’s performance featuring the likes of Jake Kaufman, The One Ups and DisasterPEACE on Spotify for a taste of what to expect this year, be sure to tune in at 4pm CST to hear for yourself live!

VCONCERT Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/vconmx

Learn more about VCONCERT: http://www.vconcert.mx/