MAGFest 2016

Events, Featured, Game Music

MAGFest 2016 Breakdown – Panels, Concerts, Super Smash Opera & More

April 4, 2016 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on MAGFest 2016 Breakdown – Panels, Concerts, Super Smash Opera & More Share this

There are a lot of great gaming events, festivals, and conventions to attend every year. Many consider spring to be the start of the convention season, but for me the year always begins with attending MAGFest, usually held in either January or February. Like many of the previous years, the fourteenth iteration of the Music and Gaming Festival was held at the Gaylord at National Harbor, Maryland and hosted several concerts, panels, and plenty of other fun gaming events.

As Brenna mentioned in her post earlier this year, it’s nearly impossible to cover everything that the festival has to offer. In fact, having now read up Brenna’s MAGFest adventures, I realize that we had vastly different schedules and experiences at this past year’s event. While the two of us combined certainly couldn’t cover everything at the festival, I hope these breakdowns illustrate the variety and quantity of things available for attendees to experience. (more…)
Events

MAGFest’s Channel lets you experience or re-live it’s biggest performances!

March 17, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on MAGFest’s Channel lets you experience or re-live it’s biggest performances! Share this

If you attended MAGFest 2016, or if you missed it (like I did) you can re-live or watch some of the best performances of the event on MAGFest’s YouTube Channel. You can read Brenna’s MAGFest 2016 Breakdown where she noted that its impossible to see everything at the massive event. I have already taken the opportunity to watch several of the videos the organizers have uploaded.

I found out about MAGFest’s channel reading Video Game Music Online’s report on MAGFest 2016 by one of their journalists, Emily McMillan which you can find here.

As I am writing this article there are a total of 44 videos available from the event including 27 Concerts, 9 Panels, 5 Highlight Reels, and 1 Jam Clinic. I have included the playlist for the panels above and concerts below for your viewing pleasure.

So far I’ve watched the excellent Q&A with Film, TV, and Video Game Composer Bear McCreary, rocked out to “Danger Zone” during Psychostick’s concert, and enjoyed watching Austin Wintory conduct his score to Journey: Live.

Did you attend MAGFest this year? Was there a performance that you wanted to see but missed?
Events, Featured, Game Music

MAGFest 2016 Breakdown – Concerts, MAG Underground & More

March 1, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on MAGFest 2016 Breakdown – Concerts, MAG Underground & More Share this

It’s been about a week since the conclusion of MAGFest 2016, the music and gaming event’s 14th year in operation, and as for any dedicated MAG-goer, it’s a lot to digest all at once. MAGFest has grown in size and scope ever year since it’s inception, and it’s impossible for any one person to properly cover everything they set out to – whether you’re going for fun or otherwise. I had the pleasure of attending with Michael this year, and we both had agreed that there was no way we could get to everything we wanted to to report back on. Events like MAG become a “Best Laid Plans” scenario every year, but we do what we can.

Held yet again at the Gaylord at National Harbor, this year was another series of being awestruck at how large the event has gotten, and how diverse it’s become. Thankfully, I managed to check in on a few keys things, some old and some brand new, that were definitely worth noting.

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Doujin, Game Music

The OneUps New Album “Part Seven” Now Available Online

February 26, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on The OneUps New Album “Part Seven” Now Available Online Share this

If you hadn’t heard, game band The OneUps recently debuted their newest album, Part Seven featuring arrangements from F-Zero, Earthbound, Megaman 2 and more. Done in their signature mashup of smooth jazz-funk-rock fusion, this marks their seventh studio release. (If you couldn’t tell.)

Physical copies of the 11-track album were released at MAGFest last week, and digital format was supposed to be released at the same time but complication lead to a delay until today. Part Seven has now been released for purchase on Loudr, with releases to iTunes and Spotify soon to follow.

Songs off the new album were performed live at this past MAGFest 2016 via the MAGFest Youtube channel. Worth the check out for a preview of their new music.

The OneUps – Part Seven | Twitter | Facebook
Events, Game Music

Know Your MAG 2016: Psychostick

February 16, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on Know Your MAG 2016: Psychostick Share this Know Your MAG 2016: Psychostick

I have never seen Psychostick live, but I am swearing a personal oath to myself as I write this article that I will make it happen one day. They describe themselves as a comedic metal (self-proclaimed “humorcore“) band with a reputation for having hilarious lyrics, heavy riffs, notorious stage antics, and a high energy performance. The music successfully crosses a level of heaviness and aggression found in bands such as Chimaira, Machine Head, and Hatebreed with the wit and humor of The Bloodhound Gang, Tenacious D, and Weird Al Yankovic.

Their latest album IV: Revenge of the Vengeance had me roaring with laughter and head bangin’. Just listen to this amazing cover of Kenny Loggin’s “Danger Zone” from the Top Gun soundtrack. You can hear their love for the original, and if you loved Top Gun growing up you’ll appreciate the added nod in the song to Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away”
<a href="http://psychostick.bandcamp.com/album/iv-revenge-of-the-vengeance">IV: Revenge of the Vengeance by Psychostick</a>

It doesn’t get any better than this…or does it? The album is just so much fun I also encourage you to listen to track 10 “NSFW” which is a two lyric expletive masterpiece.
<a href="http://psychostick.bandcamp.com/album/iv-revenge-of-the-vengeance">IV: Revenge of the Vengeance by Psychostick</a>

“Obey The Beard” is the second track on IV: Revenge of the Vengeance and you can watch the official video below and treat it as a taste of their upcoming MAGFest performance.

Psychostick members include Rob “Rawrb” Kersey, Josh “The J” Key, Alex “Shmalex” Dontre, and Matty J “Moose” and they perform at MAGFest Saturday at 6:00pm in the Potomac Ballrooms, just after You Bred Raptors? Don’t miss it!
Events, Game Music, Japanese

Know Your MAG 2016: Inti Creates Sound Team

February 15, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Know Your MAG 2016: Inti Creates Sound Team Share this

One of the huge performances to be hitting MAGFest 2016 won’t be just one performance, but will in fact be two! The sound team from Inti Creates, who are the minds behind Mega Man 9 & 10, the Mega Man Zero series, Azure Striker Gunvolt, and the upcoming Mighty No. 9 game’s musical scores, will be attending MAGFest and putting on their first concerts outside of Japan.

As you may have saw from our big announcement the other day, we are VERY excited to be attending MAGFest 2016! This will be our sound team’s first ever event appearance outside of Japan, and with the two huge concerts that we have planned (Lumen Super Live 2016 and Inti Creates 20th Anniversary Special Concert), it’s going to be an event for the ages! – Matt; Internal Affairs Coordinator, Inti Creates (via the Inti Creates website)

Headed by composer Ippo Yamada (Mega Man Zero 1-4, Mighty Gunvolt, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night) and accompanied by Godspeed, Yamajet, Luna Umegaki, Megu Sakuragawa (Lumen), and other special guests, the sound team will be putting on two concert: One entitled Lumen Super Live 2016 on Thursday night at 8pm featuring music from Azure Striker Gunvolt, and the other being a special Inti Creates 20th Anniversary concert Friday night at 9pm, featuring music from games they worked throughout their history such as Mega Man Zero.

(via Inti Creates FB) From left to right; Kotaro Yamada (Inti), Ryo Kawakami (Inti), Creepy Electro Whip Guy, Megu Sakuragawa, Ippo Yamada (Inti), Yamajet, Masahiro Aoki

The team will be joined at MAGFest by Mega Man designer and Mighty No. 9 director Keiji Inafune as a guest speaker and representative of Comcept, as well as legendary Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae.

MAGFest begins this Thursday, February 18th and tickets may sell out beforehand, so if you plan on attending, get your tickets now!
Events, Game Music

Know Your MAG 2016: You Bred Raptors?

February 10, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on Know Your MAG 2016: You Bred Raptors? Share this Know Your MAG 2016: You Bred Raptors?

If you’ve ever traveled to New York City, you may have encountered You Bred Raptors? if you’ve gotten around by subway. They do this legally through a city program called “Music Under New York”. Obviously inspired by the famous quote from Jurassic Park, they have incorporated dinosaurs into their music with song titles, album art and their overall philosophy.

However, they have been around for a while. The band was born out of the ashes of This Place is Haunted, a MAGFest veteran and seminal video game band rocking all the way back to MAGFest 4 which happened way back in 2006 – so they’re practically legit dinosaurs.

<a href="http://youbredraptors.bandcamp.com/album/grant">Grant by You Bred Raptors?</a>

Grant, their latest album features more of their wonderful personal sound blending sweet guitar riffs, solid cello action and just-right percussion.

You Bred Raptors? is made up of Peat Rains who plays 8-String Bass, Kinderklavier, and Glockenspiel; Bryan Wilson who plays the Cello, and Manny Guevara on the Drums. You can watch them in action in the video below which they recently posted on Youtube which they did for a NPR contest.

They’ll be playing MAGFest Saturday at 5:00pm in the Potomac Ballrooms. Be sure to check them out, and if you can’t make MAGFest this year you might still be able to catch them in the New York City subway system.