Performers

Events, Game Music, Music Production

PAX South 2017 Performances & Music Panels

January 27, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on PAX South 2017 Performances & Music Panels Share this
For those making the trek to San Antonio, Texas this weekend to attend PAX South 2017, and are interested in the video game music and audio side of things, here’s a quick and handy list of both the musical performances playing at the event, as well as the VGM, music industry panels and any fun music-related panels to check out.

Concerts:

Friday Night (8pm – 11:30pm CST)
1. SuperMES
2. Urizen
3. Descendants of Erdrick
Saturday Night (8pm – 11:30pm CST)
1. The OneUps
2. Viking Guitar
3. Bit Brigade
Panels:

Friday
1. The Gamer Feedback Presents: Name That Video Game Tune (8:30pm CST, Cactus Theater)
Saturday
1. The Ocarina Panel with David Erick Ramos (10:00am CST – Bobcat Theater)
2. Nerdcore: The Future of Video Game Pop Music (12:30pm CST – Falcon Theater)
Game Panels & Tournaments

Friday
1. AudioShield (11:00am – 2:00pm CST, PC Tourny)
You can check out the entire PAX South schedule here. Hopefully you’re able to check out one or all of these music and audio related events going on this year, and if you do let us know what you thought!
Events, Game Music

PAX West 2016 Concert Lineup & Music Panels

August 31, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on PAX West 2016 Concert Lineup & Music Panels Share this
PAX West 2016 is only a few days away, and you can expect a top-notch assortment of concerts and video game music panels this year! Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect to see if you’re attending this year’s event so you can be sure to “catch ’em all”, so to speak.

Concerts:

Friday Night (8:30pm – 11:30pm PDT)
1. MC Frontalot
2. Video Game Pianist
3. Bit Brigade
Saturday Night (8:30 – 11:30pm PDT)
1. Super Guitar Bro.
2. Triforce Quartet
3. The OneUps
Panels:

Friday
1. OC Remix: Video Game Music Community/Lovers of Greatness (11:00am PDT – Chicken Theater)
2. The Business of Geek Music (11:00am PDT – Hippogriff Theater)
Sunday
1. Maestros of Video Game Music (10:00am PDT – Sphinx Theater)
2. Autograph Session – Maestros of Video Game Music (11:30am PDT – Autograph Area)
3. Amplitude Tournament (6:00pm PDT – Console Tourney)
4. Video Game Music Trivia (8:30pm PDT – Chipmunk Theater)
Monday
1. Majoring in VG Music: How to Put On a Game Music Concert (2:00pm PDT – Hippogriff Theater)
As you can see, there’s a good amount of segments related to video game music, composers and the industry to check in on. You can check out more about the huge variety of panels at PAX West 2016 on their website, including the concerts and panel descriptions.

Attending PAX West 2016? Let us know what you’re most excited for, and come back after to tell us what you thought!
Events, Game Music

Know Your MAG 2016: The World Is Square

February 13, 2016 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Know Your MAG 2016: The World Is Square Share this Know Your MAG 2016: The World Is Square

The 14th annual MAGFest is approaching fast. Each year the festival brings in new music acts, but it also sees the return of some acts from MAGFests past. One of these returning acts is the group The World is Square. Before you head out to the event, here’s your chance to get some background on the group in this entry of Know Your Mag.

The World Is Square is a Boston based game music tribute band that focuses on the music of SquareSoft/Enix titles. The band is comprised of members Lauren Christerson, Joe Corbett, Nick Doane, Joshua Edginton, and Dave Reardon. Each member plays several instruments, which helps cover the various needs of their unique arrangements.

Their style can be summed up as a combination of acoustic folk blended with a sampling of modern and electronic instruments. What results is a collection of light acoustic arrangements that have just a hint of modern flavor. They’ve released a number of arrangement albums over the group’s five year career. While some focus on a specific game series, others provide a collection of covers from various game titles.

<a href="http://theworldissquare.bandcamp.com/album/stay-awhile-and-listen">Stay Awhile and Listen by The World is Square</a>

Many of their albums focus on the earlier years of SquareSoft/Enix, including music from the early Final Fantasy games, Chrono Trigger, and Super Mario RPG. While a majority of the material they play comes from the older RPGs that we all know and love, The World Is Square has also tackled more recent games like Bravely Default and other titles that don’t get as much recognition like the Breath of Fire series.

<a href="http://theworldissquare.bandcamp.com/album/squarelove">SquareLove by The World is Square</a>

The World Is Square is set to perform on the MAGFest main stage on Friday afternoon at 4pm. To find out more about this year’s MAGFest head over to their main site to grab tickets, make hotel reservations, and check out the schedule for this year’s festivities.
Events, Game Music

Know Your MAG 2016: Eight Bit Disaster

February 11, 2016 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Know Your MAG 2016: Eight Bit Disaster Share this Know Your MAG 2016: Eight Bit Disaster

The wild winter party that is MAGFest is only a few weeks away. There are a ton of great music acts lined up for this year, all with a unique approach to giving tribute to the world of videogames. This year has a few funk rock groups performing on the main stage of this year’s event, including the group Eight Bit Disaster. If you’ve never checked them out before, here’s your chance to fix that with today’s Know Your Mag.

Eight Bit Disaster hails from North Carolina and consists of members John Baxter on bass guitar, DeJuan Gailes on guitars, Gabe Mixon and Eric Krouse on drums, Elliot Wernlund on Saxophone, and Mateo John Marshall on keys. Together they create instrumental game covers that span the genres of funk, rock, jazz, and the blues. There first album Eight Bit Disaster was released back in January of 2013 and shows off their blending of these genres.

<a href="http://eightbitdisaster.bandcamp.com/album/eight-bit-disaster">Eight Bit Disaster by Eight Bit Disaster</a>

Part of their aim as a group is to cover and highlight the more obscure pieces of game music that don’t get enough attention from other artists. The Eight Bit Disaster album features music from Bad Dudes, Rygar, and Wizards & Warriors. Even if you’re not that familiar with the source material, the music covers themselves have a wild and energetic sound. The group’s blend of sax with electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums makes for some truly entertaining covers of these hidden game music gems.

<a href="http://eightbitdisaster.bandcamp.com/album/eight-bit-disaster">Eight Bit Disaster by Eight Bit Disaster</a>

Their upcoming album Eight Bit Disaster III: Covered In Ash is planned to release during MAGFest. The band has already released a preview track for the album which covers the main theme from Morrowind.

Eight Bit Disaster is set to perform on the MAGFest main stage Friday afternoon at 1pm. You can find out more about this year’s MAGFest, including the schedule, hotel options, and ticket sales at the main website.
Chip Music, Events, Game Music, Indie Music

MAGStock Guest Lineup Announced

June 8, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on MAGStock Guest Lineup Announced Share this MAGStock Guest Lineup Announced

The music guests for this year’s MAGStock have been revealed. Performers for the event will include Professor Shyguy, Materia, Eight Bit Disaster, and Inverse Phase. MAGStock 5 is being held at Small Country Campground in Louisa, Virginia on the weekend of June 19-21.

If you’re wondering what on earth MAGStock is, it’s a music and gaming event, run by MAGFest, that takes place in the summer. Think of it as a smaller version of MAGFest in the great outdoors. This year’s music guest list is as follows:

Professor Shyguy
Inverse Phase
Materia
Aries
Steel Samurai
Trev Wignall
Square Therapy
D&D Sluggers
Eight Bit Disaster
Auxide
Solarbear

If you didn’t get your fill of music and games at MAGFest earlier this year or if you’re just looking for a fun weekend of games and music, be sure to check out MAGStock 5. You can find out more information for registering and attending MAGStock 5 at the MAGStock website.
Chip Music, Events, Game Music

MAGFest 13: Recap

March 25, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on MAGFest 13: Recap Share this MAGFest 13: Recap

It’s time, once again, for the MAGFest recap. Every year we try to present a small sample of what we experienced at the Music and Gaming Festival. This year’s MAGFest was a little different from previous years. The event not only took place later in the month of January, it also conflicted with the new PAX South event down in Texas. This unintended scheduling dilemma left potential attendees and guests torn between the two events. While it would have been fun to check out the latest addition to the PAX convention circuit, MAGFest has always been the traditional destination for members of the Original Sound Version team. This brings us to today’s recap of the events of MAGFest 13. While it’s impossible for us to experience and cover every panel and concert that the festival has to offer, we always like to provide a glimpse of the madness and excitement that is MAGFest. With that said, here is my brief recap of MAGFest 13. (more…)
Events, Game Music

PAX East 2015 Music Guests Announced

February 7, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on PAX East 2015 Music Guests Announced Share this PAX East 2015 Music Guests Announced

The music guest lineup for this year’s PAX East has been released. As is the tradition of PAX East, the festivities of Friday and Saturday conclude with a series of evening concerts. This year’s concert lineup includes a number of returning favorites, including Bit Brigade and the Triforce Quartet. So if you were lucky enough to acquire passes for the Boston event, you’ll be in for some excellent music to end Friday and Saturday night.

Friday’s concerts will feature the Super Guitar Bros, the Triforce Quartet, and Paul and Storm. The second night of concerts will call upon the talents of Freezepop, Bit Brigade, and MC Frontalot. If you happen to be attending PAX East 2015, be sure to make room in your schedules for each of these acts. You can check out the official PAX East site for more announcements and scheduling details.