VGL

Game Music

Christopher Tin Wins Big At Grammy Awards!

February 13, 2011 | Patrick Gann | 1 Comment Share this

We just got word (thanks, Mario!) about two very exciting announcements. Perhaps you’re currently watching the 2010 53rd Annual Grammy Awards right now, but plenty of awards were already revealed…

You may have heard that, a few months ago, Christopher Tin was nominated for a Grammy award for the category “Best Classical Crossover Album” with his CD Calling All Dawns. The album, which was released in late 2009, just barely fit the early end of the window for this year’s Grammy’s. Many of us at OSV loved this incredible world music album, which opens with Civilization IV‘s instant-classic theme “Baba Yetu.” Well, that nominated CD just won. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see for yourself!

Think “Baba Yetu” wasn’t a big part of what helped that album win? While we’re not going to downplay the rest of the album (because it is all quite good), there’s no question that Baba Yetu is a hit. Want proof? The Baba Yetu single from Calling All Dawns also won a Grammy The category for this second win is “Best Instrumental Arrange Accompanying Vocalist(s)” (found on the second entry of this page).

So, in one night, Christopher Tin became a two-time Grammy award winner. That’s gotta be exciting! What does Tin have to say about it?

“The fact that this song has had a life outside of the game is owed almost entirely to Video Games Live. They were the first to bring this music to concert stages around the world and to places I had never dreamed possible.” In other words, I think Tin is happily sharing the award with the VGL folks for all the promotion they gave his award-winning piece of music (specifically during the Video Games Live: Level 2 tour). The love is reciprocated by VGL CEO Tommy Tallarico, who said: “We’re so proud of Christopher’s Grammy Award victory and what he has accomplished. This historic moment will continue to bridge the gap between mainstream music and video games. It is an honor to perform his music in our show.”

UPDATE: Check out Mr. Tin’s acceptance speech on YouTube!
Game Music

Video Games Live Singapore: Hibino’s Strange Outfit and a Crazy Girl Who Wants Her One-Winged Angel

June 26, 2009 | Gideon Dabi | 4 Comments Share this

We aren’t quite sure if Hibino was channeling a 30’s mobster or Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor costume from the original Superman movie with his outfit, but he sure can play the saxophone. This is from the most recent Video Games Live in concert in Singapore, an instrumental version of the title track from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. I always felt the song had such Bond-like flair to it right up until the “Some day, you’ll feed on a tree frog” line….

A second video features a rather enthusiastic female audience member getting disturbingly excited about the “One-Winged Angel” segment from Final Fantasy VII. Click on the jump to check it out!

Also, thanks to Tommy Tallarico for shooting these videos over. (more…)
Game Music

Video Games Live Pulls The Trigger: Chrono Medley Added to Repertoire

April 8, 2009 | David Hsu | 25 Comments Share this

If you’ve ever gone to Video Games Live, you might have gotten the vague feeling that something was amiss, namely the woeful absence of Yasunori Mitsuda’s name in the program notes. Fortunately that should no longer be a problem in future concerts, as Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall debuted their new Chrono segment with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony back on March 14th. Be on the lookout for the segment, as it will likely be a part of most (if not all) of their upcoming performances.

How do you think VGL’s medley compares to PLAY!’s? Has Jack Wall unintentionally jeopardized his career by demonstrating the orchestra can get along fine without a conductor? And how many “Scars of Time” arrangements is too many?
Game Music

Video Games Live To Return to BlizzCon With New Debut Performances

October 6, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

While the VGL performance that closed BlizzCon 2007 was a monumental event, featuring music from Diablo, StarCraft II, and World of Warcraft that had never been performed live before, I was starting to think the show would not return to BlizzCon this year. It appears as though I was wrong!

Many had suspected that the mysterious Anaheim concert that was listed on the VGL website would in fact be a BlizzCon pefromance, but nothing had been confirmed up until today. Waiting until the last minute, VGL has finally shot off a press release confirming that the concert will once again be a part of the closing ceremonies. There will apparently be some new musical debuts as well, so be sure to check out the concert if you’re attending BlizzCon on Friday and Saturday.

Any thoughts as to the music they will be debuting at this performance? Will you be tuning into the Pay-Per-Review presentation of convention?

Hit the jump for the official press release. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Video Games Live Volume One Doesn’t Include Color a Dinosaur (Review)

August 11, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

The first US game music concert CD is finally here. Video Games Live Volume One went on sale last month at the VGL performance in San Diego during Comic Con 2008, and people have had a month to listen to and enjoy a part of the concert in the comfort of their own homes.

So with all the discussion about track lists and sound quality, how does Volume One fare? Eleven tracks comprise over 50 minutes of music, some of which is recorded live, covering a broad range of titles mostly from the US… this time.

Does the album deserve a spot in your collection even though Color a Dinosaur is not represented? Read our full impressions of VGL’s debut album after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Comic Con 08: Video Games Live Rocks, Plus Tommy’s ‘Precious’

July 25, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Comic Con 08: Video Games Live Rocks, Plus Tommy’s ‘Precious’ Share this

While the show’s special guests are still sitting through the meet and greet after tonight’s VGL performance in San Diego, I’m at home with my feet propped up, writing about it. It was a good performance, and the cool San Diego weather was definitely welcome after the Las Vegas performance last month. The much-anticipated VGL CD also went on sale for the first time in a physical form, so there are lucky people out there tonight enjoying the show even on their way home.

So what was new? They added an awesome Guitar Hero segment which was actually the highlight of the evening. The winner from the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith contest held during the pre-show festival was invited on-stage to perform Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” on hard for the chance to win prizes including a new laptop. The orchestra provided a musical backing while the choir took care of the vocals, and “Joe R.” became a hero to every one of us in the audience as he performed almost flawlessly. He accepted the challenge, but opted to play on expert. He had everyone on the edge of their seats, and the crowd went wild when he passed the 200,000 point mark he needed to claim victory.

Aside from that, there was a funny bit near the end of the show where Tommy decided he needed to switch out guitars to something more appropriate for Comic Con. “Bring me my Spiderman guitar!” he called out to a stagehand. He then proceeded to reach his arms out into the air, making grasping motions and following with, “Bring it to me! Bring me my Spiderman guitar!” I thought he was going to start calling it his precious!

Okay, well, at least I thought it was funny. Anyone fans of past VGL performances? Will you be entering these pre-show festivals for the chance to rock out on stage at future shows?

Check out the full set list after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Video Games Live Brings Its Whole Crew

July 22, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Video Games Live Brings Its Whole Crew Share this Video Games Live Brings Its Whole Crew

Renowned wizard Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall are on their way to San Diego this week for Comic Con, and they’re bringing lots of their friends. The special guests for the show were just announced, including Russell Brower, Gerard Marino, Jason Hayes, and Alexander Brandon to name a few. You likely won’t see a list like this outside of Los Angeles.

To top it all off, the VGL crew will be putting the highly anticipated VGL CD up for sale here for the first time. This is definitely the show to see, as the water-front San Diego Embarcadero is really a beautiful venue. Your favorite tunes, awesome guests, and a huge convention all in the lovely city of San Diego (okay, so I’m based). Tickets are still available so go grab them before they’re gone!

Hit the jump for the official press release. (more…)