Monthly Archives: February 2012

Quick Look: Mega Ran’s Jeremy Lin Rap

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We’ve really tried straying away from posting any more enthusiastic posts about Mega Ran, but this video is just too good to pass up. Even with Black Materia: Remixes managing to stay on Bandcamp’s top seller list since its January 21st release until recently, Mega Ran still manages to rile folks up with his eclectic rap style and wonderful sense of humor. Enter Mega Ran’s freestyle ode to Jeremy Lin, which made popular headway on both YouTube with over 131,000 views and ESPN today. With smooth lyrics like “First ivy leaguer in the league since Chris Dudley / Must be some kinda desire / To make everybody who doubted you out to be a liar”, Mega Ran’s affirmative image of Jeremy Lin inspires us to root for the underdogs out there.

Kudos to Random for being featured on national television for such an inspirational song. If you enjoyed his rap as much as we did, grab the song for free here.

The ‘Quick Look’ series  is your biweekly source for videos of emerging artists, rad performances, or just about anything awesome that we can get away with posting that involves the VGM community. Have any cool videos to link us with? Shoot an e-mail at [email protected]. Be sure to click on the ‘Quick Look’ category below to satiate your visual appetite here at ThaSauce.

Indie Game Music Bundle 2 Out Now

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Has the economy got you down? Yeah, us too. But for this week only, my friends, you can stick it to the man and get some of the best VGM albums at a crazy affordable price. With some of ThaSauce regular featured artists like Laura Shigihara, A_Rival, Jake “virt” Kaufman, the newest Game Music Bundle 2 release has you covered in a extremely convenient “Pay What You Want” format.

Oh, and if you happen to contribute $10+, they’ll throw even more VGM swag at you. As in, fifteen albums for the price of one fancy meal. Or one large pizza. Or maybe… oh, nevermind. At this rate, we have to say: total steal.

You can also sign up for GMB’s newsletter to receive exclusive updates and upcoming bundles. So what are you waiting for? This offer is only available for seven more days. Get down with your dirty self and get yo’ swag on now.

Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Tour Hits North America

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Any Final Fantasy fans still out there? Touted as the ultimate “unique multimedia concert experience”, the official Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy world-tour has just launched in North America. Originating in Sweden in 2007, Distant Worlds features classic Final Fantasy selections with state of the art HD video presentations filled with exclusive images direct from Square Enix and  has performed regularly in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Under the direction of Grammy Award-winner and acclaimed conductor Arnie Roth, the concerts are performed by symphony orchestra, choir, and renowned vocal and instrumental soloists.

But wait, there’s more! If you happen to be a Video Game Orchestra fan, there’s a special treat for those who live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The VGO creator and director Shota Nakama will be performing with his guitar at the Distant Worlds concert on February 25, 2012 at 8PM. Song highlights include “Eyes On Me” featuring Susan Calloway, “Dear Friends” and “Vamo’ alla Flamenco” featuring guitarist Mr. Nakama, “Zanarkand”, “Maria and Draco”, “The Man With The Machine Gun”, “Blinded By Light” and “Aerith’s Theme”.

While the first concert performance will be in Pittsburgh, the tour will roam around North America with stops in Ontario, Boston, St. Louis, and Toronto from February to March. Be sure to check out the official Distant Worlds website to get your tickets for this special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Sound Bytes: Shnabubula Covers Double Dragon’s “Title” Theme

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Okay, so we might have a habit of hyping up NYC-based remixer and piano prodigy Sam Ascher-Weiss, also known by the moniker Shnabubula. But can you blame us? With over 1,200 subscribers and over 326,000 views on YouTube now, Shnabubula’s reputation for piano improvisation and insane productivity still cannot be denied.

Even with his wonderful Free Play album recently released (which you can preview all for free on his Youtube page), Shnabubula has just put out a new teaser for yet another upcoming album to be released in March, featuring music covers that will only utilize live piano and NES/Famicon samples. We are happy to report that if this teaser is a just sign of things to come, NES Jamz  will absolutely be off the hook. In this video, Mr. Ascher-Weiss really shows off his talent with some good ol’-fashioned Double Dragon. We seriously implore you to give this video a quick listen and see, truly, what the hype is all about.


Concert Line-Up for PAX East Finalized

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If you don’t know what PAX East is, you’ve either been living under a rock or well… living under a rock. Taking place in Boston, Massachusetts on April 6th, 2012, PAX East is the ultimate three-day game festival for tabletop, videogame, and PC gamers alike. In addition to nerdcore concerts, panel discussions, and an exhibitor hall filled with booths displaying the latest from top game publishers and developers, the best part of PAX East is partying with like-minded individuals who probably like gaming as much as the next guy.

So, what are you waiting for? Although three-day passes have been sold out for awhile, one-day passes are still available for $35 dollars. The concert line-up for PAX East has recently been finalized (which you can view below) and it’s looking very sexy.

[EXPAND Click here to view the finalized 2012 line-up for PAX East]

Friday:
VGO
Protomen
Metroid Metal
Minibosses

Saturday:
Supercommuter
Paul & Storm
Jonathan Coulton
MC Frontalot[/EXPAND]

ThaSauce Wrap-Up: This Week in Review (Jan 30 – Feb 5)

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At the end of the week, ThaSauce Wrap-Up feature posts bite-sized news recaps just in case you missed any juicy articles. Have any interesting video game music-related stories that you want us to look into? Are you an artist, composer, or remixer that wants keep in touch? Shoot an e-mail to [email protected]. If you’re looking for more ways to get your VGM fix, be sure to follow us on Tumblr or like us on Facebook as well.

  • Sound Bytes: Blake Robinson’s “Morrowind Theme” Orchestra Arrangement: While maintaining his chief occupation as a game developer at both Electronic Arts and Outplay Entertainment, Mr. Robinson spends most of his free time freelance composing for several high-profile indie games. If you haven’t heard the orchestral works of Blake Robinson, you’re in for a special treat.
  • Nintendo’s Rhythm Heaven Fever Launch Event in LA @ iam8bit: Nintendo has teamed up with Los Angeles-based production company iam8bit and Giant Robot to promote Nintendo’s upcoming groovalicious game Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii) by hosting a party at the iam8bit gallery in Los Angeles next Friday, February 10th from 6-10 p.m.

Quick Look: Minibosses Perform “Double Dragon” & “Dr. Mario” in 3D

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Since 2000, Minibosses has been making huge headway within the VGM scene for their innovative covers, dynamic instrumentation, and an overall awesome presence when performing on-stage. While many would consider these guys a progressive rock band, the Minibosses have continuously pushed the limits of video game music covers (with an award to show for it!). Today’s Quick Look features the Minibosses performing their fantastic interpretation of “Double Dragon” and “Dr. Mario” at this year’s MAGFest X. If you’re feeling naughty, you can download this video and watch it in 3D for the cool effects. If not, well… this video is great all the same.  Peep more of the Minibosses’ eclectic sounds on Bandcamp.

Humbled to Dust Tour 2012 Commences East Coast Takeover

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Canadian “rap legend” Jesse Dangerously, ThoughtCriminals vocalist Mikal kHill, and all-around raptacular talent Shane Hall have taken over the East Coast with The Humbled to Dust Tour. Combining a witty amalgamation of their album titles, this ten day tour spree started yesterday in Columbia, South Carolina and features a variety of key players within the nerdcore community such as MC Wreckshin, Rainbowdragoneyes, ThoughtCriminals, Schaffer the Darklord, People With Teeth, and more. If this line-up intrigues you, we’ve included a list of dates and locations for The Humbled to Dust Tour below.

[EXPAND Click here for Humbled to Dust Tour dates & locations]

Feb 3 – Columbia, SC @ Conundrum 8pm door/ 9pm show / $6 over 21 / $8 under 21 (Mikal kHill, Tribe One, cecilnick, Shane Hall & MC Stealth)

Feb 4 – Orlando, FL @ Back Booth 7pm door / 8pm show /$7 ALL AGES (Jesse Dangerously, MC Wreckshin, Rainbowdragoneyes, Mikal kHill, Shane Hall)

Feb 6 – Charlotte NC @ The Milestone 8pm door / 9pm show /$? over 21 / $?-2 under 21 (ThoughtCriminals, Jesse D, Shane Hall & MC Stealth)

Feb 8 – Baltimore, MD @ Bohemian Coffeehouse 7pm / 8pm show / FREE $0.00!!! ALL AGES (Collectible Humans, Jesse D & Shane Hall)

Feb 9 – Philadelphia, PA @ Little Bar (Voss, Sketch Lightly, Mikey Mo, Jesse D & Shane Hall)

Feb 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ moon-ii [319 Rutledge St, Brooklyn] (Schaffer the Darklord, People With Teeth, Jesse D, Mikal kHill, Shane Hall, remind) Hosted by Shane with DJ Halo on the tables ALL NIIIIGHT LOOONG

Feb 11 – Worcester, MA @ 97 D Webster St. / $5-$10 suggested donation / ALL AGES (Jesse D, Mikal kHill, Shane Hall, Jon Von Wonderful, The Grand Arkanum, HW) with an opening set by DJ Snaxx[/EXPAND]

The Humbled to Dust Tour will conclude with a last stop in Massachusetts on February 12th, 2o12. You can also get more information about the tour with their Facebook page for day-to-day updates.

Drummer of The Megas Requests Pledges to Release Acoustic Record

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Mike Levinson, drummer of The Megas and former popular punk band Agent 51, has recently launched a Kickstarter project to help him release an acoustic album:

I’ve wanted to release an acoustic record for a long time, but I’ve never had the time, funding, or drive to make it happen. Now is the time. Playing drums comes naturally to me. I enjoy being the backbone of the band and its fitting of my personality that I get to hide behind my drums while the other guys do their thing in front of the crowd. While the spotlight generally isn’t my thing I still enjoy writing and creating my own songs. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done on drums, but I’d also like to release a piece of music that is undeniably a piece of who I am as a person and an artist. This album I’d like to record is the Michael Hell acoustic album which I’m planning on titling “A Tell Tale Heart” in a nod to my favorite author and fellow troubled soul Edgar Allen Poe.

While we know that this album is not directly correlated to VGM news, we’d like to help support Mike Levinson as a very talented artist who has boldly put himself out there. The incentives are also a bonus for you Megas fans out there: a $50+ pledge gets you a signed drumstick used by Mr. Levinson at a Megas show, a copy of the extremely rare Megas Comic-Con sampler from 2007 with some early mixes pre-Get Equipped, and a DLN01 “Demo Get” CD with demos from the band’s inception.

You can find more information on Mr. Levinson’s project and pledge incentives on his Kickstarter project page.

Nintendo’s Rhythm Heaven Fever Launch Event in LA @ iam8bit

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Party-goers, unite! Nintendo has teamed up with Los Angeles-based production company iam8bit and Giant Robot to promote Nintendo’s upcoming groovalicious game Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii). While the game itself looks rather interesting, we’re more intrigued with the fact that Nintendo will host a party at the iam8bit gallery in Los Angeles next Friday, February 10th from 6-10 p.m. Multiple highlights of the party include hands-on time with the game before the scheduled February 13th release, refreshments and music throughout the evening, and the chance to film and submit clips to be included in a special Rhythm Heaven Fever interactive video experience.

While the event is public, Nintendo has specifically announced that it will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The iam8bit Gallery is located at 2147 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California. See you there!