ThaSauce Presents: One Hour Compo OHC #400

ThaSauce Network is excited to announce a milestone event in our community’s history — the 400th round of One Hour Compo, hosted by starla. Compos (short for “composition competitions”) are competitions for musicians who want to “think outside the box” and challenge themselves.

Here’s how it works. One Hour Compo happens every Thursday at 9PM EST. Every week, a new theme is announced, and participants are encouraged to remix a track based on their interpretation of the theme. They are given one hour to create, complete, and submit their tracks — after that, submissions are off to voting! The event ends with a listening party featuring the week’s top submissions.

The 400th compo round will happen on June 9th at 9pm EST, and you can RSVP to the Facebook event to stay updated. Musicians of all skill levels are invited to join in. There is no requirements for OHC, other than wanting to participate and have a good time creating good music. We encourage everyone to join, and help us make the 4ooth one a compo to remember!

 

Rockage 2.0 Celebration in San Jose, Ca.

rockage

Indie music and video game lovers in the San Jose area might want to mark their calendars — Rockage 2.0 is coming, February 8th-10th. Produced by Grand Fanali Presents, Rockage is an annual celebration of indie music and retro video games. The lineup includes DJ Mr Smith, Curious Quail, and Urizen.

Rockage 2.0 will be held February 8th-10th, at the San Jose Women’s Club, in downtown San Jose, California. Tickets are available for purchase now.

If you’re interested in attending, you can check out the official Rockage website for more information, and follow Rockage on Twitter. Also, you can watch the promo video for Rockage 2.0.

Radio Nintendo Presents bLiNd’s NESteryears

Radio Nintendo Presents bLiNds's NESteryears

This Saturday, January 26th, Radio Nintendo will host the listening party for bLiNd’s NESteryears album.

NESteryears is bLiNd‘s first full-length work, debuting after over a decade of remixing experience (you can check out bLiNd’s OCRemix work.) His first solo effort features 11 tracks, all remixes from classic NES games, such as Super Mario Bros., Castlevania, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The album was released to great reception was MAGfest11.

Be sure to tune in to Silver’s Saturday Show on Radio Nintendo, January 26th at 11am PST/1pm CT, to enjoy some awesome music.

You can also purchase NESteryears at Gamechops, and find more of his music at bLiNd’s official website.

Minibosses and Others Melt Faces and Blow Minds Masterfully

8BitSF held another show on June 1, except unlike the last one in March this one featured The Minibosses. As usual, crashfaster was part of the lineup and Matthew Joseph Payne kicked the night off. The night was a blast, despite the small venue, but it was well worth the $10 at the door.

Matthew Joesph Payne, as mentioned above, was the first act of the night; his fusion of vocals and chip elements with either banjo or electric guitar was great. He also kept us warmed up between songs with some nice humor, even saying he was no Danimal during his fourth song. Before the third song, he mentioned getting into an internet argument and wanting to wrestle someone. Which he did, playfully, with a couple of audience members, while some battle-like chip music played in the background. He also had us sing along during the fifth song, which was in 13/8. He was also selling download codes for his Bandcamp page, which I highly recommend checking out.

crashfaster came on next; it was their first show with a new singer, Keiko. They played a new song about halfway through their set in commemoration of their inclusion on the upcoming Chiptunes=WIN compilation, releasing Monday. They also played a few songs that I’d heard at the March GDC show along with others. The last song was a cover, and small mosh pit of four or five people formed during it; Matthew Joseph Payne ran from the back of the room to the front just to join it. All in all, a good set. They’ll be playing at the DNA Lounge in July, so keep an eye out for that.

Finally, the Minibosses took the stage. They started early purely for the purpose of playing more songs (and they still ended up playing later than they should have). They kicked the night off with Kid Icarus, and went right into requests after the lengthy track. It is interesting to note that they played the Ducktales theme song on four separate occasions during the night, something Disasterpeace noted on Twitter after the show. Naturally, I also sang the entire theme song each time. Between the Ducktales reprises, they played favorites such as Punch-Out, Castlevania 2, and Mega Man 2. A mosh pit formed during the Mega Man track, and another even bigger one during Contra, which followed after Ducktales. Zelda was immediately after, which created yet another even larger mosh pit during the Temple section. The final song was Metroid, which had a mosh pit so large it almost knocked several folks (myself included) over due to spreading out.

After the show, they brought out the CDs and shirts for sale, and those who weren’t buying anything had to leave because it was afterhours. All in all, it was a phenomenal show and one that I had a blast at. I’m sure all who went did as well, seeing as it was probably impossible not to. If there’s another show, which there invariably will be, I’ll be sure to go, and you can be sure to read about it in a summary such as this one not too long afterwards. Until next time, game on!

Or would rock on be more appropriate here?

GameFuel & Arecibo Radio Present: Stemage’s Marble Madness Release Party


Join Arecibo Radio  for a GameFuel special presentation with Grant “Stemage” Henry for the “Where Good Marbles Go To Die” release party. Grant “Stemage” Henry, the man behind several amazing bands such as Metroid Metal and Yes, Mayhem, is also an accomplished solo artist who has composed for indie games Alpha Squad and Radiant Escape.

Marble Madness highlights seven new tracks featuring various accomplished guests such as Disasterpeace, Kirby Pufocia, and VikingGuitar.  Stemage emphasizes the direction of Marble Madness when he states, “The Marble Madness soundtrack has a lot of variety, and that theme carries over to this album. I’ve actually been calling it a “collection of remixes” instead of an album, but things are really starting to flow together.”

Taking place on June 2nd at 9 PM EST, Marble Madness will be played in full, along with many other surprises, such as the digital release of the album during the show itself. And if you haven’t tuned into GameFuel,  you’re in for a treat. GameFuel is a game-centric show of hard-hitting music, particularly of the videogame and videogame-inspired variety, also featuring chiptunes and other original works every week, hosted by the ever exuberant KyleJCrb. Be sure to tune in to Arecibo Radio this Saturday for an exclusive listen to what may very well be an awesome album.

ThaSauce Giveaway Extravaganza!: Winner Announced for Minibosses Bay Area Tour


Remember our Minibosses ticket giveaway that we announced last week? A hearty congratulations to Mayene de Leon for winning our giveaway for the Minibosses show on June 1st at Hemlock Tavern! We are truly excited for you to experience the Minibosses live, so please be sure to look out for our e-mail for the following instructions on admission for this Friday. Thank you again!

Be sure to check out other giveaways coming at you very soon happening all over the country, here at ThaSauce!

FINAL FANTASY XI: 10th Anniversary Concert Tickets On Sale June 1st


Distant Worlds fans will be pleasantly surprised with the recent announcement of the FINAL FANTASY XI: 10th Anniversary Concert that will be taking place in September with Grammy-winning conductor Arnie Roth and special appearances by  composers Naoshi Mizuta & Kumi Tanioka:

We’re proud to announce the FINAL FANTASY XI: 10th Anniversary Concert to be held at the Zellerbach Auditorium in Berkeley, California on September 22, 2012! The special event, presented by AWR Music, will feature over 70 musicians drawn from the area’s leading orchestras, and be led by conductor Arnie Roth (“Distant Worlds” concert series) Attending the event will also be special guests Naoshi Mizuta and Kumi Tanioka who will both be attend the VIP meet & greet sessions, as well as maybe a few special surprises!

Tickets will be available starting Friday, June 1st at 12 PM, with standard admission ranging from $50 to $85 depending on seating, and $150 for VIP tickets that allow you to meet special guests after the show, autographs, and photo opportunities. Concert attendees will also receive a special Final Fantasy XI in-game item, the “Maestro’s Baton”, which will be handed out at the event. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to experience the world of FFXI in concert!

Arecibo Radio Presents Shnabubula’s Starbound Release Party


Our friends over at Arecibo Radio have once again outdone themselves by holding yet another epic listening party in the name of one of our most admired artists, the piano prodigy known as Shnabubula on Tuesday, May 29:

Holy smokes! Shnabubula is releasing a new album! The album is called Starbound, a forty-two minute-long synth odyssey spread across 5 movements. Anyone who is familiar with Sam’s music knows this is going to be good, so I know you guys are gonna be there!

Arecibo Radio will have the great fortune of hosting this event, check out our radio station at www.areciboradio.com. It’ll immediately follow after a normally scheduled Touhou Tuesday, and you can join in & chat while the album’s being played live on the air via the on-site chat client, or using your preferred IRC client by connecting to irc.esper.net #areciboradio.

The event will start at 10 PM Eastern (that’s 7 PM PST for you West Coasters). If you have NOT heard of Shnabubula’s mind-bending piano solos, we suggest heading over to both his Bandcamp and YouTube (check out one of our favorite songs here). This is definitely an event not to miss!

No Survivors Tour 2012 with The Protomen, Powerglove, & Danimal Cannon

Things are about to get crazy on the East Coast! Mega Man rockers The Protomen (check out our recent Quick Look to refresh your ears) and the video game metal band Powerglove have hit the road for the next two weeks, travelling to different venues throughout several states such as Massachusetts, Tennessee, New Jersey, New York, and Colorado for the No Survivors Tour 2012. Coming along for the ride, chiptune master Danimal Cannon is also billed to be playing on the tour, forming an unstoppable trifecta of  absolute awesome. For you Canadian fans out there, rejoice! The No Survivors Tour is coming to you on two separate occasions, stopping in Montreal and Toronto.

While checking out the dates and locations to plan your next move,  you can buy tickets in advance with the links below.  We promise you won’t regret it.

20th – West Chester, PA – The Note —- ALL AGES *
22nd – Montreal, QC – Katacombes —- 18+ *
23rd – Toronto, ON – The Hoxton —- 19+ *
24th – Buffalo, NY – Mohawk Place —- ALL AGES *
27th – Vancouver, BC – PNE Ampitheatre (with TENACIOUS D!)
30th – Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre —- ALL AGES

Cory Johnson’s The Legend of Zelda Release & Online Listening Party on Open Circuit

 

Time to get with what could very well be one of the best releases of 2012! Open Circuit will be hosting an online listening party for Cory Johnson‘s finalized version of the long-awaited The Legend of Zelda album tonight at 5 PM EST on Arecibo Radio:

Originally released as a collection of unpolished demo recordings in August 2011, Cory Johnson’s post-rock interpretation of the classic Zelda music took the internet by storm, garnering coverage from Destructoid, ScrewAttack, and more.

On Saturday, May 12th 2012, 5PM eastern, join Open Circuit on Arecibo Radio as we celebrate the long awaited debut of the finalized version of Cory Johnson’s album The Legend of Zelda.

This will be the first place to hear the full album which is currently slated to include not only songs from the demo album, but also new arrangements of Gerudo Valley, Outset Island, Tal Tal Heights, and more! After the listening party, the album will be available as a free / pay what you want download hosted on Cory’s Bandcamp page.

If you haven’t heard the awesome that is Cory Johnson, you can preview the Lullaby EP  or his actual Legend of Zelda demos for a preview of what to expect for this upcoming release. Mr. Johnson will be joining on-air for a quick interview during the show, so be sure to tune in as soon as possible to hear the both artist and album in all their glory. See you there!