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?

8bitSF Presents POW: Indie Music and Developers Collide

In commemoration of the Game Developer’s Conference occurring in San Francisco this week, 8bitSF decided to hold a chiptune show. Gathering artists such as minusbaby, Freaky DNA, A_Rival, Disasterpeace, and virt, the show featured a variety of chiptune styles.

Louis Gorenfield kicked the night off immediately, playing some of his own original creations. Next up was The Glowing Stars, whose traditional rock style mixed with chip really kicked off the show. Their setlist included some tracks from their collaborative Horchata album, except with just them instead of Awkward Terrible as well as it was on the album. They were followed by Zen Albatross, whose tracks flowed into each other into one cohesive groove.

After him, virt came on stage, playing a couple tracks off his recent FX4 album and another from the Mighty Switch Force soundtrack. The crowd went wild just as he did on stage, and it was a rather crazy experience.  Following virt wascrashfaster; their fusion of chip and synthesized vocals proved to be a unique and enjoyable set.  After a short break,minusbaby took the stage. Just as with Zen’s set earlier in the night, it was one cohesive experience.

Disasterpeace took the stage next, and proceeded to rock out like there was no tomorrow. He also played a mix of recent stuff and a fan favorite. We were treated to Freaky DNA next, and he played a mix of tracks. Dancing like mad on stage, he controlled the playlist via a usb controller and really got everyone moving. A_Rival ended the night, and a fitting finale it was. He played several tracks, including his remix of the classic Ninja Turtles theme song, and ended it with a song from his album 8-Bit Pimp. He also handed out free copies of said CD after the show.

It was a rather successful night; people had predicted upwards of 100 people to show up, and judging by how packed it was that mark was probably exceeded. Great times were had by all, some of the times drunken, but all in all a great show.

Howard Drossin Backs Splatterhouse Remixes

Thanks to a tip from the amazing Jeriaska of the VGM-based community Nobuooo, we’ve been on a huge Howard Drossin kick lately. I mean, come on – what is there not to like about this man’s talent? Known for his seemingly random (albeit kickass) collaborations with top honchos like jazz composer Terence Blanchard and hip-hop producer RZA, Drossin is especially known in the VGM scene for his continued participation in the Sonic franchise over the years along with an impressive number of other notable scores as Sega’s former music director. If that doesn’t spark your fancy, the fact that Drossin’s work has been subjected as  one of the best OverClocked Remix albums of 2006 definitely should.

Anyway, enough fanboy talk. Even with his limited involvement within the video game industry lately, Drossin has done it again and released not one, but THREE amazing albums on Bandcamp. What really stands out for us, however, is Drossin’s open invitation for other independent game score composers to ‘butcher’ his music from the 2010 Splatterhouse remake. Appropriately titled Butchered by Various Artists, this remix album features several notable musicians like Chris Geehan, winner of Microsoft’s ‘Dream.Build.Play’ Challenge and Crashfaster, composer of the incredibly addictive Knifetank series. Independent Games Festival nominee Mattias Häggström Gerdt and “Make Something RADD” winner Tony Dickinson also make an epic appearance on the release.  In other words, brace yourself for free impressive remixing goodness. Yes, this album also happens to be obtainable for  free download. What are you waiting for?

Butchered by Various Artists as well as Drossin’s other phenomenal Splatterhouse albums (here and here) are available on Bandcamp now for download. Congratulations to everyone involved in the album, as well as Jeriaska for his own involvement in such an inspiring project.