VG Frequency

By: David Lloyd, dlloyd@ocremix.org

“Whether I’m writing an original or remixing something from a video game, my inspirations never change. My music listening history is one big collage, and I try to pull on all of that.”

- Dain Olsen, OC ReMix Interview

June 21, 2008

Fairfax, VA — OverClocked ReMix today published an interview with OC ReMixer & Dance Dance Revolution musician Dain “Beatdrop” Olsen, in addition to posting a brand new ReMix of his from the soundtrack to Capcom’s Mega Man X3 for the SNES. Dain talks about the creation of his latest mix, his approach to mixing game music, and his involvement with Konami’s DDR competition, which landed him a spot on the soundtrack to Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2.

The interview is available online at:

http://www.ocremix.org/info/ReMixer_Interview:_Beatdrop_%28Dain_Olsen%29

Mega Man X3 ‘Revolutions’ is available for streaming and free download at:

http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01727/

About OverClocked ReMix

Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and interpretation of video game music. Its primary focus is www.ocremix.org, a website featuring hundreds of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans.

By: Larry Oji, larryoji@ocremix.org

“A good tune is a good tune. That’s basically it! If a melody can stand the test of time when it’s being played with a one channel sine wave, then it can stand being a fully orchestrated piece of music. I guess really it’s substance over style.”

- Tim Wright, OC ReMix Interview

June 5, 2008

Fairfax, VA — OverClocked ReMix today published its first video game composer interview, with pioneering British VGM composer Tim “CoLD SToRAGE” Wright. Wright helped usher electronica into professional game scores with his work on the landmark racing title Wipeout, released in 1995 by Psygnosis for the then-emerging Sony PlayStation. The interview touches on other career highlights such as Wright’s days composing for the Commodore Amiga, his development of popular music creation programs eJay and MUSIC (a.k.a. MTV Music Generator), and his upcoming original album, CoLD SToRAGE HD, which functions as an unofficial soundtrack to Sony’s latest title in the Wipeout franchise, Wipeout HD for the PlayStation 3.

The interview is available online at http://www.ocremix.org/info/Composer_Interview:_CoLD_SToRAGE_%28Tim_Wright%29.

Conducted by site staff, OC ReMix interviews cover major aspects of a composer’s career, featuring targeted questions unique to each subject, as well a standard list of questions that specifically delve into a musician’s formative years, creative inspirations, and views on the current state of the game music industry. This unique format presents both a contemporary look at a composer’s recent activities as well as more comprehensive questions about the nature of video game music composition.

About OverClocked ReMix

Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and interpretation of video game music. Its primary focus is www.ocremix.org, a website featuring hundreds of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans.

Links

• Composer Interview: CoLD SToRAGE (Tim Wright)
• OC ReMix interviews
• Tim Wright Composer Profile at OC ReMix
• The Official CoLD SToRAGE Website
• Purchase the albums of CoLD SToRAGE
• Wright’s company, Tantrumedia Multimedia Solutions
• CoLD SToRAGE @ MySpace

Just a quick plug today for M4G’s interview with the composer team of the very-soon-to-be-released PlayStation 3 exclusive Haze, Ubisoft’s answer to the Halo franchise in the latest round of the console wars.

Composers Christian Marcussen, Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan were joined by audio lead Graeme Norgate for an all-encompassing look at the creative process behind the game’s soundtrack. Norgate mentioned that if you’d like to see a soundtrack release, you can help by beating down Ubisoft’s door, so be sure to let the company know if you like what you hear!

Rockstar Games and Future Green Entertainment have announced the release of an original production album from The Evil Genius DJ Green Lantern featuring music from and inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV.

Containing eight brand new tracks crafted exclusively for DJ Green Lantern’s “Liberty City Invasion” radio show on the in-game radio station “The Beat,” as well as eight new songs directly inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV, The Evil Genius DJ Green Lantern has created an epic urban soundtrack. This special album release features an incredible lineup of hip-hop, reggae and R&B superstars including heavyweights Busta Rhymes, Wyclef, Fat Joe, Styles P and Fabolous as well as up-and-coming artists Mavado, Uncle Murder and Future Green Entertainment’s own Johnny Polygon, Qadir and more.

Singles include “Where’s My Money” from Busta Rhymes and “Nickname” from the brand new artist Qadir. The perfect summer anthem “I’m So Fly,” featuring Fat Joe and Fabolous is inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV and while included on the album is not in the game.

“The Grand Theft Auto games have always featured stunning soundtracks and the amount of eclectic music in Grand Theft Auto IV goes above and beyond anything we have been able to do before” said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games, “DJ Green Lantern’s contributions give the soundtrack a true New York flavor and we’re excited to be releasing his full album to fans.”

“From making mixtapes, to being on the radio, to touring with the biggest artists on the planet, and then for the biggest video game title to solicit me to create exclusive music is something most people could only dream about, it’s like a graduation,” said Green. “Rockstar Games understood what I bring to the table as far as not just presenting music, but creating music.”

Green Lantern originally came to prominence in the mixtape scene by consistently featuring exclusive self-produced music with hip-hop superstars like Eminem, Jay-Z, The Beastie Boys, Mike Shinoda’s Fort Minor, D-Block, Busta Rhymes, Mobb Deep and many more. This led to an acclaimed career as a proper music producer in his own right which has yielded such Billboard hits as “Number One Spot” by Ludacris and “In The Ghetto” by Busta Rhymes featuring Rick James as well as the street hits Akon “Ghetto” feat. Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac, Uncle Murda’s “Bullet, Bullet,” and many more. Green Lantern can be heard every week nationally on his Sirius Satellite Radio show.

The Evil Genius Green Lantern makes his official production album debut with the release of Liberty City Invasion: Music From and Inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV. It will be available at all major digital retailers on May 20th with a physical release coming soon.

Grand Theft Auto IV is currently available for the Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION 3.

About Aksys Games
Based in Torrance, California, Aksys Games is a third party licensee of Nintendo of America. More information on Aksys Games can be found online at aksysgames.com.

Thanks to UMD’s Justin Johnston (the host of 8-Bit Radio), for the news.

The University of Maryland Gamer Symphony Orchestra will hold its Spring Concert on Tuesday May 13th at 7:30PM. It will be held at the Kay Theater in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on the UMD campus. Admittance is FREE for everyone!

The details are:
Who: The University of Maryland
What: Our Spring Concert Featuring Pieces from Zelda, Chrono Trigger, Portal, Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, Metal Gear Solid, and more!
When: Tuesday, May 13th 7:30-9:30PM (doors open at 7PM)
Where: Kay Theater, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland College Park (map)
Cost: NONE! FREE FOR EVERYONE!
Website: www.umgso.com
Contact: umgso@gmail.com

That definitely sounds like a good time, and it’s free! I’m certainly gonna be there right before I move back down at Atlanta. To check out the GSO in action, visit their Recordings section, where they have MP3s of the previous Spring and Fall 2007 performances!

OC ReMixer SGX Wins OurStage.com Grand Prize; zircon/Goldin and Audix finish top 15

By: Larry Oji, larryoji@ocremix.org

May 3, 2008

College Park, MD — Danny “SGX” Adler, OC ReMixer, emerged victorious in OurStage.com’s April 2008 Music Finals. Adler’s Electronic channel-winning song “Coactive” bested fourty-three other channel winners out of a pool of over 27,000 entries to claim first place. Along with the $5,000 Grand Prize, Adler (www.sgxmusic.com) is also eligible for several other prizes and awards offered by OurStage and its partners.

The full version of Adler’s “Coactive” is the opening track of his original Electronic album, Chroma, available from his website, CDBaby.com, and Apple iTunes. SGX’s OurStage Music Finals victory follows up the previous month’s win by OC ReMix judge Jillian “pixietricks” Goldin with her original New Age/World track “Hajime.”

OurStage (www.ourstage.com) was launched in 2007 to increase the exposure of independent musicians and filmmakers through its democratic “battle” voting system, where users are able to judge each entry against all other competitors. OurStage winners earn cash prizes, along with the potential of other perks including magazine coverage, opportunities to perform at concerts and festivals, and mentoring sessions with established musicians and filmmakers.

“At 11PM, I was resigned to getting 20th. […] Seriously, you guys are the best! Thanks for sitting there clicking a web page for hours for me!” said Adler to the OC ReMix community moments after learning of his win. OverClocked ReMix provides support for developing artists for both game music arrangements and original music. Along with several other OC ReMixers, Adler’s music has been featured in Synthetic Light Studios’ popular web-based rhythm game Flash Flash Revolution.

Fellow OC ReMixers Andrew “zircon” Aversa & Jillian Goldin (as a duo) and Greg “Audix” Michalec also placed fourteenth and fifteenth in OurStage’s April 2008 Music Finals after wins in the New Age/World and Techno/Club/Dance channels, respectively.

About OverClocked ReMix

Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and interpretation of video game music. Its primary focus is www.ocremix.org, a website featuring hundreds of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans.

Links:

*OurStage winners for April 2008
*Danny Adler (SGX) at OverClocked ReMix
*Adler’s track “Coactive” is featured on the original album, Chroma
*SGX’s music store, Protagonist Records
*Andrew Aversa (zircon) at OverClocked ReMix
*Jillian Goldin (pixietricks) at OverClocked ReMix
*Greg Michalec (Audix) at OverClocked ReMix

Shawn Galway, the Nostalgiaholic (and I’ll guess Martin Galway’s lost lost cousin), conducted an interview with me at Nostalgiaholic.com! I really enjoyed it, so of course I’m gonna share it with you guys.

We discussed what game soundtracks roped me into video game music, my responsibilities at OverClocked ReMix, and how game music connects with its fans. There’s also a mention of how OC ReMixers are now bringing it to video games as professional musicians, including a pimp of the upcoming Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. All that, AND I poop on Captain N!

Do me a favor a rate the article at the bottom of the page and/or throw Shawn a comment just to let him know you stopped by! Let’s get nostalgic, y’all.

• Interview
• ReMix

‘Nuff said.

OC ReMixer Jillian Goldin Wins OurStage.com Grand Prize; SGX and zircon finish top 5

By: Larry Oji, larryoji@ocremix.org

April 5, 2008

BALTIMORE, MD — Jillian “pixietricks” Goldin, OC ReMix judge and ReMixer, emerged victorious in OurStage.com’s March 2008 Music Finals. Goldin’s New Age/World channel-winning song “Hajime” bested thirty-six other channel winners out of a pool of over 30,000 entries to claim first place. Along with the $5,000 Grand Prize, Goldin (www.jilliangoldin.com) is also eligible for several other prizes and awards offered by OurStage and its partners.

Goldin’s “Hajime” is the opening track of her original New Age/World album, Origins, which will be available April 22nd through her website, CDBaby.com, and Apple iTunes.

OurStage (www.ourstage.com) was launched in 2007 to increase the exposure of independent musicians and filmmakers through its democratic “battle” voting system, where users are able to judge each entry against all other competitors. OurStage winners earn cash prizes, along with the potential of other perks including magazine coverage, opportunities to perform at concerts and festivals, and mentoring sessions with established musicians and filmmakers.

“I will also be making a donation to the community of OverClocked ReMix, because my friends and fans there have given [me] so much over the years,” said Goldin in an interview with OurStage’s Quinn Strassel. OverClocked ReMix provides support for developing artists for both game music arrangements and original music. Goldin has performed vocals for 2K Games’ Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword soundtrack as well as session vocals for composer Christopher Tin.

Fellow OC ReMixers Andrew “zircon” Aversa and Danny “SGX” Adler also placed third and fourth in OurStage’s March 2008 Music Finals after wins in the Techno/Club/Dance and Electronic channels, respectively.

About OverClocked ReMix

Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and interpretation of video game music. Its primary focus is www.ocremix.org, a website featuring hundreds of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans.

Links:

*OurStage winners for March 2008
*Jillian Goldin interview with OurStage’s Quinn Strassel
*Jillian Goldin (pixietricks) at OverClocked ReMix
*Goldin’s original album, Origins
*Andrew Aversa (zircon) at OverClocked ReMix
*Danny Adler (SGX) at OverClocked ReMix

For Immediate Release
April 1st, 2008
Contact: Tyberius H. Guenley, (suzumebachi@gmail.com)

BELEN, NM–ReMix:ThaSauce, in cooperation with Dupaszef, LLC, is proud to present Super Mario Land 2: Tremendous Achievement. Super Mario Land 2: Tremendous Achievement is an achievement unlocked in video game music remixing. Such a great achievement to have been achieved is truly an achievement in itself. Super Mario Land 2: Tremendous Achievement is the remixing community’s first official Super Mario Land 2 remix project, an honorable achievement. Also an achievement, is the incredible talent involved in this achievement. Greatly achieved artists, such as:

• Beatdrop
• injury
• Children of the Washing Machine
• that Mexican guy
• Emmanuel Samuelson IV, Esq.
• MC TOAD
• OverCoat
• that Swedish guy
• OverCoat

This achievement is available to the public at:

http://remix.thasauce.net/sml2/

Downloading of this achievement is free on the condition that you share this achievement with your unachieving friends. After downloading this achievement, users are allowed to select songs from this collection of achievement and listen to them. The act of listening to these songs is an achievement all on its own. Tell your friends. And your mother. Ty Guenley, ThaSauce Admin, ReMixer, Forum Troll, IRC Troll, World of Warcraft Player, Haver of Basic Skills, Project Director for Super Mario Land 2: Tremendous Achievement (http://remix.thasauce.net/sml2/), and Generally Standup Guy, writes:

“This is totally a crowning achievement. Not unlike the crowning of a newborn child, or like the King of Canada or something.”

Founded in 1979, Dupaszef, LLC is a company.

A few days back, jeriaska messaged me to introduce his new VGM news site: Nobuooo. Initially I was skeptical, as (silly name aside) VG Frequency seemed to be filling the same role. However, after closer inspection, I realized that this was a promising new site with some good Digg-like features. Most importantly, jeriaska and the other contributors have been regularly updating the site multiple times per day with some quality VGM info.

Of note to VG Frequency is the newly posted “Nobuooo Toootorial“. Anybody recognize the site at 0:13? I personally think it was respectful of jeriaska to give that nod to VGF, so I have no qualms about reciprocating. Check it out. — [K(G)

Music 4 Games‘ Jayson Napolitano conducted a lengthy interview with God of War: Chains of Olympus composer Gerard Marino at GDC08. Marino had plenty of enthusiastic comments for Chains of Olympus, revealing that he didn’t have to sacrifice anything substantive in creating the soundtrack for the PSP.

Marino also shed light on the tools used to create the soundtrack, as well as the unorthodox (yet somewhat refreshing) scenario of composing the music before the game was significantly completed, analogous to the creative process to some spaghetti western film scores. Certainly an interesting comparison, one I can safely say I’ve not seen mentioned anywhere else before. Did Marino feel any benefit from the situation he was placed in? You’ve gotta visit M4G to find out. (Side note: I’d actually love to find out which VGM composers have directly been influenced by spaghetti western scores.)

Jayson and Gerard also got into the very interesting debate on whether it’s more effective for the the games and game music industries to digitally release soundtracks for free rather than physical releases. Based on all of that, along with Marino’s thoughts on his musical growth, and a quick mention of OC ReMix, you’ve definitely got another great read from Music 4 Games.

Music 4 Games’ Tony Porter recently conducted an interview with veteran game composer Frank Klepacki on a myriad of topics. Most interesting was that Klepacki revealed his recent work on the Universe at War soundtrack as currently the most challenging soundtrack of his career.

Check out the interview in full for basics like Frank’s musical influences, insight into his gear for the music techies among you, and what games he’s playing, as well as deeper topics like how the job of scoring for games could be made easier, and his outlook on video game scores of the future. Per M4G’s usual, you’re gonna get a great read.

Michael Gluck, more commonly known as Piano Squall (www.pianosquall.com), spoke with Andrew Aversa (zircon) recently about his album GAME and some of the logistics involved in licensing and royalties when it comes to selling game music arrangement albums:

“If you decide to release your own album, remember that royalties are only one of the many expenses involved. You also need to consider retailer margins, production costs, advertising costs, website development, photography, packing, shipping, inventory space, PayPal/merchant fees, and manufacturing costs. And of course, an album can take months to create, so you need to prepare for a substantial time investment.”

The full interview is available at:

http://www.ocremix.org/info/Interview:_Michael_Gluck_%28Piano_Squall%29

We at OverClocked ReMix thank Michael for taking the time to provide some very valuable information on the commercial side of game music arrangement!

- djp

OC ReMix Announces Voices of the Lifestream Music Video Contest Results

For Immediate Release
February 24, 2008
Contact: David W. Lloyd, dlloyd@ocremix.org

FAIRFAX, VA–OverClocked ReMix announced results from its music video competition for Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream (ff7.ocremix.org) today. This was the first official competition held by OC ReMix, with 17 entries in three categories: “FF7″, “Anime”, and “Original.” OC ReMix partnered with Piano Squall (www.pianosquall.com), and eStarland (www.estarland.com), to offer prizes including signed limited edition promotional copies of Voices of the Lifestream, signed copies of Piano Squall’s album GAME: Game & Anime Music Emotions, Final Fantasy VII merchandise, and OverClocked ReMix shirts & hoodies.

A complete, streamable listing of all music video entries is available at:

http://ff7.ocremix.org/videos/

Voices of the Lifestream Director Andrew Aversa expressed his enthusiasm at the fan-made music videos this fan-made album has elicited: “The average level of quality and creativity among the videos was really outstanding. I’m glad that the entrants were so inspired by the music of VotL! Congratulations to all entrants on amazing work!”

Winners in each category are as follows:

- Final Fantasy VII Category -

• Winner: “Compiled Memories” by sayde (David Lee)
• Runner-up: “Black-Winged Angel” by slkdragon (Chris Cook)
• Honorable Mention: “Wheels of Lifestream” by Big Paul (Paulo Augusto)

- Anime Category -

• Winner: “Final Moments of Clarity” by Mindeffects (Saša Tarbuk)
• Runner-up: “Sweetest Embrace” by Phantasmagoriat (Chris Studer)

- Original Category -

• Winner: “Stone Eyes” by Zethzen (Ian Cofino)
• Runner-up: “Lunatic Hero” by backseatstuff (Matt Furbush)

Videos are available online at http://ff7.ocremix.org/videos/ and will later be distributed via bittorrent in higher quality. Entrants will be contacted shortly with details regarding prize distribution.

Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and interpretation of video game music. Its primary focus is www.ocremix.org, a website featuring hundreds of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans.

In anticipation of Electronic Musician’s upcoming pimpage of OverClocked ReMix for their March 2008 issue, EM group editorial assistant Tracy Katz spotlighted Andrew “zircon” Aversa’s MySpace page (along with another plug for OC ReMix) in the magazine’s supplementary mailout eMusician Xtra.

Congratulations to Andy for the spotlight as we at OCR await our first press coverage in a major music production publication, via Tracy and the good folks at Electronic Musician!

Following up on previous big name VGM composer interviews with Hitoshi Sakimoto and Yasunori Mitsuda, 1UP.com hit the motherlode with a full day of time with Final Fantasy series’ composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Now that Uematsu works freelance, unencumbered by interviewing through Square Enix, the discussion features Uematsu at his Yamanakako, Yamanashi home speaking his mind at length on a host of topics with 1UP.com’s James Mielke and crew. Standard questions such as musical influences, the humble origins of his career, dealing with technological advances in music programming, the creation of his band The Black Mages, and the worldwide acclaim his music has achieved are all in full force with all the candid details you need.

But getting to even meatier topics were Uematsu’s thoughts on attending the American debut of the Dear Friends concert series in Los Angeles, criticism of Square Enix and the direction of the Final Fantasy franchise after the departure of series creator and Square co-founder Hironobu Sakaguchi, how he wishes he had control over the music he wrote for Square, and the real deal on why he chose to leave Square Enix. All fascinating stuff as far as I was concerned.

A couple of issues I would have loved to have heard addressed are his thoughts on the amateur VGM arrangement community and their own musical tributes to his work (Peter Griffin: “C’MON!”), as well as his point of view on the gradual phasing out of his role in scoring the FF series with Final Fantasy X and XI. Nonetheless, a groundbreaking interview, at the very least for the English-speaking side of VGM fandom, it’s a must-read affair.

1UP.com recently conducted an extensive interview with legendary game composer Yasunori Mitsuda, covering his career, his creative process, who he’d like to work with in the future, and even his surprising thoughts on how Japanese companies compare to American ones in their respect for video game music. (Here’s a hint: not favorably.) You’ll even learn which of Mitsuda’s trademark compositions came to him in his dreams.

I keep waiting for someone at 1UP to ask questions about the fan arrangement community; I’m biased, but then again OC ReMix did just release the Radical Dreamers arrangement album Thieves of Fate. Otherwise, this was a solid and informative read, so be sure to check it out.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl was released today in Japan, although final copies made it out before the release date. Advance screenshots have been making their way like wildfire across the internet, as have gameplay videos on YouTube.

One enterprising fellow by the name of ShadowHero1991 is one of those chaps who has been supplying YouTube with videos of the game in action, but he has also uploaded eight videos solely featuring music from the game. As stated in a recent interview between Nintendo Co., Ltd. president Satoru Iwata and SSBB director Masahiro Sakurai, Brawl has “thirty games worth of music.” On the 29th, Sakurai revealed a list of every single song available from the beginning, a list that contains a staggering 101 tracks. And who knows how many more tracks remain to be unlocked.

So, ShadowHero1991’s measly eight videos don’t even begin to scratch the surface of the music contained in SSBB, but they’re our first glimpse at whole tracks from the game, as opposed to the samples Sakurai has posted. In addition, only three of the videos contain full versions of samples from the site; the other five are completely new. Here’s my personal favorite and links to the other seven:

“Meta Knight’s Revenge”
Original pieces: “Revenge of Meta-Knight: Stage” and “Taking Over the Halberd” from Kirby Super Star (SNES)
Composed by Jun Ishikawa and Dan Miyakawa
Arranged by Noriyuki Iwadare

• “Boss Theme Medley” (from Kirby’s Adventure [NES], Kirby’s Dream Land 2 [GB], and Kirby Super Star [SNES], composed by Jun Ishikawa, Hirokazu Ando, and Dan Miyakawa and arranged by Kentaro Ishizaka)
• “Butter Building” (from Kirby’s Adventure [NES], composed by Jun Ishikawa and Hirokazu Ando and arranged by Jun Fukuda)
• “The Dark World” (from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past [SNES], composed by Koji Kondo and arranged by Arata Iiyoshi)
• “Gourmet Race” (from Kirby Super Star [SNES], composed by Jun Ishikawa and Dan Miyakawa and arranged by Motoi Sakuraba)
• “Hyrule Field Theme” (from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time [N64], composed by Koji Kondo and arranged by Yutaka Iraha)
• “Ocarina of Time Medley” (from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time [N64], composed by Koji Kondo and arranged by Michiko Naruke)
• “Fire Emblem Theme” (from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light [NES], composed by Hirokazu Tanaka and Yuka Tsujioko, arranged by Shogo Sakai, and performed by Oriko Takahashi and Ken Nishikiori)

Industry mover-and-shaker Tommy Tallarico follows up last month’s Electronic Musician spotlight on entering the video game audio production with his own appearance in the magazine describing the evolution and challenges of scoring games, as well as his own advice on the importance of networking in order to help the other important aspect of an artist, talent, shine through.

If you’re a composer interested in a very informative Reader’s Digest version of how to break into the business, as well as fun stuff about the premiere video game concert series Video Games Live, then check out the January edition of Electronic Musician this month!

Video game music news portal ThaSauce has launched the first full episode of their podcast, SauceCast, hosted by Dyne and injury, the premiere edition focusing on the events of MAGFest 6 along with other community news at developments at ThaSauce.

Aside from (or dare I say “including”) the comical overuse of the word “phenomenal” (that’s starla’s version of me saying “aight”, “tite”, “hot”, “yo”, and “bro” in my radio days), I was enjoying every minute. There were a few slight dead spaces in the convo I would have edited to make things keep flowing, but I’m anal. Regardless, this was way slicker than anything I’d ever put out, with iTunes sections and everything. Very nice.

Dyne and injury were able to keep things short and to the point while I felt like I’d gotten the info I needed. Granted, I was there for MAGFest, so none of the info was new to me specifically.I’m interested to see how it goes when news I’m not familiar with is tackled, but the team at ThaSauce sound up for the task. Lots of fun akin to the other girl/guy podcast teamups of VGDJ-past. I definitely enjoyed SauceCast and am looking forward to more!

After a lengthy search involving scores of law enforcement agents, BT’s daughter, 3 1/2-year-old Kaia Transeau has been found, allegedly abducted by her mother Ashley Duffy in December.

This past Tuesday, the BTmusic.com forums had this brief message notifying fans of the end of the alleged kidnapping incident (corrected for typos):

Thank you all for your prayers, well wishes, and support!

This evening Kaia was found!!

Ashley was arrested, and a warrant executed.

Karen Durrett [Editor’s note: Ashley’s mother] is also being interrogated by Federal Marshals.

Kaia right now is with CPS, being prepared to being reunited with BT.

In one of the very few times you’ll ever find me linking to TMZ, TMZ.com had the scoop on the rescue. However, Maryland news outlet The Gazette has since clarified that the legal aspects of the case, particularly custody, have been pretty murky, resulting in Duffy being cleared of her abduction charges. ABC News provided an even more in-depth breakdown of the case earlier today that’s a must read for a better grasp of the events.

With that said, who knows what the future will hold in this custody case, since there’s currently no organized agreement for shared custody of Kaia between BT and Duffy. When we hear more, we’ll keep you posted.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2008
www.videogameslive.com

VIDEO GAMES LIVE ANNOUNCES 40 SHOWS FOR 2008 WITH MORE ON THE WAY!

Countries Include Taiwan, Brazil, Germany, France, England, Scotland, Mexico, China, U.S., Canada & MORE

Special Performances to Take Place During Game Developers Conference, San Diego Comic-Con, Leipzig Games Convention, Broadway in New York City and a 7,000 Seat Bullring in Mexico!

LOS ANGELES, CA – Having already performed to sold out audiences around the world since 2005, the most successful video game concert in the world – Video Games Live will continue its ground-breaking tour in 2008 with the announcement of 40 performances across the globe.  Video Games Live is produced and created by veteran video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall.  It features music from the most popular video games performed by top orchestras and choirs, combining exclusive video footage and music arrangements along with synchronized state-of-the-art lighting, solo performers, special fx, stage show production, electronic percussion, unique on-stage interactive segments with the audience and a pre-show festival.

Video Games Live is best described as utilizing the power & emotion of a symphony orchestra mixed with the energy and excitement of a rock concert combined with the cutting edge visuals, technology, interactivity and fun that video games provide.  Video Games Live is not just a concert, but a celebration of the entire video game industry that people of all ages adore.

The highest and most prestigious level of symphony and venue quality continues with the announcement of some of the world’s most renowned orchestras and local theatres, halls, auditoriums and arenas.  To further attract the biggest audience possible, Video Games Live also partners with pop-culture’s most important conferences and conventions.

  SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Exact dates and venues for the following cities are to be announced (TBA) shortly:

Anaheim, CA
Atlanta, GA
Boston, MA
Brazil (multiple cities)
Dallas, TX
Glasgow, Scotland
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Los Angeles, CA
Milan, Italy
Paris, France
Shanghai, China
Winnipeg, MB

All past, current and future tour dates and ticket information can be found at:
www.videogameslive.com/dates

“Our goal of building Video Games Live as a worldwide brand has become a reality,” said Marc Geiger, Senior Executive Vice-President of Touring for the William-Morris Agency. “Tommy & Jack have created a very special and unique event experience that is not only a hit with gamers but also speaks to a general mainstream global audience as well.”

About Video Games Live™ (www.videogameslive.com)

Created by two industry leading video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live (produced under their company Mystical Stone Entertainment, LLC) is the front runner in the field of live game music performance.  Video Games Live is an immersive concert event celebrating music from the biggest video games of all time.  The debut performance launched on July 6th, 2005 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic with over 11,000 people in attendance making it the largest video game concert in the world.

Following up on news last month, BT issued a press release regarding his daughter Kaia, abducted by her mother and still missing. We at VG Frequency continue to wish BT well for his daughter’s hopefully safe return. You may need to right-click and view the image to read it properly: