Episodes

Yes, October is meant to be a scary month but how about we do something that’s not so scary. I mean, I get scared of seeing people getting severely cut or eaten. I shiver when I hear strange sounds of empty footsteps, creaking doors, and tapping windows. I get freaked out when something gross appears in front of me without warning. So, yes, I’m a wimp when it comes to scary things. So, how about doing something that’s not scary? We’ll be listening to tracks from video games deemed not as scary...

Time for another monthly episode of “On Stage Now”, a special podcast episode in which I feature the work of a musician’s covers and remixes. Our guest for this month is Super MadNES, a tribute band from Southern California that plays covers of video game music in the style of 80s heavy metal. Consisting of four members (Nico Saavedra, Ryan Iyengar, Ryan Bradley, and Josh Seguin), these guys jam on the drums, shred their guitars, and smash the keys with fierce determination. Their shows are a s...

Ah, can you feel that in the air? The cold winds are blowing, the air smells crisp and clear, and the leaves are turning brown and covering the ground. Oh, and that pumpkin spice smell from the local coffee store. That could only mean one thing: Fall is here. It’s the changing of seasons as the hot summer become into brisk, chilly autumn. Instead of suffering for a cold glass of water, you can nurture a warm spot of tea in your hands. The bare, blue skies become littered with a herd of sheepish...

Most people today take podcasts for granted: open your favorite streaming service or podcast app, view the plethora of shows, choose an episode based on your moment and mood, and press play. It’s become a part of the regular routine in life, whether it’s working on a deadline, running an errand, cleaning the room or house, or just sitting back with a cup of your favorite drink. For some, the podcast is a haven away from the chaos of living and mayhem of people. It’s also a comfort to those seeki...

This week’s episode became more that I had bargained for… I was originally going to talk about one composer’s birthday but then I realized “What if there are other composers born in September?” After sending a question out through social media and Discord, I found out there were several more composers born this month. So I decided to extend this episode to include their birthdays as well. Well, I underestimated how much material and information I needed, because there are a total of six compos...

Welcome to our monthly episode of ‘On Stage Now’, in which I feature artists and bands and play their covers and remixes. This month, I present to you the “Keytar Kween of VGM”, Lacey Johnson. Classically trained in music, her main instrument is the keytar, a keyboard played as a guitar. She also plays a variety of other instruments, allowing her to arrange, perform, and produce all of her covers and medleys on her own. Energetic, enthusiastic, and motivated, Lacey Johnson is delight to watch l...

The party is still going on this month, as I talk about one of my favorite genres of video games: role-playing games. These were games in which to you take on the role of a character, based on a certain class using several traits or stats, and go on an adventure that sees you grow from a meager novice to an awesome master of skill. You may encounter many NPCs (non-player characters) to do quests or find clues to the next objective. You’ll collect items to arm yourself, do better in a battle, or...

Birthdays, that “important” day of celebration when your mom birthed you into the world under usual, and sometimes unusual, circumstances. It may have been at a hospital after your mom was driven in haste after the water broke, or at a home because it was too late to reach the hospital. Maybe you were born on the same day as one of your relatives, for better or worse. Perhaps you were born with a twin or another set of babies, within minutes of each other. The process may have been standard or t...

There was a time when video game music (VGM) was considered a niche, something most gamers appreciated but a handful of people enjoyed wholeheartedly. In the last ten years or so, VGM has enjoyed a certain level of popularity; covers, remixes, and VGM-inspired medlies are appearing online (YouTube, Twitch, Spotify, etc) and in the public venues. There are a bevy of musicians releasing albums of their works. For the first time at the BBC Proms, video game music took center stage at the Royal Alb...

Welcome to one of many featured episodes for the podcast, and one I hope to develop as a monthly mainstay. This week, we are featuring works from an artist who does club covers and remixes of video game music. His name is Theology, an artist who’s been doing production and DJ since 16. He’s done several collaborations with many artists, such as Profetik, Jerry Tebbs of Table 18, and Euphoric Nation. He recently tapped into VGM, where he is currently focusing his efforts. This man is the real d...

Music has been played and stored on various analog and digital media. While most are recorded and played from streaming services, hard drives, and CDs, there has been a recent interest in older technologies such as cassettes and vinyl. Some may say that having music on MP3 or FLAC makes it more portable and accessible, but there are some who hold their hearts close to magnetic tapes and vinyl discs, because the sound quality feels more personal and warm than the cold and calculating bits and byt...

If you remember watching a commercial on TV about two kids looking dreadful as their father gleefully fills the shopping cart with pencils, notebooks, and calculators, then you know that summer is about to end and that school is about to start. The campuses will be filled with students brandishing their best backpack holding their books, papers, pens, and maybe a handheld game system with some games. The classrooms will be buzzing with talk and gossip about who is the teacher, how ‘interesting’ ...

Summertime is here! The skies are clear, the sun is shining, and the waves are beckoning. That means it’s time to hit the beach. Time to check that list: Summer clothes and glasses? Check. Basket of food? Check. BBQ grill and charcoal? Check. Ice chest filled with ice and drinks? Check. All devices charged? Check. Extra power banks? On this week’s episode, we’ll head to some famous beaches in the video game world. Our first stop is at the Isle Delfino, home to the the largest and sunniest beach...

We’re back with part two, in celebration of Anime Expo. This time, we’ll listen to tracks from video games which spawned from anime shows or movies (OVA) and manga. Basically, the anime or manga was created first and then later a video game was made based on that material. We’ll learn a bit more about the anime and then hear the remix track. And in case you’re wondering, no, I haven’t given up my usual outro music. It’s just that I find something in my research and I feel I have to play it bec...

“Minasan, kon’nichiwa. Kore wa ‘RE-VGM’ desu.” Hopefully, I wrote that correctly in Japanese, as it’s supposed to say “Hello, everyone. This is RE-VGM.” This week’s episode is a celebration of anime and video games, in relation to Anime Expo, which happened a couple of weekends ago at Los Angeles Convention Center in Downtown Los Angeles. It was a weekend event that allowed fans of anime and related media to experience many venues, such as attending panels for shows and video games, shopping a...

This week’s episodes returns us to the man-on-the-street interview session, this time at Brew Game Plus. Brew Game Plus is a 2-day music festival held in San Diego and is devoted to video game music. Musicians and bands come together to perform their covers, remixes, and original tunes. Some are familiar (“Guile’s Theme” from Street Fighter II) and some are popular enough to get the crowd dancing (“Power Drift”, covered by Kirby’s Dream Band). There are lovely voices, unique instruments, and co...

Hot Dogs! Hamburgers! Fireworks! Stars and Stripes! Red, White, and Blue! That could mean one thing: The Fourth of July is upon us! On the 4th of July, we celebrate a moment when the 13 colonies separated from the British government with their Declaration of Independence. The American Revolution was a bloody war yet it was fought with the understanding, at the time, that no one should be ruled by one, single person. It was argued that all people are created equal. Freedom for all! Of course, f...

And now, the final composer for “The Masters of VGM”. While she has only done one video game soundtrack, Cœur de Pirate (stage name for Beatrice Martin) has the receipts for her incredible work on the game. Playing piano at the age of three, she studied for several years at a conservatory, played in a band as a keyboardist, and released a debut album that would gain notoriety thanks to a viral video. After working on a collaboration with several different musicians, directing her first music vid...

Now we shall talk about one of the more famous and familiar composers among the VGM community and perhaps outside: Yoko Shimomura. She is best known for her compositions of the Kingdom Hearts series, but that required working on many titles beforehand. This week’s episode, we’ll go through her career, listening to several tracks from long list of her works, starting with Street Fighter II, going through several games in the JRPG genre, and then working on another fighting franchise. As usual, e...

Welcome to Part Two of “The Masters of VGM”. This week’s episode will be about a composer who’s likely to be more famous for his work on another medium besides video games: Hiroyuki Sawano. If you’ve been watching lots of anime, you probably have several shows on your list that you have watched, are watching, or have yet to watch: Seraph of the End, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096, Attack on Titan, Seven Deadly Sins, etc. Most likely, you may have found the opening and/or ending songs to be ...

Welcome to one of the four episodes in “The Masters of VGM”, an event during the month of June in which participating VGM podcasters get to talk about their love and admiration for certain composers. This week’s episode will focus on Hitoshi Sakimoto, a composer who started wanting to learn how to make video games and ended up founding a company that composes music and produces sound effects for them. We’ll be playing several songs, from his earliest solo piece to his current work. We’ll also t...

This week’s episode places a spotlight on mental health, an issue that has become more prominent during the pandemic. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, grief – these in addition to other forms of mental sickness are what plague our daily lives in a moment of crisis or confusion. It affects everyone individually and effects those close to them and their daily routines. While there are many ways to amend our mental health (therapy, medication, etc), certain video games have recently made it the focus of ...

This week’s episode is going to be un-bee-lievably honey-sweet, because May 20th is World Bee Day. Designated by The United Nations, the day brings awareness about the bees and their importance to the ecosystem and humanity. From pollinating flowers to producing honey, the bee is an important asset to the world at large. We’ll be listening to tracks from video games that have bees: a cybernetic bee, a game level located inside a beehive, and a galaxy world full of bees. We’ve also got some jazz...

Personally, I like months where the first day perfectly falls on Sunday, because that means it will have a Friday the 13th (bwahahaha!!!). Now, some will call me weird, but I prefer to be called a triskaidekaphile (an admirer of the number 13). If you want to get technical, you can call me a paraskevidekatriaphile (an admirer of the 13th of Friday) or a friggatriskaidekaphile. Unless you’re triskaidekaphobic (fear of the number 13), I hope you’ll brave the unknown and take some time to listen t...