Episodes

Wow! Happy Anniversary to RE-VGM! One year ago, I decided to start a podcast to showcase covers and remixes of video game music (VGM). I’ve listened to other VGM podcasts (Rhythm and Pixels, VGMporium, VGM: A Very Good Music Podcast, XVGM, A VGM Journey, Shujin Academy VGM Club), along with another podcast about movie soundtracks, called “The Soundtrack Show”. While I enjoyed them, the thought of doing a podcast had tickled my fancy. I eventually came around when I bought a mic and figured out ...

Do you remember, as a child, getting a box of plastic bricks that let you build a house, a police station, or a spaceship? How about having a chest of loose pieces so that you can build anything limited by your imagination? Or, maybe you heard your parents screaming as they hopped across the floor, cursing and complaining that you need to pick up your toys off the floor. January 28th is International Lego Day, the day when Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, a Danish carpenter, patented the original Le...

It’s a special-special episode for this week. To begin, we’re celebrating Mariachi Day, on January 21st, to honor this music genre that is the pride of Mexico. While it is widely known for its heritage, mariachi has expanded from Mexico to other parts of Latin American and even across the ocean to Japan (search for Samurai Mariachi). Most recognize the music for the instruments (guitars, trumpets, violins, accordion), its members (traditionally male but now may have both male and female or all ...

Muhahah! It’s BAAA-aaack… This year, Friday the 13th appears twice, in January and in October. While most may think this is already looking like a bad year, I’d like to think that this will be most interesting 2023. If some of you listeners may remember, I like to consider myself a paraskevidekatriaphile. This week’s episode, we’ll be talking about some of the superstitions of playing certain video games, while playing some original tracks and their covers and remixes. Whether you’re out colle...

Everyone knows the Lakers, the Celtics, the Suns, or the Nicks. You may even know the Bruins, the Blue Devils, or the Aggies. However, have you ever heard of… the Harlem Globetrotters? They are an exhibition basketball team known for their on-court antics. Once you hear their theme song, you’ll remember their warm-up routines with their red-white-and-blue basketball: passing and bumping, juggling one or more at a time, and spinning it on their fingers and feet. During a “game” with their rivals...

2022 will be history in a couple of days. The parties will be dripping in style, decorated to the nines, and loaded with food and drinks. New York will be filled as the crowd gathers to watch the ball drop during the final seconds of the year. The world will see sun set and the moon rise for the new day as 2023 arrives. For this week’s episode, we’ll be playing some video games tracks that play during the roll of the ending credits, along with their covers and remixes. I also talk about my pers...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! This week’s episode is the culmination of the 25 Days of Holiday VGM covers and remixes that were featured on Instagram and Twitter. We’ll be playing all 25 tracks in order, starting with Day One. These tracks were from Overclocked Remix, an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of video game music as an art form. They are definitely worth checking out. I hope you enjoy Christmas Day, whether it’s with family and friends or simply...

Okay, so perhaps you’re tired of celebrating Christmas. You know, because of how much more commercialized it has become, how few understand the real meaning of the holidays, and why so many people feel burned out after the 25th of December. How about celebrating a non-traditional holiday known as Festivus! This week’s episode will attempt to match video game music related to parts of this tradition that was made public by a comedy show called “Seinfeld”. We’ll start with stuffing a bag with a ...

Christmas is less than two weeks away, but I’ve decided to celebrate it early. This week, I’ll be gifting several podcast hosts with some tracks, along with covers and remixes. It’ll be a long episode as I talk about several podcasts in particular: Rhythm & Pixels, VGMporium, Very Good Music: A VGM Podcast, A VGM Journey, and Shujin Academy VGM Club. Hopefully, I’ve picked some goods ones, but any excuse to play lots of video game music is a great excuse. So enjoy this episode and perhaps cons...

Put on your best dance outfit, gather your friends together, and break out the lightsticks! December the ninth of Friday, according to DaysoftheYear, is known as World Techno Day. It is a day to celebrate two things: the genre of techno and dance music, and the birthday of a musician (Juan Atkins) who founded and promote techno. Four on the floor and running at 120 to 150 beats per minute, techno is widely recognized by its heavy use of electronic instruments, namely synthesizers, drum machines...

See you next year, November. Hello, December… As the last of the leaves fall from the barren trees, and the last of the migrating flocks of birds make their way to warmer areas, the winds blow cold and crisp on your face, nipping your nose and shivering your skin. The sidewalks are getting covered in sporadic wet piles of fallen ice, much to the consternation of workers furiously scrapping the windshields. People are walking about in their portable bundle of warmth and chilly protection. Yes, ...

Thanksgiving is here, and that means every family member and their friends are gathered together at home. The dining table is decorated with the colors of brown and yellow, from the table cloth, to the name placard. Each seating place has their plate and silverware, set upon a table cloth and highlighted with a tall wine glass. The food table is dressed up with a variety of dishes: a tray of gravy, a plate of sliced, canned cranberry sauce, a stack of square cornbread pieces, a mound of mashed p...

This month’s special episode of “On Stage Now” goes across the ocean to Europe, where we feature a delightful and folksy musician who calls herself Alina Gingertail. She plays a variety of instruments, most of them that are traditional and a few that are modern. In addition, she displays a lovely voice that serenades with sweet lullabies and chorus. It’s not enough for me to speak more about her, so allow this set to show how well she plays and sings. Sit back and enjoy a sample of her video ga...

Raise those fists and scream your face into melted madness, headbangers! There’s an important event that we’re celebrating, called “National Metal Day”! If you’re a fan of the movie This is Spinal Tap, then you know that any heavy metal music sounds awesome at eleven. Thanks to VH1 Classic, National Metal Day is celebrated on November 11, the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year. This week’s episode will feature some ripping, shredding, and bashing. In addition to original tracks, we...

It’s a new month, and November is known for more than just Thanksgiving. It’s a special time of the year called National Novel Writing Month, when writers around the world attempt to write a novel of their own creation of at least 50,000 words. It doesn’t matter your level of experience (beginner or professional), your amount of education (self-taught or formally educated), or your current employment status (unemployed or full-time). All writers have an opportunity to accomplish something that c...

Okay, I confess that I have played some scary video games. This includes mobs I encountered that were inhuman: mutated by some genetic experiment, infected by a widespread disease, or conjured by the imagination of the main character. These mobs may jump out of nowhere, ready to hurt with sheer strength or surround in great numbers. The settings of these games are often dark and obscure, with hints of light that may or may not lead to some refuge. Sometimes the reason for being there is enough t...

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...