Joystiq

Joystiq interview: Tommy Tallarico of Video Games Live

Kevin Kelly — 2008-10-02T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Interviews, Rhythm

Tommy Tallarico has been working in the video game industry since 1991, and has worked on the audio and music for over 250 games, which sounds exhausting enough. He also ocassionally co-hosts Reviews on the Run (formerly Judgement Day on G4), he's a co-founder of the Game Audio Network Guild, serves on the advisory board for the Game Developers Conference, and somewhere amidst that schedule he found time to co-create (with game composer Jack Wall) the live-action game music experience that is Video Games Live.

Video Games Live has been bringing the rocking tunes of games to audiences around the world for three years now. Whereas Jack Wall provides the baton-waving, classy dress portion of the show, Tallarico is the tennis-shoe wearing, Spider-Man guitar-wielding rock element. Check out our full interview with Tommy after the break, and check the VGL schedule to see if there's a show near you -- because everyone should hear the Mario Bros. theme played live at least once. If you can't make it to one, enter our Joyswag Video Games Live giveaway.

So, Video Games Live is entering its third year. What are some of the success stories? Have you had any growing pains along the way? Is it fairly profitable by this point?

Actually, we're coming up on our 4th year of touring in 2009. If you include the 3 1/2 years it took to create the show, you could say we're already in our 7th year (we started in 2002). Each year we've continued to grow leaps and bounds thanks to the amazing support of the audience and media helping us to spread the word. Video Games Live is one of those things that you really need to see in order to completely understand what it is, kinda like Cirque de Soleil. In 2005 we did 3 shows, 2006 we did 11, 2007 we did 29 and this year we're doing over 50 shows with close to 70 planned for 2009.

"Playing the first game concerts in countries like Canada, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, Taiwan, Portugal, France, Spain, England, Scotland, was a big thrill and major achievement for us"

I would say some of our bigger success stories would be our very first show which was performed at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic to over 11,000 people. Everyone thought we were crazy in the beginning, but coming out of the gate strong at one of the most famous venues in the world really helped to solidify the concept. Playing the first game concerts in countries like Canada, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, Taiwan, Portugal, France, Spain, England, Scotland, etc. was also a big thrill and major achievement for us. Probably one of our biggest achievements, however, was seeing our album debut at #10 in the Billboard charts a few weeks ago. I think it really helps to show how culturally significant and artistic video game music has become, which is the reason why we started Video Games Live in the first place.

I think every new concept or business probably goes through a lot of growing pains in the early stages. Ours came in the first year of touring back in 2005 when Clear Channel (the tour promoters at the time) fell on some financially hard times and ended up splitting up their companies, letting go a bunch of people, and canceling a bunch of summer tours ... including ours. In the long run and looking back on it now, it actually really helped us because we were forced to figure everything out on our own after that and took more control of everything around us instead of relying on others. We've learned so much since then and I think the show continues to get better because of it.

You play a wide variety of music at the concerts. What's the process like in securing the rights for those? Is there anything you've really wanted to play but haven't been able to get the rights to?

Securing rights for the music and video in the beginning was tough because back in 2002 no one had ever done anything like what we were trying to accomplish (synchronized video, touring the world, etc.). With the success of VGL it's getting easier and now game publishers are coming to us to ask to include their new game or music into the show. The only company that doesn't allow us to include video (performing music is okay) is Square Enix, but we'll continue to keep asking for the video rights in hopes that someday they'll grant them. I believe we're starting to have a significant impact around the world on how people (gamers and non-gamers) view game music and our industry as a whole.

What's your favorite piece that you've played so far?

Overall, I think one of my favorite segments in the show is probably the Warcraft segment composed by Jason Hayes and arranged by me & my VGL partner Jack Wall. The way the music, colors, video, lights and special effects go together is really beautiful. I'm also fond of the Kingdom Hearts segment because I'm a big Disney fanboy and worked so long and hard on the video for that one. I also like performing my rock version of Castlevania. It's really amazing and fun to be able to play guitar on stage with a symphony.

What's the guitar you tend to use that doesn't have a head on it?

I've been using two guitars in the show this year. The first one which you refer to is called a Steinberger. It doesn't have a head on the top and you tune it down below the pickups. I painted a PONG screen on the back of it.

The other guitar is a rare custom limited edition Spider-Man Gibson Les Paul that they made awhile ago. It's officially called the Webslinger One and they only made 75 of them. Each guitar is personally signed by Stan Lee and includes inlaid mother-of-pearl web patterns up the neck.

What's been one of the best/favorite venues that you've played in? What about events? VGL has played at Comic-Con, E for All, BlizzCon, etc. And will you be back at BlizzCon this year?

I would have to say the Hollywood Bowl is my favorite venue partly because of the amazing history it holds. Being able to perform on the same stage as people like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, John Williams, The Police, etc. is a huge dream come true.

The BlizzCon & Blizzard Worldwide Invitation events are always great fun because the audience is so big and is so into the Blizzard music. When we put on these special Blizzard only music performances I think it really hits home with a lot of people in the crowd and there's a lot of great energy. So far we've played the last 3 events in Korea, Anaheim and Paris. Although nothing has been announced yet for BlizzCon 2008 in Anaheim, we are hoping to once again return with some new material.

[Editor's note: On the tour schedule, there's a mysterious TBA in Anaheim on October 11th ... right during BlizzCon. Hmm.]

VGL is aimed squarely at gamers, but have you noticed any interest in the non-gaming audience? Do people come not knowing what the music is, and appreciate the conducting/score anyhow?

"The reason we created Video Games Live is because we wanted to prove to the world, not just gamers, how culturally significant and artistic video games and their music have become."

Absolutely! The reason we created Video Games Live is because we wanted to prove to the world, not just gamers, how culturally significant and artistic video games and their music have become. We wanted to create a show for everyone. To do that, the presentation had to be very unique and very visual. What really separates Video Games Live from anything that's ever been done previously, is that everything is completely synchronized with huge video and special effects, synchronized state of the art lighting and productions, and interactivity with the crowd. I like to say that Video Games Live is all of the power and emotion of the symphony orchestra combined with the energy and excitement of a rock concert, mixed together with the cutting-edge visuals, technology, interactivity, and fun that video games provide.

What really makes Video Games Live and why it continues to grow, is that we're not just catering to hardcore gamers. We're catering to families, catering to grandparents just as much as to an 8-year-old or hardcore gamer. We wanted to create an experience that anyone can enjoy whether they're into video games or not - in fact a lot of the responses we get are from adults who have never played a game that see the show and tell us, 'Wow, we never knew video games were this powerful an art form, we now see why our kids are so into them, thank you." They understand it and we can present it in a form that they can appreciate.

Are you still actively composing for games? And what's the status with Reviews on the Run? You haven't hosted a show in quite awhile. Is it just that the time commitment to VGL has grown so much?

Growing VGL has been my main focus for over 5 years now. Now that it's grown to over 50 shows a year I've had to limit all of my other projects and companies. That being said, I've been working on some smaller DS & Wii titles along the way as well as Freaky Creatures on the PC. I've had to put the 3 TV shows I've been involved with on hold (Electric Playground, Judgment Day/Reviews on the Run and Championship Gaming Series) but I do try to shoot a few episodes here and there and just recently we shot 2 new Judgment Day/Reviews on the Run at Comic-Con in San Diego. I always enjoy doing television but music and live performing is really where my heart is at.

And, we just have to ask, do you know if your cousin Steven Tyler likes his new Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game?

Hahahaha ... yeah, he absolutely loves it! Joe Perry & Tom Hamilton are actually big gamers as well. Steven was telling me how originally they were going to have someone do his motion-capture, he said... "Nobody does Steven Tyler like Steven Tyler! I've been doing my moves my whole life so why would you want to get someone else to do me?" I think the development team was probably afraid to ask, but Steven wouldn't want it any other way. I think him and Joe spent a total of about 3 weeks doing all the mo-cap stuff.

I remember the first time I brought him and Joe a copy of the first Guitar Hero game when it originally came out ... their eyes lit up! Then they were disappointed to find out that Aerosmith wasn't in the game. My buddies at Harmonix & Red Octane tried to get an Aerosmith song in the first game but they couldn't come to terms with the record company (the band didn't even know about it). They knew my connection so I had them send me a bunch of copies and told them I would take care of it directly. Needless to say, by GH: 2 they had an Aerosmith song and the talks for their own game progressed from there.

Thanks for the great questions and helping to spread the word to your readers about Video Games Live. I've been a Joystiq fan, supporter and commenter for a long time. Keep up the great work!

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PAX 2008: Highlights from the Jonathan Coulton concert

Ross Miller — 2008-08-30T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Video

Last night, Jonathan Coulton (preceeded by the awesome OneUps and Frezepop) rocked the PAX 2008 house in the only way a bearded man with an acoustic guitar standing in front of a crowd of nerds can -- with clever puns and nerd references. Check out our highlights reel of the show, including:

A "Still Alive" duet with Dr. Horrible's Felicia Day
A more subdued, romantic "Code Monkey"
A cover of They Might Be Giant's "Birdhouse in Your Soul"
A sea of arms stretched out mumbling "eat your brains"
Lots of great Coulton banter

We've embedded the highlights reel above. Check out the separate videos for "Code Monkeys" and "Birdhouse in Your Soul" after the break.

Birdhouse in Your Soul

Code Monkey

"Flickr" and "Not This One"

Freezepop Highlights

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Rock Band concert tour, chance to humiliate yourself on-stage announced

Randy Nelson — 2008-07-30T17:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

Part of the appeal of games like Rock Band is that you can play like you're in a band without actually having to go on-stage and risk mass humiliation. Of course, there are those who can't see the line separating failing a song in front of three friends and failing a song in front of 10,000 strangers. For them, MTV has created the Rock Band Live Tour.

Kicking off on October 5 in San Diego, CA, the tour is headlined by Panic at the Disco and Dashboard Confessional, and, as the press release happily exclaims, "possibly you!" Pre-concert Rock Band 2 competitions will be held by local radio stations, national contests, and on-site at each venue, the winners of which will "perform" on-stage in-between sets by opening acts Plain White T's and The Cab. (In addition, MTV has announced that tracks from all of the acts on the tour "minus you!" will be made available in a post-launch DLC pack for Rock Band 2.)

Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carraba is quoted in the release, saying, "I'm practicing my Rock Band drumming. With any luck I'll win a spot on stage to show what I can really do." Har-har! Tickets for the tour go on sale at 10:00am local time on Friday, August 8. Check out the full schedule of stops after the break.

Sunday, October 05, 2008
San Diego, CA
San Diego Sports Arena

Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Phoenix, AZ
Jobing.com Arena

Thursday, October 09, 2008
Las Vegas, NV
Hard Rock Outdoors

Friday, October 10, 2008
Los Angeles, CA
Staples Center

Saturday, October 11, 2008
San Jose, CA
SJ Events Center

Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sacramento, CA
Arco Arena

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Seattle, WA
Everett Event Center

Thursday, October 16, 2008
Salt Lake City, UT
The E Center

Friday, October 17, 2008
Denver, CO
Broomfield Events Center

Saturday, October 18, 2008
Lincoln, NE
Pershing Center

Sunday, October 19, 2008
St. Louis, MO
Scott Trade Center

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Minneapolis, MN
Target Center

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Chicago, IL
Allstate Arena

Thursday, October 23, 2008
Detroit, MI
EMU

Friday, October 24, 2008
Toronto, Canada
Arrow Hall

Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Bridgeport, CT
Harbor Yard

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Lowell, MA
Tsongas Arena

Friday, October 31, 2008
Washington, DC
Patriot Center

Saturday, November 01, 2008
Philadelphia, PA
Spectrum

Sunday, November 02, 2008
Newark, NJ
Prudential Center

Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Atlanta. GA
Gwinnett Center

Thursday, November 06, 2008
Tampa, FL
USF Sundome

Friday, November 07, 2008
Miami, FL
U of Miami - Bank United

Saturday, November 08, 2008
Gainesville, FL
U of F - O Connell Center

Sunday, November 09, 2008
Orlando, FL
UCF Arena

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Bossier City, LA
Century Tel

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Dallas, TX
Nokia Theatre

Thursday, November 13, 2008
Austin, TX
Frank Erwin Center

Friday, November 14, 2008
Houston, TX
Reliant Arena

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Video Games Live announces 50 shows for world tour

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-06-04T17:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

You wouldn't castigate us for saying that many classic video games are loved and remembered not just for their gameplay and characters, but their memorable music. Why, just think of The Legend of Zelda's dum dum, da da da dadum, da da da da daaa da da da da da dadum! Or Sonic the Hedgehog's dada da da dee dum dum, da dada da dum dee dum dum. And who could forget Mega Man's dada dada dadee dum, dadum dadum dum daaa?

If you're a video gamer who appreciates everything from 8-bit beeps and boops to rousing orchestral scores, we encourage you to drag those big ears of yours to a Video Games Live concert. Created in 2002 by composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live honors a wide range of games in -- thanks to its 50-show strong world tour -- a wide range of American and international venues. See a complete list of planned concert locales (including France, China, Taiwan, Scotland and Portugal) and dates after the break.

Winnipeg, MB	June 5, 2008	Centennial Concert Hall
Las Vegas, NV	June 14, 2008	Henderson Pavilion	Las Vegas Philharmonic
Toronto, ON	June 21, 2008	Younge-Dundas Square	Future Shop
Glasgow, Scotland	June 26, 2008	Royal Concert Hall	Royal Scottish Symphony
Paris, France	June 29, 2008	Porte de Versailles	Blizzard Worldwide Invitational
Houston, TX	July 10, 2008	Jones Hall	Houston Symphony
Austin, TX	July 11, 2008	Long Center
Austin, TX	July 12, 2008	Long Center
Louisville, KY	July 18, 2008	Kentucky Arts Center	Louisville Orchestra
San Diego, CA	July 24, 2008	Embarcadero Park	San Diego Symphony
Taipei, Taiwan	Aug. 10, 2008	Pan-Chiao Stadium	Taipei Philharmonic
Taipei, Taiwan	Aug. 11, 2008	Pan-Chiao Stadium	Taipei Philharmonic
Indianapolis, IN	Aug. 15, 2008	Hilbert Circle Theatre	Gen Con & Indianapolis Symphony
Indianapolis, IN	Aug. 16, 2008	Hilbert Circle Theatre	Gen Con & Indianapolis Symphony
Leipzig, Germany	Aug. 20, 2008	ARENA Leipzig	Leipzig Games Convention
San Jose, CA	Aug. 26, 2008	Performing Arts Center	NVISION 08
Brookville, NY	Sept. 20, 2008	Tilles Center
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Oct. 5, 2008	Canecão	Petrobras Sinfônica
Birmingham, Alabama	Oct. 9, 2008	Jefferson Complex	Alabama Symphony
Beijing, China	Oct. 18, 2008	Beijing Stadium	China Opera Symphony
Vancouver, BC	Oct. 29, 2008	Orpheum Theatre	Vancouver Symphony
Kansas City, MO	Nov. 1, 2008	Midland Theatre
Chicago, IL	Nov. 15, 2008	Chicago Theatre
Lisbon, Portugal	Dec. 6, 2008	Campo Pequeno
Lisbon, Portugal	Dec. 7, 2008	Campo Pequeno
Paris, France	Dec. 18, 2008	Palais des Congress
Newark, NJ	Dec. 27, 2008 (2PM)	NJ PAC	New Jersey Symphony
Newark, NJ	Dec. 27, 2008 (8PM)	NJ PAC	New Jersey Symphony
Burlington, VT	Jan. 17, 2009	Flynn Center Perf. Arts
Seattle, WA	Jan. 24, 2009	Paramount Theatre
Kitchener, ON	March 13, 2009	Centre in the Square	Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Kalamazoo, MI	March 20, 2009	Miller Auditorium
Sarasota, FL	March 28, 2009	Van Wezel Hall	Florida West Coast Symphony
Richmond, VA	April 25, 2009	Landmark Theatre	Richmond Symphony
Calgary, Canada	May 15, 2009	Jack Singer Hall	Calgary Philharmonic
Calgary, Canada	May 16, 2009	Jack Singer Hall	Calgary Philharmonic
Boston, MA	TBA	TBA
Philadelphia, PA	TBA	TBA
Atlanta, GA	TBA	TBA
San Francisco, CA	TBA	TBA
São Paulo, Brazil	TBA	TBA
London, England	TBA	TBA
Hong Kong, China	TBA	TBA
Shanghai, China	TBA	TBA
Tokyo, Japan	TBA	TBA
Singapore	TBA	TBA
Seoul, Korea	TBA	TBA
Moscow, Russia	TBA	TBA
Norway	TBA	TBA
Sweden	TBA	TBA

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Rock fans uninterested in Harrison's PS3 auction

Kyle Orland — 2007-04-03T17:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Business

Marketing is all about knowing your audience -- what they'll respond to and what will turn them off. Going by that metric, it seems Sony's Phil Harrison wasn't quite a marketing genius at a recent rock concert.

Paul Rose, a.k.a Edge magazine's "Mr. Biffo," recounts on his blog the somewhat embarrassing tale of a Harrison-led PS3 charity auction in the middle of a Marillion festival in Holland. Harrison, who's apparently a friend of the British rock band, reportedly took over the auctioneering duties from the band's keyboardist, raising the bidding price from just above €100 to the €600 retail price as he did.

What followed was a debacle that Rose calls "one of the most awful things I have ever witnessed." According to Rose, Harrison was only able to get one bid out of the awkwardly silent two-thousand-plus strong crowd. What's more, Harrison reportedly "became increasingly desperate as it grew clear that everyone just wanted him to go away, and nobody was going to indulge his tasteless attempt at publicity."

It'd be easy to spin this as an example of the PS3's high price hurting it's saleability, but really it's just another example of marketing tone-deafness of Sony's part. These people were there to hear a rock concert, not to hear a marketing pitch from a Sony executive who wants them to throw down €600+ for a game system on an impulse. Sometimes, you just have to know when people don't want to be sold to.

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Video Games Live holding 14 shows at 10 North American cities [update 1]

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2007-02-27T15:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

Video Games Live continues to spread its musically inclined tendrils across the North American continent, with the announcement of 13 upcoming concerts in 10 different cities. If you can't make the GDC concert next month (featuring Nintendo's Koji Kondo), perhaps you'll find solace in the complete list of events presented after the break.

In addition, Video Games Live concerts are currently being planned for several European, Asian and South American venues. Keep an eye (and an ear) out for further announcements regarding international events.

Location	Date	Venue	Event/Orchestra
San Francisco, CA	March 9th, 2007	Masonic Center	Game Developer's Conference
New Haven, CT	March 31st, 2007	Woolsey Hall	Yale Symphony
Columbus, OH	April 26th, 2007	Mershon Auditorium	Columbus Symphony
Dallas, TX	June 20th, 2007	Meyerson Hall	Dallas Symphony
Dallas, TX	June 21st, 2007	Meyerson Hall	Dallas Symphony
Houston, TX	July 13th, 2007	Jones Hall	Houston Symphony
Houston, TX	July 14th, 2007	Jones Hall	Houston Symphony
Louisville, KY	July 20th, 2007	Kentucky Arts Center	Louisville Orchestra
Los Angeles, CA	October 20th, 2007	Nokia Live	E for All Expo
Calgary, Canada	November 9th, 2007	Jack Singer Hall	Calary Philharmonic
Calgary, Canada	November 9th, 2007	Jack Singer Hall	Calgary Philharmonic
Ft. Wayne, IN	February 15th, 2008	Embassy Theatre	Ft. Wayne Philharmonic
Salt Lake City, UT	March 28th, 2008	Abravanel Hall	Utah Symphony
Salt Lake City, UT	March 29th, 2008	Abravanel Hall	Utah Symphony

Update: Added in bonus city! (OR: we accidentally skipped one) Thanks JodyAnthony.

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Video Games Live hits London on November 25th

Jennie Lees — 2006-09-11T08:02:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

Those of us this side of the pond may have been reading the various Video Games Live tidbits with a detached air of mild interest, but finally we'll be able to get in on the musical action. The concert of videogame music will be hitting London's Hammersmith Apollo on November 25th, and tickets went on sale last week.

We'll be there, so watch out for the Joystiq t-shirt amidst the crowds; now, if only the concert would do a UK or European tour for those of us aware that London isn't the only city on this continent.

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PLAY! Symphony plays Prey in Phillay tonight (we'll be there)

Christopher Grant — 2006-07-27T16:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

Philly is racking up the video game concerts this summer. First, the Video Games Live concert at the Merriam Theater in June*, and now rival production PLAY! at the Mann Center tonight, 8:30.

Just to make the evening super special, the promoters added some music from the (better than you'd think) Prey soundtrack to the already impressive program. Other titles on the RPG-heavy lineup include Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross and Trigger, Morrowind, Kingdom Hearts, Shenmue, and more. Tickets are still available so if this is the first you've heard about it, get buying.

I'll be at the show tonight with (just a) couple oddly sized Joystiq shirts to give away so, if you can answer me who composed the music for Sonic Rush (don't answer it here!), you may get yourself a fancy tee.

*I promise I'll recount my very tardy VGL experience in addition to PLAY! so y'all can compare and contrast.

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Video Games Live seats in Indy up for sale

Dan Choi — 2006-06-16T00:29:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Rhythm

Tickets are now on sale for the two Video Games Live shows planned in conjunction with Gen Con Indy Friday & Saturday, August 11-12.

After a stop in Philly earlier this month, the VGL tour is moving on to Houston July 14th, Chicago August 5th, and then Indianapolis the weekend after that. More on reserving seats for the Hilbert Circle Theatre can be found on the official announcement page (via the pic to the right or the Read link below).

Judging by the reviews of the Philly show so far, Video Games Live sounds like it could be a lot of fun. If they keep providing public access to Guitar Hero II, they may have sold this blogger on going already. We hope Midwestern gamers not attending the Chicago show can make a pitstop in Indy to keep Tommy's show on the road. So, yeah ... rock on.

See also:

Official VGL report from Philly (with some local links to boot)
Video Games Live ticket purchases opened a bit early
The official page for Gen Con Indy
PS2 impressions: Guitar Hero II

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Video Games Live hits Philly tomorrow

Christopher Grant — 2006-06-02T11:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

The previously canceled but now resuscitated Video Games Live show is ready to play its third show to date at Philadelphia's Merriam Theater in Center City tomorrow night. Like their show at GDC in March, this one is tied to a popular event -- namely Wizard World Philadelphia -- giving them a built-in audience who've already traveled to the city.

The GDC show in San Jose sold out, no doubt as a result of the hoards of gaming geeks and industry insiders around, but there are still tickets available in Philadelphia (comic book geeks, what's up?). In addition to the great music, the pre-show festival includes a costume event and a special meet and greet. Philadelphia attendees include Marty O'Donell (Halo), Jason Hayes (World of Warcraft), Martin Leung (Video Game Pianist) and me!

Alright, maybe I'm not a celebrity, but I'll be there with a handful of Joystiq t-shirts so if you see me*, ask for one. If there's enough Philly readers going (c'mon guys!) it might even be fun to meet up before hand, play some Metroid Prime: Hunters, you know the deal.

*I'll be the tall guy with a Joystiq shirt on!

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Chicago signing for Uematsu, Aki, & Roth tonight

Dan Choi — 2006-05-26T14:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 2, Retro, RPGs, Rhythm, Business

Are you in Chicago tonight for the big PLAY! concert tomorrow, but weren't willing to shell out $125 for the VIP meet-and-greet at the event? Well, you might be in luck (even if you're not attending), as a few famous folks from the concert will be on hand to sign autographs in Chicago proper for free tonight.

From 7 to 9 PM (presumably Central time) at the Tower Records store on 2301 N. Clark St., Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, bilingual songstress Angela Aki (who wrote and sang the theme song for FFXII), and Principal Conductor and Music Director of PLAY! Arnie Roth will be signing autographs to promote the world-tour premiere of 'PLAY! A Video Game Symphony' and the CD for More Friends - Music from FINAL FANTASY.

While this blogger is sadly occupied with prior engagements tonight, gamers in the area are more than welcome to mob that Tower Records and cause the store's employees much consternation and bewilderment. If you don't have any imported CDs to sign, however, don't fret: the store's web site claims to have "some awesome Japanese imports available for you to purchase and have autographed at the event." Not only that, Angela Aki will be performing live as well. Score! Anybody wanna tell us how this evening turns out when it's all sung and done?

[Via The Daily Northwestern; image culled from Angela Aki's blog, Nobuo Uematsu's Squenix profile, and Arnie Roth's 2005 interview with IGN]

See also:

Official page for Tower Clark Street (with details on the signing)
Ticketmaster site for the PLAY! concert debut tomorrow
Sonic and Chrono composers to join PLAY! in Chicago

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8bit musicians announce world tour

Vladimir Cole — 2006-03-22T23:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Portable, Retro

Former cellmates Nullsleep and Bitshifter have announced plans to embark on a world tour, blasting their blend of bleeps, bloops, and blizzasts from Boston to Brussels and back again.

If you're not an 8-bit believer yet, nothing will win you over except trying it out for yourself. To that end, here are links (1, 2, 3, 4) to some MP3s these torturers of Gameboys, Famicoms and other old-school video game consoles have kindly provided for downloading.

If you like what you hear, check the tour page and maybe even drop a few dollars in the donation bucket to help make it happen.

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