Happy 4th of July! If this is irrelevant to you, sorry! If not, go put on some stripes and blow shit up!
Folks that know me well know that I love July 4th because it gives me a reason to dress up like a ridiculous patriotic dork. But that's not all! Fireworks are also a lot of fun, as well as getting a day off of work.
So overall, what's not to love? But really, I've gotta bring it all home. And the way I do that is to relate it to video game music. So let's do that!
American Album
The very talented Mazedude released this album a few years back. His goal was to showcase the terrific music that many American composers have contributed to the industry over the years, since the spotlight is typically dominated by Japanese composers. It's conveniently available in MP3 and Ogg Vorbis formats, so go get it!
Video Games Live
I really must admit they let me down here. I thought for sure Video Games Live would have a July 4th show, but no dice. Regardless, they've got many tour dates coming up, and douche chills aside, it's a really enjoyable show full of some great music.
But what does this have to do with America? Well, besides having mostly American venues, Video Games Live is also headed up by Tommy Tallarico, an American composer (that you may have recognized from some of the games in American Album), and Jack Wall (composer of Mass Effect, among others). ♩ My country, 'tis of thee ♩ … etc.
Contra 4
Contra is a classic NES game, widely known for its memorable music and fun, difficult gameplay. And the latest, Contra 4 for DS, was scored by American video game composer Jake Kaufman!
There's also a Contra 4 remix project in progress right now. Check out the impressive demo reel to get a good idea of the awesome music coming your way (someday).
Got More?
Seems like American composers are slim pickin's! If you've got more American VG goodness in mind, please let me know in the comments.
Categories: Entertainment, Music
