Love Canon

Chip Music, Game Music, Indie Music

MAGFest 12: Recap

January 15, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | 1 Comment Share this MAGFest 12: Recap

A new year has begun and with it another MAGFest down in National Harbor, Maryland. This was my second year attending the annual Music and Game Festival. There’s always a ton of things to do, from attending panels to rocking out at the concerts. Now that I’ve had a chance to recover from the trip and gather my thoughts, it’s time for a recap of some of what I experienced at MAGFest 12.

Most of the panels I attended were focused on music. The first of these was the “Write Your Own Nintendo Music,” hosted by Brendan “Inverse Phase” Becker. His talk focused on the tools that he uses for creating 8-bit/chiptune tracks for his music projects. He explained the methods in which music on the Gameboy and Nintendo Entertainment System was generated and what the musical and technological limitations for each were. Since this year’s MAGFest was Zelda themed, he included a demonstration of 8-bit music writing by reconstructing the “Dungeon Theme” from The Legend of Zelda.

Brenden “Inverse Phase” Becker

Two of the other music panels that I attended were hosted by game composer Tommy Tallarico. He’s probably best known for his soundtracks for Earthworm Jim and his work as the head of Video Games Live. The first panel “Video Games Live: Behind the Scenes” focused on his work with the orchestra program that he tours with around the world. Tallarico spent a majority of the time telling the audience stories about his experiences performing videogame music and revealed some of his upcoming arrangements for the orchestra. (more…)
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MAGFest 12: Mini-Musical Review

January 9, 2014 | Brenna Wilkes | 3 Comments Share this MAGFest 12: Mini-Musical Review

MAGfest has once again come and gone from our lives for another year. For the 12th year in a row, the music and gaming festival has managed to bring a variety of people, bands, and cultures all together in one place and blown the roof off the Gaylord National Harbor. New faces graced the stages, huge surprises were unveiled, and an excited energy permeated the halls of the convention center and hotel alike. Now that it’s over and things like PMD (post-MAG depression) and MAGPlague have settled into the hearts (and lungs) of many ‘fest-goers, it’s time to remember some of that excitement and good feelings that MAGFest always seems to create.

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Know Your MAG: Love Canon

December 31, 2013 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Know Your MAG: Love Canon Share this Know Your MAG: Love Canon

Some more “Know Your MAG” before the big shindig itself starts getting underway. We have to give our resident non-VG band some loving spotlight! Here’s what you need to know about Love Canon and why you should be in attendance for their debut at MAGFest 12.

Based out of Charlotteville Virginia, Love Canon is probably one of the most unique bands to grace the MAG venue in its 12 years. Firstly, they’re not video game related in any way, shape or form. The four-man ensemble of Jesse Harper (guitar/vocals), Adam Larrabee (banjo), Andy Thacker (mandolin) and Darrell Muller (bass/backing vocals) instead perform covers of 1980s pop songs. Songs like “Africa” by Toto and “She Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby are their bread and butter. Secondly, if you didn’t notice in the band lineup, they perform said classic ’80s in bluegrass style.

That’s right; ’80s bluegrass. Because why the heck not?

You can probably guess now why, despite not being VG-oriented like most of MAGFest’s other performers, Love Canon has the exception. This unconventional-yet-interesting style mashup lends to a rather unique listening experience, and the band has gained a following for their blend of music and overall ability to generate a lot of fun energy. This should prove to be perfect when they perform at this year’s first ever MAGProm. Ever try dancing to ’80s bluegrass, because I’m sure you won’t be alone. They’ve released two full-length albums of their music and have toured around the country playing, so you may want to check out the rest of their discography in order to not let yourself get caught off-guard. Believe me, it’s worth a couple minutes-worth of listening at least.

Will this be the first of a new wave of non-VG music bands to grace the MAGFest stages in years to come? I guess we’ll have to wait and see! Love Canon will debut at MAGFest 12 at MAGProm on Thursday at midnight after the main stage concerts.
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MAGFest 12 Stage 2 and MAG Prom Line-up Announced

November 22, 2013 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on MAGFest 12 Stage 2 and MAG Prom Line-up Announced Share this

This week MAGFest 12 has announced its roster for the Stage 2 concerts and the MAGFest Prom. In addition to the Chiptune Showcase and EDM Battle concerts that have already been announced, Stage 2 will host additional music by over a dozen different artists. Much like the other concerts, Stage 2 will feature a few newcomers and some returning favorites. Another music event for MAGFest 12 is the MAGFest Prom, a late night dance that will feature a James Bond theme. No dress code will be enforced for the prom, so people may dress however they like. Two bands, The OneUps and Love Canon, will be performing at this spy themed event.

The Stage 2 and MAG Prom performance roster is as follows:

Thursday Night MAGFest Prom (12 AM – 2 AM *technically Friday*)

– The OneUps
– Love Canon

Friday Stage 2 (11 AM – 5 PM)

– Chronicles of Sound
– Viking Guitar
– Eight Bit Disaster
– Lucio Baldomero
– Final Stage
– Overclocked University
– Armcannon

Saturday Stage 2 (11 AM – 5 PM)

– Droidekka
– Random Battles
– MissingNO
– Dethlehem
– LonelyRollingStars
– Triforce Quartet
– Rare Candy

The times of performances are subject to change. Information and updates on MAGFest events, tickets, hotels, guests, and performers can be found on the official MAGFest website at http://www.magfest.org/. It’s looking like a great line-up of concerts for MAGFest 12 and a great way to start of 2014.