Gameboy doof warrior
“A Danimal Cannon draws near!
Command?
MAGFest rocks out!
Excellent move!
Performer and game composer Danimal Cannon triumphantly returns to MAGFest. His live performances have headlined on 4 continents, and his composing work on Just Shapes and Beats was recently nominated for a Golden Joystick award for best audio.
Dost thou want to see Danimal Cannon?
But thou must!”
Bandcamp | YouTube | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter
Its dangerous to go alone
“The Triforce Quartet began innocently as a short Zelda medley for an encore of a recital in early 2007, but the video of using traditional string quartet instruments to play music of classic games gained viral popularity later that summer. Thanks to this, cellist Chad Schwartz was able to combine his love for video games, along with years of classical training, to arrange a variety of video game themes that even non-gamers can enjoy. The four members of the Triforce Quartet take audience members on an unforgettable musical journey.”
99.9% their music is written while creeping along State Road 520
“The Commute commeth! Wheelie H. Cyberman, Stenobot, Tron Juan, and the rest of the band are bringing their unique blend of 8-bit sci-fi hip hop to MAGFest for the first time.”
I really hope you like medleys, otherwise this isn't going to work
“Vancouver’s The Runaway Four were conceived as a mixtape love-letter to classic video game themes old and new. The four piece synth-rock outfit take an eclectic, all-inclusive approach to crafting tight and clever medleys that will appeal to gamers of all ages and tastes. Each arrangement develops a theme or narrative exploring the history and tropes of well-loved video games, with an immersive live performance incorporating intricate costumes and dazzling synchronized visuals to further engage the audience.”
With their powers combined
“LEX the Lexicon Artist is the rap project of Taipei-raised, Oakland-based entertainer Alex Sun Liu. A weird Asian nerd-turned-marketer-turned-rapper, LEX enjoys running and jumping around maniacally on stage while surgically administering rapid-fire rhymes about specs, sales, psychology, self-hatred, and her gigantic Raging Ego.
LEX has performed at Emerald City Comic Con, MAGWest, SXSW, and other shows and conventions across the country. She has shared stages with the greats of nerdcore hip-hop, including MAGFest alumni Mega Ran, MC Lars, and Schaffer the Darklord. Her debut full-length album, “Raging Ego”, was released on June 6th, 2018 to critical acclaim. She will be hitting the road with mc chris and Dual Core for the “mc chris is dead” national tour this fall.
For Super MAGFest, LEX joins forces with Audie Reyes Jr., Chris Songco, Ben Visini, and Jay Kim to form LEX & The Con Artists, a rap-rock outfit of unrestrained energy and infinite dopeness.”
Ask them about their cats
“Started as an ill-advised solo project mashing fuzzy guitar rock, orchestral instrumentation and the sounds of 80’s and 90’s video game hardware, Curious Quail has evolved into more of a musician collective than a band proper with contributing members spanning the west coast of the United States from the deserts of the Coachella Valley to the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest. Their mission has remained one of writing music that showcases an ongoing storyline told through lyrics and musical motifs while over engineering every technical decision from “how can we add more violin” to “yes the Game Boy needs an overdrive pedal”. They’re releasing two records this year; Empty Victories, and a nontraditional monthly writing exercise called Twelve Months, which is partially available on YouTube as you read this.
(Photo Credit: Loni Lonzo / @shutterghost_ )”
Welcome to the Shark Party!
“Perhaps you’ve seen Sam Mulligan entertain crowds at previous MAGFest events with songs about sasquatch, slaying donuts, and ninjas with just a guitar and his Nintendo gameboy. Well, he’s… gonna forget the Game Boy this time… at the airport or something… and rock the stage with a REAL BAND for ONE NIGHT ONLY! Featuring thunderous basslines by bassist Darmock of Steel Samurai, thrash-tastic hammer of the gods drumming by Adam Henry of Evil Lemur, and supreme shredding of metal noodles by VGM legend Stemage, this band is ready to rock. Get ready for the ultimate shark party with SAM MULLIGAN AND THE DONUT SLAYERS.”
Better than a bowl of Fruity Pe- DYNO-BITES
“Wreck The System is a group consisting of four members: LadyJ, Osiris Green, Cam3, and Twill Distilled. They are a Nerdcore Hip-Hop band but blend other genres like rock, EDM, dirty pop, dubstep, chiptune, and pretty much anything they want into their music. Wreck The System is not only known for their energetic and amazing stage shows, but their fans also identify with their overall message which is to “BE WHO YOU ARE WITHOUT FEAR””
The (un)official band of Taco Bell
“Lame Genie is a heavy 3.5 piece video game cover band from Providence, RI. What is the .5 you ask? If you have never been in contact with the half member and taco bell loving, BT Jones, then you are in for a bell grande surprise. If this is too cheesy, then maybe you need to get yourself a gordita crunch.”
Teacher. Rapper. Hero.
“Random, aka Raheem Jarbo of Philadelphia, is probably best known for releasing “Mega Ran,” a video game tribute album that caught the attention of international game developer CAPCOM, who offered young Ran an unprecedented licensing agreement. He’s gone on to land viral fame with “Jeremy Lin Rap,” a track that reached ESPN, ABC and more, and has landed tracks on shows like Tosh.0, 20/20 and more.
Arguably the world’s most well known video-game influenced performance artist, the former teacher’s high-energy shows and fun, nerdy persona have led to world tours, festival and video game tournament performances, and a legion of smart art fans he calls “Team Mega.”
Ran continues to bend genre definitions and reality with each release, and the sky is the limit. Ran may have traded in the chalk for the microphone, but every song, every lyric, and every appearance is a lesson. School is in.”
aka the poor nerd’s Justin Timberlake
“Professor Shyguy’s music can be best described as; high energy, chiptune-electro-rocking, 8-bit, epically vocalized, highly danceable, theatrical nerd-pop. Singing 50% about video games and the other 50% is anything from Space/Time to English Language gymnastics. He is recently known as the singer for Starring Star on the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Super. You might have also heard him on Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon’s Podcast ‘the Indoor Kids’ or the Diamond Club podcast or heard the theme songs he made for GuudeBoulderfist, This Week in Chiptune, PortsCenter, and more.”
The Warriors of Neo Olde Tokyo
“You know that game you rented once when you were 9 and loved it and the music was amazing and almost no one covers it? That’s what Steel Samurai plays: the deep cut classics. The only VGM band built on unearthing the rare, the obscure, the underappreciated melodies that have been swimming around in your subconscious since Blockbuster closed.”
Oh, you thought we were done? Dude, you have no idea.
“Honestly I’m just putting a quote here so that I keep the formatting consistent with the rest of the site. But I guess let’s talk about concerts. I mean, legit, they’re arguably the biggest reason to go to MAGFest. We’ve had some absolutely insane musical guests in the past, and this year will be even better. Seriously, I’m looking at the list right now and my brain is literally oozing out of myannldjjalnalkdjfnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn”
