Nerd Music Meltdown

On November 14th, Marc with a C has a new album coming out, appropriately titled Steamed Hams. Definitely a great time to have Marc on the Nerd Music Meltdown one final time. We not only talk about the new album, but also the importance of Pride Month, the end of The Geek Easy, focusing on family, the homogenization of "nerd media," and Marc's documentary. Even some anime talk! You can preorder Steamed Hams at marcwithac.bandcamp.com. You can also follow Marc with a C at linktr.ee/marcwithac. Follow host Kent Ward at linktr.ee/greatkentward. You can support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive. "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob

A whole lot has changed behind the scenes over the last year at video game music netlabel and community GameGrooves. To get us up to speed on the new era of GameGrooves, Kent has Ro Panuganti, Ian Martyn, and Drew Gibson on to talk all about it. They are cookin! We discuss the leadership changes, community involvement on their Discord, what goes into planning their compilation albums, the Nintendo Music App and licensing, their upcoming "Summer of Sony" and Persona and Chrono Trigger albums.  It's a whopper episode, and you can see what GameGrooves is up to at gamegrooves.com. Follow Ro Panuganti at linktr.ee/RoPanu. Follow Ian Martyn at linktr.ee/IanMartyn. Follow Drew Gibson at linktr.ee/drewbertisms. Follow host Kent Ward at linktr.ee/greatkentward. You can support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive. Find out more about this Sunday' Virtua Ongaku Pride Charity Show at ongakuoverdrive.com/vopride. "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob

Justin Taylor and Adam Payne of Final Fantasy metal band Knight of the Round are on the Meltdown to talk about their upcoming album Refractions, dropping on April 25th. Pre-order Refractions: knightoftheround.bandcamp.com/album/refractions Knight of the Round at Warriors of Light II: youtu.be/uJXNToRJws4 Kent and KOTR also discuss the evolution of the Final Fantasy games, Ergheiz, Power Stone, and their upcoming shows in Atlanta, Chicago, and Nashville. Follow Knight of the Round at knightoftheround.com. Follow host Kent Ward at linktr.ee/greatkentward. You can support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive. "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob

This year, Bonus Stage is turning TEN and we have founder Josh Pendlebury on to talk all about it! We also talk about Bonus Stage's transition from virtual to live events, Bonus Stage Ultimate in Vancouver this November, the upcoming VGMCon, the new generation of VGM acts, and touring with video game composer Danny Baranowsky and working on Crypt/Rift of the NecroDancer. You can follow Bonus Stage at bonusstage.ca and twitch.tv/bonusstagevan. Follow host Kent Ward at linktr.ee/greatkentward. You can support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive. "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob

Super MAGFest brought us a lot of great music and games, and created some incredible memories we won't forget. To reflect on the weekend, Mr. Ongaku has brought on Ro Panuganti, Alyssa Kalugdan, and Klinkit from Zeldathon to share their favorite moments of the epic MAG weekend. But that's not all! Ongaku Overdrive and Zeldathon are teaming up with the VGM community on Sunday, February 16th to raise money for LA Wildfire Relief with Fairy Fountain: Hearts for LA. Find out more at ongakuoverdrive.com/fairyfountain. Follow host Kent Ward at linktr.ee/greatkentward. You can support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive. "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob

It's been a while since the last episode of the Nerd Music Meltdown podcast. A lot has happened in the life of Mr. Ongaku himself, and Kent Ward explains it all. Lots of talk about Kent's return to game development, Super MAGFest this week, and what to expect from both Ongaku Overdrive and the Nerd Music Meltdown in 2025. Follow host Kent Ward at linktr.ee/greatkentward. You can support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive. "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob

We're all taking off for the Sunshine Resort at VGM Con! Taking place April 19th-22nd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, VGM Con celebrate video games and music with live performance, panels, and more! We have Vaughn Rowles of VGM Con and The Bards Quartet along with Theology to talk about the VGM Con experience, what performers and events to look out for, and more. They will even be streaming the Warp Stage schedule on twitch.tv/vgmcon. Find out more about VGM Con at vgmcon.org. Follow Theology at linktr.ee/theologymusic. Fallow Vaughn's band, The Bards Quartet, at twitter.com/bardsquartet.  Follow host Kent Ward at linktr.ee/greatkentward. You can support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive. "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob

We have video game and animation composer, musician, and audio producer Mason Lieberman on Nerd Music Meltdown! His credits include PUBG Mobile, One Piece, Made in Abyss, Soundfall, Apex Legends Mobile, RWBY, and more. We talk about his start through Rooster Teeth and their shutdown, how VGM musicians can break into the game industry, GDC, how he manages his crazy schedule, and his video game band Tournament Arc. They just released their self-titled debut album and performed at Super MAGFest. You can follow Mason Lieberman at masonlieberman.com and twitter.com/MasonLieberman. Check out Tournament Arc at tournamentarc.bandcamp.com. Follow host Kent Ward at linktr.ee/greatkentward. You can support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive. "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob

SXSW is coming up in Austin, Texas this March and nerdcore will be repped very hard during the festivities with the official SXSW Nerdcore Showcase on March 16th, as well as the Nerdcore Dayz festival March 13th to 15th. We have Shubzilla, Bill Beats, and DJ R.O.C.K.M.A.N. to break it all down and why these events are significant in our community. Some folks like Billy Mitchell also get dragged and we discuss why rapping over vocals is BAD. Follow Shubzilla at linktr.ee/shubzilla. Follow Bill Beats at linktr.ee/billbeats. Follow DJ R.O.C.K.M.A.N. and Nerdcore Dayz at linktr.ee/nerdcoredayz  Follow host Kent Ward at linktr.ee/greatkentward. You can support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive. "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob

Super MAGFest Prime was 4+ days straight of video games, music, partying, and friends. Kent actually worked for the event and has MAGFest performers Stemage (Metroid Metal), Katy Scary (Klaymore), and Jimmy Granger (Abandon Quest) on to talk about the weekend, favorite moments, getting dance pads and a Mother Brain robot on stage, and more. We also talk about what we want to see at MAGFest next year and what's good for 2024! Follow Stemage at stemagemusic.com and his band Metroid Metal at metroidmetal.bandcamp.com. Follow Katy Scary at linktr.ee/katyscary and her band Klaymore at klaymore.bandcamp.com. Follow Jimmy's band Abandon Quest at youtube.com/@AbandonQuest. Learn more about MAGFest at magfest.org and follow them on youtube.com/magfest. Kent Ward runs Ongaku Overdrive and you can follow them on linktr.ee/ongakuoverdrive and visit ongakuoverdrive.com. You can also follow Kent at linktr.ee/greatkentward. Support also our podcast at patreon.com/ongakuoverdrive! "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob