This is another video from Complex Games that demonstrates some pretty wild features of their Facebook game, “Pirates Ahoy!”
This shows the menu, where you can select your ship, change its colour, modify its armaments… all that good stuff. I love those sections of games, like where you are customizing your ultimate machine, making it look awesome… all of that. I REALLY love customization, of anything really (except small little cars with enormous mufflers, not crazy about that kind of customization). “The Buccaneer’s Lament,” or the music playing during the Volcano level, is present during this section.
After we deck out our ship, we take it for a spin on the open seas! This is the gameplay area, where we click and drag paths, then shoot at our enemies with crazy (well, outrageous, really) cannons and guns. Very fun.
Red Reptile was recently at the 2010 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco at the GameOn Manitoba booth where they were running a trailer of their upcoming titles. One in particular (working title “Legacy”) used a piece we composed for them that brings out a gritty kind of techno-mechanical feel to it. Here’s the music and trailer!
So, I recently attended my brother’s beautiful wedding on the killer Hawaiian island of Maui and, I’ve got to tell you, it couldn’t have gone better. There were many nights on the beach, many nights of relaxing with friends and many, many Mai Tais, but there was one night that really stuck out in my mind.
Kirk and Melissa (my brother and new sister-in-law) planned the rehearsal dinner activity for everyone on the Tuesday night, before the big day. It was a luau in the coastal town of Lahaina (again, on the island of Maui) and, as cool as hula girls and coconut bras are, the percussionists were amazing.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off of them! They had instruments that I had never heard of before and playing these psychotic rhythms, really fast and in this really contagious groove. A sampling of the drums… and the Tahitian dancing… is below.
One of my favourite instruments there was the pahu, which is a type of pitched log drum. One type of log drum is below…
Very cool! The luau percussionist was incredible, but it was really the synergy between all of the drums, the dancing and the narrative that made this luau SO impressive. It really makes me want to dabble more in island percussion – doesn’t matter which island, but Hawaii, Tahiti, the Polynesian Islands…
ALSO, the stories that accompany the music, like the colonization of Hawaii, the annexation by the US (positive or negative), the myths of the Haleakala volcano, or the stories about the islands before it became a tourist destination… like when Westerners would come to visit a friend, then get to the airport and then be unable to get on the plane, completely captured by the beauty and pace of Hawaii. Everything, and everyone, has a story… and there’s a sort of historic poetry that takes place when one can capture that in music.
Speaking of capturing, special thanks to Winnipeg photographers, Jess and Jake from Kamp Photography, who captured the wedding and the adventures surrounding it with a heartfelt, comforting quality – some seriously awesome photography. Make sure to follow them on twitter as well!
Now that I’m back, back to work, updates to follow!
It’s been quite some time since the blog has been updated, but it’s been busy! So expect a few posts coming up!
The first thing that we can report is that Kenley was part of a seminar series for Manitoba Music (industry association for Manitoba musicians) on composing music for video games!
Alec Holowka talking about Indie Game Development (photo courtesy of Chrissy Chubala)
The line-up for the presentations was legendary! There were:
- Audio Engineering (Andrew Yankiwski and Skot Moat from “Precursor Productions” here in Winnipeg)
- Writing and Game Development (Ryan FitzGerald of “Rogue Nations Studios,” who have worked on everything from ARGs to online media. I’m a big fan of RadioFreeKrakow, so definitely check them out!)
I hope that I didn’t miss anyone!
In which case, we had five students from all walks of writing – from songwriting, to writing for bands, to writing for NBC!
I spoke about a few different topics of composing for games, 4 of the 7 sessions, actually. I gave the “Introduction to Composing for Video Games,” “Repertoire,” “Loops” (with Alec) and “Traditional Orchestration Techniques in VGM Composition,
(with some killer input from Steffan).
All the sessions were really cool – Ryan’s totally blew my mind. In particular, he spoke about the ideas of narrative involving free will (agency) and of rewards (affordances). I don’t want to give his whole presentation away, but he looks at storytelling in a way unlike any other – in a very interactive, open and collaborative way. It’s as though it’s more about the dialogue creating the story rather than the “sage on the stage” model of telling and listening. Put another way, it’s more like going to the bank and setting up your financial future with a manager and both crafting your economic tale together, rather than the deposit/withdrawl pattern of an ATM. I could listen to that guy talk all day – go check out his work.
There will be subsequent parts, so stay tuned! I’ll leave you with a teaser – if you were to write a caption for Danny Baranowsky’s moment below, what would it be? Write your answer in the comment box!
After a heavy last post, it’s time to lighten up and share some local music with you!
Moses Mayes
First, in the “Paris of the Prairies,” we have the Fusion Funk band, “Moses Mayes.” Moses Mayes isn’t a person, but rather, the name is a dynamic and hard-groovin’ group that I’ve seen MANY times – if you haven’t seen them yet, there is no time like present!
I first saw them in Grade 10 at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival and they blew my mind – I don’t think that I’ve ever danced so hard in my life. The tune below is called “Intrafusion” and it’s from their third disc, Second Ring, which I recommend as highly as possible!
Next, we have the killer all-female folk group, Oh! My Darling, consisting of the very awesome Vanessa Kuzina (vocals/guitar/songwriter), Allison de Groot (banjo/vocals), Rosalyn Dennett (fiddle/vocals) and Marie-Josée Dandeneau (upright bass) – all of them are brilliant musicians.
Manitoba Music (the industry association for MB’s musicians) describes them as “…a powerhouse of superb female musicianship. Utilizing their keen sense of stylistic versatility, these young women have an vastly eclectic repertoire. Drawing inspiration from traditional music, their original songs are energetic and moving. They infuse their unique brand of country music with Appalachian Old Time, a Southern twang, and some funk inspired bass lines that’ll get your hips swinging while your toes are tapping…”
Their tune, “Pixou Falls” is one of the some pensive, yet driving lines that I can think of. It’s a weird combination, it’s almost mournful, but it’s got this forward momentum that just pulls you along for the ride.
Next on my list is singer/songwriter (and unbelievable fiddler!), Sierra Noble. She’s hardly a hidden gem anymore, with a strong new EP called “Possibilities” and having played with some of the best fiddlers in the world on radio and TV, but she had humble Manitoba beginnings; therefore, making it onto the list!
I’ve only met her once, but she’s super cool and super nice, which is always a bonus. I’ve included the title track from her EP below, which is a really nice track (earning her a spot on CMT, which is pretty incredible!), though I’ve also included a fiddle duet with Donny Parenteau that she did at the 2008 Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards this past year. It’s totally unbelievable…
Possibilities:
Sierra Noble and Donny Parenteau at the 2008 Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards:
Okay, that’s enough for right now, but expect me to post more about local music that is amazing and deserves to be highlighted! We live in a great area for the arts and for music, so let’s support our local musicians!
