Nerd Music Meltdown
The Nerd Music Meltdown features interviews with the top acts and personalities in video game music, nerdcore, chiptune, and geek rock. Host extraordinaire Kent Ward picks the minds of these fine guests and plays some great tunes to bring you into the magical world of nerd music. Presented by Ongaku Overdrive.
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NMM #120: Resorting to VGM Con with Theology and Vaughn Rowles
04/11/2024
NMM #120: Resorting to VGM Con with Theology and Vaughn Rowles
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 . Follow Theology at . Fallow Vaughn's band, The Bards Quartet, at t. Follow host Kent Ward at . You can support also our podcast at . "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob
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NMM #119: Mason Lieberman's Tournament Arc
03/14/2024
NMM #119: Mason Lieberman's Tournament Arc
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 and performed at . You can follow Mason Lieberman at and . Check out Tournament Arc at . Follow host Kent Ward at . You can support also our podcast at . "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob
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NMM #118: SXSW and Nerdcore Dayz with NOIR GRIME and DJ R.O.C.K.M.A.N.
02/28/2024
NMM #118: SXSW and Nerdcore Dayz with NOIR GRIME and DJ R.O.C.K.M.A.N.
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 . Follow Bill Beats at . Follow DJ R.O.C.K.M.A.N. and Nerdcore Dayz at Follow host Kent Ward at . You can support also our podcast at . "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob
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NMM #117: MAGFest Prime Recap with Stemage, Katy Scary, and Jimmy from Abandon Quest
02/02/2024
NMM #117: MAGFest Prime Recap with Stemage, Katy Scary, and Jimmy from Abandon Quest
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 and his band Metroid Metal at . Follow Katy Scary at and her band Klaymore at . Follow Jimmy's band Abandon Quest at . Learn more about MAGFest at and follow them on . Kent Ward runs Ongaku Overdrive and you can follow them on and visit . You can also follow Kent at . Support also our podcast at "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob
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NMM #116: Super MAGFest 2024 preview with 88bit and Dom Palombi
01/11/2024
NMM #116: Super MAGFest 2024 preview with 88bit and Dom Palombi
Happy 2024! We are kicking off the year strong. Super MAGFest 2024 is NEXT WEEK. There are a lot of new acts performing on main stage for the first time, including 88bit and Dom Palombi. We have both on to talk about their road to MAGFest, what they have planned for the weekend, how they have kept success on Twitch, Dom Palombi's upcoming album, and everyone's plans for 2024. Follow 88bit at and . Follow Dom Palombi at and . You can learn more about MAGFest at and see the main stage concerts at . Follow host Kent Ward at . You can support also our podcast at . Get tickets to Mega Ran's "Black Materia Live" at Conduit in Winter Park, FL on January 25th at "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob
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NMM #115: GameGrooves Strikes Back
12/29/2023
NMM #115: GameGrooves Strikes Back
Last episode of the year! GameGrooves has been cookin' in 2023 and have even more to look forward to in 2024. We have the found of GameGrooves, Allen Brasch, on to talk about how GameGrooves operates these days and the challeneges of running a video game music netlabel. Also, what are we doing at Super MAGFest 2024? Find out all that and more! You can follow Game Grooves at and . Follow host Kent Ward at . You can support also our podcast at . Get tickets to Mega Ran's "Black Materia Live" at Conduit in Winter Park, FL on January 25th at "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob
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NMM #114: Mahn and Carrie Escape Hell with Premium Vintage
12/14/2023
NMM #114: Mahn and Carrie Escape Hell with Premium Vintage
Mahn and Carrie Wood have formed a new symphonic metal band with Masikus called Premium Vintage. (That's a Hades reference.) They just released their debut album, The Symphony of Hades. And we talk all about that, favorite parts of Hades, the upcoming sequel, possible future projects, Sega Saturn, and the upcoming Super MAGFest. Follow Mahn at . Follow Carrie Wood at . You can check out Symphony of Hades at . Get tickets to Mega Ran's "Black Materia Live" at Conduit on January 25th at Follow host Kent Ward at . You can support also our podcast at . "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob
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NMM #113: Free Playin' with Lame Genie
11/09/2023
NMM #113: Free Playin' with Lame Genie
The lads are back on Nerd Music Meltdown to melt your faces off! Lame Genie has been tearing it up at conventions and retro game expos all over the country, dominated YouTube, and dropped a bunch of music and still crank out weekly videos! We talk about what Lame Genie has been up to, their song selection technology for live shows, the Street Fighter 6 OST, Turtles in Time on vinyl, car accidents, and more! Lame Genie will be back in the Sunshine State for Free Play Florida, taking place November 17th to 19th at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, FL. Follow Lame Genie at and . You can get tickets to teh Free Play Florida Afterparty at .
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NMM #112: Lacey Johnson Gets Spooky
10/26/2023
NMM #112: Lacey Johnson Gets Spooky
The Keytar Kween Lacey Johnson just played at TwitchCon and now she is back in Orlando this weekend for the OngakuVania II. We talk about that, favorite spooky games, fighting games, playing all over the place, and managing an intense schedule of releasing music, YouTube videos, performing, and even teaching music! How does she do it? OngakuVania II Halloween Party is October 29th at Conduit in Winter Park, FL. Get tickets at . Check out Lacey Johnson at and . Follow host Kent Ward at . You can support also our podcast at . "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob
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NMM #111: Ro Panuganti is Sitar Crazy
10/12/2023
NMM #111: Ro Panuganti is Sitar Crazy
Back on the show is VGM prog rocker Big Ro Panuganti! His new album "SitarCraft" drops October 20th and will have a heavy amount of Indian music influence. We discuss the album, Indian culture and music in video games, being married to another video game musician, Legend of Zelda, playing more live shows this year, and more. You can preorder SitarCraft at Get tickets to OngakuVania II in Orlando on October 29t at Check out Ro Panuganti at and . Follow Kent Ward at . You can support our podcast at . "The Meltdown" theme by RoboRob
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NMM #110: The Limit Breakers
09/28/2023
NMM #110: The Limit Breakers
Representing DUUUVAL with pride are Florida fusion rock video game band The Limit Breakers. We have Jisun, Dani, and Lukas on to talk about what the band has been cooking this year. This includes a super successful Twitch fundraiser that got them to VGM CON, how they maintain a band their size, and their upcoming shows in Jacksonville and Orlando. We even talk about the Jax nerd scene! Follow The Limit Breakers at . See them perform soon! 10/4 in Jacksonville, FL: 10/29 in Orlando, FL: Follow Kent Ward at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . “The Meltdown” theme by
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NMM #109: Documenting Marc with a C with Jo Canterbury
09/21/2023
NMM #109: Documenting Marc with a C with Jo Canterbury
There is a Marc with a C documentary coming! Half Serious, Half Kidding: The Digital Footprint of an Obscure Rockstar chronicles 20+ years of Marc with a C's career as well as Orlando music history. Kent talks to director Jo Canterbury about how the documentary came together, how he got to know Marc and his music, and the process of telling Marc's story without filming a single thing. Half Serious, Half Kidding will be playing at the this fall. Find out more about the documentary at . You can follow Jo Canterbury at . Check out Marc with a C's music at . Follow Kent Ward at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . “The Meltdown” theme by
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NMM #108: Bi Scorin' with Ian and Carrie
08/24/2023
NMM #108: Bi Scorin' with Ian and Carrie
We're back from another hiatus and settled into a new studio! Kent gets everyone caught up and brings on the newest, funky video game duo of Ian Cowell and Carrie Wood, otherwise known as , to chat about making music for people to score to from TWO different coasts. And being bisexual while doing it! Their first album, , just dropped and they got more music and shows coming, including this Sunday's , LIVE on . Follow Bi Score: Follow Ian Cowell: Follow Carrie Wood: Follow Kent Ward: Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . “The Meltdown” theme by
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NMM #107: EyeQ x Substantial are Friends & Fam
05/22/2023
NMM #107: EyeQ x Substantial are Friends & Fam
EyeQ and Substantial are in the final week of their Friends and Fam Tour, which goes through this weekend and on Memorial Day! We talk about the current state of live shows, fun moments of the tour, free comic book day hauls, fan conventions finally embracing black culture, and both EyeQ and Substantial's upcoming albums! Friends & Fam Tour tickets: Follow EyeQ at and Substantial at . Follow host Kent Ward at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . “The Meltdown” theme by
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NMM #106: Mustin's Mixtape and VGM CON Reflections
04/25/2023
NMM #106: Mustin's Mixtape and VGM CON Reflections
Back on the show is Mustin of The OneUps. He and Kent reflect on being at in Minneapolis and what a time it was! PLUS, Mustin has a new album that he worked on with his 17-year old son called . We break that down, give thoughts on The Super Mario Bros Movie, discuss the new generation of VGM and THE FUTURE! Ongaku Overdrive's 10th Anniversary Show takes place on April 29th in Orlando, FL. Get your tickets at ! You can follow Mustin at and . Follow The OneUps at . Follow host Kent Ward at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . “The Meltdown” theme by
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NMM #105: Theology and goin' to VGM CON!
04/11/2023
NMM #105: Theology and goin' to VGM CON!
This weekend is VGM CON in Minneapolis and we have featured performer on to talk about the event, the recent Midwest Gaming Classic, applying his club DJ background to VGM, Secret of Mana, and more! His new album, Theology of Mana drops this Friday on all platforms. You can follow Theology at and . You can find out more about VGM CON at . Get your tickets to Ongaku Overdrive's 10th Anniversary Show at . Follow host Kent Ward at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . “The Meltdown” theme by
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NMM #104: String Player Gamer and Tiggs are Scarlet & Violet
03/29/2023
NMM #104: String Player Gamer and Tiggs are Scarlet & Violet
String Player Gamer and Tiggs are back on the show, offcially teaming up as Scarlet & Violet! We talk about how they got together, performing at MAGFest, the current state of performing on Twitch, Pokémon, World of Warcraft, Zelda, and their Orlando debut at Ongaku Overdrive's 10th Anniversary Show on April 29th! (Tickets at ) You can follow Scarlet & Violet at . String Player Gamer can be followed at and Tiggs can be followed at . Follow host Kent Ward at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #103: Talkin' WASD and Dwelling of Duels with Austin Green!
02/21/2023
NMM #103: Talkin' WASD and Dwelling of Duels with Austin Green!
It's a loaded episode with Austin Green, who is the founder of PC-gaming tribute band as well as the site admin for video game remix competion community . Kent and Austin talk about those things, WASD's latest album , performing at MAGFest last month, Steel Samurai, VGM CON, and more! Find out more about WASD at . Follow host Kent Ward at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #102: Speedrunning VGM with Bit Brigade
01/23/2023
NMM #102: Speedrunning VGM with Bit Brigade
Bit Brigade speedruns NES games with a full rock band playing the game's soundtrack for incredible live concerts, and we have bassist Luke Fields on to talk about how Bit Brigade came to be and their process of putting their shows together. We also debate future potential games that work in their standards of live video game concerts and breakdown their that starts this week! Find out more about Bit Brigade at . Follow host Kent Ward at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #101: Super MAGFest 2023 Memories
01/13/2023
NMM #101: Super MAGFest 2023 Memories
MAGFest is the biggest event in our community and there was a whole lot to talk about this year. Kent gets , Allen of , and Jisun of to talk about the epic weekend, including favorite moments and performances, the evolution of MAGFest, and what we want to see happen next year. Follow host Kent Ward at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #100: The Megas
12/27/2022
NMM #100: The Megas
We have finally made it to the big hondo! Thank you all for supporting the show. Now we celebrate with a fun interview with the founders of one of the most legendary video game bands, ! Eric von Doymi and Josh Breeding are on to talk about the creative process of the band, how The Belmonts project came to be, old Nerdapalooza stories, The Protomen, their love of Volcano Bay, and more. Get Equipped with a Good Ass Time. You can follow The Megas at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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Update: WTF is going on with Nerd Music Meltdown?
11/03/2022
Update: WTF is going on with Nerd Music Meltdown?
It's been way too long since our last episode of Nerd Music Meltdown? What the hell happened? Kent gives an update on the podcast, and talks about OngakuVania, joining the MAGFest staff, and Give Kids the World. Follow Kent Ward at Music:
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NMM #99: Ben Briggs brings the Essentials
07/15/2022
NMM #99: Ben Briggs brings the Essentials
We have VGM Powerhouse and Tiny Waves daddy back on Nerd Music Meltdown, with all kinds of tea! He has a new album dropping next week: VGM Essentials from Firaga Records. We talk about that, producing the album live on his , what's going on with Tiny Waves, K-Pop, Sonic Frontiers, RoboRob, Richie Branson, VectorU, Anamanaguchi, and more! Check out Ben's music at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #98: Rhythm BastardMania!
06/30/2022
NMM #98: Rhythm BastardMania!
The one-man Nerdcore Punk Rock Band is running wild! is back on The Meltdown to reminisce about the last ten years of making music and how that ties into his newest album, Hardcore Nerdcore Punk Rock. We also talk about what happened to his music in RetroMania Wrestling, how performing at furry conventions differ from other cons, transgender inclusivity in our community, D&D, LOTS of Resident Evil, and much more! Check out Rhythm Bastard at and ! Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #97: The Icarus Kid
06/17/2022
NMM #97: The Icarus Kid
From a desert in Parts Unknown, pops in on the n to talk about his love for both EDM and video game music, restarting his music career multiple times, his take on making electronic live performances exciting to watch, performing at VGMCon, and mental health coaching. You can follow The Icarus Kid at . Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #96: Richie and Ran and The Generation of Miracles
05/13/2022
NMM #96: Richie and Ran and The Generation of Miracles
Two of our favorite homies are back on tour and also on the show. It's and and they talk to Kent about the upcoming that goes from Seattle to in Atlanta this month. We also talk pandemic stories, new music, Sammus, Rustage, PAX East, Super Bitfest, the rise on anime rap on YouTube, and more! Plus, Kent is going to talk about the latest controvery in nerdcore.. Oh boy... Follow Richie Branson: Follow Mega Ran: Support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #95: Allison Martin
05/04/2022
NMM #95: Allison Martin
As we march toward episode 100 of Nerd Music Meltdown, we have a new face in our community who making some great progress. She is , a trombonist who creates brassy renditions of video game music. Kent met Allison briefly at MAGFest, so we talk about that, being a part of the "" project, living in Japan, favorite game soundtracks and composers, the importance of collabs in the community, and her upcoming album See The World. Kent also gives some life and event updates in the open. You can also support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #94: VGMCon 2022 Recap with Mahn, Gunderslam, and H808!
04/08/2022
NMM #94: VGMCon 2022 Recap with Mahn, Gunderslam, and H808!
We got a full event recap of , a video game and music convention that took place this past weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Special guests , , and performed at the event and recap the whole weekend, plus the and for VGM coming out of this year's edition of the Grammy's! Follow Mahn: Follow Gunderslam: Follow H808: You can also support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM Bonus: Looking back on ONGAKU 20XX and Virtua Ongaku XIII
04/02/2022
NMM Bonus: Looking back on ONGAKU 20XX and Virtua Ongaku XIII
It's been a while since there was an episode of . March was just too crazy for a lot of reasons, including in Orlando and on Twitch. goes solo and reflects on what was a crazy month and how everything went down. If you want to hear how things go from an event runner's perspective, this is the show for you! With things calmed down, we'll work on getting podcasts with guests out regularly. But if you want to hear about what goes into concerts in our community, this is a great episode to listen too. You can support Nerd Music Meltdown at . Music: Lame Genie - Yogurt Yard (Kirby's Adventure) - Lacey Johnson - Ryu's Theme (Street Fighter II) - "The Meltdown" theme by
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NMM #93: Phase II of Marc with a C
02/27/2022
NMM #93: Phase II of Marc with a C
Look who's back on Nerd Music Meltdown It's , who we have not talked to in a long time. We're talking about his plans to redefine who Marc is as a musician, what "Phase II" means to him, surviving cancer and how that affects is music career. Last but not least, we discuss everything that went into his brand new album and why it is so different from everything before. Marc with a C has a virtual show on his in March. Be sure to check that out. You can also get all of Marc's music at . ONGAKU 20XX: Wily's Revenge takes place on Saturday, March 5th at The Abbey in Orlando, Florida. Tickets are available at . You can also support Nerd Music Meltdown at . "The Meltdown" theme by
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