Like videogames? Like music? How about videogame music? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may want to make the trek to Washington, D.C., next weekend for the eighth annual Music And Gaming Festival.
From Friday, January 1 until Monday, January 4, fans of videogame music far and wide will descend upon the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, VA, for MAGFest, a weekend of button mashing, guitar shredding and everything in between. In addition to offering 24-hour console, arcade and PC game rooms, MAGFest will be hosting some of the most talented videogame-inspired musicians out there. We’re not talking Guitar Hero, either – these guys are decidedly old school. Just check out the Iist of bands in attendance:
- The OneUps
- Metroid Metal
- Armcannon
- Select Start
- The Megas
- Entertainment System
- Temp Sound Solutions
- This Place Is Haunted
- Armadillo Tank
- Rare Candy
- A_Rival
- The Smash Brothers
And if those names don’t get you fired up, maybe one of these special guests will:
- Sid Meier, Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games and Civilization creator
- Matt Mercer and Zach Grafton, creators of the hit web series “There Will Be Brawl“
- Jon St. John, the voice of Duke Nukem
- Martin “LittleKuriboh” Billany, creator of the fan parody “YuGiOh: The Abridged Series“
- James Rolfe, aka the Angry Videogame Nerd and owner of http://www.cinemassacre.com/
If you’re within a few hours of D.C., it should be well worth the drive and the $40 entry fee. Last year’s MAGFest featured the live debut of Metroid Metal, and with the band’s first album, Varia Suite, under their belt, their live show promises to be even stronger this year. Check out a video of their performance at MAGFest 7 below, and miss them again at your own peril.
