Time for our monthly special episode of “On Stage Now”, where we feature a musician or group of musicians and play their works of video game music.

For February, we’re featuring 8-Bit Big Band, a jazz orchestra founded by Charlie Rosen in 2017. Composed of between 25 to as much as 65, this group plays arrangements of video game music. Earlier, they won their 2nd Grammy award for “Best Arrangement, Instrumental, or A Cappella” for their track “Super Mario Praise Break”. It’s an arrangement of instrumentals from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario World. Their 1st Grammy was from 2022 for “Best Arrangement, Instrumental, and Vocals” for “Meta Knight’s Revenge”.

Let’s give it up for 8-Bit Big Band!

8-Bit Big Band (Personal Website, YT, IG, X, Spotify, Patreon)

8-Bit Big Band (Wikipedia)

Track Listing

“Athletic Theme from Yoshi’s Island – Big Band Swing Version” – [Yoshi’s Island] – composed by Koji Kondo

“Still Alive – Frank Sinatra Big Band Swing Version” – [Portal] – composed by Johnathon Coulton

“Tetris Theme – Contempory Big Band/Classical Fusion Version” – [Tetris] – composed by Nikolay Nekrasov and Alexander N. Chernyavsky, arranged by Hirokazu “Hip” Tanaka

“Geruda Valley – Orchestral Jazz Big Band Version” – [The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time] – composed by Koji Kondo

“Jump Up Super Star! – Full Big Band/Strings cover ft. Grace Kelly” – [Super Mario Odyssey] – composed by Naoto Kubo

“Snake Eater – Big Band Version ft. Tiffany Mann” – [Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater] – composed by Norihiko Hibino

“You Wouldn’t Know – Portal Big Band Version ft. Benny Benack III” – [Portal] – composed by Johnathon Coulton

“Beneath the Mask from Persona 5 – Full Big Band Version ft. Aisha Jackson” – [Persona 5] – composed by Shoji Meguro

“No More What Ifs from Persona 5: Royal – Full Big Band Version ft. Martina DaSilva” – [Persona 5: Royal] – composed by Shoji Meguro

Outro: “Megalovania – Extra HEAVY Big Band version” – [Undertale] – composed by Toby Fox

YouTube playlist

Discord channel

Source

It’s time for the Lunar New Year, which starts around the second new moon of the Chinese calendar. This year it is the year of the horse, according to the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac sign. The animal is known for its confidence, decisiveness, and to be agreeable and responsible; however, they hate being reined in by others, are easily swayed, and can be impatient.

On this week’s episode, we’ll be talking about some famous horses from video games throughout the decades (1990s to 2020s): a young foal that later becomes a full grown mare for Hyrule’s hero, a faithful mare despite the giants of the land, the name for any horse ridden by a monster hunter, and a spectral stallion that chooses a Tarnished. Along with the original tracks from these games, there’s also covers and remixes to follow.

Saddle up and hold tight to the reins as we race through the decades of video game horses…

Year of the Horse: Fortune, Personality, Horoscope (2026)

Agro (Team Ico Wiki | Fandom)

Roach (Witcher Wiki | Fandom)

Torrent (Elden Ring | Fandom)

Track Listing

“Lon Lon Ranch” – [The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time] – composed by Koji Kondo

“Lon Lon Ranch” – re-arranged by Ryuichi Katsumata; from the album “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Hyrule Symphony

“Swift Horse” – [Shadow of Colossus] – composed by Kow Otani

“Swift Horse (Piano Cover)” – covered by CrazyGroupTrio

“Cloak and Dagger” – [The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt] – composed by Percival Schuttenbach

“Cloak and Dagger – tin whistle, violin, ocarina and lyre cover” – covered by Firamiel

“Elden Ring” – [Elden Ring] – composed by Tsukasa Saitoh

“ELDEN RING – Main Theme (Metal Cover)” – covered by RichaadEB

Outro: ” Yume wo Kakeru! / Run for Our Dream!” – [Umamusume: Pretty Derby] – composed and arranged by Kenta Kigashiohji, lyrics by Mike Sugiyama; vocals by Kaori Maeda, Hikaru Tono, Masumi Tazawa, and Miharu Hanai

YouTube channel

Discord invite

Source

Love is a wonderful thing… until it stinks. One moment, you’re flying on cloud nine, and the next moment your heart shatters into a thousand pieces.

Today, for our first Friday the 13th episode of the year, we’re going to look into a few myths and superstitions about love related to animals. They could be harbingers of your future love, depending on what you see on Valentine’s Day or how many you’re able to count before shaking the hand of your spouse-to-be. We’ve also tracks from video games of animals in parallel to the animals: a drunk squirrel trying to get home, the mystical practice of bird watching, and a race to the finish line with horses. Following each original track is a cover or remix.

Get yourself prepared for what love has to offer, be it good or bad…

“He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: 10 Valentine’s Day Superstitions You Never Knew”

“15 Crazy Love Superstitions From Around the World”

“11 Odd, Old-Timey Valentine’s Day Traditions”

Track Listing

Intro and BGM: “Love is Hurtin’ Thing”, composed by Ben Raleigh and David J. Luff; performed by Lou Rawls

“Rock Solid” – [Conker’s Bad Fur Day] – composed by Robin Beanland

“Rock Solid – CONKER’S BAD FUR DAY REMIX” – remixed by Eddie Soria

“Main Theme” – [Angry Birds] – composed by Ari Pulkkinen

“Angry Birds Theme [Noteblock Remix]” – remixed by Noteblock

“Hashire, Umamumsume!” – [Umamusume: Pretty Derby] – composed by Kenkichi Ikeda and Nobuo Maeda; vocals by Azumi Waki, Marika Kohno, Machino, Hitomi Ueda, Naomi Ohzora, Yui Watanabe, Yukiyo Fujii, Satomi Aeksaka

“HASHIRE UMA MUSUME//Eurobeat Remix – Umamusume” – remixed by Imojust

YouTube playlist

Discord channel

Source