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

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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

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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

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This week, we are celebrating our four years of RE-VGM, showcasing covers and remixes of video game music and putting a spotlight on musicians who arrange, cover, and remix them. It was on February 2nd, back in 2022, that the first episode was released; it was on one particular track from “Kingdom Hearts” titled “Dearly Beloved” and three separate covers and remixes. From there the format slightly changed to a themed celebration with three original tracks and three inspired tracks. Later, “On Stage Now” was added to feature a musician or band and their works of covered or remixed VGM.

For this episode, I take a look behind the numbers for this past year’s episode and play inspired from the top 3 episodes, according to the number of listens on the day of their releases: a video game about roller skating and tagging, three games displaying generosity, and a musician who takes his music to 11.

Enjoy all of these tracks in celebration of RE-VGM’s four years podcasting and showcasing original VGM and their covers and remixes. Oh, and be sure to take a giant balloon of your favorite color on the way…

Track Listing

Episode 195: Jet Grind Radio
“Let Mom Sleep (No Sleep Remix)” – composed and remixed by Hideki Nagunuma
“Everybody Jump Around [Arranged] – Richard Jacques – Jet Set Radio” – composed by Richard Jacques, arranged by Nightmare Burger
“Sweet Soul Brother (B.B.Rights Mix)” – composed and remixed by Richard Jacques

The Generosity of Gamers
“Dehya Theme Music EXTENDED – Fiery Lioness | Genshin Impact” – [Genshin Impact] – composed by HOYO-MiX, remixed by tnbee
“Helldivers II Main Theme – A Cup of Liber-tea – Epic Orchestral Cover” – [Helldivers II] – composed by Wilbert Roget II, covered by Karu
“Winning the Soul” – [Umamusume: Pretty Derby] – composed by Makoto Miyazaki, covered by The Recovery System

Episode 191: Vincent Moretto
“Castlevania – Vampire Killer | METAL COVER” – [Castlevania] – composed by Kinuyo Yamashita
“Yakuza 0 -Pledge of Demon | METAL REMIX” – [Yakuza 0] – composed by Hidenori Shoji
“Ace Combat 7 – Anchorhead Raid | METAL REMIX” – [Ace Combat 7] – composed by Yusuke Yamauchi

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Admit it. There are times you get bored in the middle of a class or meeting, and suddenly, your hand starts doodling something: a UFO taking up a cow, an attempt to draw the Cool S, or stick figures having an impromtu fight. That happened to Todd Page while he was in an anthropology class. He got bored and started to doodle dinosaurs. Later, he encouraged others to doodle dinosaurs and then decided to declare it a holiday. Thus was born “National Draw a Dinosaur Day”, on January 30th.

On this week’s episode, we’ll be playing tracks from video games that have dinosaurs in them: a post-apocalyptic time of classic cars and prehistoric creatures, a mighty warrior searching for pieces of a great weapon, and an agent trying to arrest a suspect in a lab riddled with ancient creatures. We’ve also got covers and remixes with each track.

Prepare to get prehistoric and maybe ‘do the Dinosaur’…

Track Listing

Intro and BGM: “Dinosaur Song”, composed by Johnny and June Cash, performed by Johnny Cash, from his album “The Johnny Cash Children’s Album”

“Shooting Blindly – Brawl (STAGE 4-2, 5-2)” – [Cadillacs and Dinosaurs] – composed by Isao Abe, Syun Nishigaki

“Cadillacs and Dinosaurs OST In the Garage [Synthwave remix]” – remixed by Sanctum Audio Productions

“Lost Jungle” – [Turok: Dinosaur Hunter] – composed by Darren Mitchell

“Turok: Dinosaur Hunter – Jungle (remix)” – remixed by DJ Mykah

“Set You at Ease” – [Dino Crisis] – composed by Sayaka Fujitia

“Dino Crisis Remake – Save Room Theme/Set You at Ease [Synth Cover]” – covered by Mono Memory

“National Draw a Dinosaur Day”

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (video game)

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (video game)

Dino Crisis (video game)

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It’s time for a special episode of “On Stage Now”, and our first musician to start off 2026 is Nestalgica.

Hailing from Sweden, he’s a one-man band that covers all music from Nintendo. The proof is in the 17 years of videos from his YouTube channel that showcase his talent. There are a few tracks in which he collaborates with other musicians.

And honestly, that’s all I’ve got on him, but don’t let that dissuade you from listening a collection of his works on this episode, so put on your headphones and prepare to rock the world of video game music!

Nestalgica (YT, FB, IG, X, Twitch, Spotify, Apple Music, BC, Deezer, Last.fm, Patreon)

Track Listing
All tracks performed by Nestalgica are covers of the original VGM

“Mega Man 2 Medley” – [Mega Man 2] – composed by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae

“Batman: Return of the Joker cover (Game Boy)” – [Batman: Return of Joker] – composed by Manami Matsumae

“Bubble Bobble Them” – [Bubble Bobble] – composed by Zuntata

“Fester’s Quest – Boss Battle” – [Fester’s Quest] – composed by by Nobuyuki Hara, Naoki Kodaka

“Nintendo World Cup – Match 1-3”- [Nintendo World Cup] – composed by Kauo Sawa

“Metal Slug 3 – Desert theme” – [Metal Slug 3] – composed by Playmore Sound Team

“Splatoon – Splattack! (Main theme)” – [Splatoon] – composed by Toru Minegishi, Shiho Fujii

“Mystic Quest – Battle Theme [METAL COVER]” – [Mystic Quest] – composed by Ryuji Sasai

“Mega Man 2 – Metal Man Theme [METAL COVER]” – [Mega Man 2] – composed by Takashi Tateishi

“Castlevania – Heart of Fire” – [Castlevania] – composed by Kinuyo Tamashita

“Snake’s Revenge – Jungle Infiltration” – [Metal Gear – Snake’s Revenge] – composed by Tsutomo Ogura

“Batman: The Video Game (NES) – Stage 1 Theme (Streets of Desolation)” – [Batman: The Video Game] – composed by Naoki Kodaka

“ENEMY BASE – Contral (Feat. Stefan Norlin)” – [Contra] – composed by Kazuki Muraoka

“STARMAN THEME/WING CAP THEME” – [Super Mario Bros.] – composed by Koji Kondo

“ULTRAKILL – Altars of Apostacy (incl. “Hall of Sacreligious Remains”)” – [Ultrakill] – composed by Arai “Hakita” Patala

“BLADES OF STEEL – Menu Theme/Game Start” – [Blades of Steel] – composed by Shinya Sakamoto, Kazuki Muraoka, Atsushi Fujio, Kiyohiro Sada

Outro: “Ballad of the Wind Fish | Rock Cover (Link’s Awakening)” – [The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening] – composed by Kazumi Totaka, Minako Hamano, Kozue Ishikawa – covered by Nestalgica

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Today on January 16th, we are celebrating “National Appreciate a Dragon Day”, in honor of one of the most popular and mystical creatures of lore, the dragon. They have been a part of many historical and current cultures since 4500 B.C., when they were carved as images onto jade and pottery in China. There are mentions of dragons in literature, such as St. George, Beowulf, and The Hobbit. In movies and anime, there are dragons in movies (Mushu from “Mulan”, Shenon from the Dragon Ball series, Haku from “Spirited Away”). With its long tail, majestic wings, and ferocious claws, and fearsome face, the dragon is a creature that is appreciated by all.

For this week’s episode, we’ll be playing tracks from video games that feature dragons: a purple and spunky dragon saving the Kingdom, a great wyrm of the end of days, and a collection of high dragons during an Inquisition. We’ve also got covers and remixes to follow.

Enjoy these tracks and feel a sense of appreciation for this creature of lore…

“National Appreciate a Dragon Day”

“Appreciate a Dragon Day”

“Puff the Magic Dragon” (song)

Dragon’s Dogma – The Dragon

Dragon Age: Inquisition – Dragon Hunter

Track Listing

Intro and BGM: “Puff the Magic Dragon”, composed by Peter Yarrow and Leonard Lipton, performed by Peter, Paul, and Mary

“Title Screen” – [Spyro the Dragon] – composed by Stewart Copeland

“Spyro 1 Main Theme – lestrag Remix [Spyro the Dragon]” – remixed by lestraigVGM

“Into Free ~Dangan~” – [Dragon’s Dogma] – composed by Takahiro Matsumoto, lyric by Shane Gaalaas and Koshi Inaba, performed by B’z

“Dragon’s Dogma – Into Free (Dangan)” – covered by RyoX

“Theme” – [Dragon Age: Inquisition] – composed by Trevor Morris

“Dragon Age: Inquisition Theme “Epic Rock” Cover” – covered by LittleVMills

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Some days, it’s a peaches and cream and everything seems all right. Other days, things are going horribly wrong and the world seems against you. When it becomes too much or the goals seem too far away, you’re ready to throw in the towel and call it quits.

Today we’re celebrating Quitters Day, a time when most people, after getting themselves hyped up for their new year’s resolutions, start to fall back and eventually drop their efforts. A fitness app called Strava noted from user data that, while people set their exercise goals at the start of the new year, by the second Friday of January, their activity levels drop dramatically. So, Quitters Day was created to bring awareness of how fast motivation can fade and that it’s a common struggle that most face after the first rush of excitement wears off; it’s a good time to stop a moment and adjust your plans as needed, perhaps some small goals.

For this week’s episode, though, we’ll be listening to tracks from video games I’ve played in which I struggled hard, sometimes to the point of just giving up and never finishing the game: a young boxer climbing the ranks to meet the World Champion, a son of a father seeking revenge from a ninja duel, and two amphibious dudes fighting their way to rescue their buddy and the Princess. Along with these original tracks we’ve got covers and remixes.

Enjoy and just take a breather before you bury that controller into a wall…

Quitters Day

Track Listing

“Fight Theme” – [Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!!] – composed by Yukio Kaneoka, Akito Nakatsuka, Kenji Yamamoto

“Mike Tyson’s Punch Out (Synthwave Remix)” – remixed by Galactic Beatz

“Act 4 Part 2” – [Ninja Gaiden] – composed by Keiji Yamagishi, Ryuichi Nitta

“Stage 4-2 (The Amazing Ryu) goes harder | Ninja Gaiden | Unbreakable Determination Metal Version” – covered by Lame Genie

“Turbo Tunner Part 2” – [Battletoads] – composed by David Wise

“Darkman007 – 2021 – Metaltoads (Battletoads Cover NES) – 05 – Turbo Tunnel” – covered by Darkman007, from the cover album “Metaltoads (Battletoads Cover)”

Outro: Audio clip from “Rocky Balboa”

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