Playing at the Hollywood Bowl, Video Games Live concert and plans for Hammersmith Apollo
HEXUS: Would you say you have a specific style and is there a specific genre of game that you prefer to work on?
Tommy:
Not at all. That is the one cool things about working on games. One day I might be writing for a big live orchestra and choir and the next day and rock tune for the latest Pac-Man game. I love the challenge and freedom of being able to switch gears. If I had to pick only one style it would be writing for orchestra & choir. Action/Adventure games would be preferred game of choice to write for.
HEXUS:
What do you think makes a great videogame soundtrack?
Tommy:
I love the essence of live musicians and live vocals (choir), etc. I think the proper percussion can also make a huge impact on a game score. Interactivity obviously plays an important role but I’d much rather hear an amazing piece of music that people will walk away remembering as opposed to some background music that changed key when the character walked through the door. Each game and situation is different but I feel I’ve always made an impact when writing music that was more in the players face as opposed to in the background. I like to call it foreground music… not background music. What makes games different from most media like television and movies is that for the most part the music we write drives the action and controls the players emotion.
HEXUS:
Playing at the Hollywood Bowl recently must have been an amazing experience. We understand you played last year to 11,000 people, how did this year compare to last year and do you get nervous performing on stage?
Tommy:
I personally don’t get nervous on stage. I actually really enjoy the energy and excitement. Especially when the crowd really starts to get into it. We did about the same amount of people both years, it’s the biggest video game concert in the world and we’re very proud to be able to give so many people around the world a new appreciation for live music and a new respect for the art and culture that video games brings to the table.
HEXUS:
How did you decide the line-up for the Video Games Live concerts?
Tommy:
We wanted to show the best of the best while also representing some old-school games as well. We wanted to make sure that there were composers from all over the globe including US, Japan and Europe and although most of the game franchises represented in the show are huge blockbusters (Halo, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Myst, Warcraft,Mario, Zelda, Sonic, etc.) we also picked music that was really exceptional but maybe wasn't from the biggest selling title (i.e. Beyond Good & Evil, Headhunter, etc.)
We always ask people who have seen the show what their favorite segment is and every single segment in our show has been picked by someone so we know we must have done a pretty good job. Some of the obvious fan favorites are Halo, Mario, Zelda, Sonic and Metal Gear Solid. But some of the segments that really blow people away because they weren't familiar with the music are Myst, Advent Rising, God of War, and Medal of Honor, Tron and the Classic Arcade Medley also get a lot of votes from the older crowd.
Our goal is to put on an amazing show for everyone… not just gamers. As we proved at the Hollywood Bowl, we have about 50% gamers and 50% non-gamers attend. Every time we play a show a whole new audience of music listeners is turned on to not only the music, but the game industry as a whole. That being said, the gamers are the ones who make the most noise!
HEXUS:
The Hammersmith Apollo has been host to some iconic rock bands such as Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones. What can we look forward to for this U.K. event and how do you plan to ‘rock’ the audience?
Tommy:
I can’t tell you how excited and honoured we are to be playing such a historic landmark venue our first time in the UK. It was really important to us to make a serious impact with our show in London. This will be the very first video game concert of its kind in the UK. We wanted a venue that told people we were serious about what we are doing yet not in a stuffy upper-class kind of way. Video games (like our show) are all about having fun. What we do is take the excitement and energy of a rock concert mix it with the power and emotion of a symphony orchestra then combine it together with the technology, interactivity, stunning visuals and fun that only video games can provide. Completely synchronized cutting-edge video screen visuals, state-of-the-art lighting and special on-stage interactive segments. We tried to create a show that audiences of all ages – gamers and non-gamers alike will be entertained by. You really don’t have to know a damn thing about video games to enjoy the show.