This is the song that my sister Eileen and I wrote for Songs for the Cure – an indie fundraiser for cancer research. We recorded the piece at Private Ear Studios right here in Winnipeg. (behind the scenes)

Check out the rest of the music on the album, and if you like it – buy it! All the money goes to the American Cancer Society.

Songs for the Cure is a caner fundraising initiative organized by Josh Whelchel. (the composer behind BoneSaw, and The Spirt Engine games) SftC is a compilation of new tracks from a wide variety of game-related composers. Last year’s CD felt like an explosion of untamed creativity.

This year’s disc is likely to be an even more varied compilation. For information about how to receive a copy of the CD, visit http://CancerDrive.org.

Big Thank You’s go out to James and Lisanne for taking time out of their busy schedule to help us promote the CD and to Neil Cameron of Private Ear for graciously donating time in his studio. (highly recommended!)

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Another one…

Very well done – the emotionality is vast and it plays with some fun theatrics, but it still feels honest. Powerful stuff.

We’ve also set up a new shop with BigCartel.com. This service doesn’t require users to create a new account to order CDs and it also takes less of a cut from our profits. Let us know how you think it compares to Etsy in the comments! (I’m thinking about writing a comparison article on the pros and cons of each)

Lastly, a big thank you to all those who already bought the CD, many of who left really nice comments for us. While packing and shipping is a lot of work, it kinda feels like being Santa Claus due to all the positive feedback and warm vibes. Thank you!

We’re also looking into an automated way to give everyone who bought the physical CD a free digital download, so stay tuned for that.

You can get your very own copy from the Infinite Ammo Shop.

There are two options, one is everything you see above, the second is all that plus you get your poster signed by yours truly – and we’ll throw in a few other print extras. (business cards, promotional materials for other indie games, etc)

Etsy (our store interface) takes PayPal. To make shipping easier, please make sure your PayPal address is up to date.

We’ll be setting up the live pajama jam in about 12 hours from time of posting (1pm CST approximately) so come hang out, and see your order being packaged as tasty tunes are jammed o’er the tubes.

RECAP: The jam was a success, clocking in at about 2:45. A surprise appearance by Kenley Kristofferson rounded out the afternoon. It looks like we have our work cut out for us for shipping on Sunday. We’ll try to get as many orders as we can in the mail by Monday.

Note: If you have any feedback for or problems with the ordering system, please let us know in the comments below or via email and we’ll do our best to respond promptly. Thanks!

We’ll be launching the soundtrack on Saturday (November 14) with a live pyjama jam courtesy of yours truly! I’ll be playing all kinds of music over webcam while my beautiful assistants package and prepare your CD orders for shipping in the background.

This soundtrack is a no-holds-barred special two disc release, filled to the brim with fifty tracks. It includes all the music from the game, but also adds a brand new song, “Fear the Dark”. The talented Jenna Sharpe returned to the studio as “Naija” for the first time since finishing her work on the game about two years ago – to record brand new vocals for this track. The result is an epic nine minute piece that explores the light and dark sides of Aquaria.

MP3 Download → Fear the Dark Preview [0:42]

In addition to the new song, the track also features three new remixes by other indie game music artists. Brandon McCartin of “Balding’s Quest” brings his imagination and funky beats to the table with his style-bending adaptations of “Dark Places” (the abyss theme) and “Heart of the Forest”. Danny Baranowsky (of Canabalt fame), who also mastered the project, contributes an upbeat, old-school flavoured remix of “Boss Fraught”. (the mini boss theme)

As an added bonus, a work-in-progress five minute “Marian” track has also been included.

The set comes together with sexy packaging designed by myself, Derek Yu and Katie De Sousa. It features 2 discs with full color labels, an eight page booklet featuring new art and lyrics, and an eight panel poster featuring visuals from the game, notes on composing the tracks, score snippets and more. There will be a few purchase options, including having your poster signed!

So come on down this Saturday, watch some live jams, order some CDs – it’ll be a fun time for the whole family.

I’ve been avoiding working on this particular track for a while and I don’t really know the best way to approach it, so it should be an interesting learning experience for all involved.

I’m thinking I’ll probably do this sometime roughly around 11AM to 3PM Winnipeg time (CDT). I can’t guarantee that I’ll finish anything good, but if folks are going to tune in and watch – I’ll be even more motivated to make something that sounds good in a timely fashion.

If you’re interested – watch this space!

If not – go swimming or something. Its summer, for crying out loud!

Aaaand we’re done. Mission Accomplished.

I managed to play/adlib straight for 4.5 hours! (minus a hiccup when Firefox crashed) I’m not sure how many viewers we had at peak times, but it could be anywhere from 25-100+. (anyone have a more clear idea?)

Thanks to everyone who came out and watched/listened – it was a lot of fun.

MP3 Download → PJ Jam #3[1:29]

More Pajama Jams

The game launches Monday!

The game is out. Go play!

Here are a couple of interesting, contrasting reviews of Crane Wars:

Rock Paper Shotgun (read comments for interesting discussion)

Offworld