American Pinball Main Stage
Here’s our awesome 2024 stage line up!
Ka$h Money Karl Komedy Krew
Between sets all through the show catch stand-up provided by Ka$h Money Comedy
Friday, April 5
Neumeyer, Mike
Mike Neumeyer is a musician, educator, and composer based in Milwaukee, WI who has recently been featured by Marimba One, Modern Marimba, Wisconsin Music Ventures, Vibesworkshop.com, Desperate Housegeek Magazine, and Los Angeles Jazz Society!
Mike recently recorded vibraphone and percussion as a guest artist with The Grovelers, Lost Tribes of the Moon, Conundrum, Damien Cockenpot, Teus Araujo, Ukulele Jack and more. His new album named “Starting to Dream” is on the horizon.
Mike is on faculty at Milwaukee Area Technical College, is the co-caption head with The Oak Creek Marching Knights and works with the Oak Creek-Franklin School District as a percussion specialist.
Mike is a Marimba One Educational Artist, a Salyers Percussion Education Team Member and endorses Encore Mallets.
Fighting Island
Fighting Island is the musical project of Chicago artist PJ Rork. Started in 2016, Fighting Island takes inspiration from 16-bit era JRPGs and crafts emotive soundtracks for fictional video games. Their debut album, Echoes from Brightmoon Tor, was released in December of 2020. Becoming a multimedia project of sorts, Echoes tells a more developed story—embellished with Rork’s own visual art. Overall, these explorations into the wide and wonderful world of VGM seek to transport the listener to worlds as familiar as they are new.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/pj_rork
Theology
Hey everyone! I don’t like third person bios so I’m gonna speak to you directly. My name is Theology and I am a VGM Remix producer and DJ from Minneapolis, MN! I’m also a mental health activist and I believe that, if harnessed properly, video games can be amazing for our mental health. Thus, my content ecosystem explores the ideas found within video games and how they can improve us as humans.
I have been DJing and producing for 16 years and I am a veteran of the trance scene (my previous music being supported by Above & Beyond, Cosmic Gate, and Fatum), but I also create every single genre of EDM. My remixes are melodic and beautiful (as video game music is) but I combine this nuance with really uplifting chords and incredibly dirty bass.
You may have seen me recently at 2D Con, VGM Con, or MagFest, and I have also just made collaboration remixes with the likes of Vector U, Player2, Noteblock, Goosaphlute, Stemage, The Limit Breakers, and more. It has been such an honor to collab with so many of my heroes and be a part of this community! The VGM scene truly has the most talented and accepting people I’ve ever met.
Video Game music is special to all of us, and I hope the journey that my music takes you on inspires you in some way shape or form. It’s a weird world out there, so let’s not only escape together, but come out on the other side better-equipped to spread love!
Saturday, April 6
Arcade Mode
Arcade Mode plays video game jazz music with ripping guitar solos. Catch them playing jazz/rock covers of gaming music or online at https://arcademode.bandcamp.com.
Brian Koenig
Brian Koenig (the Baron from Lords of the Trident) has brought heavy metal to new and original arrangements of classic video game music. Raise the horns to music from the NES, SNES, 64, Playstation, and more, all with accompanying game play footage.
Lacey Johnson
Lacey has been described as the “Queen of VGM (Video Game Music)”, “Bursting with energy” and is “spreading the gospel of VGM” wherever she goes.
Lacey is a Southern-California based Video Game Musician currently creating bi-weekly covers on her YouTube channel in which she is the sole musician, producer, and arranger. Lacey also streams live video game music and gaming on her Twitch Channel. You can also find her creating keytar-focused content on Tiktok and Instagram.
https://www.youtube.com/laceyjohnsonmusic
https://www.instagram.com/laceyjohnsonmusic/
https://www.twitch.tv/laceyjohnsonmusic
https://twitter.com/LaceyJMusic
https://laceyjohnsonmusic.bandcamp.com/
KUNG LAO
Watch what the actor behind Kung Lao, Anthony Marquez, does when he isn’t ripping out spines and defending the Earthrealm! Turns out he’s the frontman of his own band! KUNG LAO plays a variety of cover and original songs that are AWESOME. This is a set you’re going to want to GET OVER HERE for!
Beaker
BEAKER is a 3-piece band that incorporates the upbeat sounds of modern pop, punk, funk, ska, and progressive rock. BEAKER puts on a high-energy interactive show focused on fast paced dance-able original music. BEAKER injects humor, lighting effects, and crowd interaction into all of its performances.
For more see: http://www.beakermusic.net/ or www.facebook.com/beakermusic
King Quartz
King Quartz is a Detroit based artist who has been making music since forever, he is estimated to be roughly 700 years old. His sound has been described as “ethereal, transcendent, Donkey Kong meets Final Fantasy, dreary ephemeral nonsense”, according to the internet. His blend of electronic, trap, breakbeat, and chopped and screwed adjacent songs keep people dancing, but they dont know why or what for.
Gunderslam
Raised by Video Games, Inspired by Metal (or is it the other way around?). Heavy metal video game cover act Gunderslam is a multi-metal subgenre instrumental guitarist and producer that takes your favorite video game songs and makes them METAL AF! Covering games franchises such as Zelda, Metroid, and Hollow Knight, he blends the original compositions with original heavy metal influences that combine to make a heavy mix. He started uploading performance videos in 2015 on YouTube and since then has moved to performing live as a duo, featuring Dave Norman on drums!
https://www.patreon.com/Gunderslam
https://open.spotify.com/album/1Frp2aiRJ6WVXej0O08HRv?si=BinmqXwMSJaZzj41yCgTRQ&nd=1
Lo(u)ser
Lo(u)ser is the chiptune/ska/punk band of Chris Graue. Best known as the director of ska/punk music videos for bands such as NOFX, Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, Frank Turner, and many more, his own music had two breakthrough hits in 2022. His song “Me Vs Me” and its ludicrous Luigi vs Waluigi music video blew up on YouTube. His live show is engaging, dynamic, and appropriate for all ages. He plays guitar and sings while accompanied by a backing track and projector with multimedia visuals throughout the set.
MGC Cosplay Championship Finals
Come see one of the most fun Cosplay contests around on Saturday night at 7pm at the MGC Main Stage! With prizes for the best male, female, and group costumes, this is a fun event to watch or participate in! Entry for main categories is free. All participants need to register as contestants during the day. Click more information below for full Cosplay Contest Rules.
Want to be a contestant? This year, we’re pre-judging the entrants to help ensure the smooth operation of our tournament! Stop by our Cosplay HQ on the second floor during the day to register (12pm-2pm or 4pm-6pm). Then return at 6:45pm near the Main Stage to be ready for the finals!
Sunday, April 7
Mechanical Life Vein
Mechanical Life Vein plays classic video game music performed in real time while one of their members plays the game. It’s unique, it’s fun, it’s video game jazz and a band you need to check out!Online: https://mechanicallifevein.bandcamp.com
Lacey Johnson
Lacey has been described as the “Queen of VGM (Video Game Music)”, “Bursting with energy” and is “spreading the gospel of VGM” wherever she goes.
Lacey is a Southern-California based Video Game Musician currently creating bi-weekly covers on her YouTube channel in which she is the sole musician, producer, and arranger. Lacey also streams live video game music and gaming on her Twitch Channel. You can also find her creating keytar-focused content on Tiktok and Instagram.
https://www.youtube.com/laceyjohnsonmusic
https://www.instagram.com/laceyjohnsonmusic/
https://www.twitch.tv/laceyjohnsonmusic
https://twitter.com/LaceyJMusic
https://laceyjohnsonmusic.bandcamp.com/
Boardtality! Presented by Wings Academy
Hang out near the Mortal Kombat actors AND bust a board to pieces with your bare hands?! It’s every kid’s dream. Well, it’s MY dream. But I won’t be there (as I’m the disembodied voice of MGC). However, YOU can take a kid and let them feel the power and break a board with the help of the Wings Academy Taekwondo crew and the Mortal Kombat crew.
Mortal Kombat Unplugged
Join the stars of the early Mortal Kombat games up close and non-digitized as they sing songs on stage and interact with each other and you! This has to be one of the most unexpectedly peaceful things to come out of the decidedly not-peaceful game series!
Luxi
Experimental electronic artist “LUXI” has been refining her musical process for years, refusing to adhere to the consumerist pop standards, she layers her beats with raw vocals and emotional melodies, and uses music as a therapy to help herself through the ups and downs of life ~ hoping to connect with others along the way. Addicted to the DIY underground, she prefers small intimate shows where the experience can truly become a magical connection between performer and audience, drawing listeners in with hard-hitting beats and catchy bass lines, they will be sure to walk away from the night with a memorable experience.
Bandcamp: luximusic.bandcamp.com // Shop: wickedalley.com // games: luxireally.itch.io
Subspace
Subspace is a collective of video-mixing DJs. We mix music to a wide array of 8-bit, pop culture, and found footage video; cut up and glitchy for a mind-melting AV experience! We spin only the finest and most choice of EBM, Industrial, chiptunes, house, and synthetic beats!
https://facebook.com/TeamSubspace/