aivi & surasshu

aivi & surasshu started as internet friends who fell in love by making music together. They're now an award-winning composition duo with an unmistakable style, combining aivi's heartfelt piano with surasshu's kinetic chiptune sounds.

They're most known for their composition and arrangement work for Steven Universe on Cartoon Network, the acclaimed animated series that opened doors for LGBTQ+ representation in media.

The duo has also composed music for the indie game Ikenfell, a handful of Google Doodles games, and released two digital fusion albums called "The Black Box" and "Meanwhile".

At MAGWest, they'll be joined a band of friends from the VGM scene: Stemage, miles morkri, and Star Victoria Power (aka Slide20XX)!

Owlbear

Formed in 2020 during a time in which plague stalked theland and time lost all meaning, the core of Owlbear is comprised of North American metal scene veterans Katheryn Scary (vocals), Jeff Taft (guitars) and Leona Hayward (bass), all of whom hail from different corners of the continent. A rapid exchange of demos led to the creation of their debut album Chaos to the Realm, and the runaway success of that release in 2023 transformed the band from a remote project to full-fledged live outfit, with their debut performance occuring at the sold-out Legions of Metal festival in Chicago in 2024. Musically, Owlbear draws influence from classic heavy and speed metal and roots their lyrics in the media its members love, from the famous roleplaying game that inspired the band's namesake to the Final Fantasy franchise. Dynamic vocals, frenetic riffing and bass that is equal parts pummeling and acrobatic drive the band's relentless approach, and with the release of theirs ophomore album Feather & Claw, Owlbear aims tocontinue to carve out its niche within the heavy metalcommunity with a savage swipe of a plumed talon.

SAMMUS

SAMMUS (Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo) is a black feminist rapper, producer, and scholar with family roots in Côte D'Ivoire and the Congo. She was raised in Ithaca, NY, which is located on the traditional lands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫˀ (Guy-yo-KO-no) Nation, also known as the Cayuga Nation. Since 2010 Sammus has written, produced, and recorded three full-length albums, three EPs, a beat tape, and several one-off collaborations with notable artists including Moor Mother, Open Mike Eagle, Noga Erez, Xenia Rubinos, Mega Ran, and Sadie Dupuis in addition to her collaborations with video game developers, podcasters, and filmmakers. In 2019 she received her PhD in science and technology studies from Cornell University and in 2022 she became the David S. Josephson Assistant Professor of Music at Brown University, located within the ancestral homelands of the Narragansett Indian Tribe.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Bandcamp

Super MadNES

Super MadNES is a Los Angeles, CA live tribute to 80s retro video games and Judas Priest style heavy metal. Currently performing their new arcade themed album "Defenders of the City” featuring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Robocop, Double Dragon, and Ninja Gaiden along with an action fueled pixelated visual show + an exclusive Final Fantasy medley to join this year's MAGWest theme while riffing and headbanging as if it was still 1984!!

onumi

Built into the very foundation of her artistic identity her distinctly mystifying fusion of metal, old-school EDM and modern dub-inspired genres all glued together with an electrifyingly aggressive undertone.

Dark, mangy and outright hostile, onumi's sound is gritty, confronting, and a distinct departure from classical adherence to conventional time signatures and familiar rhythmic phrasing.

From OSU! to Geomtry Dash to WACCA her music has been the bane of Rhythm Game players for years.

Instagram | Twitter

Lucrecia

Lucrecia is a kawaiicore themed metalcore band band that was formed in 2016 by two talented screamers, Suki and Frankie Alonzo. They decided the band would be an ode to everything they love from otaku culture, idol music, and kawaii fashion. They soon began writing songs that blended heavy music with otaku elements, creating a unique and captivating sound. Their song "Brotherhood" was their first breakthrough, was featured on the popular Youtube channel 'Dreambound', which helped showcase the emerging band's fresh sound in the alternative music scene. The song gained them many fans who appreciated their originality and willingness to just be themselves. Their song "Sleeping Slaves of Fate" was their first true huge success, garnering over a million streams online. The video for the song showcased Sukis unique idol style as well as their love for anime drawing direct references visually and lyrically while also proving that their music can stand out in the very saturated metalcore genre. Lucrecia is still a young band with a lot of potential and ambition that you should not overlook. They are currently writing their untitled full length follow up to their 2024 EP "Meyneth" and will be releasing new music this Fall.

Adora Blue

Adora Blue (yes, that's adorable + u ;3) is a Seattle-based DJ (and producer, rapper, MC, drummer, singer, ex-tiktoker, activist...) you won't soon forget!

Primarily playing eurobeat, kawaii future bass, and video game remixes, she also branches out toward happy hardcore, breakcore, jersey/nxc, chiptunes, and j-core/ukhc, and no set of hers is complete without some memes and throwbacks!

She has been integrated in the world of music since childhood, playing piano, guitar, bass, and singing. She started learning how to DJ and exploring the electronic music scene right at the start of transition, and her skill and style have evolved along with her, finding her own niche in the community and even branching out to playing bass drum in a video game-cover brass band!

These days she plays at raves and renegades and convention parties, like MAGFest, Sakura-con, She-Rave, Neon Genesis Stevengelion, Gamer Rave, Kawaii Rave, So Pokegenic at PAX West, Gay2Rave, QT Fest, Sugoi Sugar, Newcores Eve, and Bocchi the Rave!

Adora Blue sets are always fun, following the philosophy of playing music that drives people and makes them ITCH to be on the dance floor. She wants people taking a break and getting water to be anxious to get back. ;p Always finding new and surprising ways to combine songs, intricate transitions and mashups (like n*sync and jakazid, or killer mike and synthion) that make people go "wait...this isn't...no wayyyy" and keep the dance floor moving!!

VVGO

Formed in March 2020, Virtual Video Game Orchestra (VVGO, "vee-vee-go") is an online volunteer-run music ensemble predicated on providing a musical performance outlet for musicians whose IRL rehearsals and performances were cancelled due to COVID-19. Led and organized by members from various video game ensembles, and with a community of hundreds of musicians from across the globe, VVGO is open to any who wish to participate regardless of instrument, skill level, or musical background.

The KeyBlades

The KeyBlades are a group of friends from the local South Bay Area that came together to perform video game music covers using their combined musical powers rooted in classical, jazz, rock and metal styles. The KeyBlades will also be joined by special guest and violinist, Jay Kim, to bring you some fun and beautiful music from Super Mario, Final Fantasy, NieR, Sonic, and more!

Under the Deku Tree

Hey! We're Under The Deku Tree (UDT), a band straight out of Portland, Oregon. We deliver fresh, new interpretations of our favorite video game and J-music. To keep our performances dynamic, we also explore other diverse musical mediums, like Vocaloid. We also love creating popular mashups, infusing each performance and arrangement with our distinctive style and vibrant energy.

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