I’ve taken great pride in the fact that the Tri-State Area hosts such a vast range of eclectic music styles, but lately I’ve grown to lament the lack of a VGM/Chip Music scene. If we’ve learned anything from the case of the New York Comic-Con debacle in 2006 it’s that there’s definitely a market for that audience.
Last Sunday was a night of many firsts. Boston, MA’s The World Is Square chose The Way Station, Brooklyn’s self-proclaimed “Nerdvana,” as the venue for their first-ever NYC gig. I never know what to expect from walking into any bar the first time, but it only took a moment to realize I knew it was going to be a great night. The bar has a noticeable Whovian atmosphere, complete with a Tardis-inspired restroom and an awesome Steampunk painting. Sunday also commemorated the premier of the highly-anticipated fourth season of Arrested Development so the “Tardis” was redesigned to resemble Bluth’s Frozen Banana Stand from the hit series (also, quick shoutout to Diane Abela for the fantastic banana cupcakes!)
The Way Station is a small, intimate venue and I’m sure that as a five-piece band TWIS would’ve preferred that that the stage be a little less cramped, but they made the best of the space allotted. Those of you who haven’t read my feature on “Player 1 Press Start” will know that The World Is Square plays folk-style covers of themes from Squaresoft games like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy using more “unconventional” instruments. If you’re a big fan of Final Fantasy VI you would’ve probably lost your mind during their setlist as the majority of the songs came from that game. There were a few other musical surprises such as several selections from the game Chrono Cross. The game’s fusion of funk/jazz was more than enough to get a few of the audience members dancing.
All I could think was how fantastic the band sounded live. There’s a clear reason for the song choices they’ve made. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always have a place for hard rock/metal covers, but few bands in this scene are doing arrangements of this type. What also separates The World Is Square from their contemporaries is that each member plays multiple instruments including the mandolin, glockenspiel and light percussion. One of the highlights of their set was their rousing rendition of “Vamo Alla Flamenco” from Final Fantasy IX which included the ever-important hand claps from the audience.
Like any true performer, The World Is Square put on a great show, but also appeared to be having a great time playing. That also has a lot to do with the energy of the crowd, who were very receptive. The VGM scene is still small, but the community is growing in interest largely in part to the internet and various conventions around the country. The songs played on Sunday were pieces of music some of us grew up listening to or maybe heard for the first time in the videogames we’ve played, but there’s nothing quite like hearing those songs come to life. With any luck, The World Is Square will return and New York show that there’s a definite market for these bands because as the classic quote from Field of Dreams stated, “If you build it, they will come.”
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