Adrian Has Issues

Here it is, folks—the first post-hiatus episode of Adrian Has Issues! Joining me in the co-hosting chair is none other than Eileen aka The LatiNerd. We sit down for a thought-provoking conversation with the co-founders of Oneshi Press: Jayel Draco (Lead Designer) and Lynsey G Editor-In-Chief). Oneshi Press is an independent publishing company with a strong emphasis on community and inclusion. Their latest project is issue #4 of PACK, a vigilante thriller in which 6 stray dogs, and 1 stray man battling crime and corruption in a gentrified Brooklyn. In this episode, Eileen and I have an honest discussion with Jayel and Lynsey regarding the real-life social issues that inform the world of PACK. We explore how themes of racism, allyship and community affect people not just on street level but in the highest levels of government.

This week’s episode finds host Adrian King picking up where he left off on what was the final mini-episode installment. Adrian further elaborates on his role as an artist and seeks to reestablish his personal relationship with the creative process, as well as teasing a future project involving some output from the creative community.

Allison Martin is a trombonist with nearly 20 years of performance experience and a Bachelor’s Degree in music education. Having played as a soloist and in ensembles since her youth, Allison was well on her way as a professional player in orchestra before stepping away from music entirely. After years of studying abroad in Japan, Allison has returned with a renewed spirit and destined to make her mark. Equipped with an expansive skillset and an irreverent sense of humor, Allison’s path eventually brought her into the Video Game Music community with an appearance in the popular “Line Them Up” Paper Mario tribute video. 2022 saw the release of her debut album, See The World, a love letter to exploration and the games that inspired her personal journey including entries from The Legend of Zelda: Link To The Past, Final Fantasy VI and Pokémon. In an insightful and in-depth conversation, Adrian talks with Allison about her personal and creative life and the two cover a plethora of topics including: Creative burnout, the secret genius of informercials and the movies of Neil Breen.

East Bay Area musician and audio engineer Ian Cowell returns! Continuing the conversation from Episode 176, Ian tells the story of how a series of situations involving mistaken identity with another Cowell served as the catalyst for meeting some incredible individuals in the VGM/Synth community. Adrian and Ian also provide their thoughts on the importance of virtual VGM concerts, videogame music covers winning Grammy Awards and the value of content creators beyond the things they produce.

The “Minisode” format was intended to be a more intimate and personal account of Adrian’s thoughts and feelings on pop culture and creativity outside of the conversational tone of the standard episodes. In this final entry, Adrian continues a train of thought that was started in Minisode 10. Adrian attempts to redefine what it means to be a creator and podcaster and the role both play in artistic communities he serves. With this comes a conclusion that will no doubt shape his personal and professional journeys for years to come.

This week’s guest is Ian Cowell, an East Bay Area musician, producer and engineer. His incredible style ranges from synthwave, progressive rock, lo-fi and chip music. He has incorporated them into these truly unique arrangements of original music and videogame covers. Ian has been building a steady following in the VGM community with guitar-shredding prowess and irreverent humor. Ian capped off 2021 with the release of Exceptional Goblins, an exhilarating full-length album featuring arrangements from games such as Yoshi's Island, The Legend of Zelda II and Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne.

What was intended to be a look into the creation of Exceptional Goblins, the conversation between Adrian and Ian quickly veers into a fun and poignant discussion on a number of topics including: Being Dads as well as gamers and normalizing playing videogames on easy/casual difficulty levels.

Grant Henry, known best by his stage name Stemage, is a composer, session player, and audio engineer. He is the creator of Metroid Metal, performed with Viking Guitar and the guitar player for the Emmy-nominated animated series Steven Universe. His credits also include Ikenfell, Chicory: A Colorful Tale and Runner3. Recorded at the start of 2022, Adrian chats with Stemage about his experiences writing the music for the Hextech Mayhem, a rhythm-based videogame set in the League of Legends franchise from Riot Forge (Ruined King) and Choice Provisions (Bit.Trip). Additionally, Stemage lends his thoughts on balancing hired session work and personal projects, the process of creating the Adrian Has Issues theme song and how he’s found inspiration from an unlikely musical source.

On this week's episode, Adrian chats with Allen Brasch, the owner and editor-and-chief of GameGrooves. Founded in 2018, GameGrooves aims to celebrate the Videogame Music community with blogs, podcasts and albums that feature music artists from a number of genres. Allen details the origins of GameGrooves as well as the events that lead up to the company's most successful album to date: A ska tribute to the music for the game Mario Kart 64 entitled Skario Kart, which features music by Skatune Network, Tape Girl & more. Adrian & Allen also provide their thoughts on the ever-evolving videogame music cover scene, their love of Sonic Adventure 2 and the ambitious 2022 Album Challenge.

In this week's episode, Adrian is once again joined comedian and writer Mario Candelaria (Ashes, The Chart, Tales From The Pandemic). The duo start off discussing the inspiration behind Mario's latest comic "Fog Line," but the conversation takes several irreverent yet poignant turns featuring takes on Lethal Weapon 2 and Mad Men & more. Mario also goes on a deep dive into his love for hit R&B singer The Weeknd, irredeemable characters in fiction and celebrating the success as well as failures along the creative process.

Ro Panuganti is a musician who specializes in guitar-driven music in the vein of progressive rock/metal that have become staples within the videogame music community. His covers have ranged from classic game/movie franchises from The Legend of Zelda and Undertale to Frozen and Hamilton. After building a following through these releases and his YouTube channel, Ro embarks on the next leg of his musical journey with a 5-song concept album entitled Project Discover. In this episode, Adrian has a conversation with Ro regarding the EP which draws inspiration from his experiences as a 2nd generation immigrant, Indian mythology and his deep love of videogames. Ro also details how the themes of identity and representation play into the story but also draw parallels to the VGM community and the path to grow as an artist.