At Destructoid, we have a very talented local musician by the name of AlphaDeus. He has two albums up for download which I strongly recommend doing for they are simply amazing. I urge you to head over to his site here:
http://alphadeus.bandcamp.com/.
My recommended tracks:
From Alpha to Omega
Alpha
Omicron
Pi
xi
Upsilon (Personal Favorite)
Walking in Circles
Walking in Circles
Theory of Mind
Abstraction
Drifting Through My Imagination (Personal Favorite)
Here is the interview!
What made you start blogging and why Destructoid?
- Unfortunately, I deleted a lot of my blogs going back to last year
due to a bout of severe depression, but the thing is, I just love
sharing my thoughts and ideas, and blogging is the best way to do that
it seems. I chose Destructoid over all others because I felt it was a
community I could relate to. We're all gamers, and we're all good
people. Plus I have been coming here for years for the news articles.
I have a lot to say about things.
Where did you get your username and avatar?
- The origin of my name is a long-lost mystery to me, but I think I
coined the term when I was playing Xenogears. It also sounds like a
lot like Amadeus, which would make sense. I alternate between using
Ashtar and some random image of a guy with a large visor as my avatar.
I took a screen cap of Ashtar from the opening cutscene (or I might be
using one I found online, I have 2 images of Ashtar). The other image
I have absolutely no clue where I got it. It was concept art for a
video game that I can no longer find. I colored it in a few years ago.
It represents Alphadeus (character from Walking in Circles album)
because he wears a similar visor because he is blind.
[b]Your favorite game. Too simple? Your favorite scene from your
favorite game.[/b]
- My favorite game is Rock Band 3. My favorite scene is a tie between
the opera from Final Fantasy VI and the final mission in Mass Effect
2. The first was just beautiful for its time, and the second was the
most emotionally involved. I never felt more concerned about my
squad/characters than in any other game. I managed to beat the game
without losing anyone, but if I lost a single character I probably
would have been emotionally devastated. Mass Effect 2 was an amazing
experience.
Where did you learn how to play the piano?
- I'm not sure if I can consider it learning, but my father bought me
a 49-key Casio keyboard when I was young and I just kind of dabbled
with it. I may or may not have perfect pitch, so learning to play by
ear was easy for me. I remember the first song I learned was the Zelda
theme. I started playing piano when I was 12~ and I'm 30 now so I've
been playing by ear for possibly over 18 years. I can't read music and
have yet to have any formal training. I just love playing piano.
What kicked off the piano journals?
- I noticed back in around 2005 or 2006 that I could "stream" music
from the piano without really thinking about what I'm doing. It's
basically a process of trial and error and over the years I've learned
what keys I can press at the same time and which ones I shouldn't
(although I still make the occasional dissonance). In 2006 I coined
the term "Piano Journal" because the way I perform them is like
writing down my thoughts on a piano. I play what I am thinking, what I
feel like playing at the time, and I can do it for long periods of
time.
I've done so many piano journals. I believe I have over 30 hours of
recorded piano music on my website from 2006 to 2011. It's interesting
to go back and listen to older ones because it's like listening to a
younger, more innocent me. I may have become jaded over the last few
years.
(Jump to the 40 second mark for a surprise!)
If you could hug anyone on Dtoid who would it be?
- Occam. I beam every time I see one of his responses to my music. It
makes me so happy to know someone is listening to my music and using
it as a way to possibly relieve stress. Even though I've never had a
conversation with him, I feel like he is my best friend on Destructoid
because he has been so supportive. You're also in the running for
hugs!
If you could punch anyone on Dtoid who would it be?
- I'm not really the punchy type, at least not towards other people. I
suppose if I had to punch someone, i would choose a random Dtoider and
tell them to pass it on so everyone can get in on the fun.
When I grow up I want to be
- I would really like to be a successful musician/composer. I consider
it a success as long as at least one person is enjoying my music. I
don't mean successful as in super rich, just enough money to live
comfortably. I grew up poor so I don't expect much out of life, and am
not accustomed to many luxuries other than technology.
Now that Ive grown I can
- I can work towards becoming successful. I have a girlfriend of over
11 years together and I want her to be happy and comfortable. Right
now things are rough but I hope they will improve.
[b] Now, you recreate pieces through listening. Was that a skill
you acquired or just something you seem to be gifted with?[/b]
- It was something I messed around with as a kid that I never really
did anything with. I didn't start seriously using this ability until
last year. I learned a song my younger brother wrote, and I started
taking requests on Destructoid. I believe the first song I posted was
a request from Occam (the title theme of Friday the 13th for the NES).
I can't 100% learn the song but I do my best with what ability I have.
I think it is a gift, but it needs refining and practice. I plan on
handling some back requests when I have the time and focus, and will
hopefully continue to arrange popular/rare music for piano.
[b]You released two amazing albums. Walking in Circles and From
Alpha to Omega. What inspired those two albums and what were your
goals with them?[/b]
- Walking in Circles is part 1 of a very personal story. It is about a
man named Alphadeus that is unhappy with his existence, so he begins a
journey through space to find his purpose. He ends up in a bad
situation that ends with a cliffhanger. I am currently working on the
2nd album which will introduce a new character and close things up.
The original plan was for a single album with 16 tracks (3+13, my
birthday) but I have so many musical ideas that it's going to be a
2-disc album. I included some bonus songs on the first album as
filler.
Alpha to Omega was an experiment to see how fast I could write music
generated from "seeds". As I mentioned I have a lot of music ideas and
it was interesting to actually grow them into songs. I wasn't
expecting to put the whole thing together (24 tracks, one for each
letter of the Greek alphabet) in 10 days. I admit that I used a few
completed songs and a couple works-in-progress to speed things along,
but I wrote a lot of original music in those 10 days.
My goal for Walking in Circles/March of Zars is to tell my story. The
goal for Alpha and Omega was to just write music without too much
thought. I think I enjoyed working on the latter more.
[b]There is a woman who seems to be looking in your general
direction with a peculiar look on her face. As she comes up to you,
you quickly say
.[/b]
- "Pardon me, but do you have any Baked Ziti?"
[b] I just wanted to say thanks again for that amazing cover from
Phoenix Wright. That songs my new ringtone.[/b]
- No problem. It was a pleasure to work on. Such a great song.
(He played that by ear!)
If I were to tell you that you had one day left to live, you would?
- Spend it with my girlfriend in bed (mostly non-sexual :P) just
talking about things and really having a heart-to-heart. I suppose I
should probably say goodbye to a couple people, including you guys :P
I wouldn't do anything exciting. I live a very boring life where I
stay inside most of the time due to my condition (Asperger's
Syndrome). The outside world is way too stimulating for me and it's
hard to step outside the door. That is why I would spend it with the
closest person I know and just comfort them and let them know things
are going to be OK.
What is your most prized possession? (Family and Loved ones dont count)
- The piano my brother is letting me borrow lol. I'm not very
materialistic so that's the only thing I can think of that means
anything to me (as far as what is in my current possession).
If you could ask the community a question it would be?
- What makes you happy? I love hearing what people have to say and
watching them light up when they talk about it. Your happiness makes
me happy :)
Remember to check out his piano journals on Youtube
Here!
Or give either of his albums a download Here:
From Alpha to Omega and
Walking in Circles
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