The player character won't stop telling lame dad jokes and their partner can't take it anymore! ScoreJam 13 entry. Programmed by Ivan Solodov and Joseph McCane with art by Ivan Solodov and music and sound by Amanda Laven.

https://solobearus.itch.io/dad-joke-overload

Dad Joke Overload

A punk rock take on Grant Kirkhope's classic Banjo-Kazooie main title, the final track on Materia Collective's BUDDIES: A Tribute to Banjo-Kazooie, BIRD side.

Amanda Laven: Track Arranger, Track Producer, Mixing Engineer, Lyrics, Vocals (Lead), Vocals (Woahs)
Roudan: Bass Guitar, Vocals (Woahs)
Andrew Filipski: Guitar (Lead)
DJ MEATSWEATZ: Track Arranger (Rap Beat), Track Producer (Rap Beat)
Gregory Orosz: Vocals (Woahs)
Ian Martyn: Vocals (Backing), Vocals (Woahs)
James C. Hoffman: Drum Set, Mixing Advisor, Vocal Editor
Lil' Hotlegs: Vocals (Rap), Lyrics (Rap)
Mason Lieberman: Vocals (Guh-huh!)
Ravi Krishnaswami: Guitar (Rhythm)
Xander Cruise: Lyrics (Rap), Vocals (Rap)

Adventure Is Calling - Banjo-Kazooie Main Title Arrangement

An uplifting trance take on David Wise's The Secret Tune from Diddy Kong Racing, from the album Future Dance Land: A Tribute to Diddy Kong Racing.

Amanda Laven: Producer, Arranger

The Secret Trance - Diddy Kong Racing The Secret Tune Arrangement

From the sea to the field: this track takes Mitsuda Yasunori's track "Thames, Spirit of the Men of the Sea" to competition with a percussion ensemble arrangement. Mallets, drums, voices, and more embody the spirit of the men of the sea in a rousing performance.

Amanda Laven: Producer, Arranger, Mixing Engineer
Bonnie Bogovich: Vocals (Soprano), Vocals (Alto)
Chris Muggli-Miller: Vocals (Tenor)
Daniel Romberger: Vocals (Tenor), Vocals (Bass)
Doug Perry: Vibraphone (1), Vibraphone (2), Marimba (1), Marimba (2), Glockenspiel
Gal Gershovsky: Snare Drum
Garrett McPherson: Vocals (Tenor), Vocals (Bass)
Ian Martyn: Vocals (Soprano), Vocals (Alto), Vocals (Tenor), Vocals (Bass), Shakers
James C. Hoffman: Mixing Advisor
JohnStacy: Xylophone, Chimes
Liz Rishel: Vocals (Alto), Vocals (Soprano)
Marcela Estelië: Vocals (Soprano), Vocals (Alto)
Matheus Manente: Vocals (Tenor), Vocals (Bass), Triangle, Shakers, Timbal, Tamborim
Nautilus T Party: Vocals (Tenor), Vocals (Bass)
Trey Hodge: Additional Editing
Troisnyx: Snare Drum, Medieval Snare

Thames On The Field - Xenogears Thames, Spirit of the Men of the Sea Arrangement

An anime opening inspired j-rock arrangement of Koji Kondo's Owl Theme from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Amanda Laven: Producer, Vocals Alto, Arranger, Lyrics, Vocals Soprano
Andrew Filipski: Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar
Ann Zeng: Vocals (Alto)
Austin Hart: Cello
Melancholy Robot: Drums
Bonnie Bogovich: Vocals (Soprano)
Chris Porter: Translator (Japanese)
Daniel Romberger: Vocals (Bass)
Gregory Orosz: Alto Flute
Ian Martyn: Lead Vocals, Lyrics Editor
James C. Hoffman: Mixing Engineer
Ronin Op F: Violin
Julia Handschin: Vocals (Alto)
Jim Newsome: Vocals (Bass)
Marcela Estelië: Vocals (Soprano)
Marjorie Halloran: Vocals (Soprano), Vocals (Alto)
Matheus Garcia Souza: Violin
Michael Garrett Steele: Vocals (Tenor), Vocals (Bass)
Nautilus T Party: Vocals (Tenor), Vocals (Bass)
Pokérus Project: Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar
Saoirse Mings: Vocals (Alto)
Sirenstar: Lead Vocals
Tiago Rodrigues: Bass Guitar
Zach Kohlmeier: Tenor

プレスビー！！！プレスビー！！！プレスビー！！！(Press B!!! Press B!!! Press B!!!) - Kaepora Gaebora Arrangement

Envisioned as the accompaniment to a horror game bootflow building to the main title and then fading to an unsettling ambient track with individual elements playing at random as the player sits on the menu, this track was inspired by some of my favorite bits of horror score - Ocarina of Time's Shadow Temple, Castlevania 64's First Struggle, and Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Grave Summons

Quintet for Flute, Clarinet, French Horn, Violin, and Cello - Performed by the Musicians of Ma'alwyck at Union College on June 6th, 2013.

In Stitches arose from my love of sewing and yarn crafts; the ensemble first spins notes into two melodies - the weft and warp threads - then weaves them together to form the fabric of the music. Once complete, the trailing threads leftover begin to unwind once again.

In Stitches

Trio for Baroque Violin, Viola da Gamba, and Theorbo, with programmed percussion - Performed by Chatham Baroque at the Vermont College of Fine Arts on August 6th, 2016. Concept art by Fernanda Giongo.

This is a selection of thematic pieces based on a theoretical video game entitled Rever: Twin Worlds. The main character, Somnia, embarks on a quest to find her kidnapped love interest, retracing his path through numerous locations within the game. In addition to her daytime adventures, she also navigates a dream world in which she conquers various puzzles to unlock dark secrets about Rever's history. This score features the Rever Overworld theme, Somnia's theme, and themes for three
locations (Nalan, Kritirk, and Merem) within the game, as well as dreamworld versions of each.

Rever: Twin Worlds

Spelunker Johny discovers one of the greatest world mysteries: colored lanterns that reveals a new world!  With the cave's main entrance closed off, however, he must rely on these lanterns to hop between different parallel universes and reach towards the exit.  But what dangers lie behind these unexplored territories?

Game design, programming, 3D models, and sound by Taro Omiya
Art by Teo Acosta and Kenney
Music by Amanda Laven

Stuck in Parallel - Main World Theme

This track was written in late 2015 as a demo for an adventure RPG. It's a blend of orchestral and world instruments with a just touch of a trip-hop beat. For me, the look and feel of the game I wrote it for triggered a lot of nostalgia for games in the late 90s/early 2000s, so I found myself drawing inspiration from some of my favorite games of that time (Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Banjo Kazooie.)The developers were looking for orchestral music with the catchiness of trip-hop and an otherworldly feel to convey the drama of the story while maintaining a sense of adventure - all this made for a very fun and challenging composing experience. I look forward to my next opportunity to write something like this!

Arcadian Adventum

Originally written for an game jam game called Chicago 1999. It would have been a detective game in which the player interviews suspects and attempts to discover who committed the crime in question. The team was originally looking for a blend of Frank Sinatra's "The Best is Yet to Come" and the Cuphead soundtrack, but on my recommendation agreed to include that sound as an homage to old-school detective stories while the body of the track focuses on sounds reminiscent of late-90s crime shows such as Law & Order, Matlock, and Unsolved Mysteries.

Image credit: Cottonbro, from Pexels,

Chicago 1999

Special thanks to Brian Diamond for naming this track!

This track was written in early fall 2016 as a demo for a dating sim. It's a dance tune with a typical song structure and a retro horror movie flavor. The art and theme of the game I wrote it for inspired a lighthearted, optimistic track, but since the characters are all versions of classic horror movie monsters I wanted to include organ and add a little bit of darkness with a minor verse as well. I wrote this without any input from the developers based on a post that included pictures and information about the gameplay and story, solely working from my own impression of what would suit the game. It was a really fun piece to work on and I really enjoyed the challenge of capturing both spookiness and liveliness in the same tune!

The Rom Com Zombie Prom

A spaceship lands on the rocky surface of an uninhabited planet. Lush green forests surround the clearing, inviting yet ominous. What lies beneath the canopy? As the explorers venture away from the ship, the tension melts as a scene of peaceful beauty unfolds.

The Tranquil Unknown

The Building of the Wall is a retelling of the Norse myth about how Asgard, Place of the Gods, got its impenetrable walls. Its first performance was at the Vermont College of Fine Arts on February 14th, 2015 by Aliana de la Guardia, soprano; Carrie Cheron, mezzo; Alex Nishibun, tenor; and Jonathan Nussman, baritone.

The Building of the Wall

Spanish Gothic Casino music for Rollin' Bonez, Ludum Dare #44. Bet with your bones in this skeleton craps game! Play for free here: https://amyflaherty.itch.io/rollin-bonez

Team:
Amy Flaherty - Coding
Will Carpentier - Artwork
Jacob Freedman - Artwork
Amanda Laven - Music and Sound Effects

With Special Thanks to Taro Omiya, Jamey Stevenson, and Muse en Lystrala.

Rollin' Bonez

Half Human Games is developing Dwerve, a tower defense dungeon crawling RPG. You play as the titular character. Dwerve's dwarven village is under attack by trolls, so he must travel deep into their lair to destroy their secret weapon using turrets and traps of his own. Half Human Games put out a call for composers in July 2019, and I scored their demo video as an audition. My approach followed their request for ambient synth tunes with fantasy orchestral melodies on top. While Half Human ultimately chose to go with a different composer, I enjoyed working on this demo and am very much looking forward to playing the game! You can learn more about the game at Dwerve.com.

Dwerve Demo

I wrote a simple theme, then orchestrated it with synths inspired by Quest 64.

21 DoVGM Oct. 2019 - Day 1 - RPG Menu Theme

Battle start stinger leading into Day 9's battle theme.

21 DoVGM Oct. 2019 - Day 14 - Battle Start Stinger

And finally, a grand and imposing fanfare for the castle lair of the final boss of our imaginary RPG.

21 DoVGM Oct. 2019 - Day 21 - RPG Castle Theme

Amanda Laven is a composer and sound designer whose focus is music for media, with an emphasis on music for video games. She specializes in synthesizing stylistic references into original pieces based on narratives, moods, and visual art. She most enjoys collaborating with artists in any medium to amplify their voices while expressing her own. She is also a big nerd who loves games, movies, cartoons, cats, crochet, and sour beer.

Amanda Laven Music + Sound

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