Confluence Highlights, Part 1: Mikey Mason and the Best Game Ever

Dang, a lot has gone on over the last week. I have two highlights from Confluence that I've been meaning to post since I went there this weekend. Here's the first one: Mikey Mason, a nerd comic musician. He put on a damn good show, with a bunch of great songs, and I highly recommend seeing him play if you ever get the chance. He's got one song in particular that is by far his most popular, and while the musician in me who cringes at the thought of being known primarily for That One Song it tempted to post something more obscure for your listening pleasure, no, this was the first song of his that I heard, and dang it's just too much fun not to share (with apologies for the bleeped out swearing, which I guess makes it more SFW but drives me nuts):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M60zW_Mfm58

Confluence Highlights, Part 2: Super Smash Opera!

Confluence Highlights, Part 2: Super Smash Opera​!

I have to admit, I went into this a bit dubious. The demo recordings on their web page are, by the cast's own admission, a bit rough, but then I saw it live and enjoyed it 1000 times more than I expected to.

It's basically a show entirely made up of nintendo-related parodies of classic arias performed by people who can actually sing (Zelda does the fraggin' Queen of the Night aria, a ridiculously showy and challenging soprano piece, and nails it, for example). If that doesn't convince you it's worth your time, then it may just not be your thing.

If you want a taste, I haven't watched all of it, but there is video of an earlier performance from MagFest up on YouTube. Really, though, if you get a chance to see them live, this is absolutely a thing that you should do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZGv2hUtUrw