The music of "The Power of Us" with Pikapi Podcast

Another Pokemon movie has come out, and as usual Anne and I are here to share our thoughts. This time, however, we recorded it live:

Discussing the music of "The Power of Us" was a lot of fun, and we hope you'll join us next time when we discuss the music of "Genesect and the Legend Awakened" in about a month. If you're wondering where our previous discussion of "Kyurem Vs. the Sword of Justice" is, it'll be coming to the channel soon, but you can listen to it on Anne's Patreon.

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 23-Pokemon Cries/Wizard World Madison

In the first segment (0:51-10:53), I interview "Dots" from the YouTube channel "Retro Game Mechanics Explained." We talk about how he started his channel, and a recent video he did about the cries of Pokemon from generation 1. "Dots" also explains the sound generation application he created as part of his research.

The second segment (11:59-21:41) has some interviews from the recent Wizard World Comic Con event in Madison. You'll hear from Pokemon YouTuber RealBreakingNate, as well as Jerry Milani, the PR rep for the Wizard World organization.


Links:

Segment 1:
Retro Game Mechanics Explained Channel
Pokemon Cry Generator

Why it Works: We're A Miracle:
First Movie music discussion

Segment 2:
RealBreakingNate's Channel
Wizard World* Website

*A press pass was provided for this event.

Why It Works: We're A Miracle

Christina Aguilera's "We're A Miracle" has some obvious things going for it in regard to Pokemon: The First Movie, but some of the reasons this pre-existing song fits so well are a bit more obscure:

“We’re A Miracle” wasn’t written or re-written to work with Pokémon: The First Movie-and, if for some reason you don’t believe me on that, I do have an e-mail from one of the folks behind the song. In any event, despite its unrelated origins, it seems to do a great job matching up with the film-but why is that? There’s the obvious stuff, like references to a storm and tears early in the piece, and some later lyrics that provide a good summary of the relationship between Ash and Pikachu. However, there’s another possible explanation-“We’re A Miracle” definitely features some of Christina’s more aggressive vocal qualities. Normally this gives her songs a sensual vibe, but here it has the benefit of making her sound a bit more like, well, you know. Anyway, if you’d like to hear a more in-depth analysis of this song, as well as its Japanese equivalent, “Together With The Wind”, a few years ago I recorded a discussion with Anne from Pikapi Podcast.

What happened to the hosts of "WTPT: Pokemon Radio"?

Spoiler Alert: Jowy and KC are still alive and kicking, but they have undertaken some new endeavors, particularly in the last few years:

Running from 2007 to 2010, WTPT, also known as “The Pallet Tribune” was one of the dominant Pokémon podcasts of that era. Helmed by Jowy Romano and Keith “K.C.” Smith, the Brooklyn-based show covered various aspects of the franchise, as well as whatever was happening in the world of Pokémon at the time. It also brought in a number of guests, including myself, along the way. Despite its success, however, the show would come to an abrupt end in 2010 for several reasons, notably a conflict with K.C.’s employer. There were a few tidbits and a spinoff that came afterwards, but that was more or less the end of WTPT.

Nearly a decade later, you may be wondering-what happened to those guys? Well, they actually both run new podcasts that are active to this day. K.C. co-hosts “The SwitchCast”, a Nintendo Switch-focused show that covers the system and its games, and Jowy has started “Level 5 Radio”, which discusses Pokémon Go in the New York City area-and has a rather familiar-looking logo. If you’re interested in either, there are links in the video description. If you just want to relive some classic WTPT memories, Jowy was nice enough to let me upload some of the old episodes to my channel.

Some of the information in this article came from the Bulbapedia article for WTPT.

Unboxing the "Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee" Soundtrack

While the "Pokemon Let's Go" soundtrack may be available digitally in the states, in Japan you can pick up a three-disc CD set. The music may be the same, but the added contents may make it more appealing to some. Oh, and haircuts are...interesting:

Interview: RealBreakingNate @ Wizard World Madison 2018

At Wizard World Madison 2018, I had an opportunity to interview RealBreakingNate, a well-known Pokemon YouTuber. We talk about how he got started doing videos, and some of the panels he ran at the convention:

A press pass was provided for this event.

Musician Interview: Charity Goodin ("The Power Of Us" co-performer)

Charity Goodin

The following in an interview with Charity Goodin, co-performer of “The Power Of Us”, the ending theme of the recently released Pokémon movie of the same name.

Where are you from, and how did you get into doing music?

I’m originally from Maryland-just outside of Washington D.C..

Growing up, our home was filled with music. My mother took my sister and me to church to join the choir at five years old. Even at that young age, I enjoyed being able to create the perfect sound I wanted for the lyrics and songs I was singing. I started playing clubs long before I was old enough to be a customer. It was a bit odd at times-when I was in a rock band, I would sit in the car before we went on stage, sing, and then go sit in the car so as not to draw too much attention to myself. Other memorable performances include fronting a Yugoslavian Tamburitza Orchestra (singing in Serbo-Croatian), working with swing and big bands, singing in church choirs in various parts of the country, and now there’s a great group of jazz musicians I perform with called Del Sol. It was through our jazz gigs that I met Ed Goldfarb, the composer and songwriter for Pokémon.

What was your experience with Pokémon before working on "The Power Of Us"?

Most of what I knew came from my son, who was born in 1991. He and his friends would speak in the Pokémon voices and sing the theme songs. That’s really about it.

How did you wind up singing on it? 

Ed and I performed some jazz gigs together, and he asked if I’d like to do some holiday recordings for a CD he wrote and produced. Later, he asked me to sing for a Pokémon demo he was working on, which became the S21 theme song, “Under the Alolan Moon”.

I was thrilled to work with Ed. He is an amazing composer. The harmonies, the complex structures of the pieces are a bit deceptive to the listener. They are so easy to get into your head that you don’t realize the brilliant work that took place.

What was the recording process like?

The recording was detailed and meticulous, and for me, fun. I sang all the parts of the harmony, quite a few times to get the desired effect of a choir. Ed was masterful at getting what he wanted for the vocal sound from me. I think the end result is great.

Is there a particular part of the song you wanted to call out?

I love those harmonies and the hook of the song. The lyrics are very uplifting and positive.

What other musical work have you done recently?

Right now I am getting ready for a couple of Holiday shows. One at the Deerfield Winery Caves in Sonoma and I’m one of the featured soloists for the Santa Rosa Symphony Holiday Pops concert. Amongst other classic holiday songs, I’ll finally be performing “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen. I say “finally” because since the movie came out, every time I performed at a wedding or event where children were present, they would ask if I’d sing that song. It was very sweet, but a jazz quartet doesn’t usually have that in the repertoire. Aside from that, I’ve been in a writing/recording collaboration with Rob Fordyce (the bassist from my jazz group), and Jimmy Hobson (a recording engineer at Marinwest Studios).

What's your website, and where can you be found on social media?

My website is charitygoodin.com, and you can also find me on Facebook.

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 22-Erica Schroeder/Victini Movie(s) Music

For the first segment (0:55-7:16), I interview Erica Schroeder, a long-time voice actor for the Pokemon dub. We talk about how she got into the anime, her work as the singing voice of Meloetta, and her roles in the recently released movie "Pokemon: The Power of Us".

The second segment (7:23-56:25) covers the music of the 14th Pokemon movies-and no, that isn't a mistake. Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me sort out the extra-large amount of material we had to cover this time around. Listen to find out if two songs from Every Little Thing or the two versions of "Follow Your Star" come out on top.



Links:

Segment 1:
Erica's Website
Wizard World* Website

*A press pass was provided for this event.

Segment 2:
Pikapi Podcast
Alex Nackman Interview
Kathryn Raio Interview

Discussion: The Music of "Pokemon the Movie Black/White" (Part 1)

In an unusual move, there are actually two 14th Pokemon movies, each with a different ending theme, as well as score. Listen as Anne from Pikapi Podcast and I discuss the Japanese and English end themes of these films, and other musical aspects. Does"The Sky/The Voice" top two versions of "Follow Your Star"? Here's the first part:

If you need something to tide you over a bit longer, here's a recap of last weekend's Wizard World event in Madison:

The livestream includes me unpacking a Pokemon-themed mystery box, so be sure to check it out!

Got any opinions on the music of the Keldeo movie?

Not long from now, Anne from Pikapi Podcast and I will be sitting down to discuss the music of the 15th Pokemon movie, "Kyurem Vs. the Sword of Justice ", otherwise known as the Keldeo movie. We'll be comparing "Memories" by Rola and "It's All Inside Of You" by Jess Turner, the Japanese and English ending themes (respectively) of the movie. We'll also be discussing the score and other musical elements:

If you have an opinions, feel free to share them with a comment on this post!