Cover Photo: Eric von Holst (eb), Maddi Vogel (d) of Kevin and The Quicksavers. Midlane Esports, 5/3/25.

Join the Chicago VGM Discord here.

Interested in more VGM jazz? Check out the official BlueCollarJazz video game jazz covers playlist, featuring Chicago artists mentioned in this article!

By Dominic Guanzon

Saturday 5/3/25

The State of Play, Today

Chicago is a VGM (video game music) town.

To be more precise, Chicago has been a VGM town. I just don’t know for how long. Despite my whole schtick, my suburban ear isn’t the closest to the ground when it comes to The Scene^TM. 

Maybe it was in 2018 when Chicago’s Blue Shift Big Band started mixing VGM into their regular big band charts, eventually taking their original arrangements to their current residency at Andy’s, now going several years strong. Maybe it was in 2021 when percussionist-tap dancer Jamie Demeny started pitching performances across the city around the very concept, leading to her version of the “Athletic Theme” from Yoshi’s Island. Hell, the style-spanning DEL Trio’s first-ever single was an acoustic cover of “Today’s Results” from Pikmin, of all things.

Or maybe it was on Friday, November 15th, 2024 when Kevin and The Quicksavers hosted their first videogame-centric jam at Midlane Esports in Logan Square. I can’t say for sure if this jam series is the first-ever VGM one in Chicago, but it’s certainly one of the most publicized in recent memory.

When The One-Ups uploaded their samba cover of “Koopa Beach” in the summer of 2006¹, the earliest YouTube video game jazz cover I could find on the site, they likely had little idea of how pioneering their 240p backyard concert would become.

VGM parodies and covers were a dime a dozen on YouTube at the time. brentalfloss and Smooth McGroove come to mind. Cheesy as they were, they were popular, and as a teenager I ate them up too. 2000s internet was full of novelties, like how Tin Pan Alley songs were just fun little tunes at the turn of the century.

And while novelty can bring people together across the internet – to hear an original solo in the bop tradition over the changes of Mario Kart? That’s enough to build a real community, bring people together, and get them to touch some grass.

One such case was at the third go-around of The Quicksavers’ VGM gig on May 3rd, 2025. Almost 20 years after having watched The One-Ups upload a piece of internet history, I found myself in a packed room with enough colors to play a real-life game of Splatoon. Musicians up to a decade younger than me were tagging in and out on music from The Sims, Animal Crossing, Zelda, and did I mention The Sims²?

While a crowd came to watch the music, dozens of patrons simply came to game on the consoles and computers in the back. Midlane Esports, 5/3/25.

This is far from an original occurrence, of course. New York has been doing this for years ever since the J-MUSIC Ensemble evolved around 2018, eventually branching off into the beloved VGM Jams, all of it summarized in Adam Neely’s seminal “The Nintendo-fication of Jazz.”

So where has Chicago’s VGM jazz scene been all this time? Like I said at the top, I haven’t been around long enough to answer that question properly³. I have heard the music randomly at rehearsals and get-togethers, often as jokes. Perhaps there’s been a scene developing beyond city limits at conventions, like Blueshift’s recent appearance at MAGFest? The Chicago VGM Fest is in its fourth year, and set to feature Demeny as the hometown jazz artist.

I even know a couple people who tried to get VGM jams running in the past, to no avail. It ain’t exactly an easy thing to do.

What I can say definitively is this: the scene is here, now, and on the up and 1-up.

New Game+

Kevin and The Quicksavers is a fresh Chicago septet in classic Jazz Messengers-esque lineup, plus one extra trombone because why not. As I observed them from the sidelines of the esports tournament venue, they seemed shy and reserved in disposition, appearing to save it for the tunes. This, in sharp contrast to the excitement emanating from the audience, eager to hear the music, memes, and mayhem they usually see only on the internet.

But that’s what happens when you pull a bunch of capital “G” Gamers away from their screens and stuff them into the same room⁴. I feared things might get cringe, but I’m proud to report the full house struck the coveted hype:chill ratio every geek group seeks.

Kevin Zhou. Midlane Esports, 5/3/25.

The Kevin in question, and the night’s emcee, is Kevin Zhou, a city-based multi-instrumentalist who got started at University of Illinois down in Urbana-Champaign. According to his website (that he “really needs to update”):

“I entered the local house show scene in Urbana with my roommates by offering our residence as a venue for local bands.

“I helped to organize sound equipment, communicate with bands, and handle expenses for the shows. I also worked with another sound engineer during setup to plan inputs and outputs for the musicians…This was an extremely fun experience because we were able to organize with touring bands from Chicago and allow people to experience live music right in our own house.”

When I ran into Kevin a few days later at the Clara jam session (where bassist Crystal Rebone coincidentally opened the house set with a slate of her JRPG jazz arrangements) I got to know him a 16-bit more.

While at U of I, he majored in both computer science and music, but no “jazz” word pre-empting that latter degree.

“I realized I didn’t like CS (computer science),” he told me, putting emphasis on ‘didn’t,’ “but hey, it’s a backup.”

His love of the music won out, prompting him to learn the jazz idiom.

“I picked up jazz because I liked it! Theatre takes a lot of influences from jazz and vice versa, so the chord changes were familiar to me. The way I learned my jazz vocabulary was just from listening to recordings and transcribing solos that I enjoyed. As well as from soundtracks like Persona 5, Cowboy Bebop, and Cuphead. All the [8-Bit Big Band] stuff was awesome to listen to and influenced the makeup of the band.”

While in New York for theatre work, Zhou started attending the aforementioned VGM Jams. His eventual return to Chicago left a desire for a similar environment, but he wasn’t finding any. So, it simply became a case of filling the space.

A flutist performs over an Animal Crossing chart during the open jam. Midlane Esports, 5/3/25.

Now, jazz of all types tend to be simply the musicians and the music. VGM jazz, however, has set a standard for itself of multi-media spectacle.

As he said prior, Zhou was inspired by the 8-Bit Big Band⁵, whose videos feature sprawling animation, kinetic cinematography, and a healthy dose of memes. insaneintherain effectively played along with himself Smooth McGroove-style for most of his videos, attaching himself to the popular YouTube trend. Australian small-group The Consouls have been livestreaming their rehearsals for a decade, actively taking suggestions from the Twitch audience and workshopping them on camera in real time.

8-bit Music Theory played the Wii Sports Theme at an actual bowling alley.

Do these artists need to be doing all that? No. Is it really effing cool that they do?⁶

After all, video games can be a culmination of so many disciplines: visuals, sound effects, cinematography, voice acting, writing, orchestration, game theory, and more.

Saxophonists during the open jam. Midlane Esports, 5/3/25.

During the May 3rd performance at Midlane, The Quicksavers not only set up for their seven-piece ensemble, but featured about five stage lights, a live camera feed of the keyboardist with a branded border, and personnel collecting promo photos and video for socials.

Every song during the house set, and even the jam, had specific gameplay simulcasted on the monitor above them, as well as a projector screen on another wall. All of this, with Midlane’s bar operating near the entrance, and regular customers playing whatever fighting games or MOBAs they desired.

In a way, it was all playful indulgence. That could be antithetical to the spirit of a jam, but not if the vibe is right. So if The Quicksavers can anchor said vibes, who handles the everything else?

Developer Diary

Enter Barn Production Group and its co-founders Ethan Fazio, Aidan Gardner, Jesse McKenzie, and Darien Durell. According to their website’s “History” page: 

“Starting in the winter of 2023, The Barn was a DIY venue located in Urbana, IL. Catering to the UIUC student population and the local community.”

I reached out to Gardner from Barn, and asked him about their long-standing history with Zhou.

“Kevin was one of the founding members of The Barn CU DIY Venue. He ran it with us originally and was instrumental in getting it off the ground. Kevin graduated a year ahead of us, so we continued to run The Barn while he started his post-graduate career.

“We regrouped as Barn Production Group in Chicago last summer, and although Kevin did not become a founder, he became our very first client with the Video Game Music Jams. 

Since their move from U of I, they’ve remained busy.

“The move has been great! We’re still getting used to the city and have been building relationships with local artists and venues. We fortunately worked with a lot of Chicago musicians back in Urbana, so it’s been nice to see some familiar faces around and have some artists and musicians willing to help us out.”

On their “About Us” page, it reads:

“We are committed to offering affordable and fair services to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to reach out and collaborate. Transparency doesn’t cost extra with us, it’s a requirement.”

It’s some pretty good verbiage, but it’s understandable if the cynic in us is a little suspicious of the buzzwords. In practice, keeping the artist at the helm did indeed seem like their way of working. Gardner continues:

“Kevin is the creative lead on these events, so he sets the tone as well as the vibe for the night. He will come to us with a setlist and then from there we work to create and promote the show. In this instance, Kevin wanted the show to be “cozy” themed, with more laid back tunes. We worked with our in-house graphic designer to create a poster for this event, emphasizing the “cozy” aspect, and then began our social promotions on Instagram and TikTok to bring awareness to the event.”

With the vision set, it’s all about delegation.

“All of our responsibilities are broken down by each co-founder. Jesse handles all of the lighting, ticketing, and general logistics. Ethan and myself work on promotion and socials together, but manage different tasks day-of. I tend to set up and run all the audio, Ethan tends to work the door and be our point of contact with Midlane. Darien handles all media including pulling clips of each game, setting up cameras, and managing different videos, filters, and cameras during the event itself.”

Like I said, all this extra pizzazz isn’t necessary, and it could be argued the “showtime” aspect infringes on the “hang” part of the jam. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it, and the crowd (that brings money to spend at the bar) certainly did too.

Game Jam⁷

From The Sims 1’s “Buy Mode 2/Groceries” to Animal Crossing’s “K.K. Crusin’,” The Quicksavers busted out the hits, with a few deep cuts, such as the “Mii Maker Theme” from the handheld Nintendo 3DS.

The night saw a number of guest artists as well.

Cosplayer and performer Summer Rain sang “Jump Up, Superstar!” in a Pauline-red dress and fedora, with the crowd eating it all up and singing along. She also performed “Lonely Rolling Star” from Katamari Damacy in Japanese⁸, later accompanying the jam on accordion.

Percussionist Jamie Demeny traded fours on the “Pizza Parlor Theme” from Club Penguin. She later joined the jam on “Gerudo Valley,” her tap percussion working remarkably well with the Spanish sound that comes with it.

By far the most interactive moment of the night was a round of Mario Kart 8 on the projector screen. The Quicksavers provided the music, a practice made popular by the group Mario Kart Live in 2022 that has since spread. Four volunteer attendees were given Switch Joy-Cons, and the race track was the beloved Coconut Mall (and its hated finish-line car obstacles), its iconic score the obvious reason for its choosing⁹.

The race was close, with the player in second striking the player in first with a red shell mere inches from the finish line. Despite the crowd pop of a dramatic ending, it wasn’t enough to stop the latter player, the other three putting up high-fives.

About a dozen musicians of varying instruments and skill levels joined the lobby once the jam began in earnest. One musician noticed there were more audience members than players, which stood in contrast to the usual intensity of an all-peer room. I mentioned what Evanston saxophonist Chris Greene once said to me: the more your audience doesn’t know how to play an instrument, the more money you tend to make¹⁰.

Among the jammers was Chicago native and music streamer Jer Roque, who has contributed a number of transcriptions¹¹ to VGLeadSheets.com, including “Rainbow Road” from Mario Kart 64. This wound up being one of the songs called, in what I imagine must have been a full-circle moment.

He’s no stranger to going all-in on the cheesiness of it all – whether it’s guiding a crowd through a full rendition of the Donkey Kong rap, or seamlessly¹² inserting The Lick^TM into a solo. His fidgety nature on the keyboard led to him playing recognizable bars from various games in the short down time between songs, prompting some funny false starts among the crowd.

Midlane’s bar also featured a host of themed drinks, such as “Chat Banned,” “Pianta’s Frozen Pina Colada,” and “Pidgeotto’s Paloma.” Of course, you still had the classics like Malört, which is what some of the musicians drank in a group shot between songs.

Chicago VGM jazz musicians partake in a sacred tradition: Video Game Malört. Midlane Esports, 5/3/25.

Themed video game beverages. A full list can be found on their website. Midlane Esports, 5/3/25.

Vocalist Summer Rain extends the mic to audience members during “Jump Up, Superstar!” Midlane Esports, 5/3/25.

Zhou hopes to make the event a monthly occurrence, but he’s busy balancing it with his theatre music commitments. Not only that, but a lot of The Quicksavers were also procured from the theatre world.

“Most of them also work in theatre, the rhythm section [Eric and Maddi] very much so. Ella finished a masters at DePaul and plays in multiple bands, Miles plays theatre sometimes, Thom is a friend of a friend. Andy had just come to a previous jam session.”

I would imagine that makes rehearsals with a new band and whatever job they’re working difficult to balance with a late-night gig.

That is, if the gigs go late-night at all, since apparently residents live above Midlane, and the venue could get fined if the music keeps going past a certain time. I actually don’t remember what time the music ended, but it did feel earlier than what I’m used to at a session.

“I don’t know how much the fine is, and I don’t wanna find out,” he laughed.

I guess even as an adult, you can’t play past your bedtime.

In the interim, he has floated the idea of passing the house set around to other groups for the sake of keeping the whole thing more consistent. It’s a remarkable offering for the cause of community-building, since securing a recurring gig is a holy grail for any musician, particularly the networking juncture that is a jam.

I’ll keep mum on names he’s floated, but the fact he’s willing to swap out his name at all must be commended, even if it is out of necessity.

FINALE (ALL ENDINGS) | Kevin and The Quicksavers (2025) Gameplay Walkthrough (4K HD 60FPS)

Trombonist Thom Schwartz solos over “K.K. Crusin'” from Animal Crossing. 5/3/25.

The kitchy nature of doing a funk cover over Animal Crossing is almost like a joke in and of itself. Then again, so was doing bebop lines over the pre-intermission song from the musical version of the 1913 play “Pygmalion¹³.”

But as new as it feels, VGM jazz has been around for a long time now, since at least when The OneUps first recorded “Koopa Beach” in that backyard so many years ago. We’ve seen personalities come back and go (for a bit) and keep going in fun and inventive ways. It’s a multi-generational phenomenon at this point, and that was reflected in the Midlane crowd, who ranged from college kids to working 30s.

That too can be seen in Chicago’s VGM landscape, and we get different flavors of the music as a result. The Blueshift Big Band consists of early to older millennials, who make a point to downplay the “tongue-in-cheek,” aspect and “present this music in a serious, but still fun way.” You (probably) can’t out-meme the 8-Bit Big Band, after all, so why not hone-in on that classic approach?

Crystal Rebone and Jamie Demeny focus on the small-group angle, similar to The Consouls. I’ve always regarded the Aussie unit as my favorite, since the quartet/quintet makeup strikes that balance between intimacy, variety, and depth. Big bands are fun, but personality really shines through in the classic bop lineup.

For Rebone, we see a focus on JRPGs such as Persona, Final Fantasy, Pokémon, etc. For Demeny, it’s the deepest Kirby cut imaginable that I’ve had to ask her about twice now on separate occasions. All this, in addition to bringing female-led – and in the latter case, queer and trans-led – bands to the scene.

As for Kevin and The Quicksavers, I can’t wait to see what summer brings. Some of them are still working on getting, or shaking off, the graduation gowns, so the skybox is the limit. And like any good speedrunner, they can break that easily.

Join the Chicago VGM Discord here.

Interested in more VGM jazz? Check out the official BlueCollarJazz video game jazz covers playlist, featuring Chicago artists mentioned in this article!

Kevin and The Quicksavers are:

Kevin Zhou (p, melodica, accordion)

Ella Grace (tpt)

Andy Lopez (ts)

Thom Schwartz (trb)

Miles Ury (trb)

Eric von Holst (eb)

Maddi Vogel (d)

Featuring:

Jamie Demeny (perc)

Summer Rain (voc, accordion)

Produced by Barn Production Group

Footnotes

1. In the video’s description, the performance was actually recorded on August 2nd, 2003 at the “First Annual OneUp Studios BBQ.” According to their website, The OneUps have been around since 2002. ↩︎
2. I’m a massive Sims girlie, having only stopped after the third game basically perfected the formula. I maintain to this day that SimCity 3000, The Sims 1, and The Sims: Hot Date expansion pack are jazz soundtracks at their core. If you’re a jazz musician looking to cover the uncovered, almost no one has covered these soundtracks. In fact, Kevin and The Quicksavers’ cover of “Buy Mode 2/Groceries” that night is the first I’ve ever heard of – live or online. ↩︎
3. If anyone wants to share some of that history, you can contact me on any of my socials, Instagram and email preferred. ↩︎
4. Which had, at minimum, 30 screens. ↩︎
5. Because you’d have to be actively avoiding them at this point if you’re into this sub-subgenre. ↩︎
6. Yes. ↩︎
7. “A game jam is an event where participants try to make a video game from scratch.” ↩︎
8. Rain readily admits she isn’t fluent, effectively practicing the song phonetically, similar to how Nat King Cole recorded songs not in English. ↩︎
9. By the end of the year I’m hoping we escalate to Dolphin Shoals. ↩︎
10. There’s a very real chance I’m misremembering this quote, but if you think it’s a good line, then he said it. ↩︎
11. According to Zhou, “20 transcriptions that I know of.” According to another musician, “like, a hundred.” ↩︎
12. lol jk it immediately stuck out and I laughed because I’m that easy to please. ↩︎
13. “On The Street Where You Live” from “My Fair Lady.” ↩︎

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