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p>Dren McDonald?, a composer, pays tribute to Galaga and Sonic the Hedgehog in The String Arcade. The album includes music from video games which has been arranged for string quartet.

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p>The project was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign, The String Arcade features 15 original arrangements of classic games performed by Bay Area musicians and the Boston-based Videri String Quartet. Featured games include Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin, Monkey Island 2, FTL: Faster Than Light, and Minecraft. A preview track plucked from PopCap?'s Plants vs. Zombies is available to download and stream here.

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p>The String Arcade is due for release on February 11. The digital album can be pre-ordered via iTunes for $7.99 and a limited-edition CD that includes two bonus tracks is available for $9.99. [Photo credit: Lorrie Murray]

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p>The String Arcade is a reimagining of classic video game music. It is available for pre-order

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p>Release of String Quartet Album on February 11, all proceeds will go to Alameda Music Project After-School Program

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p>ALAMEDA (Calif.) ALAMEDA (Calif.) January 28 the 28th of January, 2014. Dren McDonald?, a Bay Area composer, launched an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign for The String Arcade. This recording of video game music was reimagined for string quartet. The final recording was distributed to backers in August, and is now available for pre-order by the general public through BandCamp? and iTunes (see below for the links). The String Arcade will be available for digital download and on CD officially on February 11.

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p>About The String Arcade -- http://www.thestringarcade.com

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p>The String Arcade is a well-curated collection of music arranged for string quartet by Dren McDonald? (Ghost Recon Commander, Ravenwood Fair) and Jason Poss (Lord of the Rings film trilogy, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King). The arrangements go beyond the traditional chamber music emulations the original themes and each piece is altered, embellished, and reimagined in order to capture the emotions evoked by the games. McDonald?'s was inspired to develop the project by John Lurie's Stranger Than Paradise (1984) soundtrack which featured a moody string quartet score. https://notes.io/qdZR6 </p>

p>In addition to offering gamers a fresh way to enjoy beloved classics, The String Arcade is also positioned to inspire youngsters to take up a violin, viola, or cello. Several tracks were specifically chosen from games popular among kids, and all album proceeds will be donated to the Alameda Music Project (http://www.alamedamusicproject.org), a tuition-free K-5 after-school program launching in September.

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p>About The Music

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p>The String Arcade's 15 original tracks (plus two bonus tracks on CD) were inspired by games ranging from Galaga to Minecraft and performed by local musicians, including an appearance by the Boston-based Videri String Quartet. One preview track, Plants Vs. Zombies' "Grasswalk," has been released as a free digital download: https://soundcloud.com/dren-mcdonald/plants-vs-zombies-from-the

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p>The String Arcade is a collection of decades in video game history, ranging from stand-up arcade classics (Galaga, TRON), through the 16- and 8-bit eras (Legend of Zelda Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin) and the golden age of 1990s adventure (Monkey Island 2, Outlaws), to more recent popular games (Portal 2, Minecraft), indie favorites (FTL -- Faster Than Light, Scurvy Scallywags) and games that are mobile and social (graBLOX, Pettington Park, Ravenshire Castle). For a full track list, visit http://www.thestringarcade.com/#!about/c10fk.

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p>Preorder Details

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p>Until the album's February 11 release, The String Arcade digital download can be preordered from iTunes for $7.99, a 20% savings over the normal $9.99 price: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-string-arcade/id805763356

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p>The CD version, which includes two bonus tracks not included with the digital download, can be preordered from BandCamp? for $9.99 (regularly $11.99): http://thestringarcade.bandcamp.com

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p>The String Arcade's string quartet album The String Arcade makes classic game themes more sophisticated.

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