Poke Press Digest Podcast-Pokemon Discussions

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss some of the songs from Pokémon 25: The Album. In addition to the tracks themselves, we cover the release strategy, music videos, and whether these songs would work with Secrets of the Jungle. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https://www.pokecastersnetwork.com/

In this episode, I interview James "D Train" Williams. While many of you will know him as a co-performer of the original PokeRap, it turns out he’s actually had a very extensive career, both as a lead singer and a backup artist. For even more stories, be sure to listen after the outro. Links: D-Train's Website: http://theofficialdtrain.com/

In this second part of our "Secrets of the Jungle" discussion, we cover the score of the film, and our thoughts on the movie itself. In the process, we revisit a song from a previous Pokemon movie, and make some observations about scientists in the franchise’s recent cinematic outings-there's definitely a pattern. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: http...

In this first part of our "Secrets of the Jungle" discussion, Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me go over the movie’s six songs. It’s a lot of material to navigate, but we manage to cover all of them, including comparing the ones that are different between the Japanese and Western versions. So…maybe it's really ten songs then. In any event, we had a lot of fun with this one, and we hope you do too....

This episode features a series of interviews from Anime Milwaukee 2022. My first convention in two years, it gave me an opportunity to talk with voice actors from the across the franchise. Characters like Dr. Zed, Detective Decker, and Karen are all represented. If you still want more, you’ll find some outtakes at the end. A press pass was provided for this event. Links: Anime Milwaukee: https://a...

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Ranger for the Nintendo DS. This final side game of generation three is best known for its touchscreen mechanics, but we manage to get quite a bit out of its varied soundtrack. To find out what we thought of the game itself, and hear even more about audio cassettes, be sure to listen after the outro. Links: Pikapi P...

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to talk about the music of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red & Blue Rescue Team. These initial entries in Pokemon's most successful side series have a number of interesting facets, including being the only side games with a full-on remake, which adds a third version to every tune. Luckily, the two of us are more than up to the task of covering this sou...

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me talk about the music of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness for the GameCube. While it may seem like a slightly expanded version of Colosseum, there's actually a ton of new audio content to cover, with our selections highlighting new areas, new characters, and of course, Shadow Lugia. On top of all that, there's the usual game discussion after the outro....

In the first segment (1:45-15:21), Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Trozei for the Nintendo DS. While the soundtrack isn't the most extensive, it's certainly worth talking about, with some interesting stylistic choices. As usual, there's a game discussion after the episode outro. In the second segment, Anne and I return to bat around some ideas about songs related...

First (1:15-20:25), there's an interview with Paul Umbach, co-producer of Aaron Carter's "(Have Some) Fun With The Funk" from the Pokemon: The First Movie soundtrack. In addition to discussing the song, we cover Paul's lengthy musical career, including his time at Jive Records. Our second segment (21:40-31:47) is an archival interview with Neal Coomer, co-performer of "It's Always You And Me" from...

In the first segment (1:17-35:20), Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me discuss the music of Pokemon Dash, the first Nintendo DS Pokemon game. While this racer certainly isn't the most memorable Pokemon title, that didn't stop us from finding plenty to talk about. As usual, there's a game discussion after the outro. Our second segment (36:25-43:17) is an archival interview with Nick McKaig, a musicia...

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to talk about the music of Pokémon Colosseum, the first of many Pokémon games by Genius Sonority. With its western-inspired setting, it gives us plenty to compare to, especially from the world of film. If you want to know what we thought of the game itself, be sure to listen after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Ne...

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me cover the extensive and varied soundtrack of Pokemon Channel. While the game itself isn't exactly well-regarded, the music gives us plenty to talk about, both in terms of production and style. To find out what we thought of the gameplay, be sure to listen after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ First Movie music...

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss the music of Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire. This Game Boy Advance sequel takes a rather different approach to its soundtrack, but that doesn’t stop us from making some interesting observations. As usual, we discuss the game itself after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogspot.com/ Poke Casters Network: https:/...

In this between-generations discussion, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to analyze the music of Super Smash Bros. for the N64 and Melee for the GameCube. While these early entries don't have the sheer volume of content featured in later iterations, there's still plenty to cover, even if we did have to include a "wish list" song. As usual, we discuss the games themselves after the outro. Links: P...

Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins in to discuss the music of Pokemon Stadium 2 for the N64. While not as well-known as its predecessor, there's still a lot of material to cover, both on the battling side as well as in the minigames. Honestly, it's pretty impressive for a game with only a single composer. If you want to know what we thought of the game itself, be sure to listen after the outro. Links:...

In the first segment (1:18-12:33), I interview Veronica Weygandt, a percussionist who's done several covers of Pokemon music. Despite being relatively early in her career, we still had a lot to talk about, including how percussion is much more than just drums, how those instruments have been brought into the digital realm, and how she's revisited some of her earlier work. Our second segment (13:43...

Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops by to discuss a number of "disputed" Pokemon songs. "Flying Without Wings", "Happy Together", and several others go under the microscope to determine just how tied they are to the franchise. In the process, we cover a Whoopi Goldberg movie, a car commercial, and some other oddities, so it's definitely worth a listen. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast.blogsp...

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me discuss the music of "Hey You, Pikachu" for the N64. While this title is most famous for having the player speak to it, there's also a lot of sound output to go over. Even if you've never played this game (sorry Anne), the discussion definitely has something to offer. As usual, we also have a game discussion after the outro. Links: Pikapi Podcast:...

In the first segment (1:10-17:56), I interview Peter Moshay, an audio engineer who worked on Dream Street's "They Don't Understand" from the Pokemon 2000 soundtrack. In addition to providing details regarding the recording session, we also discuss some of the many acts he's worked with over the years. Our second segment (19:13-36:09) is an archival interview with Mark Chait, co-writer of "The Powe...

In the first segment (1:19-15:27), I interview YouTube musician Jordan Moore. We talk about his channel, his recent graduation from college, and his covers of Pokemon music. If you want to know what it takes to put together a video with many instruments all performed by the same person, this is one you shouldn’t miss. Our second segment (16:33-1:05:51) is a discussion of the music of Pokemon Puzzl...

As promised, this episode contains our discussion of the non-musical aspects of Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins once again to go over the art style, script, and other facets of the remake. We also talk about whether the movie got released the way we wanted, and what kind of CGI Pokemon movies we'd like to see in the future. Links: Pikapi Podcast: http://pikapipodcast....

In this episode, we continue our discussion of the music of Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me analyze the absence of "Brother My Brother", the score of the remake, and the opening sequence. After that, we review some social media comments and messages from the chat. If you want to know what we thought of the movie itself, we'll have that discussion in an upcoming epi...

This episode features the first part of a discussion of the music of Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me analyze both "Keep Evolving" and a new rendition of "Together With The Wind". After that, we begin talking about music that's not in this remake by going over "We’re A Miracle". If you want to hear even more about that song, be sure to listen after the outr...

In this episode, Anne from Pikapi Podcast drops in to talk about the music of Pokemon Trading Card Game for Game Boy. Released years before the online version, this oddity mimics some of the structure of the regular games, but the tunes are original. Between the area themes, battle music, and a song for a real-world character, it produced a very interesting discussion. As usual, listen after the o...