It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for Kent Ward when he began organizing niche-based concerts more than a decade ago.
At the time, he wanted to create a space for bands that either based their music on anime anthems or directly covered them.
But his first show at a tapas restaurant under an organization that eventually became Ongaku Overdrive quickly taught him a few things about building out that vision.
For instance, bring spare speakers.
“We had eight acts and the third act in, they blew out,” he said. “They had spares but it delayed the show. That was an important lesson. The venue matters.”
Now, Ongaku Overdrive, which specializes in “nerdcore” and video game music-inspired artists, prepares for a busy summer.
Ward has quickly become the de facto organizer for these types of musical acts in Orlando.
After years of working on staff for Anime Festival Orlando, he has returned this year to provide the entertainment.
One act in that show, the hip hop artist Mega Ran, has been a supporter of Ward’s since they first met in 2010.
Mega Ran has had his music featured in video games and has recently started to create music for children.
“I loved his music but the idea that people could rap about video games wasn’t a common thought,” Ward said. “He’s a trailblazer and keeps raising the ceiling on what these acts are doing.”
It is something that can be said for Ward, as well.
Video game music has become a trend in recent years, with full orchestras drawing sold-out crowds to high-profile venues like Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando.
But long before that, Ward was hosting these shows in local clubs and small bars like the defunct Geek Easy in Orlando and The Abbey downtown.
Now, he hosts events at Conduit in Winter Park.
“You have to listen to fans to see what’s working,” he said. “It’s figuring out what fans want and giving it to them in a big way.”
This summer will be busy, too.
Ongaku has partnered with Anime Festival Orlando on June 20 to provide the musical acts.
In addition, Ward has been planning a signature show in August that will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of the Undertale video game.
“It’s more normalized now,” he said. “The younger generation of video game fans doesn’t have the negative stigma of the music being just ‘bleeps and bloops.’”
Beyond building his name within the video game music community locally, Ward uses his platform to help others.
A virtual show hosted on the streaming platform Twitch last year raised $1,800 for Zebra Youth, an organization that supports LGBTQ youth.
Ward saw the success of his efforts increase during the coronavirus pandemic.
He hosted online shows on the streaming platform Twitch, using his connections to invite bands on to occasional shows he called Virtua Ongaku.
It was there he started to see a community build around video game music.
“The acts are taking things more seriously,” Ward said. “They have their bios ready to go and are building their own communities, having a direct connection to their fan base. Fans love meeting their favorite acts in person.”