2022 Special Guests

Button Masher

Jake Silverman is a GRAMMY-winning arranger, jazz pianist, jazz organist, electronic musician, composer and educator. Jake performs a live multi-media project called Button Masher that brings together video game music, jazz, and other genres. Button Masher has received widespread recognition on social media from general audiences, as well as from notable musicians. For Button Masher, Jake uses Ableton Live to recreate and utilize the sound design of retro video games. Just as jazz builds on early popular music, Button Masher extends retro video game music. As in jazz, each tune includes both structured parts and improvisation. Many of the tunes cover popular video game melodies. Other tunes are originals that utilize the sound design of well-known retro video games.

Seersha

Seersha is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer hailing from ATL. Her name comes from the phonetic spelling of Saoirse, an Irish or Scottish name meaning “freedom.” Writing alone and producing herself in Ableton for complete creative control, Seersha blends retro-future synths, textural vocals, electronic elements, and trap-influenced drums to create a lush bed for her earnest melodies.

Her 2017 self-produced debut EP earned her the name “synth-pop crooner” by her hometown’s Immersive Atlanta webzine and comparisons to Susanne Sundfør and Robyn by AnalogueTrash. Her music soon caught the attention of underground tastemakers such as yvynyl, Wonky Sensitive, Ultimate Music, Music & Other Drugs and more. Citing influences as broad as Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith to Phil Collins to Grimes, her distinct sound is uncompromising and rebellious.

With a diverse musical background spanning from classical piano to time spent writing primarily country music in Nashville, as well a business degree from Emory University and experience in the corporate world, Seersha has had a hand in a broad range of creative projects, including remixes, short film scoring, video game audio, music video production, and PR. She is currently the composer and sound designer for indie game LightBreak, which won the 2020 Georgia Game Developer’s Association Best in Georgia award and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2021. She is also a contributor to the Twitch music community, live streaming her production process and live performance.

Vampire Step-Dad

Some say it’s best to be fashionably late. Vampire Step-Dad took that to heart and arrived about 25 years after the party ended.

Listening to a Vampire Step-Dad release is like sneaking into a movie theater in 1986, and finding a John Hughes film that never made it to VHS. Spanning the emotional gamut, whether a candlelit love scene, a taut suspense thriller, or an action packed crime drama, Vampire Step-Dad’s sound is rooted firmly in 1980’s sensibilities.

After a continuous stream of releases since mid 2015, Vampire Step-Dad is now focusing on bringing his music to the stage. He’s recently opened for Carpenter Brut, Timecop1983, and TWRP. His stage show brings with it not only musical performances, but also a bit of step-fatherly advice, and plenty of dad-jokes that will leave you rolling your eyes while shaking your butt.

Bloody Disgusting says Vampire Step-Dad “oozes nostalgia”. When reviewing Vampire Step-Dad’s Love Bites, Echosynthetic characterized it this way: “You can almost smell the pizza, old carpet, and hear the arcade games off to the side while the DJ calls out for couples-only slow skate.”

Watch Out For Snakes

Watch Out For Snakes is 8-bit chipwave from Atlanta geek Matt Baum. Layering NES chip sounds, Watch Out For Snakes creates darkly energetic tracks that pay homage to old video games and 80s films without taking things too seriously.

In 2021, on the heels of his latest single, “Fight Those Invisible Ninjas,” Baum restored his pre-quarantine performance momentum, touring extensively and supporting acts such as Com Truise, Arcade High, Robots with Rayguns, Tim Cappello, and Street Cleaner with his high-energy, keytar-fueled stage show. With planned appearances at MAGFest’s Main Stage, VGM Con, and a full US tour, 2022 promises to be just as action-packed.

BRINGING THE GEEK TO SYNTHWAVE

Since the early 2000s, Baum has been experimenting with minimal synth and throwing down with a keytar in various Florida and Atlanta outfits, but it wasn’t until 2012 that Watch Out For Snakes was born.

Unable to choose between playing music or playing video games, Baum split the difference, sampling the old NES and Atari systems of his youth and synthesizing these samples to build a unique sound –part chiptune, part synthwave, all retro. As WOFS, Baum crafts original “chipwave” material that draws influence from artists such as Vangelis, Depeche Mode, Sparks, SURVIVE, and College, while also channeling the soundtracks of old Nintendo games like Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden.

With a head-banging stage performance that draws from his hardcore/punk upbringing, WOFS has won even more fans over to the chipwave camp with appearances at MAGFest, BitGen Gamer Fest, Outrun the Sun Fest, Echosynthetic Fest, Neon Rose Fest, and supporting slots for artists such as The Protomen, Com Truise, Makeup and Vanity Set, The Megas, Master Sword, Arcade high, Betamaxx, NINA, and Tim Capello.

1UP Comedy

Producing Atlanta’s best comedy shows at alternative venues throughout the city since 2012, 1UP Comedy is happy to bring the laughs to the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo with 2 1-hour stand-up sets featuring some of the city’s best comedians.

This event is intended for mature audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

Friday Night Comedian Lineup:

Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment

Founded in 2014, Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment has grown into the wildest night in Atlanta nightlife. Featuring monthly events, an online community, and philanthropic projects, AWE is the greatest entertainment community in the South.

Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment matches will be both Friday and Saturday (8/20 & 8/21)

Can’t Hardly Wait

Can’t Hardly Wait is a high-energy 90’s tribute band based in Atlanta, GA. You’ll love dancing and singing along to the super fun retro show from Atlanta’s top party band.

Can’t Hardly Wait will perform live Saturday 7/16 at our ’90s Homecoming Event

Warren Davis

Warren Davis is a classic videogame creator best known as the designer and programmer of the original Q*bert arcade game. He also co-designed and programmed Us. Vs. Them, an innovative laserdisc title featuring scenes with live actors interspersed with sci-fi combat gameplay composited over actual flying footage. His other titles in the arcade industry include Joust 2 (for Williams), Lotto Fun (for HAR Management), Exterminator (for Premier Technologies), and T2:Judgement Day and Revolution X (for Williams/Bally/Midway). He was a pioneer in the use of digitized video. His WTARG system was used in many of Williams/Bally/Midway’s most successful games, including NARC, Hi Impact Football, the Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam series, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Revolution X featuring Aerosmith, and more.

In 1995, Warren moved to Los Angeles to work for Disney Interactive on a variety of home titles. For a short time, he was an Imagineer with Walt Disney Imagineering. He then worked as a senior programmer on the console game Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, and programmed an edutainment title, The Lunar Explorer, which allows users to interactively explore any part of the moon either from space or on the ground using actual topographic data. He spent some time as an R&D Engineer at Industrial Light and Magic working on previsualization software for movies, and is currently a software consultant.

Mr. Wright Way

Mr. Wright Way is a Retired United States Navy Veteran who has always had a passion for Video Games, Collectibles and Photography. He has photographed for All the Major Pro wresting companies like WWE, AEW, NJPW, and more. You can catch his bi-weekly videos as he shows you his tips and tricks on how to Game Hunt , Video Game Collection Videos , and how to get Wright deals, The Wright Way.
www.youtube.com/mrwrightway

ZapCristal

Cristal better known as Zap is a YouTube content creator whose content focuses in gaming, both retro & modern.

Known for her Arcade Room project, Resident Evil game hunt videos and gamer discussions surrounding the topics such as collecting, physical & digital media, game coverage and more.

Was raised in a family of gamers and has always had a passion for gaming in general. Her first introduction into retro was Ms. Pac-Man, Gradius, Super Mario Bros. and has carried on ever since. She also streams retro and modern gaming at Twitch.tv/ZapCristal as well as at her YouTube channel. If one phrase were to describe her, it would be to stay rad and game on!

Retro Ralph

Retro Ralph is a Retro gaming Youtuber best known for his love and passion for Arcade Gaming.  Ralph started his YouTube career in 2018 focused on driving awareness to home arcade products and the potential that could be unlocked by modding them.

Brett Weiss

A frequent guest at video game and pop culture conventions around the country, Weiss appeared in the 2021 documentary “Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story,” and he was in The History Channel’s Nintendo episode of “The Toys That Built America: Snack Sized.” He’s written for countless publications, including Game Informer, Fangoria, Filmfax, Robot Magazine, The Writer, Mystery Scene, The Comics Buyer’s Guide, Alter Ego, Back Issue, AntiqueWeek, Video Game Collector, Video Game Trader, Classic Gamer Magazine, Game Room, The Pingame Journal, and Old School Gamer Magazine. He’s also worked for AtGames and Opcode Games as a consultant, editor, and writer, and he’s the host of the quickly growing YouTube show, Tales from a Retro Gamer.

Bobby Blackwolf

Bobby Blackwolf has been a video game podcaster since 2005, recording his show live on internet radio until 2018, when he moved to Twitch. In 2012, he co-founded the Voice of Geeks Network, a podcast network and streaming channel all about geek culture. He streams his video game talk show, The Bobby Blackwolf Show, every Sunday night at 8PM ET/5PM PT on the VOGNetwork Twitch channel, covering the gaming industry and including live chat interaction.

Marty Connell

Marty Connell is 1/2 of the amazing podcast Rolling Dice & Taking Names. He and co-host Tony McRee produce Rolling Dice & Taking Names, dedicated to exploring the board gaming hobby where they review the latest games, interview designers and discuss popular topics. Have a listen and they’ll show y’all a good time.

Chad Elkins

Emceemur

Gamer since 1985 and collector since 1991, Emceemur is a preservationist of vintage games and a YouTube content creator on the rise. Mur has acquired some of the rarest pieces in existence and has extensive knowledge on the subjects of both gaming and its history as well as the state of the market and its current trends. The Emceemur Show features showcasing of vintage to modern gaming items scavenged in the wild as well as day one reviews of new releases on all platforms.

Jon Reddick

Jon Reddick is a well-credentialed nerd of the 80s, classic game fan, and technology geek and he merged those interests into the creation of GenXGrownUp.

Paul Juray

Paul has been fixing monitors for almost 2 decades. He currently does this full time and is here to share his monitor repair secrets with all of SFGE.

Christopher Kao

Chris has been playing video games since the days of the Apple 2e. Having grown up in the height of the 8 bit era, he is an avid fighting game player, a lover of all things retro, and a GBA collector. He is an expert in the gaming industry and gaming history with over a decade of experience as a designer, producer, and product manager for companies such as Warner Bros, Zynga, and Adult Swim. He loves talking about games and pop culture and has spoken at Digital Hollywood, the Pomona Idea Summit, and San Diego Comic Con.

Will Lassalle

Will “AKay” Lassalle is the patriarch of the JLS Gaming Family. He is well known as a friend of the gaming community, always lending a helping hand and bringing awareness to social issues in Gaming, such as DEI, Representation & Cyber bullying. Their channel brings you gaming content and gaming news with a business executive twist. Allowing viewers to delve into the mindset of Gaming executives and the decisions they make that directly impact games & gamers.

Will Meadows

Will, and his wife Sara, are board gamers to the core! They’ve been hosting weekly game nights out of their home since their teenagers were rugrats—hence the name “Tantrum House”—and they’ve managed to pull in a number of good friends along the way! TantrumHouse.com is now a media powerhouse of board gaming content run by 4 couples (all with very different gaming tastes). From weekly live Playthrus and Podcasts to their very own gaming convention in NC, TantrumCon, they are a constant source of high-quality, family-friendly, hobby-focused fun.

CaptNRetro

CaptNRetro is a doer… a doer of all kinds of stuff, mainly involving pinball and arcade repair, restoration and live streaming. He is loud and silly, his YouTube channel is an outlet for that! This is his 3rd year in a row as a panelist for SFGE and is an Atlanta fixture in the pinball and arcade restoration scene!

Rocket City Pinball

Aerospace engineer. Accomplished photographer. Enthusiastic pinballer.

Andy’s career and creativity converge in the world of the silverball, where he utilizes his engineering side to refurbish pinball machines, his artistic side to photograph them, and both sides to add a personal touch with tasteful modifications and creative repairs.

www.rocketcitypinball.com

Rick Pecot

Rick Pecot is a master pinball tech with over 40 years of experience. As a kid, he played pinball and was fascinated with how they worked. At 15, he bought his first machine at a garage sale, a dead Gottlieb Outer Space. With guidance from a local operator, he got it running. He began working at that operator’s shop after school and weekends shopping out and repairing pins, quickly learning the trade. Rick soon began servicing pinballs as a full time service technician in the early 80’s. He is an expert on EM and early SS pinballs, and is still actively performing repairs, restorations and board repair in his spare time. An electronics technician and instructor by trade, these days he is a National Tech Support Specialist for high speed digital inkjet presses. Pinball is still his passion and hobby. This is his first seminar at SFGE, but Rick has been on our trooper staff since our second year!

Mo Smith

As someone who barely manages to squeeze in as a GenXer Mo’s memories include more of the 70’s than those younger GenXers. Reading and movies are his passions with some video gaming thrown in there for good measure!

Jonathan Soon

Jonathan started playing games with the NES and 80s era arcade games. A renaissance gamer, Jonathan has played many games across varied genres on consoles as well on the PC. He helped cofound TheKBLife YouTube channel which has to date raised over $2,000 for CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County) via Extra Life. Recently, he’s gotten into pinball and co-founded Slamdown Pinball which has run over 50 events in Southern California. He is currently on a quest to climb the World Pinball Player Rankings.