#ArtistTalk: Q&A interview with Rockit Gaming founders

The pop duo Vince Newsom (Vinny Noose) and Russell McKamey (Rockit) are the first of their genre to create commercial quality music with lyrics themed around video games. Originally from Austin, TX, writing and producing over 90 songs a year, the two now have over 200 songs in their catalog, which have allotted them to built a following of 215K+ subscribers on YouTube and 180K+ Spotify monthly listeners.

What’s unique about you and your music?

I think the better question is what isn’t unique about our music?! We have produced over 200 songs in just over 2 years, with a new song releasing every Friday on our YouTube channel and all major music platforms. Where we really differ is that every song is lyrically themed around trending video games, and sometimes movies if they hype is big enough. While most other acts in our genre have gained a following on gimmicks and comedy, we take our music and performances extremely seriously (although we have a Blink 182 style crazy fun goofy personalities). Our genre is hard to define as every song changes to fit the game it is about stylistically, but we are best fall under the term “Nerdcore”. While Nerdcore has been around for many years underground, we are the first act with commercial quality, looking to bring our creations to the mainstream as video games take over the world!

Do you have any upcoming shows?

We do not currently have any upcoming shows. We believe that putting on a “show” is the only way to perform, and we pick our performances very carefully given that we spend so much time building our online presence. We performed at the SXSW Gaming Award Show last March and was the headlining act for the opening party this year. We are currently looking at ways to take our act on the road, as we know there is a massive demand for it. We want it to be done right and have our act be an experience rather than your average a show. We want to blow audiences away.

Why advertise your talent on YouTube instead of signing with a music label?

We are waiting for the right opportunity before moving to a major label, given the amount of content we produce. Running a successful YouTube channel as a musician is extremely difficult, as the demand from our fans is at the highest pace. Traditional musicians have a hard enough time creating a 10 song album, let alone releasing new songs EVERY week. We need the freedom to release content as we see fit, in order for a relationship with a label to work. With 190K Spotify monthly listeners, and 220K subscribers on YouTube (and only playing two shows), we know we have something special. We’re excited to see what the future holds for us and video game music, as the genre is growing at a massive pace.

What inspired the name Rockit Gaming?

Rockit Gaming was initially created by Rockit (Russell McKamey) back in 2015 in Chico, CA. It was there he met Vincent Newsom (Vinny Noose), and created a 2000’s cover band with their friends. Russell’s tradition before every show was to inhale an entire burrito from the local taco shop, leading to his bandmates calling him Rito. Quickly realizing this name didn’t sit well with the ladies, he needed a new name. He asked a girl at one of their shows what she thought his name was, and she sad “Rocket”. Fast forwarding years later, he decided that combing his “name” and Gaming was the perfect fit for the most revolutionary music genre to hit the world.

In a nutshell, they are Alternative Hip-Hop, Indie Pop, Electro Pop, Pop Rock, Rap Rock, and Alt Rock. Keep an eye out for Rockit Gaming, as they are stirring up the video game and music scene in an entirely new way.

You can follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.