RISK! Theme Mixup
The mixed-up versions of the RISK! Theme, as heard on episode #1333 (our 600th Episode) and beyond was created by the RISK! Theme Team. It began with a track by Wormburner, with a guitar solo by John Sondericker. But now it’s a mixup/mashup of covers of that original theme. So far, there are covers by John LaSala, Hope Brush, Taj Easton, and Freddy Morris in the mix.
Join the Theme Team!
Want to throw your own cover of the RISK! theme into the mashup blender, where bits and pieces of it may show up on any given episode of RISK!? Here’s how!
The current criteria for contributing a cover of the RISK! theme are that it must be in the same key and at the same tempo as the original. But stylistically, it’s open season. Any genre, any flavor, any mood will do. But it must otherwise map identically to the current theme, so we can easily cut from cover version to cover version.
In this Google Drive folder, you’ll find a few helpful files.
RISK! Theme (Wormburner-Sondericker original).wav Here it is. The theme as it existed up through our 599th episode. There’s a few seconds of silence at the head, which accounts for a full bar before the first downbeat. The file you deliver should match up with this (though you can certainly start something before the first downbeat).
RISK! Theme Cover – tempo map + lead.mid Because the original version was not recorded to a click track, it does not have a fixed tempo. But this MID file contians a tempo map which roughly matches up with the the original. And as a bonus, it includes a sequence of the guitar lead, bends and all! (Don’t feel you have to use this, or stick to it strictly as is; it’s just a helpful guide, if you want it.)
RISK Theme Cover ProTools Template.zip Same as the .mid file, but set up in Pro Tools, if that’s your jam.
Full Covers Here are the full-length covers made by members of the RISK! audio team that have gone into the current mash-up version you hear on the podcast. They’re there as examples, or source material for ya. Do with them what you will.
This is an experimental project, and the musical criteria may (and probably will) expand and evolve over time. It’s likely that your cover will only show up as bits in pieces, smash cut with others’ contributions. And week after week, different parts of your cover may show up in different spots. Others may even sample your cover when making their own! It’s lawless free-for-all.
On the technical side, please send your cover(s) to john@risk-show.com, as a WAV, at 44.1kHz, with a filename formatted like this:
RISK! Theme – [your cover title (with version/variation in parentheses if necessary)] – [your initials].wav.
See inside the Full Covers folder for examples.