Indie Music, Indie Games: My Road Back

Fix Gaming Channel didn’t start with a plan — it’s been under construction ever since

When I started Fix Gaming Channel, I literally started from scratch. No blueprint. No safety net. Just years of life experience and an attitude that told me: if I want something real, I have to build it myself. Indie music and indie games were always the fuel behind it.

I’ve been an artist, promoter, journalist, writer, web designer, football coach… and yes — I’ve also worked as both a chef and a waiter, at the same place, in the same shifts. (If you’ve ever checked out what I’m building now beyond editorial, this is the same mindset behind Fix Access, too.)

Here’s what that actually looked like: every 20 minutes, I had to change back into my chef clothes, burn the steak, then run back out there in my suit. That was normal. Not because it should be normal — but because you do what you have to do to survive, keep the place running, and keep the show moving.

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The music business had nothing to do with music — and everything to do with it

I’ve spent most of my adult life helping other people. Promoting. PR. Press. Booking. Management. Webmaster work. Opening doors for talented bands and artists. Some did great. Some didn’t. Some ended up close to the “stars.” Some lied and left people behind. Some died. And I learned the hard way that I never had the elbows for that industry.

The wild part is… I didn’t even want my name out there. Not for any price. I just wanted to play. Jam with friends. Write songs. Make noise. I never cared about status or being seen. I cared about the art and the people. That was the whole point.

But when you become the helper — the fixer — the person holding everything together — your own progress gets delayed. You don’t have time to write. You don’t have time to rehearse. You don’t have time for friends, family, or even yourself. And the payday? Let’s not go there.

Indie is not a genre — it’s a way of living

People throw the word “indie” around like it’s a label you can wear. But indie is independent. It’s not just indie games and indie devs. There’s a whole world outside that title — indie music, indie artists, indie creators. Two different boats, but they need each other. If not, it’s silence.

At one point, it was finally my turn. I was recording an album. The fun part, right? Studio time, songs, the idea of concerts and touring. Halfway through recording, things were going fine… and then something happened. We had to take time off. What started as “two weeks” became two months. And suddenly it was Thailand → Norway → Thailand, rent, food, life… everything… with barely any income.

Most of those songs were written when I was 15–16. Some around 19–20. The music was there, but I didn’t have time for myself for years. Then the timing got worse: streaming took over, the world shifted fast, and CDs were already on the way out — if not totally out.

Eventually, the album was finished. CDs printed. Boxes stacked. And then I remembered something I should’ve remembered earlier: I was also the PR/promo/manager/marketing guy… and I hadn’t had time to do any of that. So I tried to start the push after the release. Way too late.

I still have thousands of CDs in storage — around 5K — many signed. That’s not a sales pitch. It’s just part of the story.

So I turned around and quit. And I didn’t look back.

Ten years later, Fix Gaming Channel brought the whole thing back around

Ten years later, I found myself with Fix Gaming Channel. And somewhere in that time, I had some good conversations with my friend Archor Wright. He makes games because it’s fun — simple philosophy, clean attitude. That’s what I love.

Because when I strip everything down, that’s almost everything I ask for in a game: FUN.

He had a game called Crash Test Idiots 2 Multiplayer. And for practical reasons, something hit me: I actually had music “in storage.” So I offered him some tracks — no copyright drama, no claims, none of that nonsense. He liked it. I had a song called Different Kind of Game, and it fit the tone perfectly.

Crash Test Idiots 2 Multiplayer — Different Kind of Game

It’s not a “best seller” story. It’s not a marketing case study. It’s just what indie is supposed to be: one indie dev and one retired indie musician finding a shared tone and making something together.

Support indie music (and indie games)

Disclosure: I contributed music to this soundtrack, and purchases may support me and the project.

If you want to support this little collaboration, the simplest way is to grab the Crash Test Idiots 2 Multiplayer — Soundtrack on Steam. It’s a small purchase, a symbolic price, but it helps keep independent art moving — and it tells indie developers that original music still matters.

Crash Test Idiots 2 Multiplayer — Soundtrack (Steam)

Support Indie Music on Steam

And if you want the full context, here’s the game the music was made for:

Crash Test Idiots 2 Multiplayer (Steam)

View the Game on Steam

The passion came back — slowly, then all at once

And here’s the part I didn’t expect: a couple of years later, I started thinking about doing music again. Brushing the dust off the guitar. Bringing life to some games with sound and songs. Maybe even teaching the person I love to play a few notes. Why not?

For a long time, music left a bad taste in my mouth — not because of music itself, but because of everything around it that had nothing to do with the art, yet controlled the whole experience. But it gradually came back. And honestly, I have Archor to thank for that.

Life is full of weird twists and turns. Some sad. Some fun. Some boring. But that’s what makes stories worth telling. And for me, music and games can’t live without each other. Not really.

Be honest: do you play games with the sound off on your PS5 or your phone? Maybe Candy Crush on the bus to work. Annoying… but still fun.

This is my story, the short story.

Check out Art in Games and developer stories on Fix Stories.

Indie Means Independent: My Long Road Back to Music