ReMix:Super Mario Bros. 2 "Hayride Dreams" 3:06

It's not every day, or week, or month, or year that we get a resubmission of a piece that was submitted ten years prior, but One Man Dan Band (Daniel Thompson) originally sent us this playful bluegrass ode to Super Mario Bros. 2 back in 2010:

"Hi, long-time OCR fan here with a bluegrass/jazz fusion cover of one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time. Ever since a child, I always thought the intro music to Super Mario 2 sounded like an 8-bit banjo, so I've always wanted to remix it. Unfortunately, no one else in the entire world shares my affinity for both bluegrass & video games, so I decided to start my own solo "band" to accomplish that purpose. This is more of a bluegrass/jazz type of fusion inspired by the works of David Grisman (of Grateful Dawg fame). I hope it finds a place in that small portion of your soul that pines for simpler times. And I hope it induces a little feet stomping and knee slapping. :)"

...and resubmitted - successfully - in 2019:

"So once upon a lifetime ago, I submitted this mix. I think it's actually been 10 years or more! It narrowly missed getting in, and afterwards kids came along and I'm sure you know the rest. My restless spirit calls me back though, and I hope to make many more mixes in the near future! As for this way overdue resub, I've re-recorded the drums and cleaned up all the timing issues that seemed to be the sticking point the first go-around. I'm sure the bar has been set ever higher, but hopefully it will live up to the standards! Thanks for listening, y'all!"

There's no statute of limitations on murder OR revising & resubmitting to OCR, although we only endorse the latter. I certainly "know the rest" re: kids, and I'm glad Dan found the will & the way to revisit this, as it was a relatively close call way back when. He's tightened up the timing, as advertised, and the recording's cleaner as well, so the resulting work is a fun, rustic romp through several of the melodic highlights of SMB2. Larry writes:

"We have so many promising rejections where we encourage resubmissions, only to never be heard from again, so super-distant resubs like these are always a pleasant surprise. Also, welcome to Team Dad, Daniel; I'm happy to be there too now. :-) And, hey, in between the first version and the resub, you have company with fellow bluegrass/VGM lovers The Hit Points! Before my mix comments, I encourage everyone to check out Daniel's website, North East Street Studio, which demonstrates how much video games are an influence for him!

Listening back to the first version, I'd still argue the panel missed the boat on that one, but hearing this improved take makes it all worth it in the end. As one of the few YES votes from last time around, I'm overjoyed to hear this again nearly 9 years later (this was first subbed Dec. 2010). Any issues with the looseness of the performances was nowhere to be found here; what's here now remains fun but 100% cohesive, and now even more energetic in the second half. Nice transition into the freestyling at 1:15 (including the quick SMB1 Overworld theme cameo at 1:23) before winding back to the player select theme at 1:41 with an extra heaping dose of twang compared to the first iteration. And the Player Down jingle at 2:56 to close it... dude... nice.

What else can I say? You took on a classic soundtrack and absolutely left your mark on it. Superb refurbishing of this, and we're proud to have you officially in the OCR lineup. Welcome, Dan, and I absolutely hope you keep on submitting now that you're back in the game! :-)"

What he said; it was pretty solid to start with, this new incarnation is unequivocally better, and anyone looking for a toe-stompin', head-noddin', appendage-verbin' bluegrass/jazz take on some classic Kondo jams should leave their coat at the door and line right up to hoe on down. Long time coming & worth the wait - kudos to OMDB for the decade-gap resub & thoroughly enjoyable mix!