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There are guitarists who cover video game music and then there is FamilyJules. For more than fifteen years Jules Conroy has taken the melodies that defined childhoods and pushed them through soaring leads, relentless rhythms, and full scale metal productions that feel as big as any arena show. His journey started in western Massachusetts where he first picked up a guitar after years of dabbling in piano and drums. What began as a simple fascination with making GoldenEye 007’s Dam theme roar through an electric guitar soon turned into a YouTube channel in 2010 and a career that would shape the way millions of fans hear their favorite songs.
FamilyJules’ work has always lived in two worlds. On one hand he is a fan just like the rest of us, pouring over soundtracks from Pokémon, Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Doom with the same kind of excitement that made players hum these tunes on playgrounds decades ago. On the other hand he is a professional arranger and composer, pulling inspiration from icons like Nobuo Uematsu, Koji Kondo, and Yoko Shimomura while blending it with his own love for Avenged Sevenfold, Jimi Hendrix, Lady Gaga, and even ska and punk bands like Streetlight Manifesto. That unique mix of influence and discipline has allowed him to both honor the originals and elevate them into something new.
His career milestones speak volumes. Official credits on Crypt of the NecroDancer and Cadence of Hyrule gave him the chance to work directly with major franchises and composers, while collaborations with legends such as Grant Kirkhope and Danny Baranowsky, as well as guitar greats like John Petrucci, proved that he belongs on the biggest stages. His Replay projects, which trace the history of video game music through metal medleys, have become landmarks for the community, showing both the depth of his dedication and the scale of his ambition.
If you want one perfect window into what makes his artistry special, watch this showcase video:
It demonstrates everything that defines his style: precision, power, and an obvious joy in turning a simple digital theme into a living breathing anthem.
Right now FamilyJules is balancing the studio grind with the road. He is bringing his music north of the border with a run of shows in Alberta, Canada, where fans in Cranbrook, Calgary, and Edmonton will get to see his riffs come alive in person. With so much going on, we are excited to share this extended conversation. Jules was kind enough to answer a wide range of questions about his history, his creative process, and his life beyond the fretboard.
The Interview (09.04.2025)
Q: (Retro Replay) Do you remember the first video game soundtrack that made you stop and think, “Wow, I need to play this on guitar?”
A: (FamilyJules) Definitely F Zero X. It was actually a long standing goalpost of mine that if I could play that stuff, I could probably play anything. This was, of course, before I knew that shred guitar was not the only kind of guitar playing out there. As for one that was not already metal, I think it was GoldenEye 64’s first stage, the Dam. It had this really heavy chord progression that I really wanted to try out and record down myself, which ended up being the beginning of my channel back in 2010.
Q: (Retro Replay) You started with piano and drums before moving to guitar. Do those instruments still influence how you approach your arrangements today?
A: (FamilyJules) Not really. I still only ever play one or two songs on piano when I am in front of one, and I never got past elementary school level snare drum stuff. Guitar really was the first instrument I went all in on.
Q: (Retro Replay) Who were your biggest non video game musical influences growing up?
A: (FamilyJules) The biggest was definitely Syn Gates from Avenged Sevenfold. His playing and general style hit me hard and ended up being kind of an idol that I emulated a lot. I am sure that would come as no surprise to people. More surprising though was probably how much Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Lady Gaga had a profound effect on my musical upbringing. It only really went to heavy music at some point after discovering Sevenfold and Slipknot while I was actually headed to be more of a ska and punk head thanks to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series. I still cannot live without Streetlight Manifesto, Rancid, and The Distillers to this day. To round off, I think once I got to college and fell in love with and studied Debussy, Villa Lobos, and Schubert I was pretty much set to make some very mixed influenced music.
Q: (Retro Replay) When you look at the modern gaming scene, are there any new composers you think will become as iconic as Nobuo Uematsu or Koji Kondo?
A: (FamilyJules) The short answer is no. When an art form is created, the icons of its genre begin to dissipate or spread to other origins. I usually reference the modern day rock star, which does not really exist anymore, at least not anywhere near what it meant prior to the millennium. We will always look at James Hetfield and Slash as the iconic rock stars. The rock stars of now, like Tosin Abasi and Tim Henson, are completely different, not nearly as much of a household name, and way more niche. I think it will be the same for video game music. The icons will always just be those two. Maybe Junichi Masuda, Yasunori Mitsuda, and Yoko Shimomura in there too though. That being said, Grant Kirkhope, David Wise, Danny Baranowsky, Robin Beanland, Marty O’Donnell, and Frank Klepacki all deserve the icon title too. Most recently Yasunori Nishiki for his work on Octopath Traveler and Darren Korb for Hades. All deserving of being icons in my opinion.
Q: (Retro Replay) When you sit down to create a new cover, what does your process look like from start to finish?
A: (FamilyJules) I do a lot of research actually. I tend to acquire as many fan adaptations of sheet music, MIDI, and tabs that I can find to bring together to try and get the closest rendition to the original that I can possibly get. Very often, stuff online is incorrect or filled with reimaginings, but I am also not perfect so I hope a mix of all available can get me close. I typically spend a day or two writing out the arrangement with MIDI along with drums using Superior Drummer 3 and using the guitar sounds I sampled for Impact Soundworks Shreddage SRP so I know not only how it will sound as guitar, but pretty close to my guitar. Once I am locked on an arrangement, I spend a day or two recording everything down using either Neural DSP or the Mixwave Mike Stringer VST for guitar sounds. I actually then bring the stems to a different computer where I mix and master it since my recording space is not really a great mixing environment. After that, I will usually find somewhere fun to film myself playing the parts, edit them together, and that is about it in the span of five to seven days.
Q: (Retro Replay) Out of all the genres of video game music you have covered, which one feels most natural to translate into metal?
A: (FamilyJules) Pokémon. Early Pokémon music is just so masterfully composed, and with the early limitations of hardware, it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. It does not have the feel of already being metal like Mega Man or Doom, which in my mind makes it a much more satisfying result when it does go metal, which it always seems to do so well and easily. Plus it is almost always fun to play.
Q: (Retro Replay) You have covered everything from Zelda to Final Fantasy to Mega Man. What is the hardest game soundtrack you have ever arranged for guitar, and why?
A: (FamilyJules) I find it is actually completely correlational with the difficulty of the game. I look back and saw the most difficulty with music from Dark Souls, Hades, The Binding of Isaac. You get the idea. I always found that funny.
Q: (Retro Replay) Your Replay series is legendary. What inspired that project, and what was the biggest challenge putting it together?
A: (FamilyJules) The project was inspired by previous similar videos. There is a Mario Paint video game music history video I liked, as well as many others. My problem with them was that they never really went year to year or in order, so I did that myself. It was difficult. The 2014 one happened during college finals for me and it was slated to be the end of a year long project, so it was a bit time constrained. I think the whole thing took me just under two weeks, but I worked every waking moment on it when I was not working on finals and the official VVVVVV metal album at the time. I still do not know how I pulled it off. In 2019 I gave myself a month and it was still way too short. I remember driving myself mad in front of a green screen for days, but the result was much more polished in my opinion. If I were to do it again, I would definitely give myself more time.
Q: (Retro Replay) Are there any game soundtracks you would love to cover but have not tackled yet?
A: (FamilyJules) Factorio. It is one of my favorite games and I love the music, but I am pretty sure it would get a very low amount of views. I will probably say screw it and do it anyway sooner or later.
Q: (Retro Replay) Have you ever scrapped a cover midway through because it just was not working out?
A: (FamilyJules) That happened many times with my cover of Tristan Village. I had begun working on it in 2011, but it would not be until 2016 that I actually liked where it was going and I did not scrap it like I had done with it at least three times prior.
Q: (Retro Replay) Many of your fans are musicians themselves. What gear or software do you rely on most in your setup these days?
A: (FamilyJules) For recording, it is the UA Volt and SSL interfaces, my DAW of choice Cubase, Mixwave Mike Stringer for guitar sounds, and FabFilter and iZotope plugins. That is about all I use these days.
Q: (Retro Replay) If you could build your dream guitar from scratch, what would it look like?
A: (FamilyJules) I am actually not too picky with guitar specs, and I would not know where to even start with just one guitar. I think I would just like it to look really unique and still be ergonomic without getting in the way of the player. It would probably either be black and gold or black and red with a Floyd Rose.
Q: (Retro Replay) You have collaborated with great names like RichaadEB, Jonathan Young, and Adriana Figueroa. Do you have a favorite collaboration memory?
A: (FamilyJules) My favorite collab video ever was either my collab with Grant Kirkhope, Jason Richardson, or John Petrucci. All three of them are huge heroes of mine so it was absolutely insane to get to make something with them for the channel.
Q: (Retro Replay) If you could form a dream band with any other YouTube or VGM musicians, who would be in it?
A: (FamilyJules) That is tough. I have met a ridiculous amount of insanely wonderful and talented musicians in the YouTube space. I really already have a dream band situation with ToxicxEternity on guitar with me for our Video Game Metal Shredventure project. I would love to have him and 66Samus on a project, maybe with Caleb Hyles or DA Games on vocals. Way too many really talented people in the space.
Q: (Retro Replay) If you could jam with any video game composer, living or dead, who would you pick?
A: (FamilyJules) It would have been Grant Kirkhope or Danny Baranowsky, but that happened so I feel greedy asking for more. Past that, I am sure it would be an insane experience to jam with Mick Gordon or Frank Klepacki.
Q: (Retro Replay) You have played live shows and conventions. How does performing in front of a crowd compare to recording in the studio?
A: (FamilyJules) I actually used to have intense stage fright. During school I used to have to run my hands under hot water before performing to make sure I had circulation because the anxiety would just sap it all out of my extremities. It is something I was actually very lucky to overcome and I do not experience that now, but I still think I prefer studio work to this day. It took me a long time to overcome recording anxiety, but that no longer plagues me either and I am incredibly grateful for that.
Q: (Retro Replay) You have been on YouTube since 2010. Looking back, how has the platform changed, and how has that shaped your music career?
A: (FamilyJules) The platform is unrecognizable as far as I am concerned. It began as an exciting new frontier for people to be able to acquire an audience without the need of labels or spending money on representation, but now it has become such a rat race with its own games and rules masked as SEO optimization and appeasing the algorithm. It is really no wonder so many huge creators who have had everything they have ever wanted come true end up burning out so hard and having to stop. I really wish there was a better place for creators to put themselves out there where there is a baked in audience as strong as YouTube, but it is what we have in 2025. Well, that and TikTok.
Q: (Retro Replay) You have built a huge following online. What has been the most rewarding part of this journey for you personally?
A: (FamilyJules) I think the most rewarding part is meeting and creating with other talented people, getting opportunities to work with, and knowing that the success of the projects I have done has garnered enough of a revenue stream that I do not have to get another job and do it on the side.
Q: (Retro Replay) What is the most unexpected fan reaction or story you have received from someone about your covers?
A: (FamilyJules) In 2017, Synyster Gates from Avenged Sevenfold performed at The Game Awards and considering I have stolen most of my look and identity from him, it was pretty wild that I got so many people not asking but congratulating me for doing it. I always thought I would be mistaken for Syn, never in a million years would I expect the other way around.
Q: (Retro Replay) What is the strangest or most unusual request you have ever had from a fan?
A: (FamilyJules) I have been asked to sign all sorts of things, like an SNES, a guitar that was then glossed over to preserve it. Not as many breasts as I would hope, but I guess I do play video game music.
Q: (Retro Replay) Do you have a favorite piece of video game music outside of the ones you have covered?
A: (FamilyJules) Yes. Arnhem Knights from Medal of Honor Frontline is my all time favorite video game song. I would not even know how or where to begin with covering it.
Q: (Retro Replay) What game soundtrack do you think is criminally underrated?
A: (FamilyJules) Snowboard Kids and Jet Force Gemini for the N64. Not many people know them but those two are my absolute favorite overall game soundtracks.
Q: (Retro Replay) If you could insert yourself as the guitarist for one official game soundtrack, which game would it be?
A: (FamilyJules) Easily F Zero. No idea if it will ever come back, but as it was my first foray into shred guitar, it would be the ultimate feeling of giving back. Honestly this also feels very greedy since I got to play guitar in Cadence of Hyrule, an officially licensed Zelda title. Hard to ask for more after that.
Q: (Retro Replay) Imagine you had to introduce someone who has never heard of video game music before. What one cover of yours would you play them first?
A: (FamilyJules) Seems like people really enjoyed my cover of The Only Thing They Fear Is You from Doom Eternal, so maybe that one. I would probably prefer to show them Replay hoping to intrigue them with how far video game melodies have come.
Q: (Retro Replay) If you could only play one video game for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
A: (FamilyJules) Maybe Factorio. I feel like I really enjoy maximizing efficiency and between that and speedrunning the game I am pretty sure I would be able to not get too bored too fast. Maybe Super Mario 64 otherwise, I still play it to this day since I speedrun it.
Q: (Retro Replay) Do you ever listen to your own covers just for fun, or do you avoid hearing them once they are finished?
A: (FamilyJules) I definitely need a break from the song after finishing it, so I rarely listen to them until it has been like a month or two after completing. But after I have detached enough, I am really proud of them and enjoy sharing them with friends. I think I do go back and watch my old covers by myself too, but mostly just to look back out of the memory of working on it. It is a nice reminder of how far I have come.
Q: (Retro Replay) What is your go to snack or drink when recording long studio sessions?
A: (FamilyJules) Black coffee. I am not really a snacker or drink much other than water and coffee.
Q: (Retro Replay) What is the funniest or most embarrassing blooper that has happened while filming a video?
A: (FamilyJules) There has been a lot, but the one I always think of was probably my first ever video. I had this Bed Bath and Beyond sun lamp I was using for lighting back then. My cable caught the power cable and pulled it down from the chair it was sitting on, and it made a loud bang. My look of shock and panic was very genuine and funny. Luckily it did not break.
Q: (Retro Replay) Outside of gaming and music, what is a hobby or passion you have that most fans do not know about?
A: (FamilyJules) I am a huge fan of Dungeons and Dragons. I have actually been DMing longer than I have played guitar. I have done some D and D content with TRG Colosseum as well as the D20 Cruise with Event Cruises, but I like to keep that stuff more in the hobby category for my life.
Q: (Retro Replay) Just for fun, what game soundtrack would you never want to attempt on guitar because it would be too wild or impossible?
A: (FamilyJules) Anything written by Danny Baranowsky. Oh wait, playing his insanely difficult guitar lines ended up my job for Crypt of the NecroDancer and Cadence of Hyrule. Honestly I am trying to think of anything harder than his music and I am coming up short.
Outro
An artist like FamilyJules proves that video game music is not just nostalgia. It is a living culture with room to grow, evolve, and inspire. He has turned simple Game Boy themes into thunderous metal arrangements, carried N64 melodies into the modern day, and built bridges between the fan community and the professional world of composers and developers. His work shows how much dedication, study, and passion it takes to both honor a piece of music and make it your own.
As he continues his Alberta Canada tour this week, fans have the chance to hear that passion live. For those who cannot make it to the shows, the music is always only a click away. From weekly YouTube uploads to deep cuts on Bandcamp, from interactive streams on Twitch to updates on Facebook, his presence is constant and his creativity relentless.
Stay connected with FamilyJules and follow his journey here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FamilyJules7x
Bandcamp: http://www.familyjules7x.bandcamp.com
Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/familyjules
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/familyjules7x
Whether you catch him live or online with guitar in hand, one thing is certain. FamilyJules will keep turning the soundtracks of our past into the heavy anthems of today.
