Mac At PAX East: The Protomen

   

      It is time to go to the opera. However this time you can leave your monocles, tuxedo's and high class hookers back at home. It is time to RAWK!

     From The Who's Tommy, to Pink Floyd's The Wall to even Green Day's American Idiot, the rock opera is a dynamic story told through the medium of music. These ballads open the user's imagination and use music to convey stories in ways that Hollywood rarely goes into. Instead of showing us the story, we become integrated into the story. The music makes it believe that we are there, watching the tale unfold.

     So what about video games? Certainly they do a good job making you feel like part of the action, but you are still merely controlling the character, be it some meat head from Generic Sci fi Shooter number 117, to a wispy, pale haired j-RPG protagonist. That is where The Protomen come in. A band that has crafted a deep intricate story based off the Megaman universe. Be prepared to get blown away because this is not your typical, doe eyed, anime inspired game. This is a dark and gritty album and it is great.

     With this article, I decided to take a look at it utilizing the classic journalism method of the 5 W's. For those not in the the know, allow me to explain what this is. As quoted from the Wikipedia article:

     “In journalism, the Five Ws is a concept in news style,research, and in police investigations that are regarded as basics in information-gathering. It is a formula for getting the complete story on a subject. The maxim of the Five W's (and one H) is that for a report to be considered complete it must answer a checklist of six questions, each of which comprises an interrogative word:

• Who is it about?
  
• What happened?
  
• Where did it take place?
  
• When did it take place?
  
• Why did it happen?
  

     The principle underlying the maxim is that each question should elicit a factual answer — facts necessary to include for a report to be considered complete. Importantly, none of these questions can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no".

So let's start the 5 W's. of the Protomen..

Who are they:

     The Protomen are a Megaman Tribute band based out of Nashville Tennessee. They take theme and elements from the classic Megaman games and give it a dark and gritty twist. The current members of the band are known only by their stage names. They include: Commander B. Hawkins, Raul Panther, Murphy Weller, TURBO LOVER (yes in All Caps), Sir Robert Bakker, Ringo Segundo, The Gambler, Reanimator and lastly K.I.L.R.O.Y. This is the current member list.

What do they do?

     As stated, they are a Megaman Tribute band. What makes this different from other musicians is that instead of merely adding lyrics and metal guitars to various Megaman Tracks, they have built their own songs. Of course they will occasionally use bits and pieces from songs past, but it is more a sly nod to the fans.

Where do these guys play? (Also crosses over with When)

     You can find the Protomen playing at most major gaming related events as well as smaller venues. This past week they played at PAX on the first night followed by 2 days of just hanging around meeting the fans. If you are interested in when these guys will be playing next, you can visit their site. They have their upcoming tour dates listed. If you are in or near the city, I highly suggest seeing these guys.

Why should I listen to these guys?

     The Protomen are incredibly fun to listen to. As I said I couldn't make it to the concerts at PAX but I do have their albums and they are fun. Their music is full of energy and is great for listening to. It fills your imagination of this decrepit, run down world, where a madman and his army of robots rules with a ceramic titanium alloy fist. With only one person, a prototype robot to stand against this tyranny. He has no one to help him. He is one against many. But he is the cities last hope.

Hope rides alone...

How do I go about getting their albums.

     You can purchase their album through the Sound Machine Store, Amazon, iTunes or Zambooie.The prices are reasonable and you are getting a solid soundtrack. If you are a fan of Video Game Bands, then you don't want to miss out on these guys.

     The Protomen are a great group and I will be covering both Act 1 and Act 2 later this year. For now you should give the songs a listen. They have it stream free on their site and it wouldn't hurt for you to give them a listen to. If you like what you hear, buy the CD.

     So ends my first PAX Round up. Hopefully next year I can make it to the shows. I hope you enjoyed it and hopefully next year I can make it even better. This has been Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.