The most surprising act of MAGFest 9 came in the form of “The Protomen.” They actually played two shows, doing Act I and Act II (released as separate albums) back-to-back. But before they got started, I had no idea who they were.
All I knew was that there was a lot of buzz around the convention floor about how amazing they are, especially live. I figured they were just going to do a bunch of Mega Man cover tunes. Boy, was I wrong.
This 10-person rock band developed their own multi-act rock opera based very loosely around the major characters of the Mega Man franchise. The music is entirely original, and entirely crazy. This was some of the most insane performance art I think I will ever see at a convention. Stage props, speaking roles, and a die-hard fanbase that could sing along to every last word. To say that I was intrigued after first seeing them perform is a gross understatement.
But am I really the only one to have not known about them? As it turns out, I wasn’t alone at all. Though The Protomen do have a relatively large cult following, I’d estimate that about half of the MAGFest attendees, the “regulars,” were in the same boat as me. Some where disgruntled over the fact that they weren’t the same “kind” of band as the others. Other Protomen newbies became instant acolytes, diving into their strange, dark, exotic and fun brand of rock and roll.
You can count me with the latter.
It’s primarily because so many in the game music fan-scene haven’t yet heard of The Protomen that I’ve decided to put together a short biographical featurette, which you can find after the jump. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this. (more…)
