About
The Protomen are an American Hard Rock/Nintendocore band that make Rock Operas based on the Mega Man franchise. The band is known for its live shows that involve the band members dressing up in costumes, utilizing numerous props, and integrating the story with audience participation, and has attained a cult following.
Origin
The band was originally formed in 2003 and initially was largely composed of Middle Tennessee State University students who wanted to major in music-based career fields.[1] While the band was nascently forming, a former band member called Heath Who Hath No Name wrote a song called Due Vendetta that featured the names of Robot Masters from the first three Mega Man games, as well as supporting characters. From this song, the idea of a Mega Man rock opera began to develop.[2]
In spite of their enthusiasm as to creating a Mega Man project, the band members were considerably worried that their work would not be well-recieved. However, they would find success within their community at a local bar called “The Boro”, where they would deliver their first four performances (one of which is shown below).[3]
The first album (a self-titled debut, sometimes referred to as Act I: Hope Rides Alone or Act I: The Sons Of Fate) revolves around a dystopian society following Protoman’s failure to save the city, and concerns his Mega Man’s attempt to finish what his fallen brother started. The second album, Act II: The Father Of Death, is a prequel that shows how Doctor Light and Doctor Wily created the city, and how it fell apart. The as-of-yet unreleased and untitled Act III serves as the last chronological album in the story.
Spread
The band became increasingly popular after gaining exposure from gaming-related news sources, including 1 UP, Nintendo Power, and Escapist Magazine.[4][5][6] The coverage gave the band greater publicity, allowing for the fanbase to grow significantly. As of January 2014, the band has gained over 26,000 “Likes” on Facebook[7] and 10,000 Followers on Twitter[8]. In addition, the band has a Subreddit dedicated to it[9], a TV Tropes article[10], a fan-run Tumblr blog[11], and a DeviantArt group[12].
Eventually, the band began to play out-of-state and at conventions such as PAX and DragonCon. The band also launched a Kickstarter page for a documentary[13], which was funded within five hours[14]. The band is involved with a number of upcoming projects in addition to the final installment of the story, including a cover album, a music video for Light Up The Night, and vinyl releases of previous albums.[15]
Search Interest
External References
[1]Wikidot – About The Protomen..
[2]TOR– When Geekdom Meets Rock Opera.
[3]The Protomen– Tour History.
[4]1 UP– Playing It Loud.
[5]Nintendo Power– Mega Maniacs.
[6]The Escapist– Hope Rides Alone.
[7]Facebook – The Protomen.
[8]Twitter – The Protomen.
[9]Reddit – The Protomen.
[10]TV Tropes – The Protomen.
[11]Tumblr – Fuck Yeah, Protomen!
[12]DeviantArt – Saviors Of Man.
[13]Kickstarter – The Official Protomen Documentary.
[14]Kickstarter – Goal Met, Still Ways To Go.
[15]Wikidot – The Protomen News.