Last night I was on the subway home, and a dude standing near me noticed my Protomen wallet when I took it out to put my Metrocard away. He was also a fan, so we started chatting about the band, which turned into chatting about other fans we knew.
He started telling me about this one totally crazy NYC fan he knows who takes the entire band out to dinner every time they’re in town, and lets half of them them stay in her apartment, and has these epic hotel parties at conventions and stuff. I was just about to say that this sounds like someone I should really be friends with because we have a lot in common, when he added that oh yeah, she also has a big Protomen back tattoo designed by the guy who did the Act II album art. Then I realized what was happening.
A stranger on the subway told me a story about me, in an attempt to impress me. I can’t even.
Howdy stranger! So I'm planning on doing some art over the holiday that kind of celebrates the Protomen fans on tumblr. I'm basically going to draw us looking bad ass, because why not? SO, if you would be so kind, could you tell me what you think your Protomen name would be and what your war paint would look like? I'd be much obliged! :D
My official code name is The Enabler. I have never really thought about face paint, though I have accidentally worn some before.
We thought this went without saying, but please: we don’t need any submissions of drawings of Protomen members engaging in freaky sex acts with other Protomen members. All three of us are going to go look at kitten pictures for a while. Later we may hold each other and cry softly.
Another clip from the Protomen show at Glasslands on Sunday. I still get goosebumps every time I hear this song live. (Lots more of my Protomen videos on Vimeo.)
The Protomen: Sweet zombie Jesus, how I love The Protomen. There is no reason a 10-person Nashville band who do rock opera about Megaman should be good, but it so is. I have Tycho to thank for this one, actually. You may recall that I was still wicked sick during PAX, and consequently I thought pretty hard about disco-napping through the start of the Friday night shows and getting up just in time to see Front. I was assured, however, that even as a Protonoob I was in for quite a treat, and that turned out to be an understatement. Go get both albums right now, but also see if you can make it to a live show. I was blown away by their PAX set, and was similarly delighted at another show a couple weeks ago here in NYC. Totally worth seeing if you possibly can.
Makeup and Vanity Set: I know about MAVS because of this awesome album of 8-bit Protomen remixes, which you should also acquire, but don’t stop there. The new self-titled album that came out in March is sheer pleasure. I feel like the same folks who dig Download and cEvin Key’s other solo stuff would dig this. Excellent background music for working.
Anamanaguchi: Another PAX revelation! They’re also Brooklyn locals, which is handy. I recommend giving them a try even if you normally aren’t really into chiptune. I was skeptical, but both albums have made it into heavy rotation on my iPhone.
Skeletonbreath: I love it when I’m surprised by an opening band. I feel like openers are often not paired very well with their headliners, which leads to everyone having kind of a shitty time. I can’t imagine it’s fun playing to a crowd that’s just waiting for you to get off the fucking stage, and while I appreciate the chance to pee and get another beer, I’d usually rather get an extra hour of sleep than see another band I’m not really into. But I’m really glad I got to see Skeletonbreath, because I can’t imagine I would have found out about them otherwise, and they’re rad. Go check them out.