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Epilogue-ing The Protomen: Act I‘s elaborate-to-epic and tear-jerkingly, “Nintendo, synth-rock, guitarme opera,” (“guitar army”), originally out of a Middle Tennessee State University’s Recording Industry Major’s end-semester project, “Due Vendetta,” played live at the Mass Comm. building, fall semester of 2003, as four or five guys who kidnapped journalists in full costume, in college, turned it all into an 80’s arena-rock, rock opera stage production sprinkled with Journey covers (chef suits, motorcycle helmets, and all) at Lee Robert’s The Boro Bar & Grill, the following spring semester of 2004.

From there, and to the effect of, “All members of Protomen had relocated to Nashville by 2005,” according to their sites, just as suddenly, a 20th Anniversary Protomen production featuring the recreation of an entire Murfreesboro-of-the-aughts, house show scene at The Eastside Bowl, April 27, 2024, was the exact same notion, in modern, similar fashion.

But, it’s just part of a mentality folks have to adapt as Protomen fans/waiting for upcoming/the next Protmen Acts.

This ain’t their first rodeopera.

As The Protomen encompass a progression of the progressive, arena-rock to alt. country to spaghetti western to the best placed Phil Collins covers, and beyond, into every facet of their rock operatic existence, Acts I, II, and III seemingly begin ascent into their life/lives imitating art, and vice versa.

The Eastside Bowl, 20th Anniversary Edition show, April 27th, 2024, was not only The Protomen out-Protomen’ing themselves, stage production-wise, but they workshopped an updated catalogue and canon for an almost six-hour set as an awaited, ACT III, was still out in the wind… and knowingly to do so for if they should break it up into three nights for, at least, MAGFEST, perhaps not an uplanned 3-night run at Marathon Music Works, Junes 18-20, 2026.

Everything they do has led to this.

Every little step, in hindsight, strategic and purposeful.

-Let’s time travel to other Nashville bowling lanes/music venue, The Brooklyn Bowl, N. 3rd Ave, down the hill from the courthouse, beside the Jefferson St. bridge, on a nice, clear night below the city lights, March 21, 2025.

[[[blip to outside the Brooklyn Bowl, N. 3rd Ave., Nashville, 3/21/25, noice evening:]]]

F&P: Sir, I need to confirm a story with you, if that’s all right.

Raul Panther III: Tell me.

F&P: Twenty years ago, you used to work at Sam’s Club, and you wrote the whole first album [Wayne’s jaw dropped] …on little red notebook in the hallways or freezer sections of Sam’s club … [and] after your 20th anniversary show -absolute blowout blast, dude. I mean, holy shit…

Raul: -Did you work at Sam’s club with me?

F&P: My sister’s [boyfriend] -brother-in-law, now -[and] their friends, Brent and Jerry, were there, and I was telling them, ‘You know [[Protomen are] playing Nashville tonight,’ the night of your 20th. They were like ‘shut the sht up,’ [also] ‘you remember when we snuck you into the Boro […] when you moved here?’ […] I didn’t realize it was the [one of the] first [shows].

Just wanted to make sure that red notebook exists, because I want to print it.
[…] Not your notebook. I just want to print that story.

Raul: Okay. Yes [Panther’s eyes got big, searching his mind]. For sure, it existed. Who knows where it is.

F&P: That’s wild. I’m sure through many moves, and over the years.

Raul: Yeah. I feel like it’s still in a box somewhere. Over at somebody’s house.

F&P: Well, it’s still being talked about.

Raul Panther III: That’s rad.

Hey, [Raul stuck out his hand] -Wayne.

F&P: Bryce [shook his hand].

Wayne: Bryce. Good to see you, man.

Incredible.

(back to week of 4/27/24)

Tickets

Again, the 20th Anniversary Protomen edition was a presentation of their canon up to date, with few exclusions, performed live, April 27th, 2024, marking the 20th anniversary of a first live performance at The Boro Bar & Grill, April 22, 2004 (until summer of 2025), right next to the MTSU campus, where older siblings and their friends, and the crowd, block sight of hopping onto the porch when to watch shows (sorry, Lee), as they themselves were finishing up tenures across the street at Empty State, and Sam’s Club, enjoying dive bar scenes of their college town, themselves.

The garage door porch/patio that is a dream for nice days and live music. At night, you got weirdos coming in, plugging in their helmets and fighting in cook gear with well-timed Phil Collins covers, or something. The place went apey. Little television screens blinking/blip static-ing The Protomen Act 1 cover art, unknowingly as a testament to 4/27/24. There’s a certain irreplicability or inimitable ethos of college house show scenes at any time, as is the Protomen’s shows at The Boro and Grand Palace, and the houses around here at the time, while Richie and Matt Roland and Van Campbell were rocking the shit out of Ryan [???]’s house, 920? Greenland, all packed and full of the young people of the day, being goofy, awkward, accepting and caring around one another. And The Protomen…

The Protomen actually -and I think by the way Wayne said it that night, onstage (somewhat epiphically -somewhat thankfully, epiphically), it really was a Murfreesboro-of-the-time reunion for that particular day and age, and the closest something to an entire, kind-of, post-Spongebath Murfreesboro, bigger town/smaller city-wide scene incidentally replicated, just by the sheer force of one of the bands that made it out of the times. The Protomen. And that is a fascinating thing.

It really was.

“The Protomen are known for their live performance attire. They wear Southwestern clothes, like cowboys, combined with robot faces. This fact certainly adds flare to the live performance.”

“We try to make the costumes better each time we play a show,” Commander said, in a 4/20/05, Sidelines interview by Andrew Johnson.

Procuring tickets for the Eastside Bowl show was quite a different quest as powerful as, but ostensibly as long as, Act II took to come out.

Again, a beautifully orchestrated and fun af, long-run scavenger hunt that harkened a reporting F&P didn’t anticipate: the 20th anniversary show coincided with an old, radio-dominant culture and concept that Nashville Public Radio’s music station, WNXP, was doing at the time, as well. Promoting one of their shows, they were spinning a necessity to actually visit the venues to find and buy tickets. The Protomen did so in a social media hint/scavenger hunt kinda way over the course of a month, maybe more. Fans had to pay attention to their social media , through, social media, guiding beacons,(Reddit, Inst, FB, Discord, Bandcamp, etc.) to eventually grasp something was happening 4/27/24, such as how radio DJs announced because it was the only way, back then, showing a nice regurgitation, now throwback notion, test-able by the torch-bearers; guided by our forefathers.

and as you visited the places to figure it out, details could emerge, with more patience for future posts, yadayada…

When posts popped up on instagram, for example, a pile of tickets would be given to Anna at Grimey’s with a hint as to where within the post, also tagging APril 27th show openers, Richie, We Were the States, Destroy Destroy Destroy, and Makeup and Vanity Set too, for the algorithm to include their fans, as well (help in advertising). The posts were usually Protomen-kitchy/clever, as ever, in the excitement. Was fun to wait until the last minute and get them at Eastside, one day.

…And now that Act III is out…

For the first expansion pack of the series, with the ability to create a map of the landscape made possible in “The Trainyard,” as well as revealing the first half of Act II leads into Act 1 then the second half of Act 2 is about 20 years before Act III…. a juggernaut of a home-spun, punk af, Nintendocore class project idea fueled by youthful gusto turned full-on rock opera stage production 20 years later/Locomotion of an MTSU-to-Nashville group of friends to span world tours as rock opera, Protomen’s 17-year awaited ACT III: This City Made Us released out of Protomen’s indie, Sound Machine Records, January 6, 2026 [after a song-by-song release on their band leading up to December 5th, 2025’s “Bandcamp Fridays” new release date, when the final track, “The Fate of Thomas Light,” dropped, completing Act III’s sub-release, with Protomen having an online rager of a party there, and with about 1000 people on their Discord chat, jumping back and forth.

The Protomen will perform Acts I, II, and II, individually, and in their entirety, three separate nights, Junes 18-20, 2026, at Nashville Millennial-OG venue, Marathon Music Works, located at 1402 Clinton St., 37203. Tickets are sold out.

But First, the News:

Ri¢hie

(^ :12 seconds), “Holy Shit!,” an audience member said, as the red curtain to our left blasted open, revealing Nashville quartet, Ri¢hie, surprisingly setting the wherever-this-stage-[just]-came-from kinda evening [-IT’s a Protomen show.]

Richie Kirkpatrick, of Ghostfinger (These Colors Run, release Nov. 2005), and fronting Ri¢hie after a move to Nashville (Night Game, Feb. 2014), as well as recently studio-recorded, “Hold On, Lucy,” glitch-switch action: The reason music exists is to make goofy-ass sounds [people laugh at hearing them], and to Party. Richie has covered all of this [over the course of 20 years]. It’s kind of his thing.

“Utilizing the locomotion created in Murfreesboro and honing in on their already solid alt.country rock sound, Ghostfinger toured the country a little before settling their act in Nashville to continue what they started on that bigger stagescape. That’s noticeable in the aforementioned follow up album, The Feeler, released in August of 2008 on Grand Palace Records, and stands as a perfect example of a band’s career growth while maintaining their sound,” wrote Believe the Legend: Ghostfinger’s Reunion Show Set for May 13 – The Murfreesboro Pulse; Murfreesboro Pulse, May 2016.

“And as always, taking the concept above and beyond with unadulterated Murfreesboro talent, pushing the fives to sixes when needed, and with very little clue how many of these kids out here are his, Nashville’s Richie Kirkpatrick, formerly of Murfreesboro house-legend, Ghostfinger, has been post-Ghostfinger’d, pop-up, party trio-quartet, Ri￠ hie [Richie with a cent sign, or RIcHIE] since 2011, with both his acts engrained in our blood enough to land him an opening spot at The Protomen’s 20th anniversary apocalypse at Madison’s The Eastside Bowl, April 27th, 2024 in which RiChie was straight-up Richie Kirkpatrick again for a room full of people he grew up with,” said more recent mention in Folk & Proper News, “5-Spot Hot Dad Bods” (of ’24), 5 Spot Hot Dad Bod Rock – Folk & Proper News as Ri¢hie was playing the 5-spot (insta pics and flyers), that year.

“Richie’s reasoning for continuance can be found simply enough in the titles from his releases under RIcHIE with a cent sign for the c, which has become as straight-a-forward how-to, lyrically, on how to create an immediate and spontaneous rock scene for the likes of anyone even closely liking anything that comes out of Nashville, and with his steeping in country, rock, and parties, there’s some going, fighting, and winning to be had.”

And briefly from explanatory article/Followed briefly by explanatory article, Ri¢hie Kirkpatrick, Silver & Gold – The Murfreesboro Pulse.

[…] “He’s not writing it for a girl or anything; Kirkpatrick seemingly wrote the album to, and about, alcoholism, and to himself in its grips, after organ failure due to addiction. The kicker is, he’s performing the material on the other side of health and sobriety, after its release, ironically creating a healing factor and a dichotomy between pre- and post-sobriety. This guy’s fascination with absurdity came full circle since Ghostfinger,” said The Pulse.

“[…] If there’s a song on this album talking to the nature of alcoholism, “Take Another Piece of My Heart”—a garage-rager with up-tempo bass thumps and matching tom percussion—is it. You did a lot of time dreaming / You did it all by yourself / Try to focus and believe it / You ain’t the only one bleeding, now., bleeding out. Plus, there’s some great guitar work, tone and mixing on there.”

“[…] The autobiographical title track seemingly references development and motivation in Richie’s life in Nashville: Now, I know you’re lucky, so along a path to greatness, but you gotta pay up . . . / Because you know these city lights are all silver and gold,” said Ri¢hie Kirkpatrick, Silver & Gold – The Murfreesboro Pulse

[[[Ri¢hie bassist, Ben Garner, ready for goofiness and with security right over his shoulder, Cage the Elephant’s drum tech, Jeff Ehlinger and Doni Schroeder, Ri¢hie’s second drummer, for an animalisticly bookended set with no sweeter reasoning, and yes, it was the first second drummer seen live in so long -or ever, outside of Pavement stuff, and fancy studios, within the modern area- as venues don’t normally have room for the notion (though ramping up in popularity, again, with trad artists like MJ Lenderman), as well as staple bassist, Ben Garner, maybe taking it to Kesha]]]

Introducing his old, brown ax/rig/guitar’s new glitch switch Kirkpatrick installed, previously, that week (Richie works a guitar shop in Nash [check instagram faves during the time], that he’d documented putting the switch on a few days leading up to the show. This was its introduction into Ri¢hie.

6:25, Well, Hell, yeah, y’all. What’s up? We’re called Ri¢hie!! (Crowd, apey).

“We got the Protomen’s 20th year anniversary, what up with that?! C’mon, Protomen!! (crowd, cheers),” said  Ri¢hie.

6:40, This next songs called “Wild Forces.” We’re about to hit it (audience member laughs).(Nasaly, but Chris Isaak-y, Elvis Costello popper, from 2014’s Night Games.)

:42, “1, 2, 3, 4!”

-Between  Ri¢hie, the bassist, and at least one drummer at all times,  Ri¢hie pulls together a nice alt. boy choir, a modern Nashville sound because all the dudes in these bands, prevalent like no other city, harmonize with one another, harkening back to The Bands and Nitty Gritty’s and just a bunch of men/dudes up on stage in their low tones and tembres, harmonizing rock choruses. It’s an alternative boys’ choir hither unknown to many ‘sides Nash/just happens there in East Nash evolution (12:34, end of “Wild Forces”).

“You know I did!! You know I did!!!,” exclaims Kirkpatrick.

“All right, y’all. My names  Ri¢hie. Sweet baby Ri¢hie, right here in the house, y’all, C’mon. Give me a big hand!” (crowd cheers)

Ri¢hie‘s set starts to fully speak for itself…

-“The next songs called, ‘You Want it. I Get it,’” Richie said of Richie Kirkpatrick’s yet to be released, at that point, 2024 Silver & Gold.

Crowd: “Riiichhhiiieee!“

“Shit, this next song’s called ‘Chinese Pills,’” Ri¢hiecontinued.

“This next songs gonna be on the next record [too] -and by the way, you can’t find the cent sign, so the name of this band is Richie Earl. E-A-R-L. That’s actually my name. Just throw the other name in there, Richie Earl- It’s a cent sign C’mon, guys. Richie Earl. It’s comin’, baby. But, richie.xyz is where you can find me.

Right now, we’re going to talk about -you guys ever get any Chinese pills off the internet, because I know some guys that’ve done that. [audience member: No way!]

“Be careful of your Chinese pills,” said Ri¢hie.

“All right, we got one more song for you, tonight, and it’s a Ghostfinger song! (F&P, owows).” …We’ll play a Ghostfinger song (ominously),” Ri¢hie introduced.

How many you guys…?” (crowd roars)

It’s called, “Animal Eyes.”

[[Very authoritative outbursts of halting punctuation to snap attention, sometimes incite riots, followed by a burping vocalism, in cheer, followed by such a humorously unexpected glitch solo all out of absurdity and ridiculousness; only the mix of someone like a Richie Kirkpatrick and his spinning, arogant but hilarious, alt. rock-countrified, 2008 world of Richie Kirkpatrick just being goofy in front of audiences.]]

[Believe] The [Nashville] legend, Ri¢hie🫵🤘✊

Stood there that whole time [getting in] thinking it was a green room, or something. THis was the start of the night, after everyone trudged across the tundra, mile after mile, post-ticket track-down, and all then finally at the journey’s leg, and that last leg is Richie Kirkpatrick.all worth it.


[[[edit out?

Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!

YOU TRY AND CUT THAT AUDIO

FCKN MACHINE GUN DOUBLE BASS PEDALS SHRED YOUR FACE OFF

For the First Time in 15 Years

“Destroy Destroy Destroy was spawned in January of 2003 in the town of Murfreesboro, TN. They have 2 independently released EPs under their belt and will be releasing their first full-length album entitled “DEVOUR THE POWER” on Black Market Activites in September 2006. Their sound consists of elements from the early thrash/hair/glam metal bands of the 80’s and 90’s, to the current sounds of Scandinavian melodic Death Metal and Viking Metal bands of today.

Epic thrashers Destroy Destroy Destroy have shared the stage with many national acts- Dying Fetus, Origin, Exodus, Bleeding Through, The Red Chord, Mastodon, Himsa, The Showdown, Pelican, Cryptopsy, Death by Stereo, Every Time I Die, Converge, High On Fire, Darkest Hour, Municipal Waste, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, and many other reigning metal bands from the south.” Destroy Destroy Destroy lineup, biography | Last.fm

Members at the April 27, 2024, Protomen 20th:

With Chris Bazor on vocals, Wayne Barrier on lead guitar, Jeremiah Scott, rhythm guitar; Adam Philips on bass, Brian Shorter on keyboards, and Andrew Core on drums, through 2 EP’s/albums, Devour the Power (Devour the Power – YouTube, ), and Battle Sluts (Battle Sluts – YouTube, Dec. 2008) has cornered the market -**to do 2008’s Battle Sluts, as that’s when Chris Brazor just joined (release, Dec. 2008).

Leading off with paired “The Second Coming,” and “Battle Upon the Arctic Planes,” entering to “The Second Coming,” a war-horn entrance leading off 2008’s Battle Sluts followed by the death metal blowout that is Destroy Destroy Destroy’s “Battle Upon the Artic,” DDD embarks on their concept’s journey/Battle Sluts through Murfreesboro’s OG screecho-est thrash vocal palate distortion vocals in goat-bottom cut off and assless kilt furt, Chris Bazor, standing in an array of pure fcuking onslaughtm thrash metal against your grains and veins-wise, “as hard as it’s ever been for 20 years,” Holy Sht.

4:50: Holy SHIT, Chris Bazor.

6:14, “Because here we are! ‘Beyond the Scorpion Gate!’” -He’s narrarting the journey of Battle Sluts.

10:40: FUCK YEEEAHHHH It’s been 15 years since We did this sht (crowd, apey),” said Bazor.

Cannot explain the excitement/discipline ratio used by the array of straight-up death metal musicians across the stage, as they didn’t say anything, but it takes a little power-drunk to riff/put out ampage like that so steadily.

“Even harder is 20 years of the fckn Protomen!!!” (Crowd, apey).

Since then, DDD has been updating their YouTube channel, found at Destroy Destroy Destroy – Topic – YouTube, where their 2 full length albums, Devour the Power (Devour the Power – YouTube, ), and Battle Sluts (Battle Sluts – YouTube, Dec. 2008) has cornered the market. Find them. FACE THEM.

More information can be found at Last FM’s Destroy Destroy Destroy lineup, biography | Last.fm, as well as Destroy Destroy Destroy’s Wikipedia, band timeline graph-helpful.

Makeup and Vanity Set did a 16-bit version of Protomen’s Act 1, back in Summer 2007:

Though this is not the 16-Bit Act 1 album in 4/27/24’s MAVS set. That’s just a reminder.

Makeup and Vanity Set’s set was a tight set arranged from MAVS‘s extensive, awe-inspiring and jawdropping, across the board, stylistically, and over time-type catalogue available at Music | Makeup and Vanity Set, on Bandcamp.

Audio, :54 – 8:21, wicked mad audience mutter.
8:30, 1st track, Makeup and Vanity Set, Eastside Bowl, 4/27/24, Protomen’s 20th, (lowly spoken and introverted, outside of the music)

12:45, 2nd track-16:31 (end 2nd), “thankyou,” MAVS – 16:35, audience member, “that was warped!” “thankyou,” said MAVS;

16:41 – MVS: “I’m gonna try a -[mic reverbs hard], ‘sorry.’

16:52, blasts 3rd track.

19:54 (end 3rd); 19:59, ‘howwedoing?’ (crowd owowows), [muffled MAVS], [F&P, ‘prettysuhweet’].

MAVS: ‘It’s hot….. It’s hot. Are you warm?’ ; (audience member, 20:11, ‘We Love You!,’ another audience member: ‘yeah!’) 20:13, starts 4th.

23:45, 4thends, 5th begins… Lights start to take effect/hold

23:45-Aphex Twin-ny, #5 track.

27:30, 5th ends; Kelly, ‘whhoooaaaaa,’; “Youre killing it!” (audience member); 27:45, starts 6th (-progressively FIFA theme) (31:00, end of 6th)…

During the Murf-local, Protomen hype, back when the insanity first started, a relationship developed between the members of Protomen and a Murfreesboro house show DJ of the twenty aughts, Makeup and Vanity Set, through the scene, and ultimately, re-fueling the Murfreesboro house show and music scene from the most recent-at-the-time/recently previous, [Murfreesboro’s staple-legacy] Spongebath Era, with the next-gen, kids of the Midi labs at MTSU, (equaling access) for the next up-ramp/off-ramp of awesome, local shows, which Protomen began to feature at the Boro Bar and Grill, on Greenland, and newer spots, at the time, like Grand Palace Records, on the square.

Funnily, in a meeker voice than expected -as usual, compared to the audaciousness of MAVS sets, 12:34, THank you. How’s everybody doing?” (crowd hoots).

31:10, MAVS: I have two more. Who’s ready for Protomen? (crowd cheers) I think we can be louder than that. (crowd, apey; ‘hell yeaaaahh!‘).

Lights blast, 31:26, ‘allright, I know what you want (crowd laughs): NIN spell, 7th track.

34:24, 34:25, ‘One more!’ –MAVS (crowd hoots, ‘I love you Tebecca!’)

34:32, MVS: Just real quick… Just real quick. I don’t like to talk at shows, because it’s weird (crowd laughs). I just want to say thank you -a Profound Thank You- to the Protomen for my…. Without Protomen there would be no Makeup and Vanity Set (crowd member: ‘Hey, Steven!’)

Makeup and Vanity Set takes a rare mic-moment to drop a few words:

-“Let’s do one more, and We’ll get sweaty (audience member: ‘hell yeah,’) and the Protomen will play (crowd, apey, Yeeahhhh!) How’s that? (crowd yeah’s!; ‘we love you Kenny Supreme[?])” 35:30, 8th track (-wild Bach electron).

38:25 – Thank you. So much. I’m Makeup and Vanity Set from Nashville, Tennessee. You’ve been a really great crowd. Thank you.

Just a good reminder, and probably due to the strobes, at the time Protomen were making and releasing ACT 2 (2009), Makeup and Vanity Set made a 16-bit version of Protomen’s Act 1 that’s off the fckn charts.

Protomen tend to take a while due to the strategy and astute thought related to their canon and releases, so the addition of this in-scene hommage strengthened not only the bond between The Commander (standing behind MAVS the whole set), unseen do to the strobes effect in the darkness, but as sporadic and possibly seizure inducing. To F&P’s knowledge, everyone abided by strobe warnings from 20 years ago.

“This really has been a reunion of Murfreesboro, Here, tonight!” Raul Panther III says later.

“Thank you guys for making it happen!”

Protomen’s 20th Anniversary Show, Eastside Bowl, April 27, 2024:

1/2 of Act 1, Protomen’s 20th Anniversary Edition

crowd chatter/room ambience; 9:36, house music (ELO song) goes down; crowd member: “Yeaahhhh!”

Over the past of 20 years, The Protomen, a quartet from the Mass Comm building at MTSU, has created a Capcom’s Mega Man-inspired canon, including side-barring/re-originating/prequeling and sequeling graphic novels -or the liner notes included with their albums/cds- as well as music videos, a documentary, and esoteric social posts bread crumbing live adventures, and straightening anything out when lore needs deciphering, within/surrounding three acts, to conclusion of audacious futuristically, modern-spun, rock opera […], coping with death, saving graces, backing armies, sentimentally and analogically dealing with the notion the sun will eat us all in a billion years, anyway, and giving the reasons we change face in circumstances, ultimately in a battle for, and against, humanity -a people ultimately ultimately, “We Are The DEAD!” as Protoman, [the one who is us all,] taking a last bended knee, is only… a harsh realization in defeat, […] All “to fully appreciate the story of Mega Man,” YouTube channel (archipudi), as this epic saga is crafted through the seams, easels and daily distresses within the lives of this septet/octet/decet/80’s-nauts.

And just like between opening acts, the time it takes between to shuffle between them, amounts of time would pass between revisits to the first two Acts over waiting the 17 years before Act 3 was finalized/in the mailbox. These revisits would be short, comparatively to 20 years, such as the change time between bands sets, and one of these comparative revisits was the first time they performed [Everything] for at Madison, North Nashville’s Eastside Bowl, April 27th, 2024.

It’s cool to see the city through the eyes of someone who took it fresh, and with patience, to tell there is a success story [through their avenue, and their time.

They took the city with life and with a gusto that, even during their day jobs over twenty years, hold an understanding this stage presence and potential of -this locomotion, has yet to be completed and is always there. [been completed]

For these people out there in their right time and right place, at a time when they feel they can conquer anything and along with an atmosphere that helps them maintain doing so, it’s cool to see someones who pull that off.

That maketh these men and women. And it especially maketh Protomen.

THis Story….

“This story’s sleeping like a soldier trapped inside of an iron lung.”

Influenced by Babe Ruth, Meatloaf, some Phil Collins, Cindy Lauper, Mike & The Mechanics -over the PA, at some points, Kate Bush, ELO…(a Dead Can Dance mix?)], a little bit of Kenny Loggins. Sergio Leonne films {Manncione}; Streets of Fire, Journey, Styx, Genesis of the non-Peter Gabriel era, Phil Collins, again, and Laura Brannigan… The Human Choir.

Protomen created “Due Vendetta,” outside of canon due to originality, and involved Raul Panther III on vox, Commander B. Hawkins on synths, Heath Who Hath No Name (formerly Heath Ledger) on other guitar, and Doug Fetterman on guitar. Protomen was a quartet that made that day at the mass comm for the kids who, supposedly/by ear, didn’t know what was going on. Then the next semester, and after a few notebooks-worth of epic emotions felt during day/night shifts at Sam’s Club, and some tinkering/composing on a Korg MS2000 and Sequential Prophet 12 (5’s and 6’s used used in the Mega man games), that turned into an “inspired by Mega-man,” trilogy of canon incomparable to the actual influence that began the whole thing. Interestingly enough, you can’t tell if it’s the healthiest evolution of teenage angst, or Mega Man. And also, who cares? It’s punk af.

At their shows, among the small, stacked 80’s tv screens, glitching “Protomen” on the screen, they tend to let you know where they are in their writing, during these shows, which makes them crucial to understanding the catalogue. They’ll present what they’ve got at the time -coincidentally at 20 years anniversary-as they put out Act III, unbeknownst to the audience, their human choir.

The chatter of first-time listeners, in your head: It goes directly after Act I, but before the first half of Act II, since making Act III is not only a sequel to Act 2, but a prequel… to possibly an Act 4? -Or if they’re finding Mega Man, again, Act III is a long sequel to Act I, after “years passed,” over Act 1 in Act 2? (first half of Act II) (then second half of Act II is the…)…

In the face of everything, though, this is all those four men’s-turned-ten men and wmone, turned Human Choir army of Dr. Light’s generational longing, a problem made up by one man that ultimately determined the fate of a community -Humanity- in their 20’s!

And within inner conflict and the power of emotion -the driving force of man, ultimately, in a little red notebook at early aught’s Sam’s club at the turn of the millennia, “to fully appreciate the story of Mega Man,” (youtube channel, archipudi)….

…9:36, the house music goes down (ELO); crowd member: “Yeaahhhh!”
[The physical destruction of reality in the early 200x’s
kinda-stage show].

At the 4/27 show, The Protomen did Act I in it’s entirety, minus the first track, “Hope Rides Alone.”

They’re using Mega Man [8-bit hilarity], but it’s so far out there, it’s completely something else. The hilarity and niche is masked by the epicness, and at this point in 2005… it’s only a first Act. 

These shows are crucial to understanding the canon because of a belief the peopel who make the story will put the parts where they need to go, but with a few nuances. They only had half of Act III written at the time, and would skip some tracks in the Acts for the sake of the stage show, and girth there-of.

So, Canon-wise, the first part of Act II to Act I, then some time until the second part of Act II, then 20 years to Act III.

These guys and women tend to do this (give us what they got, when they got it at live shows, building their canon), such as Act II’s 12th & Porter recording just as grand as April 27th, just with the complete Act II. They showed up to —- to do the same thing, one night, but ended up recording an album of Queen covers, 5/21/2018.

There’s a much needed experience in having the libretto, or the lyrics to the opera written in book form (liner notes), for a reason.

all right. An attempt at the canon after listening to ACT III, with the libretto.

[[*And the librettos/liner notes that come with the cd’s are where this lore/legend -this canon comes from/is made. Listeners are able to read along to the music, with the liner note booklets edited to be in time.]]

ACTS 1, 2, and III (And everything in between)

Protomen did the original soundtrack for 2015 animated movie, The Cover Up, about a cyborg in —-, with the soundtrack made up of a shtton of Protomen-ifeied cover songs, some heard at their live shows/characteristic of the 80’s rock music they’re instilled. It is believed these cover songs/that album is the soundtrack to the Acts, just in walking-around-life, while the characters go along about their days. The opera/the music in the albums/Acts is in the audible foreground, telling the story.

Protomen hype man since early 2005; now, tall East Nashvillian, K.I.L.R.O.Y. :

“On a night just like tonight, several members of a small tribe gathered together in sacred, gray cartridge. (audience member, 12:05: “oh, my gosh”) A cartridge that told the tome of a man: A Mega Man. A Man who could Rock.”

“They decided that story was made to be tooken acrosst several lands, near and far. And while the faces and names of those storytellers changed, the message remained the same: That we are here to fight, tonight,” said K.I.L.R.O.Y. (crowd, apey).

“Across these lands,” K.I.L.R.O.Y. continued, “we gathered several like-minded individuals; several warriors that knew their true purpose.”

“That was twenty years ago, today…” (crowd, apey).

“And if you listen closely, you can still hear the original warriors calling,” K.I.L.R.O.Y. said…

-“My friends, thank you so much for all this time, and all this love” (crowd cheers, “THank You!”)

“And always remember We are your Heroes,” (crowd cheers!)

We are Your Hope (Crowd woots, yeahs!)

We are The Protomen, (crowd, Apey)!

14:27, A marching Snare from the Back: The Protomen: Commander by Shock Magnum, followed by [Sir Dr. Robert Bakkar?], and Gambler…

The Protomen roster has been many throughout the years, changing mostly during and after the production of Act II, in 2009, with little odds and sods tinkering here and there [sometimes for touring], like the addition of F&P newspaper Honorable Mention, John Judkins (Shock Magnum) [after joining the band in 2014 from a Vans Warped tour, ultimately replacing Turbo Lover who left the following months]… Yeah, it’s one of those bands that need the Wikipedia slide like Destroy Destroy Destroy.

[Seemingly, the little lines indicating active members on Wikipedia pages bandmember trackers for April 27th, 2024’s Protomen show would be completely full].

In a nutshell, Wayne, Commander, Heath Who Hath No Name, and Doug Fetterman did “Due Vendetta,” at the Mass Comm that one day, then took a minute to pull together the first iteration of Protomen’s Mega Man-inspired stage act at The Boro [Bar & Grill], April 22, 2004. [made capable in Mass Comm. midi/audio labs].

[[[“The group consists of ten poeple when performing live, and ~ still there are more former members than there are current members. The Protomen go through so many band members even the fans get confued. only three of the band’s current members (Panther, Commander, and Murphy Weller) were involved with the recording of Act 1, and since the recording of Act II the group has gone through threee guitarists and three druemmers. And then ther’s “semi-members” like Master Blaster, who performs at the band’s Nashville shows but seldom goes on tour. […] The was lampshaded at their 2011 Halloween show, where every band member was dressed like a former band member. And it still wasn’t all of them,” said Loads and Loads of Band Members, The Protomen | Tropedia | Fandom]]]

(back to Eastside Bowl, Madison Nashville, 4/27/24):

[time] The Curtains rise

The physical Destruction of Man!!

In a 2009 interview, lead vocalist Wayne Panther stated, “We basically gathered up all of our good friends from the local rock bands of Murfreesboro, tied ourselves together, and tried to walk. And somehow it worked. At the time, we noticed a void in rock and roll. A hole that could only really be filled with grown men and women painting up like robots and playing some fierce and furious rock music based on a 1980s video game. We were fairly certain no one else was going to fill that hole. But, by God, it’s filled now. You can thank us later.”^[14]

ACT I

16:28, Wayne: “Good Evening (crowd cheers).

[16:30, Commander’s KS, or Prophet’s descending, “life down,” [Mario/Mega Man] sound effect

“Tonight, We’ve come here to tell you a story. And it starts the way that it started Twenty years ago: Like this…”

II A: Funeral for a Son

Commander hits the first key notes of “II A:Funeral For A Son,” on his Mega Man-staple, Sequential Prophet 12 synth (5’s and 6’s used in Mega Man), as well as his Korg MS2000, which is staple to the cartridge’s soundtrack and score, as well, is backed by countermelody chiming in from the back synths for a digitized ascending maelstrom within the room; the snare remaining snap, never ceasing, to cresendo towards an immaculate build-up in the sky -above our heads!

Master Blaster, trumpet

19:00, The Trumpet, As Dr. Shakkar’s/SHock Magnums guitars raise scale, with the Commander’s keys reaching towards, as this wall of light and sound and cartridge WAIL in front of a sold out crowd, that night, into the following three hours pure sagatic legacy, made for -and workshopped, this evening- as all seven, eight, nine – ALL Protomen across space and time- crescendo into/throw a fckn Party, man.

20 stories above the city, in his rundown apartment, Dr. Light, an eccentric, outcast, “man of ideas,” created Mega Man, but unbeknownst to Mega Man/the boy, there was a protoman before him. Through chatter from the city, below, Mega Man finds out Dr. Light made another, youth-angst crashes out in a fit of denial, vengeance and rage throughout Act 1‘s “II A: Funeral for a Son,” and “II B: Unrest in the House of Light.” 

19:45: “II B: Unrest In The House of Light“

ACT 1: Through brother and father issues, the origin story of Capcom’s Megaman is re-written by early aughts RIM kids-into-a 20 Year personal saga, [through life, love, work,] and rock opera, including canon, that’ll probably be the most popular thing that comes out of Murfreesboro.

To the effect of “By 20005, every member of The Protomen moved to Nasvhille” (actual quote: “Most of the band had graduated and moved to Nashville by 2005…”) was a time the areas these kids moved into/afforded after college/early adulthood, was ripe with an alt country sound familiar to jump starting in kitchiness for any counter culture-intuitive, free spirit making his way in the Nashville area. We’re in Middle Tennessee. Even Nashville of the 70’s was a great, burgeoning area metropolis to land, even for Pulaski/Memphis pharmacists, for example. That’s just how the migration of gusto goes, here.

Nonetheless, with alt. country influences even in Act 1, a perfect date and shoutout within the chugging, country western, Mega Man rock opera train rhythm starting II B: Unrest in the House of Light.” The segue from the climactic into the start of the Mega Man’s journey of vengeance, denial, betrayal, harsh realizations of the reality of humanity stands cinematically beautiful.

Shock and The Dr. rip through it, held together by drummer Reanimator and Murphy Weller on bass.

[pic of Murfphy]

[Murphy joined for the recording of Act 1, as it was being made] as The arc/tale comes from real life, as art imitates life, and vice versa, making for an interesting life over 20 years -or inversely, the best way to make life interesting for 20 years, [that will come out of Murfreesboro, and we’re happy to say that. This career is phenomenal. And so is the canon…]

[[IN Act 1, what is the turmoil bt them being the dead and Protoman’s point landing with Mega man. The reason they fought/Mega man killed his brother.

synths over the raucous for its own the originally taking Dr. strums with Panther’s venture into stadium crowd direction in “II B: Unrest in the House of Light,” as Mega Man confronts his father, Dr. Light, after hearing the city folk talk about how he had a brother that was sent out, before him, and never returned.]]

24:24: “All right now. Take it down a little bit. Cause I see some that wasn’t with us 20 years ago, and I got something to tell them…”

“When the end comes…”

“And the end is gonna come…” Raul says

“You Cannot Win!” Raul continued.

-Heavy emotions.

-Heavy synth.

Collecting people with his new, refreshing determination, angst and rage running to the edge of the city, in/through “III: The Will of One, and “IV: Vengeance,” Mega Man gets red-faced in pure Rage, mowing through the army of Dr. Wily’s collected robots in front of outskirts tower with humanity looking on, yelling “IS THIS ALL YOU’VE GOT!? I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!” -to Dr. Wiley, contoler of the robot army with humanity under its metal claw. 

25:22, “III: The Will of One,” is like an engine gettin started until fully running, like/as is the rest of their songs. It was exhausting, by then -for the crowd! The Epic-isity is not lost, though.

Crowd, apey: “We are your hope we keep you safe we are the code we are in control!!!”

30:56, “Thank You.” [Commander on vocoder, last of audio😁]

30:58, 1/2 Act 1, down✅

[Reddit: A definitive canon? : r/Protomen

“As far as the Act albums go, what all is considered hard canon? I ask because it seems as if there are some parts of some songs which are more meant to be interpreted, and I wish to stay as faithful to what is most commonly considered canon,” asked r/thefunnygamerman, [Reddit: A definitive canon? : r/Protomen]

“r/CobaltAzurean: Probably Megaman and Protoman’s armcanons /s”

“I kid, I kid,” Colbalt Azurean continued.

“I’d first ask as to what is considered ‘interpretive’ because, although there aren’t necessarily lyrics specifically stating what’s happening, the sound effects and music are pretty telling, such as the tones being reflective of Joe’s heartbeat, which to me, isn’t so much as ‘interpretive’ but more the band maturing with their experience to use the music to evoke an emotional response and tell the story,” said r/ColbaltAzurean

-THis is a good example of the lore that’s circulating out there, over the years, held in place, by time and redditors. Some possibly even The Protomen, themsleves, when noticing detailed comments, jumping from their popular socials, reddit, discord, facebook, instagram, bandcamp, and any other place utility to carry on the story.

“There aren’t always lyrics, but there ARE album notes, which I highly recommend as a companion to the songs if you haven’t seen them.

Here’s some links to some videos that include the album notes in time to the music, my favorite way to experience the saga,” said r/Omch4heroes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsFwua08mFA&list=PLVm_FP4-CHnqlc1Sy4hnmfmG05xrvoxAF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHXpurglh2A&list=PLVm_FP4-CHnoXRRgnGMS3lIrAQ7CYxT4S]]

30:59, 2/2, ACt 1, up, crowd: “WE. ARE. IN. CON. TROL.” ….”IV: Vengeance“

With Mega Man going through the emotional ringer, now’s the point in the saga he goes to confront Dr. Wiley, the mad scientist we’ll learn more about in Act !!, in his tower, behind his army of robots, at the edge of the city.

Mega Man, pissed, starts screaming, [to the effect of] “that’s all you got, fck heads?! Gimme your hockey team!” cutting though them towards the tower in feelings of angst, frustration due to sudden acceptance he’s avenging a brother only known through lore, sentiments of betrayal; all that youthful, raising-a-mega man stuff Dr. Light is going through, though Lyrically, Mega Man’s quite rational while sawing through Wiley’s robot army.

30:59, Wayne/Panther: “…How are you tonight, Nashville?!” (human choir cheers).

“All right. Thank you guys for coming out, tonight. Thank you for having us. Look at us wearing long sleeves to a…” Panther said.

13:16, : Panther: “We thought we’d -We thought we’d drag out some of the old dumps, and If, uh -I apologize if we don’t -if we miss one that is your favorite. I promise we’ll get to it the next twenty (crowd laughs)

In “V: The Stand (Man or Machine),” and “VI: Sons of Fate,” our hero, journey, outcomes, humanity, and all their jaws …go every-which-way. There’s is no rhyme, nor reason, to the way any humanity acts or exists, but the Protomen have managed to do both in such an explosive, Shyamalan twist-ending, Shakespearean-tragedy fashion, seemingly laced in influential East Nashville alt. country, niche gimmickery within venting gusto and the angst of young men out of MTSU’s RIM program -and* who are about to take over the world.  

[The keys of The Stand; the toms and bass drum, fuguing arena hard rock guitar licks before…[KS and —— licks, 16-bit, for a sec]

“You look confused…” said Raul.

-Dr. Light reveals himself from the crowd of humanity gathered by Mega Man on the way out there and onlooking the pure rage and mayhem/emotional catastrophe… Dr. Light: “You came here for vengenace. You came here to save mankind. And it’s hopeless. You cannot have both,” Dr. Light says from the crowd when Mega Man discovers the leader of the robot army he was mowing through -the one he was searching for through the rage, Is his Brother.

35:20: “THEYRE GONNA SETTLE THIS YET.”

“IVE GIVEN EVERYTHING I CAN.”

“THERE ARE NO HEROES LEFT IN MAN!”

“FOR LET THEM WATCH AS WE DECIDE”

“BEWARE THE FATE FOR ALL MANKIND”

36:55, “OH, FCK,” said an audience member!

The Crowd/humanity turns to the back as their Proto-METAL Plays on.
A MAELSTROM FORMS IN THE AIR as Proto Man enters (Kilroy in Red helmet)

RAUL PANTHER/MEGA MAN: LET HIM THROUGH! You know what we came here to do!” as Kilroy-turned-Protoman (helmets) marches in from the back of the room/the front of DR. WILEY’s TOWER, TO FACE HIS BROTHER IN BATTLE, ANSWERING HIS RAGE, KNOWING THE TRUTH FOR SO LONG, FOR THE SAKE OF MANKIND AND HUMANITY…

38:50, They Face. Brothers MAN, Mega and Proto.

Protoman: “Still doing this, huh?”

Mega Man: “Yeah. …We are.”

Protoman: Wow.

Mega Man: It’s been a long time…

Protoman: …You know, to be honest with you, you look good (crowd laugh/cheers). …Heard you got married, had a few kids, who are great.

Mega Man: I appreciate that. …They are… (crowd, “ahhh’s”).

-But the fact remains …I will fight you.

Protoman: Yeah… You have no choice.

Mega Man: “I’ll stand beside you!”

Protoman: I …[audience member heckles/yells] -Can I do this please? (to audience member) (crowd laughs) – I Stand Alone

Mega Man: You’re Still their Hero (crowd cheers).

Protoman: These lying, stepping-on mother fuckers?

Then they are FOOLS!

40:00 [audience member, “fck him up!!”], Mega Man: “This Cannot be the Only Way!!

“VI: Sons of Fate“

They Fight!, – through the call and response lyricism, in-helmet, as the two theatrically come to blows, settling the future of mankind, in front of their -OUR- Very EYES.

[The Fight ??}

41:50: The battle is over. The knee is down.

42:06, Mega Man: Take him.

…I’ll see you in another 20 years,” (crowd laughs).

42:50, with Commander at the Keys, Raul Panther: “If these peopel tell that story to their children as they sleep, they’ll see something. They’ll see,,, its just a man who knows he’s free.”

The ACT 1 HUMAN CHOIR continues.

Mega Man turns. [Lyricism] “I will finish what you started.”

Mankind is hopeless as he takes Protoman’s helmet off, past Dr. Wiley’s tower at the edge of the city, now battle field, with no one left to command the army, since Protoman is now dead. As he passes the tower with the helmet, the robot’s gaze follows onto Dr. Wiley’s, at the top of the tower, to say, “Kill Them All.”

Mega Man, helmet in hand, never looks back to the sound of flesh ripping, slaughtered as the wails of children echo off of theirs of their parnets as the city and humanity are ripped apart.

Mob CHoir: WE ARE THE DEADDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!

[Concise: In Act 1, we have a young/youthful Mega Man, kept 20 stories high in Dr. Light’s tower, his life, as there is chatter from the city/until one day he goes into the city, where he learns there was one before him. A proto man. Another son.

As youthful Mega Man confronts Dr. Light/his father, there’s a betrayal, a rage, a vengeance born within him. Mega Man crashes out at home, takes off through the city, collecting people who realize what he’s doing, running out to the edge of the city to Dr. Wiley’s tower, where his robot army stands in wait.

In the same rage, agnst, and vengeance shown at home/to one Dr., Mega Man mows through the robot Army towards the tower understanding there’s something greater to fight -a figure that’s in control of such a weak army [-Dr. Wiley! For Oppressing Humanity!]

From the shadows, Mega Man sees two eyes, then a little light on the face of a figure stepping out to Mega Man’s cries, ‘Is this all you’ve got?!!!’

Mega Man realizes it’s Protoman. It’s his Brother. Dr. Wiley didn’t control the army…. He has a general.

Through the confusion, Dr. Light steps from the crowd at this moment, as Mega Man stands stunned.

“You came here for vengeanae, and you came here to save humanity. You cannot do both,” says Mega and Protoman’s father, Dr. Light, as Mega Man realized the person he came to avenge is the exact one destroying humanity, now.

“I’ll stand beside you,” Mega Man says to his brother.

“Fuck these people,” Protoman says.

And as Mega Man chooses ethics over corruption, they battle.

With Protoman on his knee, before the final blow/”take him away,” the mob of humanity choir rang, “We are The Dead,” as Mega Man then realized what Protoman meant.

Mega Man leaned down and picked up the the helmet of his brothers, and walked past the tower, past the city.

As the robots had no one to command them after the final blow to their general, their eyes kept gaze on Mega Man walking away until, past the tower, their gaze met Dr. Wiley’s, at the top of his tower.

“Kill them all,” Dr. Wiley ordered the robot army.

The robot army turned and slaughtered humainty -the women and children, the men’s screams forming maelstroms of gurggling uttereances over the city- the world, as Mega Man walked past Dr. Wiley’s tower, out of the city, never turning back.]

16:00, The Human Choir sings, “WEEE AAARRREEE THHHE DEEEEAAAAADDDDDD”

-The whole room wailing… from one little, red notebook

47:50, “It was pointless.”

16:55 the Curtain drops to our left…

18:26, pt 2, Act 1✅

Act III

[[For the release of Act III, on Bandcamp.com -Protomen’s catalogue home- the site hosts “Bandcamp Fridays,” a promotional day of the week for the release of new music. Protomen utilized these Fridays beginning late summer/early fall to release each track of Act III each Friday until the last track’s release, Dec. 3, 2025, to which there was a banger of a party.

Hosted on the bandcamp site’s message board, scrolling a mile a minute with typical fandom comments yelling lyrical excitement, admin messages would flash through and pin every now and again, addressing Protomen’s discord chat had about 1000 people doing the same thing, there. It was insane.

But, listening to the premeire without the notes tested the strength of inner pessimism vs. optimism to the extent that, though each of Protomen’s Acts will tank a listener, leaving them wet on the floor asking why at the way the story is left (yet hopeful) Act III ends in character, but very differently without the liner note libretto.

Based on the sounds of Act III, it’s concluded there won’t be an Act IV (and the message boards melted down, man. it was wild)

After getting the CD, …There will be an Act IV (as the HUMAN CHOIR SINGS).]]

18:53, 19:39, 20:18, start of ——- 20:50, applause, 21:00

This is when it gets Meatloaf-y.

[:23, Start of Act III’s “The Calm”] w/o warning. The Calm goes in between Act 1 and Act 2, acording to 4/27/24

[-And, I’m not sure when the Queen album came out -these guys went out to do a Protomen show, one night, and wound up doing a Queen cover album and recorded it- but the Queen album might’ve come out in between, or the sentiment was existent around the time… But they blew up towards arena sound, as heard in the vocals of Gambler, now lead female vocalist of the Protomen, circa Act 2, and via the Mob Choir, Act. 1. -Married to guitarist, Dr. Bakkar, I believe.

2:42, “Hold Back the Night”

^8:36, The Trainyard,” as Light and The Girl head back to Light’s apt./off. next to the trainyards

9:42, “No Way Back” Act III

slowly starting “Hold Back the Night,” from This City Made Us, August 28, 2015. Grim, rising, —- —– acid-bubbling, epicity build-up as Raul and Gambler prepare, onstage.

4:00: “This is your night! Come on,” screamed Gambler!

4:05, crowd: “But I Know A Hero Will Come!” (8:09, “C’mon, Nashville! Let’s Go!” -Gambler) ~8:30

8:35 – audience member, (“yeeeahh, here it goes..”); [—— synth rise?]; 9:46 (audience girl in back shrieks) Act III‘s “No Way Back,” released 1/10/2020, ~14:45

14:49 – “Are you still with us?” Raul asks.

15:00 enough silence for two audience members to have what she’s having, the audience claps along in the Eastside Bowl as Commander starts whirling up another maesltrom of Passion. Passion and Steel, and Desire, “Calling Out,” Act III ~19:04

19:05, Gambler, to audience, “I love you, too.”

19:16, Commander starts to tnker… 19:37, “Ahahahah. I know what you’re doing. And it’s not going to work. I don’t care that we played that song our very first song, 20 years ago (crowd apey);

20:00, crowd clapping along, “All right. You asked for it,” as Magnum and —-‘s guitar riffs take over for the charge in of Journey’s 1983, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”

You’d think It’d be off of the Cover Up original motion picuture soundtrack Protomen did in Jan. 2015, but they were covering Journey and rocking those tiny tv’s spread across the front of The Boro in 2004 ~25:32

^20:45, Pather: “Whatcha got, Gambler?”

^25:33, Panther: That one goes out to our good friend David from Boston [Calbosky? -sia? he said he’d never heard it before (crowd, ‘wheee’”s)

[ONly had 1st half (1/2) of Act III done at the time (“The Calm” – “Calling Out,” here, and “This City..” -the next song after “Calling…” put at the end of the set].

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ACT II

As we last left off in Act 1 with (spoiler) Mega-man walking away from the blood-gurgling screams of humanity helplessly being ripped to shreds by Dr. Wiley’s evil robot army, after Dr. Light presented Mega Man with the tragic conundrum of saving humanity or avenging his brother when it was his brother, Protoman, all along, who’d been alive, in command of Wiley’s oppressive robot army, Murfreesboro, Nintendo-core, sagatic and epic, rock opera quartet-to-decet, The Protomen, released Act II: The Father of Death, a follow up to 2005’s Act 1, as a prequel to expand on their ever-“inspired by Mega Man,” now canon, released out of Sound Machine records, September 8, 2009. 

Inspired by the vocals and blasting 80’s rhythms of Meatloaf, the 1980’s action musical, Streets of Fire, Mike & The Mechanics, and that East Nashville, alt. country influence within their rock opera, into more Ennio Morricone (Sergio Leonne) territory, an “Intermission,” from one act to the next as another peaceful, Spanish guitar intro, lilting into another complexly dichotomous bitter-sweetness, this time, within a younger Dr. Light writing a letter to his love, Emily, marking the moment he’s finished his life’s work, building the city’s robot workforce to relieve humanity. Though, worried and alerted by his partner in this creation, Dr. Wiley, and Wiley’s arming and militarizing of the robots, Protomen’s Turbo Lover as Wiley, stands as Protomen’s only other male vocalist songbird, unvocoded, through “The Good Doctor.” 

:25, Panther: All right. We’re gonna need your help on this one, “Wave out your penguins,”? “Let us your pendenc?” “Let us due vengenace?”

27:00, the intro to “The Father of Death,” Dr. Light and Emily’s music box, Protomen’s Act II (2009), writing a letter to Emily, the young Dr. Light’s love, as this forst half of the second Act prequels Act 1…

“I built the gun that he holds on his hand,”

“Can I turn off this machine before it destroys everything that I love?”

“I will find a way to make this thing right”

“I will find a way, Emily.”

Through “Father of Death,” Wiley having raced past Light to his apartment, being denied by Emily, who feels the first cold kill of a robot assassin through Wily’s pain and evil plan, Light bursts through the door to see Wily and his green robot assassin -the new face of fear- leave the window only as police burst through front door, shooting Dr. Light out the same window, crashing onto the streets below to run, as though he’d done it. 

“I willl not be the father of Death, A letter from Dr. Light read (their Main correspondecne due to the young Dr. Light’s work and regret).”

Emily came home one day to find Dr. Wily (Shoack Magnum/John Judkins, rummaging, speaking to the robot behind her suddenly to close the door after Emily doesn’t go with him.

Emily professes her love for Dr. Light to defeat Dr. Wily, “There will be light!”

27:14, somebody buh buh!’s

27:32 – The crowd pick up to the foot stomping and clapping in the beginning to quick-lick mariachi riffs on an acoustic

THrough the regret that kept Light away, trying to fix his mistake of becoming death, itself, though his machines, Emily succombs, prequally, to the fate humanity suffered in Act 1 -but, where the pattern started- as Wiley ultimately orders his robot to cut the throat of young Emily as he sneaks out the window… And as Dr. Light comes throught their home’s threshold, coming home, the robot’s red eyes were seen leaving the fire escape, as well, dropping the knife with Dr. Light’s gaze following to Emily’s body on the ground, bleeding.

As the cops came, Dr. Light screamed out of the window to stop them. To stop the robots. But nothing but a barrage of bullets from the escapees into the bodies of the cops and Dr. Light in the room hit, with Dr. Light falling out of the window, onto the street below. He reassessed, got up and ran.

33:00

Since Light had powered the robots on, earlier, a slew of reporters crowds Wily in the broadcast room of the tower in the middle of the city, inquiring about the death of Emily (“What was her name?!” Wiley retorted, in pain), but only occupied by the countdown to his more important matters of when the army will be unleashed, in “The Hounds.” After the robot’s eyes light solid, Wily’s face appears on a screen above the city: the face of one man, aboce all, for the first time. The face of a leader… 

[As the countdown to when the army will be unleashed, a slew of reporters crowds Wily in the broadcast room of the tower in the middle of the city inquiring about the death of Emily (“WHat was her name?!”), but only occupied by the countdown to his more important matters…]

“The Red blinkning light went solid,”

36:40, “Mr Shock Magnum, if you please,” -John takes over riffage, crowd immediately starts clapping along

If there ever waw a time if there ever was a chance to undo these things I’ve done and was these blood stains from my hands, it is [Nashville].

We’ll burn this city. Horn Section.

And after the light turns solid, Wily’s face appears on a screen above the city, the face of one man for the first time. The face of a leader…

39:15, you guys give a hand to the master blaster!!” -Raul

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

{{

[“The State of Thomas Light,” Light gets picked up at Emily’s burial site, 3 days later, no resitance. his trial started a week later, the media blaring all the nasty facts, twisted, to make him eht villain.

I’m leaving one way or the other, Emily. There’s nothing left for me, now. Emily, it’s like the calm before the storm. They’ll punish me for what he did to you. Either way its all my fault becuse I made the mad that laid his hands on you. I would tear him down, but I feel like a dead man. What can a dead man do?

And as Emily tells him It’s not his fault, and in the turmoil of rendering his own guilty verdict in his head/soul, as the proceeding are going on around him, the judge realsitically read a not guilty verdict as the masses watched outside, outraged their justice system failed them… (just like they were told by Wiley on the big screen, turning society against Light).]

[“Give Us The Ropes,” epic Sergionne in mob mentality as Light was transferred through the masses from the courthouse, title-apropos, by a police escort putting him in on an empty train, while the mob grew closer. Looking back to the tower-weilding Wiley rage at the city, as

“Light was gone. His name destroyed. His work stolen. His love murdered.”

“…But the City was still alive…”]

“How the World Fell Under Darkness” (These narrartives are Commander at the keys creating these operatic sci-fi scores) As the machines took over the humans drank their severeances, people seemed happy as they awoke to a fastly building, gleaming city scape every morning, as the robot builders worked ceaslessly replaceing the old with the new, years passed.

There was one man within this city, though…. His name is Joe.]

2/2 Act 2

[“Breaking out,” a song of Joe waking up next to his woman

I’m so tired of giving up, I’m so tired of giving in!

A Chorus of Fear as he tore ass out of the city streets on his dad’s old bike found at his old home -his parents house…

“Don’t turn your back on the city” they cried from the windows above as he tore that ass, kicking the shifter up into 6th gear, praying for the people

I want to burn unitl there’s nothing left to burn about!” sounding familiar -prequally- to his city-brother of future times, Mega Man..Heavy Meatloaf, Mega Man piano song…

“Don’t Turn your back on the City!!”

Joe reached the outskirts and met Dr. Light.]

[“Keep Quiet

Nows a good time to bring up every single one of these songs can stand on its own. Also, timeless. Every single one of these are anthems, cheers, and zeitgeists, even now, and as a whole, paint an eerie picture of similar tact used even to this day.

The robot repeats what he says as they square up, jsut after meeting Dr. Light. It’d followed him out there.

“This city has been dead for years, now. So, death is not something that scares me,” as he approches closer, blade out (this was made in 2009, btw).

Joe gets the assassin’s green helmet

]

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(Back at Eastside Bowl, 4/27/24) 

audience members in back, “We love you!,” “You are all that I have left!”

~39:40 Commander … anything but Journey.

39:47, Please…

Commander goofs into synth start of “Separate Ways,” again.

Raul: You son of a bithc!

You can’t do it tongith. We’ve only got the rights for the one time. … every twenty years (commanders singing vocoder “Love will fiiind you,” crowd laughs, cheers.)

40:11, Commander warms the keys back up for a sci-fi continuance into slippery slope distopia, starting inot the next of Act !!’s Joe’s introduction.

“Light was gone. His name destroyed. His work stolen. His love murdered.” 

“…But the City was still alive…” 

These narrartives are Commander at the keys creating these operatic sci-fi scores in “How the World Fell Under Darkness” (as well as liner notes). As the machines took over the humans’ work, the humans drank their severances, people seemed happy and awoke to a fastly built, gleaming cityscape every morning as the robot builders worked ceaselessly, replacing as years passed. 

Our new man, Joe, rallies with the ferocity and epic-ness of all the Meatloafs put together, running Joe through his own fiery father issues and youthful angst, re-kicking the dirt off his dad’s old motor bike and tearing through the night -the city- still alive, but hurting, throughout the second half of Act II’s three-song, “wake up in the morning,” suite, “Breaking Out,” “Keep Quiet,” and “Light Up the Night.” Fckn ragers. 

41:12, “Light up the Night,”

45:00, “All right now, we’re gonna need your help on this one,” Raul says

45:47, C’mon, now -heavenly climb, arena rock guitar and mob choir!!!

46:30: C’mon, you got this in the back!!! Raul cries, singing the rest of the song, leading the audience

48:05red line heart monit ~48:17 (Joe fell from the tower)

Official Music Video, https://youtu.be/B8pywyGywWg?si=mtfVRYM24xh00qTu

Light back the city with that fire and rage, man.

A BEacon of Light from a Burning Screen!!

(The 3 song Jim rising up from the Darkness suite)

[Together Jim and Dr. Light hatch a plan to destroy Dr. Wiley’s overlooking, mid-city tower screen and the central transmitter that spreads Wiley’s message to the peopel, and the robots, as well as is the eyes of Wiley, through the robot, in turn, blinding Wiley to the return of Dr. Light into the city … for revenge…

As the city chugs along in its ubsequity/ubiquietness , content maininting the status quo, bright and shiny, therre’s a rebellion stirring at the edge of town in the form of moment to moment, second to second occurneces brought on by Bringing Back the Light… the Youthful Rage… The flipside of the coin to vengeance -Pure Testosterone, and a Dream…

There is a city this Darkness can’t hide. There are the embers of a fire that’s just gone out, but I can still feel the heat on my skin, and the this mess that we’re in -you and I!”
[Nashville!]

It’s generational, and the protomen know how to wrap it around [It takes two or three big go-back-arounds to make some big marks]!

“And we will stand in the light, you and I!”

ALl right Nashville, I’m gonna need your help on this next one. You know what to do [?] [Human choir in The fall?]

Crowd clapping, 18:40:

“The Fall,” Epic instrumental:

Against Fear. Against SCreens!! He rides into the city on his kicked-back Dad’s motorcycle with a missle aimed at the tower: Climb to The Top of THe World!!

As Joe crashed his bike into the front of the tower in a fit of wrecking gymnastics/acrobatics, “And as you stand tall, you will see That When You Fall,…

Joe kicks in the door hole his bike made, blasted up the stairs to the roof, and with

“You will fall from a height most men never reach.

As Joe grabbed the detonator form his bag, thrown next to the detonator, Joe only made it a few steps back to the door before the blast destroyed, from the top of the tower, hurdling Joe over the edge.

Dr. Light saw a fliker of the flames refelct in his blast sheild as a human form fell from the tower, thudding onto the southside courtyard.

Light had sent this boy to his death, realizing a boy and backpack wouldn’t stop a fear monger control freak, and noticed a second transmitting beacon at the Wiley complex, at the edge of the city, where his Robot army lay in wait.]]]

~21:56

[ “Here Come the Arm”: The Unleashing of Wiley’s Army (for the first time).

As the screens feed fear to the City of an incoming, insurgant threat, Light talks to Emily in existential guilt, motivating repression due to fear mongering from a control freak

BEcause this locolmation -this world that Light has ultimately created, and destroyed by his ideas militarized/utilized/weaponized by Wiley- because this locomotion has taken such course, with such momentum and weight, he’ll be there for it when it ultimately and inevitably crashes and burns, like a captain to a ship stolen from him and used to terrorism, “Here comes the arm.”

And as Light watch the tower burn and collapse into a pile of steel around him, humans running every which way, he reaches into his pocket to find a old, folded note Emily had left…

The CIty Needs You Now.

Human Choir: “This City!”

Thomas Light found Joe’s body, telling him when he see’s Emily (in the afterlife), tell her to wait for him because he still has work to do.

With no spoilers, again, the pen- and ultimate songs, “The Fall,” and “Here Comes the Arm,” leave this prequel to Act 1 somewhat of another rock-bottom of a cliff hanger, even more tragically, though progress was made. 

Whole lot of Commander doing some bedroom composing in Act 2. Bet the recording process was fun. A very streamlined plot to get to an Act 3, but very much similar to Act 1 in character motivation and tact/feelings used, just a generation before Act 1, and the learning process needed in order for the characters to achieve Act 1. Opens the canon up, origin story through two major teirs, the orgin formation for Act 1, and the smaller story within it, proto/orginal-Mega Man, Joe.

[Hope Rides Alone is where they picks up]

48:18, Closing the show: immediately after closing heart monitor of “The Fall,” OG Protomen acoustic guitarist steps from the wings, intro-ing Hope Rides Alone, but to Raul Panther’s 20th Anniversary edition:

Raul: It was 20 years ago tonight, but there are so few who can remember what happened. Your world had fallen into darkness. At least no one here would do anything. No one to control the robots. No one to challenge their power. No one who will keep the fight up for twenty years! (crowd, apey)… Or so, Dr. Light BELEIVED

50:00/21:40, now – picks Hope Rides Alone

51:40, Hope Rides Alone musicality into “Due Vendetta” lyricism [is Punk af] to into a mash up of musicality from Act 1’s “The Stand,” when Proto and Mega fight.

51:50, “Proto!” (crowd: PROTO!!!!)

52:22, But as the smoke clears, Wiley knows [ that the cannon from Proto is fleeting, whether not he’s a fool, just strutting on the main stand. that’s why the only violence left. The Death of Protman!!”

HUMAN CHOIR CLOSING TRACK [maybe not placement in canon]

Reanimaor beats on through WE ARE THE DEAD Chants of the Audience and Mob Choir (The Stand and Sons of Fate?) climactic arena metal stage show conclusion~ 54:30

54:50 Thanks for fighting with us! We are the Protomen. We’re around Nashville, Tennessee. We’ll see you next time. Good night! ~

With no spoilers, again, the pen- and ultimate songs, “The Fall,” and “Here Comes the Arm,” leave this prequel to Act 1 somewhat of another rock-bottom of a cliff hanger, even more tragically, though progress was made. 

ENCORE

“PROTO-MEN PROTO-MEN!”

56:45/31:42 encore clapping, a marching beat, gets them back out at 57:20, 58:03

58:15/31:52/0:00, Wayne “Oh, my God. Thank you guys so much for that, one last time. Thans to everyone. There are literally people here from [helping us? all of us?] 20 years ago, tonight. It’s unbelievable to see you all back in this city, and we’ve missed them all.”

“There are over 100 ex-Protomen scattered around this room (room laughs). You’ve seen some of them tonight enjoying the stage, some of them over there. You are some of them (crowd members: ‘yeeeeeeah!!’).

“Thanks for sticking with us,” (crowd cheers!).

pic

32:45 – “The Fight” single, Dec. 16, 2022

[“Why oh why do people keep saying The Fight is the closing song of the album? asks BluRayDragon, Why oh why do people keep saying The Fight is the closing song of the album? : r/Protomen.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me, as I feel an ending track to this album would be much longer and more cinematic, where the fight just fades out, and the fade out isn’t even that long to give it that “unending” feel that you would want to give it if it was supposed to fade out in the first place. The tracklist that they gave hasn’t even been completely accurate so far anyway. I feel like there’s got to be a song after the fight, and the fight will end up being track 14 or so.”

“It only made sense as a guess when the track list was all we had to go on. My guess is we either get a completely reworked version or it comes right before the last track; possibly a mix of both. Out of all the songs they published years back, I feel like that one is the most likely to be altered dramatically,” relplied DeadButGettingBetter.

Honestly, I’m not entirely sure we’re getting “The Fight” at all at this point. Like, we probably will just because I think they’d’ve telegraphed it more clearly if they’d dropped it from the album entirely, but it genuinely doesn’t feel like the rest of Act III to me in its original form. siad wote89

They said that everything from here on in was new, and that doesn’t really square with The Fight being in there. said Seitosa]

~37:31, Straight into “This City Made Us,” a side of an a/b side single/duel-single, August 28, 2015, building towards/making and releasing some of ACT 3, as can, on Bandcamp ~ 43:16

43:18, “All right. I told you earlier that the end is going to come…(reanimaotro warming the song. And it’s here. Thank you guys again for being with us. Thanks to Richie. Thanks to Destroy DEstory DESOTRoY!! Thank you to Makeup and Vanity Set,” said Wayne Panther.

“This really has been a reuninon of Murfreesboro Here, tonight!”

Thank you guys for making it happen!

But this is how it ends! (Techie, Proto-maelstom as the band back Commander goofing around; Drums and synth and crowd claps going apey)…

44:20 “Epilogue: DUE VEDETTA”

[1:08] Raul: misheard[?] (x2)

Raul: Heard.

44:46, 1, 2,3 !!

(seems like a little off, timing wise on a couple factors, Wayne missed the intro [We were supposde to sing it, and didn’t?]).

1:11:38, Panther: Welp, … Bye (crowd laughs).

“Air Man! Heat Man! Metal!

Fire! INept Wood Crash Flash Feet! Binding! Light! Corruption!

AIr Man Wiff Man Biff Man Fire Ice Man Police Man Pasta Man? Snow Man Face Man Stunt Joe Labor Man Cadillac!!”

Labor Man!!

1:12, Raul: “C’mon, Nashville!”

46:52: “Holy SHit! It’s my favorite brother from another mother!,” as Commander hits the synth in Proto-full room and stage show-climacticism, rage and fury, peace and labor man!

(Curtain drops and it’s Dead Can Dance in costue with another sect of The Protomen on the Richie Stage).

“Oh, my Gah!”

It’s a fckn MASS COMM PARTY

47:43; The Protomen: SHOUT OUT TO ALL PAST MEMBERS WHO CAME OUT 1:14:09, [Gravity willing! I think after 20 years, we finally beat diarheea planet for the most wonderful time onstage!

The Protomen: Nashville, Go! Nashville! [Thank you to] Cobra T. Washinton! [ to John Prine-amus, to David Meyer and ScarToe! THank you so much! This is unbelievable! ~48:26 [syths and cymbals, syths and cymbals!!] [Reanimator on drums, fromerly Demon Barber, The Dragon, and The Keymaster.]

49:06, Raul Panther III: Hang on! Hang on!

49:17 – “Against All Odds,” Phil Collins (audience all in, crwod member: “oh my gah!!).

This whole room listened to “Against All Odds,” as these fckn balloons started falling everywhere, and it was ridiculously beautiful (~51:00) (51:17- Balloons started falling).

52:54, “Thanks again to everyone doing Eastside Bowl. Thaks to Dave. Thaks to Ben. Thanks to Drew, over here. Thanks to Jon? Chuck? for aking this place happen -Jaime.

53:11, Commander’s last keys, leading Raul into, “Take a look at me, nooow…”

“We’ll see you guys in another 20 years!”

-53:30, “We’ll see you guys in another 20 years, huh?”

Crowd, “YEEEAAAAHHHHHHH!!!” as the balloons begin to pop

Raul, walking from mic: “Do it!”

Kilroy, 53:50: Nashville, TN…. That’s how it all began.

[…] Good night.

(crowd, wild’n).

[54:24, Venue member, last calls: Hey, is this thing on? (crowdcheers)

[“Thank you guys for staying to watch us. It was very, very, very, very hard on the show. I don’t want assholes to show up, and you had to show up. Thank you guys. We’re going to be hanging out out there (crowd cheers)”

“How bout the new scanner, please, schooby doo.”

“Thanks for stomping them out. Its fckn hot in here and outside. See you outside.”]

end, ~55

55:06, balloon pops…

“That was a six hour show,” F&P said walking out.

All Protomen information can be found at [all these sources]. [[[-Rwake night, Eastside 58 room, b/t show convo with Joe Blankenship, when Proto Man/Justin says something; Wayne’s conversatoin @ Brooklyn, Hard Quartet ; (concise?) tales of the Acts, and reveiws of first two acts/anything on boropulse ; Coverage of the whole April 27th, 2024 incidental Murfreesboro reunion at Eastside ; review of Act 3, Dec. 5, and the usual over the top promotion, team, and avenues they usually endure to get these things out, that’s so cool.; Vanity set’s 16-bit Protomen act 1; Kelly being neighbors with them ; The Protomen 20th Anniversary at Eastside Bowl | Writers-choice | nashvillescene.com ; A definitive canon? : r/Protomen ;Who’s who in the band? : r/Protomenreddit links ;K.I.L.R.O.Y. | The Protomen Wiki | Fandom ;The Protomen | Tropedia | Fandom; The Protomen – Wikipedia

Protomen will appear at Millenial-OG, Nashville venue, Marathon Music Works, Junes 18-20, for a three-night run promoting/performing each individual act. 

Possibly a world tour, as they’ve done European tours twice.

And now with Act III out, We can wait some more. 

 More information on “Nintendo, synth-rock, guitarme opera.” (pronounced, “Guitar army,” visit How the Protomen kidnapped and forced me to ride around Murfreesboro blindfolded for 20 minutes just for a one-on-one interview – Flash – Sidelines – Middle Tennessee State University

Ultimately, like conclusions reached when intereviewing folks like Murfreesboro producer, Jason Dietz -these guys are simply good role models.

ALL MUSIC ON F&P PAGES IS DOWNLOADABLE (THE AUDIO BAR DOTS)

Protomens entire catalogue, as well as purchasable CD’s can be found through Music | The Protomen, as well as their homesite, The Protomen.

They hit #4 the week of 2/10/26, above Taylor Swift for a few days, becuse of the CD sales from Act III, during its release run. Our Protomen beat our Taylor. A robot army comes next.

This is a draft before re-editing for the newspaper, possibly the SPring edition, before Junes 18 – 20, Marathon Music Works.

Protomen also workshopped a three-night, split run of the acts in their entirety at Nashville’s 2026 Magfest (Music and Gaming Festival) with prior information Protomen 2026 | Super MAGFest. This source was not referenced.

Protomen’s 2011 video for Live in Nashville (from their 12th & Porter, Act II concert, Sept 2020), and their short film, Light Up The Night, can be found at their homesite, protomen.com.