The Protomen

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The Protomen
The Protomen at Holy Mountain (Austin, Texas) - 2014-10-21 (11).jpg
Two members of the Protomen performing in Austin, Texas
Background information
Origin Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Years active2003–present
LabelsSound Machine
MembersCommander B. Hawkins
Raul Panther III
Murphy Weller
Sir Dr. Robert Bakker
Shock Magnum
Gambler Kirkdouglas
Reanimator
K.I.L.R.O.Y.
Website protomen.com

The Protomen are an American rock band who compose and perform rock opera concept albums with science fiction themes inspired by video games. [2] [3] The band formed in 2003 and is based out of Nashville, Tennessee. They first gained exposure with their 2005 self-titled debut rock opera album The Protomen . The act is one of the most renowned in the video game music and geek rock genres. [4] [5] [6] [7] They are one of the highest paid stage acts out of Nashville. [8]

Contents

In the Protomen's three act rock opera, an Orwellian city is ruled by a fascist figure named Dr. Albert Wily who builds and controls a robot army, with which he has taken over the city. Protagonists attempt to defeat Wily's forces and repeatedly fail. Act II: The Father of Death (2009) is a prequel to The Protomen (which is referred to as Act I). The final act, Act III: This City Made Us , will be released January 9, 2026. The band tours performing the rock opera in character and only uses aliases on stage. Strong audience responses and audience participation are a significant part of their performances. Critical response to their music and performances is mostly positive. The Protomen tour extensively and are known for performing at festivals and headlining conventions, especially MAGFest.

Outside of the Protomen's rock opera, they have released two cover albums to positive responses, and have collaborated with other artists for albums, songs, and performances. They released single "Built to Last" (2013) as part of Capcom's anniversary album for Mega Man franchise, which their rock opera is inspired by.

History

The Protomen formed in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. [9] [10] [11] Their name comes from one of the main characters in the Capcom video game franchise Mega Man : Proto Man. [11] The band is composed mostly of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) recording program graduates, and originated in order to meet class deadlines and the need to record for their grades. [2] Their first live performance was in April 2004. [12] Most of the band had graduated and moved to Nashville by 2005. [13]

In a 2009 interview, lead vocalist 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]

The band has strong ties to the Murfreesboro and Nashville independent music scene, and some members perform with several bands.[ citation needed ]

The Protomen

In the band's first album, Dr. Wily is represented as an Orwellian ruler over a dystopic city, full of humans who are too scared to stand up to his control. Dr. Light creates a "perfect man, an unbeatable machine", Proto Man, to fight to free the city, but Proto Man is destroyed by the overwhelming power of Wily's armies. Defeated and despairing, Dr. Light then creates a second son, Mega Man, whom he attempts to dissuade from battle. Mega Man runs away from home and confronts his brother in an apocalyptic concluding battle. The album has been described by the band as "the sound of the end of the world" and straddles the line between chiptune and hard rock, with heavier focus on distorted 8-bit synthesizers and electronic instrumentation.

Band member Commander has stated that the album "was made specifically to go against everything our recording teachers and fellow students were trying to feed us about making everything sound pristine and 'perfect.'". [13] The album was recorded over two years in various Murfreesboro studios, using analog rather than digital production techniques. [15] "Due Vendetta", the group's first recorded track, was completed in April 2003. The album was produced by then-Protomen member Heath Who Hath No Name.

Act II: The Father of Death

New logo released in support of the Protomen's second album. The Protomen Act II logo.png
New logo released in support of the Protomen's second album.
The Protomen in concert in Seattle September 2010. The Protomen in concert in Seattle September 2010.jpg
The Protomen in concert in Seattle September 2010.

For the band's second album the group, working with Meat Loaf producer Alan Shacklock, devised a prequel storyline to their first album. The second act details the rise of Albert Wily to power, the rivalry between himself and Thomas Light, and the tragic events which brought the City under Wily's control. The band stated that Act II was designed to sound cleaner, reflecting a time "before the bomb dropped". Accordingly, the second album reflects a much broader range of musical styles and more lyrical instrumentation, embracing references from Ennio Morricone to Bruce Springsteen to Shacklock's own Babe Ruth. The album was mastered by Richard Dodd.[ citation needed ] The band debuted a new logo by Version Industries. [16]

The Protomen Present: A Night of Queen

The Protomen are known for performing, along with their original rock opera, a variety of 1970s and 1980s cover songs in their live performances, typically related to the band's preferred motifs of heroism, struggle, and self-determination. On December 10, 2010, the Protomen performed along with Nashville band Evil Bebos for the latter band's farewell concert. Evil Bebos played a set entirely composed of Black Sabbath cover songs, while the Protomen in kind performed a set of Queen covers. [17] The live performance was recorded and mastered, and on April 19, 2012, the Protomen announced through their website and mailing list that the resulting live album, titled The Protomen Present: A Night Of Queen, would be released and was available for pre-order. [18] Though set for a June 1, 2012, release, the album shipped early to those who pre-ordered it. [19]

The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture

In November 2010 while performing at InDisFest in Atlanta, GA, the band announced their intention to formally record an album of cover songs. Production on the album began in February 2011 with producer Alan Shacklock, the band's second collaboration with the producer following Act II. [20] [21] By June 2014, the band announced that a downloadable EP would be made available to attendees of their Warped Tour 2014 performances to promote the upcoming full-length album, titled The Cover Up. The EP was released via a download code printed on a faux movie ticket stub for The Cover Up, referencing a non-existent film, packaged in a laminate sleeve attached to a lanyard commemorating the Warped Tour. [22] The full-length album was released on January 23, 2015, to attendees of MAGFest 13, where The Protomen were performing. The following morning, on January 24, the album was made available for pre-order to the general public through the band's website. [23] The cover of "In the Air Tonight" on the album was later featured in the third season of Cobra Kai [24] [25] and as a result was the 7th top song on Shazam for the first half of 2021. [26]

Act III: This City Made Us

On Friday 3 October 2025, The Protomen began the surprise release of their third album on Bandcamp. Beginning with the first two tracks, The Calm and Hold Back The Night, they have said that new tracks will be added to it weekly for the next "couple of months". The full release date listed on the Bandcamp album is 9 January 2026. [27] [28] [29]

Artistry

Musical style and influences

The Protomen's sound has been called "science fiction rock", [30] [31] [32] a "driving, theatrical offshoot of rock 'n' roll" [33] [34] with "a little twist of sci-fi and video game effects" [35] and the "fury of the hard rock hits of the 1980s, and the over the-top 1970s prog". [36] Their conventional style labels include rock, [30] [31] [32] hard rock, [37] [36] progressive, [37] [36] progressive rock, [38] [37] [39] rock and roll, [33] [34] [35] [40] and geek rock. [1]

The Protomen combine a wide number of instruments and processes like synth, [41] [42] [43] [37] distortion, [41] violins, [44] choirs, [44] [43] [37] brass [44] [43] acoustic guitar, [44] and genres or formats including hair metal, [45] arena rock, [46] [47] Americana, [48] rockabilly, [43] power ballads, [44] [46] and funeral marches. [45] Critics describe the sound as feeling large or overwhelming, [49] [50] epic, [44] [36] [37] [38] passionate, [44] [39] operatic, [50] [45] [39] theatrical, [51] [34] [33] cinematic, [50] [44] and intense. [42] [50] [35]

Their musical style appears to some critics to bridge mainstream music and underground geek rock genres. [52] [38] The Protomen can also be considered filk. [53]

Reporting disagrees about whether the Protomen are part of video game-related music genres such as the Nintendocore genre. A couple sources use the label Nintendocore, [54] [55] [56] but critics like metal database The Circle Pit say the Protomen are "distinct progress away from the trite and listless cliché of Nintendocore, towards something more resonant and fulfilling." [57] One blogger comparing video game cover bands in 2010 said: "they aren’t a video game band in any way, shape, or form. [...] it’s not a bad story. It’s just that it’s not fucking Mega Man′s story, which means they aren’t a fucking Mega Man band." [13] Their music and lyrics reinterpret the music, setting, characters, and plots in Mega Man games, rather than performing them exactly as they are in the games. [58] [59] [60] Aside from a short tune in one song, "there are no direct musical references to the Mega Man series[...] Someone who isn’t entirely familiar with Mega Man can enjoy the tracks". [61] Mega Man's parent company Capcom concurs: "While there are a few nods to the in-game music of Mega Man, most of [the Protomen's] recorded work is closer to serious rock-opera rather than the 8-bit, chip-tune style of other videogame-inspired artists. In fact, if you don’t listen closely, you could easily miss the Mega Man influence entirely". [62] Nashville Scene reported "You don’t need to know or care anything about [the Mega Man game series]". [63] The Protomen do not consider themselves a video game band. [64]

The group has cited the influence of "artists like Syd Mead, films like Eddie and the Cruisers and Streets of Fire , books like 1984 and Atlas Shrugged ... those are the pretty obvious ones you can pull out of Acts I and II. But what you might not realize is that we own every Ernest movie ever made. And we watch them all the time." [14] The band draws inspiration from diverse sources, including Sergio Leone's films, the song "The Mexican" and musical groups Radiohead, Styx, Toto, Queen and Alabama.[ citation needed ]

Concepts and themes

The Protomen portray a band of rebel insurgents on a crusade against an evil, fascist mad scientist.

— Nashville Scene (2007) [65]

In the Protomen's three act rock opera, an Orwellian [66] [67] [68] city is ruled by a fascist [65] [69] [70] figure named Dr. Albert Wily who builds and controls a robot army, with which he has taken over the city. Rebel elements attempt to sabotage Wily's robot enforcers or propaganda mechanisms and ultimately fail. The Protomen (referred to as Act I) follows Wily's former colleague Dr. Thomas Light, who builds two sentient robot sons that challenge Wily and meet tragedy when they fail. [71] [41] Prequel Act II: The Father of Death depicts the breakdown between Wily and Light, the first rebellions against Wily's rule, and the resulting tragedy. [72] [71] [73] Act III: This City Made Us is the aftermath of Act I. [74] Physical copies of CD albums are accompanied with printed libretto and liner note booklets that include narration and stage direction not present in the songs. [75] [76] [77] [78] [43]

The setting is a science fiction dystopia [67] [79] [41] in the post-apocalypse, [80] where humans have been relieved of grueling manual labor [68] by advanced robotics at the cost of self-expression and freedom from surveillance. Many thoughts, music, and movies are banned and city residents regularly go missing. Characters experience interpersonal loss [78] as a consequence of the totalitarian surveillance state enforced by the robots. [75] [72] Consequence of Sound described the role of the machines as "the robot-Gestapo" [75] and the setting as a "cyberpunk Western". [49]

One of the more poetic moments on the record is the way in which death is symbolized; a glorious choir of unrepentantly positive voices proclaiming "there will be light" ultimately cut short mid-proclamation; martyrdom in the face of unrelenting tyranny.

— The Deli Magazine (2009) [81]

Commentary on savior figures, martyrs, and heroism is central to the narrative, especially the role of technology in the struggle for salvation. [81] [49] Patrick R. Callahan of Emporia State University describes the depiction as "the fall of a city by seeking to work out its salvation through technological means and the many attempts to redeem that city through sacrifice". [82] Live shows open with an invocation from a band member playing a robot character named Kilroy, recounted by WIRED thusly: "Kilroy nods gravely, extends his arms like a preacher. 'Your response is compliant,' he tells the [cheering] crowd, robot-serious. And then: 'We are your salvation. We are your hope. We are — the Protomen.'" [80] [83]

Performances are framed as battles rallying audience members to fight for their freedom, and as the narrative progresses the audience participation becomes as a disaffected crowd who will not sacrifice their relative peace to fight for freedom alongside lone heroes. The audience role even calls for the death of heroes, leading to the hero's doom. [80] [84] [85] [63] [83] Lead vocalist Panther has said about the role the crowd chorus plays in their music: "Our overarching message is that people really need to think for themselves and not follow a crowd." [78] Competing voices and guitars illustrate the struggle musically. [86]

The relationship between the crowd and heroes in the Protomen's music and performances has explicit parallels to Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Video game reporter Benjamin Lamoreux explained, "Both stories have a very pronounced theme that the common man (the "proles" of 1984 and the humans of The Protomen) need to stand up and fight. It’s not a enough for a Hero (be it a member of the Ingsoc society or mechanical savior) to take a stand." [68]

Science fiction tropes underpin the rock opera, such as the character of Wily, who is a mad scientist. [65] The rock opera is inspired by the first six NES Mega Man games and the franchise's characters, who are primarily robots [2] named after music genres such as blues and rock and roll. [87] The Mega Man franchise has canonical storylines that the Protomen rock opera plot diverges from significantly. [13] [88] [71] Many characters have names and roles from Mega Man, but the setting is a dark reimagining of the game's underlying world. [68] Video game and science fiction inspired sound effects and electronic motifs crossover with the hard rock and rock and roll musical style, causing some critics to dub the group's style "science fiction rock." [35] [30] Because the musical style is not typical of video game music such as chiptune and the plot of the rock opera is not an exact retelling of the plot of any part of the Mega Man franchise, [71] reporting and critics disagree about whether the Protomen should be considered video game music. For further discussion of the Protomen's relation to video game music genres, see Musical style and influences.

Performances

External videos
Performances
YouTube 2024.svg
YouTube
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg MAGFest 2020: The Protomen Full recording of The Protomen's headlining set at convention MAGFest in 2020. [89]
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg The Protomen "The Will of One" Live 2009 performance at a small venue. [90]

Costumed band members perform as characters in the rock opera's narrative. [91] Audiences participate in live performances. Songs feature chorus roles that are sung by crowds. The band members perform as the main characters of the story, whose fates are decided by the crowd. [92] [83] [85]

WIRED described the audience participation: "the audience more often than not plays the chorus: a populace mourning Protoman’s fall (and later encouraging Mega Man to kill him), eager press corps during Dr. Wily’s triumphant villian anthem. They chant propaganda slogans, clap in time to a hero’s heartbeat, and call-and-respond with the performers." [80]

Performance history

The Protomen have performed at a number of conventions, festivals and showcases throughout their career.

In 2007, The Protomen played at Capcom's booth at San Diego Comic Con by Capcom's invitation. In 2009, the group competed for and won the right to perform at the Bonnaroo music festival, [93] defeating several other Nashville bands. They played two showcases at CMJ Music Marathon in October of the same year. In 2010, The Protomen took part in the SXSW music festival [94] [95] [96] and the mega-gaming conventions in PAX East in Boston (2010-2013) and PAX 2010 in Seattle. In 2011, they performed at the Houston Free Press Summer Fest. The Protomen have performed at the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 Nerdapalooza Festival in Orlando, FL and began their 2011 run at MAGFest 9 in Alexandria, VA. The Protomen have made an appearance at the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention (MTAC) in Nashville, Tennessee twice; once in 2007, and again in 2011. The Protomen have also performed in Eau Claire, WI at the Plaza Hotel and Suites for No Brand Con 2013. The band also performed at the very first PAX Australia in 2013. They played Warped Tour 2014 for its entire run. The Protomen performed at MomoCon 2015, as well as MAGFest 13 on January 23, 2015. The band returned to the Super MAGFest 2020 stage at Gaylord National as one of the festival's headliners on January 4, 2020, and again at Super MAGfest 2024 on January 21, 2024.[ citation needed ]

Reception

Band members performing as the robot characters Protoman and Kilroy in 2014. The Protomen at Holy Mountain (Austin, Texas) - 2014-10-21 (01).jpg
Band members performing as the robot characters Protoman and Kilroy in 2014.

Critical reception of the Protomen's music, stage show, and multimedia narrative is mostly positive. The Protomen are a "dystopian rock opera sensation" according to Consequence of Sound . [97] "The Protomen are good. They’re really good. They’re cover-Queen-with-a-nine-person-band-and-get-away-with-it good", says WIRED . [80] Asheville Citizen-Times called the band a "pop culture tour de force". [98] The Commercial Appeal said "you could do no better" than The Protomen for "truly inspired, epic rock". [99] In 2007, two years after the release of their debut album, they were one of the highest paid stage acts out of Nashville. [8]

In the video game music genre, they are considered legendary. [4] [6] [5] [100] [7] The Tennessean reported that The Protomen are nationally renowned, but in alternative audiences rather than mainstream rock music listeners. "When it comes to Nashville acts earning national attention, robot-rock crew The Protomen are in a different league entirely. Instead of spreads in Rolling Stone and slots at Lollapalooza, The Protomen get ink in Electronic Gaming Monthly and play for crowds at Comicon." The band "attract[s] a national geek-friendly fanbase and cultish throng of local followers." [6] Nashville Scene concurs: the band is "one of geek culture’s biggest rock acts." [7]

"The music had a technical complexity to it that really surprised me, and a Rock Opera feeling that makes me think [of] Meatloaf, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and GWAR," said Tor.com contributor Richard Fife. The live performance the critic attended had an energetic audience response. "The crowd was almost at a fever pitch" and "[b]y the end of the set, the audience was so excited that they were literally shaking the floor. As the band left, a chant of 'Protomen!' was taken up, which accelerated of its own accord until the band came out for an encore". [101] Strong audience responses are typical during and outside performances. Columbia, South Carolina's Free Times reported, "one band was always referred to in reverent tones on music-themed Internet message boards[...] And that band — Nashville’s The Protomen — also put on one hell of a live show, replete with a chorus, costumes and all manner of craziness." [102] RVA Magazine reported, "You wouldn’t expect it to launch Plaza Bowl into the kind of frenzy that it did, but sure enough, not a single attendee was standing still. Energy was the word of the night, and the robots from Nashville brought it in spades." [83] Nashville Scene recounted, "They cultivate a kind of energy and fan response that borders on 'frothing.'" [103] The intense energy at performances can blindside some unsuspecting attendees. The Baltimore Sun said a "bunch of wide-eyed county kids rolled into the gallery" who "came in terrified but left OK". [104] "Seeing the band live for the first time can feel like attending a political rally — or a very hard-rocking cult," according to WIRED. [80]

Many reviewers say that a rock opera based on a video game can be difficult to take seriously. One Winnipeg paper promoted an upcoming show humorously: "Mega Man opera. Help save Winnipeg from the evil Dr. Wily. Tennessee weirdos The Protomen play the Pyramid Cabaret tonight. The band writes rock operas based on the Mega Man video games series." [105] The Protomen convince audiences with technically impressive and fun performances—what Asheville Citizen-Times called their "tight rhythms and enigmatic stage presence". [98] MetalSucks said, "Rock operas may have gone the way of Meat Loaf’s weight but this Nashville chorus of dork defenders keeps the faith alive with their unironic love of video games, Freddie Mercury, and keytars. No ‘80s synth band has ever made the un-coolest of instruments worthy of screaming fans and sweaty bodies as much as Protomen." [86] Las Vegas Review-Journal's positive review said the Protomen "sound like something that would be the soundtrack to one of those ubiquitous montage scenes in various '80s flicks where the soon-to-be hero is training for his final challenge" and that despite the fact that basing the lyrics off of a video game may not "make total sense", "[e]ither way, you'll be inspired to greatness - or at least some serious beer drinking - in this band's presence." [106] In response to 2009 Bonnaroo Music Festival including the Protomen, Orlando Sentinel said that the band's "moody rock operas about the Mega Man video game series are so deeply geeky that it's amazing they've played anywhere outside their mom's basement (much less this year's Bonnaroo festival)." [107]

Despite many skeptical but ultimately positive responses, Something Awful published a negative general review of the band and its work: "The Protomen, a band that — and I am entirely serious — has thus far written two concept albums that take place in and tell the story of the Mega Man universe. This is literally the only thing that makes The Protomen notable. The music is neither particularly good nor especially terrible". [108]

The Gambler providing vocals during a performance in 2014. The Protomen at Holy Mountain (Austin, Texas) - 2014-10-21 (02).jpg
The Gambler providing vocals during a performance in 2014.

Publications most frequently spotlight lead vocalists Raul Panther and The Gambler. MetalSucks says Panther "sounds eerily like Freddie Mercury" [86] and praised Panther's work in a cover of "The Trooper", calling it "Iron Maiden as sung by Freddie Mercury". [109] [110] [111] The Gambler was compared to Pat Benatar with operatic vocals. [86]

Tommy Shaw of Styx said they reintroduced "Mr. Roboto" to their touring set list based on the Protomen's cover: "One day I was looking to see if anyone had covered 'Mr. Roboto,' and this band, The Protomen had, covered it as more of a rock song. It was more like if Freddie Mercury would have done it. I always thought if we were going to do it, Lawrence should sing it more like that; so, that's how we play it." [110] [112] Shaw said they are really performing "a cover of a cover" by performing the Protomen's version in their shows. [113] [114]

In multiple issues of Archie Comics Mega Man, the team responded "we love 'em!" to a fan question about The Protomen and The Megas (another Mega Man themed band). [115]

Brentalfloss and Eddie Lebron produced a parody of The Protomen's stage show called "The Pokémen". [116]

As fandom

Mega Man music "is some of the most extensively covered and remixed" video game music in the world, according to Alyssa Aska of University of Calgary. Musicians such as The Protomen demonstrate the importance of studying video game music: "The approaches taken by The Megas and Protomen indicate that video game music can be re-visited by musicians in extremely creative and interactive ways, which is perhaps in the spirit of gaming culture." [59]

People "willing to do complex work for free are quite common in the Mega Man community", including writing and performimg a rock opera, according to Salvatore Pane in "The Fans Who Won't Let Mega Man Die". He argues The Protomen, like other Mega Man-inpsired acts and fan projects, reflect Henry Jenkins's conclusion that fanwork is the public reclaiming mythos from corporations. "These fan products are not simply funhouse mirror regurgitations of Mega Man. They build atop the foundations laid down by [Mega Man creators] [Akira] Kitamura and [Keiji] Inafune, pushing them through the cultural lenses and influences of the fans themselves. [...] The longer Capcom goes without generating fresh Mega Man content, the more the character and his mythos become defined by the fans." [117]

Band members

The Protomen perform semi-anonymously, using only aliases on stage. [118] Band members choose stage names based on pop culture such as films, song titles, and fictional characters. [119] [120]

As of 2015, The Protomen have had more than 25 members, including former members. [11]

Discography

Studio albums

Live album

Soundtrack album

EP release

Singles

As a guest

Notes

  1. ↑ The single was limited to 7" Vinyl release with 950 copies released.
  2. ↑ The single was released from the band as a download-only.
  3. ↑ The single was limited Cassette release [122] with 1004 copies released.
  4. ↑ The single was limited to 10" Vinyl release. It was described as "After all these crazy years you've wondered how ACT III might sound...well...you can now stop wondering what at least a couple of the songs sound like!" in their Bandcamp.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Freed, Nick; Salgado, Christina (March 14, 2014). "The Greatest Nerd Rock Records of All Time". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Johnson, Andrew (April 20, 2005). "How the Protomen kidnapped and forced me to ride around Murfreesboro blindfolded for 20 minutes just for a one-on-one interview". Sidelines. Middle Tennessee State University. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Nerdy Show". Nerdyshow.com. April 19, 2010. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Kaltenbach, Chris (July 29, 2011). "GET OUT: YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEK'S BEST ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland: Tribune Publishing Company, LLC. p. T.3. ISSN   1943-9504. ProQuest   880033761. genre legends The Protomen
  5. 1 2 Sawyer, R. Keith; Henriksen, Danah (December 2023). "Music". Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 383–406. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197747537.003.0018. ISBN   9780197747568. As of 2022, some of the best-known of these band names included Protomen, Powerglove, and Minibosses.
  6. 1 2 3 Paulson, Dave (January 11, 2008). "Why I Rock: The Protomen". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennesee: Gannett Media Corp. ISSN   1053-6590. ProQuest   239848488.
  7. 1 2 3 Kinzer, P.J. (April 11, 2022). "The Protomen Ring In the New Year (in April) at Exit/In". Nashville Scene. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Gold, Adam; Graves, Seth; Haruch, Steve; Hight, Jewly; Maloney, Sean L.; Moore, Tracy; Rodgers, D. Patrick; Sullivan, Matt (January 1, 2009). "From Paramore to The Protomen, Kanye to Cream, 2008 was another memorable year in Nashville". Nashville Scene. Retrieved October 19, 2025. The Protomen Become a Big Deal. The year 2007 saw Nashville's premier video game rock operateers The Protomen surface as one of Music City's highest-paid novelty acts. In 2008, the band did some extensive touring and played some very high-profile gigs at Bamboozle and numerous comic book conventions, officially graduating into cult status.
  9. ↑ Fuentes, Edgar S.; Adonías (2023). Requiem para el Jefe Final: Antología de la Música en Los Videojuegos (in Spanish). Seville: Héroes de Papel. ISBN   978-84-19084-44-6. Requiem para el Jefe Final at Google Books. En el estado de Tennessee se formaron The Protomen, grupo que se levantó sobre una idea conceptual basada en Mega Man. En su discografía hay buenas muestras de rock ópera sobre videojuegos entre The Protomen (2005) y Act II: The Father of Death (2009).
  10. ↑ Haley, Sebastian; Walsh, Doug (2018). Megaman 11: Celebrating 30 Years of the Blue Bomber. Indianapolis: DK/Prima Games. p. 203. ISBN   978-0-7440-1973-5. OCLC   1059128289.
  11. 1 2 3 Fraser, Trevor (July 24, 2015). "The Protomen". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida: Tribune Publishing Company, LLC. p. M.16. ProQuest   1698392581. during 11 years -- and 25 current and former members
  12. ↑ "Murphy Weller on Twitter: "Happy belated Birthday to The Protomen (publicly). On 4/22/04 the first live performance happened as a makeup project for a friend's grade."". Twitter.com. April 23, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Ninjapocalypse (June 9, 2010). "On Video Game Cover Bands". Catchy Name News. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2025. Cited by Fenlon, Wes (October 3, 2025). "5869 days after releasing the greatest rock opera about Mega Man ever recorded, The Protomen's follow-up Act 3 is, unbelievably, finally here". PC Gamer . Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Nather, Eric (October 5, 2009). "Interview With "The Protomen", A Mega Man Rock Opera". Joystick Division. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  15. ↑ Clark, Rick (January 4, 2006). "Nashville Skyline". Mixonline.com. ProQuest   196874408. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  16. ↑ "the protomen –act 2 logo". (v) blog. Version Industries. June 17, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  17. ↑ Zadlo, Diana Lee (December 13, 2010). "The Protomen and Evil Bebos Tribute to Queen & Black Sabbath at Exit/In, 12/10/10". Nashville Scene . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Awesome News And Bad News". Protomen.com. April 19, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Sound Machine Records". Soundmchinestore.bigcartel.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  20. ↑ "The Protomen's Reanimator Records Drums In The Studio". YouTube.com. February 11, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Twitch". Twitch.tv. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Victory World Tour….pt. 1… North America". Protomen.com. June 12, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Finally". Protomen.com. January 23, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  24. ↑ Romano, Evan (January 1, 2021). "All The Songs from the Season 3 Soundtrack". Men's Health . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  25. ↑ Moore, Kasey (January 1, 2021). "'Cobra Kai' Seasons 1-3 Complete Sountrack: Every Song Featured". What's on Netflix. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Introducing Chartmetric's 6MO: Music Industry Trends From H1 2021". Chartmetric. December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2025. As is usually the case with Shazam, movie and TV syncs tend to be one of the primary drivers of global Shazam count growth. That was true of [...] The Protomen's cover of Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight" (No. 7), which had a placement in Netflix's Cobra Kai series.
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  87. ↑ Wojnar, Zak (April 26, 2016). "12 Things You Need to Know About Mega Man". ScreenRant . Retrieved October 21, 2025. With Mega Man using music terms to name many of its characters, it's only fair that a rock band come along and use the mythology of the Mega Man series to tell a rock opera about a dystopian future and the downfall of humanity at the hands of their robot creations...or something.
  88. ↑ Wardlaw, Matt (October 17, 2023). "40 of Rock's Most Important Rock Opera Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
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  105. ↑ Story, Jared (September 1, 2011). "Music that'll 'punch you'". Metro Winnipeg . Winnipeg, Canada: Metro International; Atlantic Free Daily Newspapers Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2025. p. 9: Mega Man opera. Help save Winnipeg from the evil Dr. Wily. Tennessee weirdos The Protomen play the Pyramid Cabaret tonight. The band writes rock operas based on the Mega Man video games series. Tickets are $10 at Kustom Kulture, Into the Music and ticketworkshop.com. Doors open at 8 p.m.
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  112. ↑ Scancarelli, Derek (November 7, 2019). "The Lasting Duality Of Styx: 'Mr. Roboto' And Two Decades Of Dissonance". Forbes . Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  113. ↑ Graff, Gary (August 6, 2019). "Styx at Sound Board, 5 Things to Know". The Oakland Press . Retrieved October 13, 2025. we're actually covering a cover of 'Mr. Roboto.'
  114. ↑ Brooks, Dave (October 6, 2022). "Keep on Rollin': How REO Speedwagon and Styx Scored Best-Yet Grosses on Their 2022 Co-Headlining Tour". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2025. 'But we had no idea how to play it live,' says Shaw. Looking for ideas, he logged into Spotify and found a rock cover of the song by The Protomen. Shaw said it was the band's rock-centric approach to the song on their excellent 2010 covers album The Cover Up that laid the groundwork for Styx's new approach to the song. 'As soon as I heard that, I said, 'That's how we play it,' Shaw says, 'and we've been playing it like that ever since.' Also available as Brooks, Dave (October 6, 2022). "Keep on Rollin': How REO Speedwagon and Styx Scored Best-Yet Grosses on Their 2022 Co-Headlining Tour" (PDF). Billboard Bulletin. Billboard. p. 12. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
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  117. ↑ Pane, Salvatore (2021). "The Fans Who Won't Let Mega Man Die". In Durham, Gabe (ed.). Nightmare Mode: A Boss Fight Books Anthology. Los Angeles, California: Boss Fight LLC. pp. 60–62. ISBN   978-1-940535-53-1. Also published with omissions as: Pane, Salvatore (September 27, 2017). "The Fans Who Won't Let Mega Man Die". Kotaku . Retrieved October 13, 2025.
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  121. ↑ "Beards Going Nowhere - The Protomen". Protomen.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
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