By Valerie Hilgenfeldt
Depending upon whose view you adopt, getting noticed in our increasingly wired world is either simpler than before or tougher than it has ever been. Think about it: with a web presence, you're destined to reach at least one person – that, or doomed to be drowned out by the masses. Do you adopt the negative, assuming you'll fail before you've begun to fight, and settle for doing a whole lot of nothing? Or are you enraged by the concept of obscurity, determined to fend off oblivion and ensure you'll leave a legacy behind?
The ferocity of the latter concept can be wholeheartedly applied to the Protomen, a relentless rock 'n' roll group whose mastery lifts them above their game-inspired brethren.
In the past, their loyal followers aspired to separate them from what was then an obscure genre – to be precise, “nerdcore” – and here we'll do more than strictly underline that distinction, appealing to those who have recognized what brilliance can come of artists cut from similar cloths. We have watched Jonathan Coulton and his comical lyrics rise to fame; we have observed MC Frontalot performing at the veritable utopia of nerdliness, Penny Arcade Expo; and yet, before such acts were in vogue, the Protomen rocked and they rocked hard. With great drive, they blew away their audiences with spectacular performances, ear-shattering guitar riffs, and throat-searing cries – and, when the dust began settling, they followed with melancholy tales of a careless humanity's ruined world, delivered by a voice as rich as folk singers of old.
A storied path so embattled is not without tragedy, however; recently, such forced the Protomen to miss one of their shows. While the loss of a member was staged in the past, this was no tale of fiction: one of their loved ones was lost, forcing them to cancel a much-hyped show. Nevertheless, the Protomen cannot be stopped. They have paid their respects, and their tour continues, taking them in the very near future to locales such as: Nashville, Tenn., Orlando, Fla., Savannah, Ga., Wilmington, Del., and far more.
If you're hot-blooded enough to show your support, or simply want a damn good reason to rock out, keep an eye on their oft-updated tour page and save your bills for a ticket. There's few acts out their more worth your blood, sweat and tears than the Protomen, so go with them – rise with them, kick ass with them – and forget that they're a “video game band” for a little while, realizing their universal appeal as rock artists instead.
Unless you're into that whole “nerdiness” thing – in which case, get ready; you're going to love them even more.
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