I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: April 24, 2018] Bit Brigade

I had never heard of Bit Brigade, but I saw an ad in Johnny Brenda’s for a band who would be playing music from The Legend of Zelda and I was very intrigued.

Clark and I have been to see Symphonic Zelda twice, so I thought it would be interesting to hear a rock version of it.

But as I investigated, I saw that they also had a “Player One” who played the game while the band played.  What was going on here?

It turns out that, as bassist Luke Fields explained to us:

Noah is going to play The Legend of Zelda as fast as he can.  And we are going to play the soundtrack as loud as we can.

And indeed if you look at the band’s line up you will see:

Player 1 – Noah McCarthy
Guitar – Bryant Williamson
Guitar – Jace Bartet
Bass – Luke Fields
Drums – Mike Albanese

These players are the same players as in the band Double Ferrari (excepting Albanese…Double Ferrari has a different drummer, I’m not sure why).

While we waited for thee band to get their gear set up (Albanese had to put in his own drum kit and Fields went from the six string bass in Double Ferrari to the standard four string in Bit Brigade), Noah warmed up, too.

He played some Duck Tales (the audience was loud in appreciation for his Scrooge McDuck skills) and there was appropriate cheering and booing as he made his way through Marble Madness.

And then he signed in to the NES to play The Legend of Zelda.

And indeed, as the game started, the band kicked into the familiar Zelda music….only much louder and much more rocking.  They sounded great, using the same double guitar soloing technique as seen in Double Ferrari.

While I had no doubt that Noah would beat the game, there was, indeed, an element of risk in the game.  What is he messed up?  What if he died? What would happen?

Or as Metalhead Mike wriote back in 2011 (!)

“When was the last time you attended a live music performance with a genuine element of risk involved? And no, going to a Gwar show with a white t-shirt on doesn’t count. When Bit Brigade takes the stage your mind will frantically oscillate between “Oh! Agh!! Please don’t die!!” and “YES! He’s doing it!!” Combining the dread and daring of a live video game speed run with the spot-on technique of a live band covering the musical accompaniment to everything you’re seeing on-screen in real time, Bit Brigade will have you swinging between the two mediums. From thrashing about to live renditions of your favorite stage themes … to being locked in stock-still rapture as the infallible maestro of the d-pad, Noah McCarthy, takes on the final boss and risks his video game life under the threat of intense peer scorn (or the reward of night-long glory and a credits score). No matter the outcome, Bit Brigade must play on until the deed is done – which it always is – on the first (and last) try. Once Noah’s NES buzzes on, there’s no turning back.” – Metalhead Mike of The Shizz, summer 2011

Noah had a TV in front of him and his game was projected on the screens behind them.  So the band jammed the music to the game and every time he completed a level or moved to a new area they had to be alert to switch musical themes.

It was always amusing in between songs when you could hear the music from the game itself (typically sound effects between screens).

It’s obvious that Noah knows the game inside and out because he finished it in 51 minutes (I wonder if he’s bored).

I imagined how awesome it must be to be a gamer and have a roomful of people cheering you on.  Ever time he reached a tri-force, the room erupted.

I can remember playing games as a kid and pretending there were people cheering for me.  So here was Noah playing this game and handily defeating it.  When he was done he stood up, raised his arms over his head and accepted the accolades.  And then, just to make the fantasy even more awesome, he walked to the drum kit and played drums for the credits music.

The band, by the way was tremendous.  I never realized how complicated the Zelda music was.  I was especially impressed by the bass work–who knew the bass was so important in Zelda?

And then of course there were the two guitarists Bryant Williamson and Jace Bartet playing these complex computer melodies as whaling guitar rock songs and making them really enjoyable.

Drummer Mike Albanese has a slightly different style of play than Ryan Houchens of Bit Brigade.  He seemed to hit a lot harder (which is interesting since Noah is parked right in front of the bass drum).

I had a blast.  And I think everyone else did too.

It was a tremdnsous show and a great bargain at only ten rupees.