The Megas (band)
Encyclopedia
The Megas is a Los Angeles
based independent video game cover
band based on the Capcom franchise, Mega Man. They differentiate themselves from artists who have played Mega Man music in the past by adding original lyrics and composing new sections which blend seamlessly with the original compositions. Their lyrics expand on the simple story laid out in the games, giving each of the 8 robot masters a unique personality. Their debut album, Get Equipped
, based on Mega Man 2
, was released in January 2008.
The band has gained notoriety in the video game music scene due to their popularity on sites like Newgrounds
and MySpace
, as well as numerous live performances all over the United States, primarily at video game conventions and festivals such as MAGfest
, Nerdapalooza, and various dates of the Video Games Live
tour. Their song "The Annihilation of Monsteropolis/Airman" was featured on the front page of the popular video game music remixing site OverClocked ReMix
, and most recently the band was mentioned on Wired
magazine's blog, the official Capcom
blog and an article on Gibson Guitars
' website. The Megas were mentioned again on the official Capcom blog after the release of their acoustic album, Get Acoustic, and after they announced they began recording their Mega Man 3 album.
1-2 theme) for a school talent show
. Later, plays the song for Eric von Doymi, a friend that he met at Cal State Long Beach. The two of them re-record the track. The band is formed shortly after, picking up bassist Greg Schneider (previously of the band Agent 51
) and drummer Dave Jensen. The first songs are laid out and performed live at video game themed shows and local venues. The band continues as a side project for a couple of years up until the recording of their first official album, Get Equipped
.
Drummer Mike Levinson, who previously played in Agent 51 with Greg, joined the band. He took the place of second drummer Brent Firestone. The band constructed a studio, dubbed "Dr. Light Studios," and then focused on recording and releasing their first album, Get Equipped, which was released in January 2008.
Get Equipped features a complete collection of arrangements for each main theme from Mega Man 2, including an arrangement with original elements that turns the character select theme—originally only a few seconds long—into a full-length song titled The Message From Dr. Light. Ironically, this song was later turned back into an NES
chiptune
by Inverse Phase and titled The NESsage from Dr. Light. The track was quickly endorsed by The Megas and used as bonus material with online orders.
page, it was stated that there is a "Mega Man 3
album coming soon." In June of the same year, Breeding announced via Facebook that the band is now recording.
In July, the band announced via their official MySpace
that they would be handing out free download cards at Comic-Con
for two songs off Get Equipped and two songs from the upcoming Get Acoustic
acoustic remix of Get Equipped.
August 24, 2009, The Megas released the Megatainment
EP, a Mega Man 1
based collaborative EP with the band Entertainment System.
In an interview in October 2009, the band said their next projects include Mega Man 3, Mega Man X
, and Mega Man 9
albums. The band was originally set to be a part of the Mega Man 9 soundtrack, but the project never got past the concept stage.
February 4, 2010, The Megas released Get Acoustic digitally and stated they will head back to the studio to work on their Mega Man 3 follow-up to Get Equipped.
In April 2010, The Megas were featured on brentalfloss's album What If This CD...Had Lyrics?. brentalfloss added his lyrics to the instrumental breaks of The Megas' song "I Want To Be The One/Dr. Wily," as well as harmonizing with their original vocals at a few key points to create a new track entitled "Gotta Run/Be the One."
, at Nerdapalooza and released it online soon after. The cd features the band's first single from their Mega Man 3 album (their rendition of Sparkman, "You've Sparked a War"), as well as a few b-sides
. In October, the band released their music video for "You've Sparked a War."
In September 2010, two gameplay trailers of the cancelled game Mega Man Universe
were released featuring The Megas music in the background. The first of which has "The Message from Dr. Light/Level Select" and the second has "Lights Out." A third, longer version of the same trailer was shown in the 2010 Tokyo Game Show
featuring "You've Sparked a War."
The band announced they would be playing Video Games Live
on June 8, 2011 and the 2011 Penny Arcade Expo
.
format from the NES. The Megas use guitar, bass guitar, and drums to create songs inspired by the original themes of each boss stage, as well as other soundtrack selections such as the enemy selected music and the ending song music. Original lyrics are created for the songs, typically centered around each of the Robot Masters' personalities, made up based on their level design and their appearance.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
based independent video game cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
band based on the Capcom franchise, Mega Man. They differentiate themselves from artists who have played Mega Man music in the past by adding original lyrics and composing new sections which blend seamlessly with the original compositions. Their lyrics expand on the simple story laid out in the games, giving each of the 8 robot masters a unique personality. Their debut album, Get Equipped
Get Equipped
Get Equipped is a studio album by The Megas, recorded in December 2006 to December 2007 and released in January 2008. The album contains cover versions of music from the Capcom video game, Mega Man 2. It uses almost every song found in the original game, excluding the intro and boss fight music...
, based on Mega Man 2
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 2, known in Japan as , is a platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second installment in the original Mega Man series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, and in North America and PAL regions the following years. Mega Man 2...
, was released in January 2008.
The band has gained notoriety in the video game music scene due to their popularity on sites like Newgrounds
Newgrounds
Newgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
and MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, as well as numerous live performances all over the United States, primarily at video game conventions and festivals such as MAGfest
MAGFest
MAGFest is an annual convention held in Virginia that celebrates video games and video game music, as well as their surrounding culture...
, Nerdapalooza, and various dates of the Video Games Live
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
tour. Their song "The Annihilation of Monsteropolis/Airman" was featured on the front page of the popular video game music remixing site OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...
, and most recently the band was mentioned on Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine's blog, the official Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
blog and an article on Gibson Guitars
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
' website. The Megas were mentioned again on the official Capcom blog after the release of their acoustic album, Get Acoustic, and after they announced they began recording their Mega Man 3 album.
Formation, early days, and release of first album: Get Equipped (2004-2008)
Josh Breeding arranges and performs a version of the song "I Want to be The One" (based on the Dr. WilyDoctor Wily
, full name Albert W. Wily, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the original Mega Man series of video games. Designed by Keiji Inafune, he appeared in the first Mega Man video game and later in promotions and other media related to the series...
1-2 theme) for a school talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
. Later, plays the song for Eric von Doymi, a friend that he met at Cal State Long Beach. The two of them re-record the track. The band is formed shortly after, picking up bassist Greg Schneider (previously of the band Agent 51
Agent 51
Agent 51 was an American rock band from Poway, California , formed in 1995 and originally called Area 51. They released three albums on various record labels before going on indefinite hiatus in 2005. Over the course of their career their music evolved from straightforward punk rock to incorporate...
) and drummer Dave Jensen. The first songs are laid out and performed live at video game themed shows and local venues. The band continues as a side project for a couple of years up until the recording of their first official album, Get Equipped
Get Equipped
Get Equipped is a studio album by The Megas, recorded in December 2006 to December 2007 and released in January 2008. The album contains cover versions of music from the Capcom video game, Mega Man 2. It uses almost every song found in the original game, excluding the intro and boss fight music...
.
Drummer Mike Levinson, who previously played in Agent 51 with Greg, joined the band. He took the place of second drummer Brent Firestone. The band constructed a studio, dubbed "Dr. Light Studios," and then focused on recording and releasing their first album, Get Equipped, which was released in January 2008.
Get Equipped features a complete collection of arrangements for each main theme from Mega Man 2, including an arrangement with original elements that turns the character select theme—originally only a few seconds long—into a full-length song titled The Message From Dr. Light. Ironically, this song was later turned back into an NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
chiptune
Chiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
by Inverse Phase and titled The NESsage from Dr. Light. The track was quickly endorsed by The Megas and used as bonus material with online orders.
New material: Megatainment, Get Acoustic, and work with brentalfloss (2009-2010)
In 2009 on the band's official FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, it was stated that there is a "Mega Man 3
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 3, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game of the original Mega Man series and was originally released in Japan on September 28, 1990. The game localized in North America later in 1990 and in European...
album coming soon." In June of the same year, Breeding announced via Facebook that the band is now recording.
In July, the band announced via their official MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
that they would be handing out free download cards at Comic-Con
Comic-Con
Comic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
for two songs off Get Equipped and two songs from the upcoming Get Acoustic
Get Acoustic
Get Acoustic is an acoustic remix album of The Megas debut album, Get Equipped, released digitally February 4, 2010. After the release of Get Acoustic, The Megas were mentioned in the official Capcom blog, making it their second time...
acoustic remix of Get Equipped.
August 24, 2009, The Megas released the Megatainment
Megatainment
The Megatainment EP is a collaborative extended play by The Megas and Entertainment System, released on August 24, 2009. The EP contains cover versions of music from the Capcom video game, Mega Man...
EP, a Mega Man 1
Mega Man (video game)
Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first game in the original Mega Man series and the entire Mega Man franchise...
based collaborative EP with the band Entertainment System.
In an interview in October 2009, the band said their next projects include Mega Man 3, Mega Man X
Mega Man X (video game)
Mega Man X, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first Mega Man game for the 16-bit console and the first game in the Mega Man X series, a spin-off of the original Mega Man series that began on the SNES's predecessor, the...
, and Mega Man 9
Mega Man 9
Mega Man 9, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom and Inti Creates. It is the ninth numbered game in the original Mega Man series. Mega Man 9 is the first, new home console game in the original Mega Man series since Mega Man 8 and Mega Man & Bass, which were released at least one...
albums. The band was originally set to be a part of the Mega Man 9 soundtrack, but the project never got past the concept stage.
February 4, 2010, The Megas released Get Acoustic digitally and stated they will head back to the studio to work on their Mega Man 3 follow-up to Get Equipped.
In April 2010, The Megas were featured on brentalfloss's album What If This CD...Had Lyrics?. brentalfloss added his lyrics to the instrumental breaks of The Megas' song "I Want To Be The One/Dr. Wily," as well as harmonizing with their original vocals at a few key points to create a new track entitled "Gotta Run/Be the One."
Mega Man 3 album & Mega Man Universe (2010 - present)
While the band is hard at work on their Mega Man 3 album, they released a Single as a preview for the album, titled Sparked a WarSparked a War
Sparked a War is the first single released by The Megas to promote their upcoming second studio album based on Mega Man 3; similar to their previous album Get Equipped, which was based on Mega Man 2. The cd features the first single from the aforementioned album, "You've Sparked a War," in addition...
, at Nerdapalooza and released it online soon after. The cd features the band's first single from their Mega Man 3 album (their rendition of Sparkman, "You've Sparked a War"), as well as a few b-sides
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
. In October, the band released their music video for "You've Sparked a War."
In September 2010, two gameplay trailers of the cancelled game Mega Man Universe
Mega Man Universe
was an upcoming 2.5D action platformer game in the Mega Man series being developed by Capcom for Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network, and has since been cancelled. Mainly based on Mega Man 2, the game would have allowed players to create their own levels and customize characters...
were released featuring The Megas music in the background. The first of which has "The Message from Dr. Light/Level Select" and the second has "Lights Out." A third, longer version of the same trailer was shown in the 2010 Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
featuring "You've Sparked a War."
The band announced they would be playing Video Games Live
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
on June 8, 2011 and the 2011 Penny Arcade Expo
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
.
Style
The original music from Mega Man 2 is an 8-bit8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
format from the NES. The Megas use guitar, bass guitar, and drums to create songs inspired by the original themes of each boss stage, as well as other soundtrack selections such as the enemy selected music and the ending song music. Original lyrics are created for the songs, typically centered around each of the Robot Masters' personalities, made up based on their level design and their appearance.
Current members
- Josh "Rev. Breeding" Breeding — vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(2004–present) - Eric "E" von Doymi — vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(2004–present) - Greg "Gregatron" Schneider — bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(2004–present) - Mike "Mikey Hell" Levinson — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2006–present) - Brian "Double D" DiDomenico - keyboardMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
s (2011–present)
Former members
- Bren Firestone — drums (2005–2006)
- Dave Jensen — drums (2004–2005)
Studio albums
- Get EquippedGet EquippedGet Equipped is a studio album by The Megas, recorded in December 2006 to December 2007 and released in January 2008. The album contains cover versions of music from the Capcom video game, Mega Man 2. It uses almost every song found in the original game, excluding the intro and boss fight music...
(2008) - Mega Man 3 album (TBA)
- Mega Man X album (TBA)
- Mega Man 9 album (TBA)
Other appearances
| Year | Artist | Song | Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Random feat. The Megas | "Boss Battle (MetalMan)" | Mega Ran |
| 2008 | The Megas | "The Message from Dr. Light/Level Select" | Released on a video game band compilation |
| 2010 | brentalfloss feat. The Megas | "Gotta Run/Be the One" | What If This CD...Had Lyrics? |
| The Megas | "I Want to Be the One/Dr. Wily 1-2" | Featured in the fan movie Mega Man directed by Eddie Lebron. | |
| "Lamentatons of a War Machine/End Song" | |||
| "The Message from Dr. Light/Level Select" | Trailers for Mega Man Universe Mega Man Universe was an upcoming 2.5D action platformer game in the Mega Man series being developed by Capcom for Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network, and has since been cancelled. Mainly based on Mega Man 2, the game would have allowed players to create their own levels and customize characters... |
||
| "Lights Out" | |||
| "You've Sparked a War" | |||
| 2011 | Random feat. The Megas | "Metal Dance feat. The Megas (Acoustic Mix)" | Mega Ran's Bonuses |
Official websites
- Official Website
- The Megas at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
External links
- http://www.destructoid.com/the-megas-announce-megatainment-a-mega-man-1-tribute-145937.phtml
- http://www.capcom-unity.com/jgonzo/blog/2009/08/25/the_megas__entertainment_system__megatainment
- http://kotaku.com/gaming/colette-bennett/feature-video-armageddon-222580.php
- http://www.intellivisionlives.com/media/newsletters/news060921.html
- http://www.vgfrequency.com/the-megas-release-debut-arrangement-album-get-equipped
- http://www.examiner.com/x-1039-LA-Game-Culture-Examiner~y2008m9d26-The-Megasstorm-through-Los-Angeles--many-are-wowed-none-harmed