Bit Brigade at the Blind Tiger

So I got to see Bit Brigade live for the first time, and I've got to say, it was pretty damn great.  For as many times as I've played parts of their albums on the radio or a podcast, it pales in comparison to catching these guys live.  Better yet, they've managed an awesomely entertaining speed runs through one of the classics (with perhaps one of the best soundtracks to boot): Metroid.

Hosted at the Blind Tiger in Greensboro, NC, the night started out with some awesome opening performances by Sacred Oaks and Black Squares/White Islands.  Also my first time seeing these guys, both Greensboro local bands, and totally worth checking out if you want to hear something other than your typical guitar set.

For people not familiar, the gimmick here is that the band will play the soundtrack to a classic NES game while Noah McCarthy speed runs the game itself on a projection screen, live.  This sets up a lot of interesting logistical timing, with the band having to switch tracks based on Noah's performance, or Noah choosing to lag behind a slight bit if beats a section quicker than normal.  Fortunately, the drums have a decent view of the screen, and is able to cue track changes with easy finesse.

Bit Brigade's opening
Posted by Kevin Steed Harrison on Friday, July 17, 2015

Set-up for Bit Brigade was kind of an interesting affair.  Aside from getting your instruments sound-checked (by Metal Man's stage music no less), you also have the A/V set-up of said projector and NES.  While the game and system itself look to be an old top-loading NES, set-up on the projector made it clear it was actually some kind of emulator being used, with access to other games the band has covered.  Not only that, but the rom itself was modified, as sound effects were present, but music was cut out for the band.

While I love the Metroid soundtrack, I was initially a little worried for the show going in, considering the amount of repetition the game has in it's soundtrack going zone to zone.  Brinstar is about as classic as you can get when it comes to game themes, but you hear a whole lot of it early on.  Fortunately, the obvious solution was taken, and the Brigade decided to mix in tracks from Metroid II and Super Metroid to great effect.  Hearing stuff like Surface of SR388 in metal live is just incredible.

The Speed Run itself managed to go off without a hitch, with some awesome sequence breaking in order shave off tons of time.  Fans of the series have probably pulled off morphball bomb jumps every now and then, but to do it in front of a live audience with amps blaring in your ear takes some special dedication and practice.  Some other nifty highlights included things like doing the escape sequence twice over simply because he'd managed to blaze through it so fast the first time.  Awesome stuff.

Posted by Kevin Steed Harrison on Friday, July 17, 2015

If you can't tell by now, I think these guys are pretty incredible, and if you get the chance, you totally need to see them live.  At the very least, check out some recordings of other games they've played just to see how they can remix your childhood.