Bit Brigade performs soundtracks from iconic NES games in Columbia

Bit Brigade makes music to the next level. It’s not an exaggeration.

Born almost 20 years ago with fresh ideas and a bit of clever wordplay, the Athens, Georgia band wants to take players from (hopefully) some level with iconic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games like Metroid. Playing a soundtrack that takes you to another level. And “The Legend of Zelda”.

The band will play versions of the scores for “Mega Man II” and “DuckTales” on Sunday night at Rose Music Hall, with one of their mates speedrunning the game. In other words, play the game as fast as your hand-eye coordination allows.

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In interviews with journalists such as Engadget’s Jessica Condit, band members have stated that they take the game’s approach to the soundtrack seriously and are moved by the music. Even if that origin story featured a Condit document that made gamers groan.

“In 2004, guitarist Bryant Williamson was hanging out with some friends and someone suggested playing the contra. As a band, and they would call it the contra band. It was so easy.” she wrote in 2018.

Condit explained that the sound and scale of the NES game best suited the live rock band experience. With the advent of advanced game systems, she noted, the number of musical voices and the length of gameplay have become larger and more complex.

When the band plays, they’re on the NES, which “has been modified to eliminate the game soundtrack, but still has sound effects coming through the speakers along with live guitars and drums,” Condit said. added.

Listening to the band’s work on the album notes the blending of multiple currents and eras of rock, feels the new life breathed into these popular songs, and the bit Brigade We get to see how it soothes the intricacies of amazing music.

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A wide range of influences from Weezer to Cream can be heard when looking at the band’s work DuckTales. The members of the Bit Brigade manage to turn the memo that accompanies the menu screen into a Van Halen dream. If you close your eyes, you can imagine the songs here slamming into a circa-1978 region and stomping around instead of leading the player into an on-screen adventure.

Guitars are layered and rhythms are plucked like springs. A rumbling bassline and a legitimate funk metal groove fills every possible sequence of notes and rests.

Their “Mega Man II” arrangement incorporates both genuinely introspective moments and mystical progressive rock intricacies. On “Bubble Man,” pop-metal guitars are layered over a bouncy rhythm section that veers into ska. The deliciously free theme and variations on “Dr. Wily’s Castle III (MM3)” remind me of his Primus, and the riff on “Intro (MM3)” is a real blast.

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As Bit Brigade tackles this music, you begin to believe that this could be the soundtrack to any quest in your life. As it stands, the band delivers music to any momentum a player’s head, heart, and her two thumbs can achieve.

The Sunday show takes place at 8pm. Hii Rabbit shares the bill. Tickets are $12 to $15. For more information, please visit https://rosemusichall.com/.