The Protomen

Press photo (2016)

### Genre(s)

Rock opera • Hard rock • Indie rock • Nintendocore • Punk rock • Geek rock • Progressive rock

### Current Members

Raul Panther III
Commander B. Hawkins
Murphy Weller
Gambler Kirkdouglas
Sir Dr. Robert Bakker
K.I.L.R.O.Y.
Reanimator Lovejoy
Shock Magnum

### Social Media

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
Twitch

### Website

Protomen.com

The Protomen are a rock band from Murfreesboro, Tennessee known for their concept albums loosely based on the Mega Man video game series. They also take inspiration from other media such as historically notable pop culture including movies and other music. The band themselves are known by stage names and wear silver and black face paint that conceals their identities.

## History

### Formation and *Act I* (2003 - 2007)

The band originated out of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in 2003 when Commander B. Hawkins gathered Heath Who Hath No Name, Doug Fetterman, and Raul Panther III to collaborate on an academic project. This project was a song that would later be released on Act I (*The Protomen*) as "EPILOGUE: Due Vendetta". They performed the song for the school to mixed reactions and eventually composed the rest of Act I starting with "I: Hope Rides Alone". Their first official live performance was on April 22, 2004 at The Boro in Murfreesboro, TN. On September 3, 2005, their entirely self-produced self-titled album that would later become known as Act I was released. It would later release under their independent label Sound Machine Records. On July 27, 2007, The Protomen performed at San Diego Comic Con.

### *Act II* and *A Night of Queen* (2008 - 2012)

On November 8, 2008, The Protomen released a single featuring a new original song, Father of Death, and a cover of Robert Tepper's "No Easy Way Out". *Act II: The Father of Death* was released on September 8, 2009. By this time, he band had recruited new members including Turbo Lover, Sir Dr. Robert Bakker, The Gunslinger, Nightwalker, Reanimator, and Gambler Kirkdouglas, some of which had helped record and produce Act I. The album was released under Sound Machine Records and produced by Alan Shacklock. Shacklock is known for his work with the band Babe Ruth and vocalist Meat Loaf, both of whom *Act II* was inspired by.

Over the next 3 years, The Protomen began to perform at significant music festivals such as Bonnaroo, SXSW, CMJ, PAX East, Nerdapalooza, and MAGfest. In late 2010, Ringo Segundo became their newest guitarist and took The Gunslinger's spot in the lineup. Around this time, the band began to perform a 16-song tribute set to the band Queen that would later be recorded and released as *The Protomen Present: A Night of Queen* on June 1, 2012. On April 1, 2012, The Protomen had a day of concert filming in New York City for their "Light Up The Night" music video/short film. In 2011, "The Official Protomen Documentary" was funded with $33,101 out of a goal of $8,000, and production began.

### *The Cover Up* and "This City Made Us" (2012 - 2015)

On December 21, 2012, The Protomen released a limited cassette that featured a cover of "I Drove All Night" by Cyndi Lauper and a new mix of "Breaking Out" including a partial cover of "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" by Mike and The Mechanics. In 2013, they had 3 songs featured in Capcom's official *MM25: Mega Man Rocks* compilation album. In the summer of 2014, The Protomen took part in Vans Warped Tour where they they played new covers and released *The Cover Up EP* in preparation for *The Cover Up*'s release on January 24, 2015. The band had phased in new guitarist Shock Magnum in substitution for Turbo Lover in 2014 until he had fully taken the spot following Turbo Lover's eventual departure in 2015. On October 6, 2015, Rock Band 4 was released featuring "Light Up The Night" as a playable song. "This City Made Us", a single from the highly anticipated upcoming *Act III* album was released on November 8, 2015.

### "Light Up The Night" short film and *Act II* Vinyl (2016 - 2018)

Later on, on December 23, 2016, the music video film for "Light Up The Night" was released to the public and the band embarked on a tour including screenings of the film at historical U.S. theatres throughout 2017. The official release of the Act II vinyl came out in 2018 to great success. It included a large pop-up storybook with images from the "Light Up The Night" music video. The album charted on Billboard at #24 the week of April 21, 2018 for vinyl album sales and was sold in a limited number of record stores.

## Members

### Current Members

* Raul Panther III - vocals, synthesizer, guitar, bass guitar (2003 - present)
* Commander B. Hawkins - synthesizer, vocoder, percussions (2003 - present)
* Murphy Weller - bass guitar, bass synthesizer, percussions (2003 - present)
* Gambler Kirkdouglas - vocals, vocoder, human choir, synthesizer (2008 - present)
* Sir Dr. Robert Bakker - guitar (2008 - present)
* K.I.L.R.O.Y. - fist pumps, hand claps, armorer, sledgehammer, maracas and jarana (2005 - present)
* Reanimator - drums (2009 - present)
* Shock Magnum - guitar (2014 - present)

### Past Members

* Doug Fetterman – guitar
* The Merchant – human choir
* The Keeper – synthesizer, vocoder
* The Replicant – trumpet
* Demon Barber – drums
* The Dragon – drums
* Scartoe Gleason – guitar
* The Repeater – human choir
* The Keymaster – drums
* Heath Who Hath No Name (formerly known as Heath Ledger) – guitar
* Cobra T. Washington – guitar
* Lazer – human choir
* The Gunslinger – guitar
* Ellen Aim – human choir
* Master Blaster – trumpet
* Nightwalker T. Ranger – human choir, trumpet
* Neon Leon – guitar
* Ringo Segundo- guitar (2010 - 2017)
* Turbo Lover – vocals, guitar, percussions (2009 - 2015)

## Discography

### Studio Albums

* *The Protomen* (2005) - informally known as *Act I*
* *Act II: The Father of Death* (2009)
* *The Cover Up: Original Soundtrack From the Motion Picture* (2015) - cover album

### Live Albums

* *The Protomen Present: A Night of Queen* (2012) - cover album
* *The Protomen: Live in Nashville* (2020)

### Soundtrack Albums

* *William Shakespeare Presents: Terminator The Second* (with 84001) (2013)

### Singles

* "Father of Death / No Easy Way Out" (2008)
* "Beards Going Nowhere" (2008)
* "I Drove All Night / Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) – Breaking Out (2012 Edit)" (2012)
* "This City Made Us / Hold Back the Night" (2012)
* "Built to Last" (2021) - Bandcamp Friday exclusive
* "The Fight" (2022)

### Remix Albums

* *Makeup and Vanity Set Presents: The Protomen* (2007)

### Featured

* MC Frontalot, Kid Koala feat. The Protomen - "Shudders" (2014)
* TWRP feat. The Protomen - "Phantom Racer" (2018)
* Capcom - *MM25: Mega Man Rocks -* The Protomen - "Built to Last", "The WIll of One (2013 Edit)", "Breaking Out (2012 Edit)"

#### Partial-band features

* Random Encounter feat. Sir Dr. Robert Bakker - "Gerudo Valley" (2011)
* Makeup and Vanity Set feat. Raul Panther III - "Remember" (2015)
* Makeup and Vanity Set feat. Raul Panther III, Sir Dr. Robert Bakker, and Gambler Kirkdouglas - "Search the Night" (2017) - MAVS Bandcamp subscriber exclusive
* TWRP feat. Gambler Kirkdouglas - "Destination" (2020)

## Associated Acts

* I Fight Dragons
* Makeup and Vanity Set
* TWRP

## Gallery

A previous lineup. Photo by Ben Trivett.Chillin' by the pool. Photo by Ben Trivett.An outdated press photo.An outdated press photo.A very old press photo.A very old press photo.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.tor.com/2011/07/29/when-geekdom-meets-rock-opera-the-protomen/
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://protomen.com/news/tour-history/
3. ↑ https://protomen.com/news/2012/03/09/hold-on-to-your-butts-again/
4. ↑ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/788868065/the-official-protomen-documentary/description
5. ↑ https://protomen.com/news/2017/04/07/april-updates/
6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20180519151837/https://www.billboard.com/music/the-protomen/chart-history/vinyl-albums/song/624975