Forget the BFG, I’ve Got an 8-Bit Weapon That’ll Rock Your World

by Louis Bedigian

 

“We've played for two people (living room), and we've played for 2,200 people (in front of the palace in Belgium).  We just love to play and will perform any time, anywhere.” 

 

First came video games, the first truly interactive form of electronic entertainment.  Then came video game music; unusual electronic sounds created for game consoles’ limited processors.  While playing these single and multi-color games, it wasn’t long before gamers (members of the human species who enjoy interactive entertainment) realized that the electronic sounds were very inspired.

 

Two decades later those inspired sounds inspired a new band: 8-Bit Weapon.  Powered by Game Boy, Atari, Commodore, Apple II, and the Nintendo Entertainment System, 8-Bit Weapon answers the question, “What would happen if someone combined live music with the vintage tunes of classic video games?”

 

The answer is one amazing band.  Consisting of just two members, Seth and Stacey, 8-Bit Weapon was the most exciting part of the classic game section at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. 

 

  

Once the show was over, I loaded up my trusty 16-bit weapon (that’s twice as powerful as 8-bit, mind you) and went band hunting.  I found the band and asked them a few questions, letting them know that if they didn’t answer, I had the means necessary to make them talk.

 

“Yeah, like what?” they asked.

 

If you don’t answer I will press the little red button!

 

“You mean the A button?  You can do that, it just makes the character jump.”

 

Blast, they foiled my plan.  Luckily they agreed to answer my questions anyway, but only if I agreed to keep my hands cuffed behind my head.  Hey, watch the thumbs!  I need those!

 

 

Give us some history of the band – tell us how you got started, when you began, anything that served as inspiration, etc.

 

Stacey, drums:  Seth and I met through a mutual acquaintance in 2001.  We quickly realized we had a lot in common, including a love for old video games (both having grown up with Commodores, Nintendos, handhelds, etc.) and similar tastes in music.

 

Seth had been remixing videogame soundtrack tunes for a few years, and when he wanted to start performing as a "band" he asked me to accompany him on the drums.  We joined forces and officially became a "band" in 2003, playing our first show at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles after just one rehearsal!  It was fun.

 

Seth, keyboard:  We started out doing video game tune remixes and covers, but our passion for this kind of music naturally led us to writing our own original tunes using the old video game consoles and vintage electronic sounds.  Our music is primarily inspired by the music from the old video games we love (written by composers like Dave Warhol, George "The Fatman" Sanger, Rob Hubbard, Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka, Martin Galway, etc.) as well as some of our favorite bands/musicians like Kraftwerk, Devo, Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke, Deee-lite, Orbital, Future Sound of London, Information Society, Aphex Twin, Primus, Pink Floyd... the list goes on and on.

 

We are also constantly inspired by our fellow musicians of the micromusic community such as Bit Shifter, Treewave, Psilodumputer, Nullsleep, Tobiah, FirestARTer, and more.

 

How many different songs do you estimate that you've recorded and/or performed live?

 

Seth:  We've recorded and performed over 40 songs or so.

 

Stacey:  But we've both written lots of songs that haven't been recorded or performed yet so there are more on the way.

 

That’s a big Game Boy.  Does it come in red or blue?

 

 

Tell us about your EP and your forthcoming album.

 

Seth:  The EP is a kind of teaser, designed to peak interest in the forthcoming album.  We weren't done with the album yet but wanted to have something to give out and sell at shows.  The EP contains 4 tracks that will be on the album (Game Boy Rocker, Arcade, Bombs Away, Bit N Run), as well as an instrumental version of a song called Panty Raid, and a live version of an unreleased track called I.G.U.S.T.R.A. (I'll Give U Something To Rave About), both of which are only available on this EP.

 

Stacey:  We're looking forward to the release of our full-length album which will contain approximately 12 tracks and a CD booklet insert with photos, lyrics, etc.  After the release of the EP, we had some time to develop a few of the songs a little bit more, so a careful listener could actually hear a few updates / changes in various songs on the album.  For instance Arcade and Panty Raid have both been improved for the official album.

 

What did it feel like to enter a recording studio for the first time?  Or did you record the album in the way that other emerging musicians have – in the bathroom? :)

 

Stacey:  Well it wasn't the first time for either of us, but it was the first time we'd been in the recording studio together as a band.  It was a lot of work but we had some fun and the rewards are well worth the time and energy put into the recording process.

 

Seth:  We wrote and recorded a demo version of our album in our own music studio, then when it was time to lay down the final tracks, we hauled all of our gear to our good friend Vahe Monoukian's studio "Nu-Tropolis" (home base of Nu-Tra) where he worked his magic. 

 

Is studio work as frustrating as some artists make it out to be?

 

Stacey:  It can be if there are differences of opinion or conflicting personalities.  Luckily Seth and I get along famously and generally agree on what sounds best.

 

How long does it take the band to record a song?  An hour?  A day?  A week?

 

Seth:  All of the above!  Some songs seem to write themselves and just come pouring out of us, but other songs can develop slower, taking weeks or years to finish.  Our album contains some material that took three years to write, and some that took three days. 

 

I think I Sonic explored this region in 1999. 

 

Tell us about your experiences performing at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

 

Seth:  Grilled cheese sandwiches were the bomb in 2004.

 

Stacey:  Yeah, but there weren't any grilled cheese sandwiches this year.   That was not the bomb.

 

Seth:  Actually both last year and this year were amazing.  It's like the Disneyland of video games, and we got to run around and play all day long!  What's even better is the attendees of E3 are our target audience.

 

Stacey:  Yeah, we always feel in our element at E3, and get a great response from spectators throughout the day.  It's a shame no one can sell merchandise on the E3 show floor... we could quit our day jobs!  [Laughs]

 

You didn't don your famous headgear at E3 this year.  How come?

 

Seth:  What headgear?

 

Stacey:  I got my braces off in '98

 

Is it as hard to see while wearing the headgear as it looks?

 

Stacey:  Oh, you mean the blockheads on our website?  I digitally created those for our website.  They don't physically exist (yet...)

 

Funny, now that you say that I can see they’re not real.

 

Where else do you perform?  What kinds of venues?

 

Seth:  Though we're based in the L.A. area, we've toured Europe a few times and go up the California coast at least once a year to perform at the Classic Gaming Expo in the Bay Area.  We've played for two people (living room), and we've played for 2,200 people (in front of the palace in Belgium).  We just love to play and will perform any time, anywhere.

 

Stacey:  Except in the rain.

 

Seth:  Yeah.

 

In what ways have you been promoting the band?  How do you get the word out there so that when you walk out on stage, there's an audience there to listen?

 

Seth:  Basically it's word of mouth.  And our humble website.  Although we recently joined up with Keith Robinson of the Intellivision company and they are helping to get the word out.

 

How has this been going so far?  If you don't mind me asking, have you actually been able to make money off of it?

 

Stacey:  Not really, not yet.   Luckily, we're not in it for the money anyway!  But if things go well, maybe we'll make enough off of CD sales to support our video game and eBay addictions. 

 

8-Bit Weapon playing late into the night.

 

 

Which song do you guys enjoy playing the most?  Which song(s) have your fans enjoyed the most?

 

Seth:  Hmmm…right now Skate is my favorite to perform and audiences seem to really dig it too.

 

Stacey:  Yeah.  I think Skate is my favorite too.  It's fast and has lots of fun beat changes for me.  Coming in a close second place is our Crazy Comets remix/cover.  That always gets people dancing.

 

Are there any songs that are exclusive to your live sets?  Songs that you'll only perform live and will never record?

 

Seth:  No.

 

What has the fan reaction been like?  Do gamers jump up and down, bobbing their heads to the sweet, nostalgic sounds emitted from the stage?

 

Stacey:  Naturally.

 

Seth:  Wouldn't you?

 

Moshpitting is a big part of the rock band experience – is button-mashing a big part of yours?

 

Seth:  Well I do a lot of button mashing on stage because I play a Commodore 64 like a piano right on its keyboard.  But our audiences seem to like jumping up and down and dancing.

 

Do you sell t-shirts at your shows?

 

Stacey:  Yes.  What size do you wear?

 

(Hmmm, should I really answer this one?  I know – I’ll just make up some lame excuse.)  That’s confidential information.

 

Where can we see you perform next?

 

Seth:  At the moment, our next show will be at the Classic Gaming Expo in San Francisco, August 20th and 21st.  We'll be performing short sets throughout both days.  But usually we can be found performing at various night clubs, art galleries, video game stores, and other venues in the L.A. area.

 

Stacey:  We update our website www.8bitweapon.com with gig dates, so check that out for the latest information.

 

I know it's unlikely, but I have to ask – are you ever going to come to Michigan?

 

Seth:  The Magic 8-Ball says, "Ask Again Later."

 

Stacey:  I think it's more likely than unlikely.  We both love to travel; we just haven't set any tour dates yet.  Stay tuned!

 

The game industry can be pretty picky about who uses their properties – have any publishers commented on your performances?

 

Seth:  Yes, Intellivision loves it!

 

Stacey:  So far so good.

 

 

 

This is what happens when you mess with GameZone Online. 

 

What about developers or game composers?  Have they had anything to say?

 

Seth:  Dave Warhol is the reason I make music in the first place.   He's a mentor of sorts and comes to our shows regularly.  It's a huge honor!

 

Stacey:  We got to talk to Martin Galway at one of our shows and he had nothing but positive things to say about our performance and what we do.  I think the video game soundtrack composers appreciate our tribute to the work they did, and can also relate to the creative process when it comes to composing on these 8-bit consoles and/or computers.

 

If a publisher did attempt to shut you down, would you change the name of the band, go underground, and continue playing your awesome music?

 

Stacey:  Heh!  Thanks.  I don't think we're going to run into that kind of trouble.  Though we do perform some remixes and covers at our live shows, the EP and forthcoming album contain 100% original compositions written solely by us.  We do have plans to release a compilation of remixes and covers with the help of the publishers themselves.

 

Seth:  We'll keep playing as long as our gear holds up!

 

Stacey:  If anyone out there has any Commodores, Apple IIs, Nintendos, Game Boys, Ataris, or any other vintage consoles you're looking to put up for adoption, send them to us!

 

I’d send you my old consoles but I can’t bear to part with them!

 

Thanks for your time guys.  It’s been great.

 

Seth:  Thank you for having us.  Look for our album in late July/early August.

 

Stacey:  Indeed.  Thanks for playing!

 

 

Listen to samples of 8-Bit Weapon’s creations at http://www.8bitweapon.com/sounds.html

 

All photos courtesy of 8bitweapon.com.