THWOMP Interview: On Gigs Past, Present and Future

In Part Five of this originally-published-for-Suite 101 exclusive interview, Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall of the Nintendo® cover band THWOMP discuss gigs past, present and future.

Calgary-based Nintendo® cover band THWOMP is gearing up for two exciting projects. They will rock Edmonton on August 6, 2010 at Animethon 17. In the fall, they will release their debut CD. Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall stopped by to discuss gigs past, present and future.

THWOMP's Take on Bar Gigs

The band has had its share of bar gigs over the years, which the guys are glad to put behind them. "We used to play around town a lot, actually," said Brad. "It’s kind of easy to play Calgary out. There just aren’t that many decent bars to play at."

Bars and clubs tend to attract regulars and only occasionally draw in new patrons, while family and friends go only so far. "Once it’s your fifth gig in three or four months, it’s harder to get all of your friends to come out to it," explained Brad. "They’ll all come out to the first few, because they love you."

The other downside of bar gigs is the low return on investment. Dave said, "They pay almost nothing and the people who go to the bar don’t go to the bar and expect to spend $50 on merchandise, so nobody buys merchandise either."

THWOMP members made a conscious decision to stop doing bar gigs and focus on conventions. They have not looked back since.

THWOMP on Cool Gigs

Dave recalled one of their favorite gigs, "One of our funny, semi-regular gigs is at the Canmore Hotel, which is a heritage building. I think it’s 120 years old, at least, and you can tell…We turn it into a pretty big party and there’s some band stories from those gigs that I don’t think we’ll share with you."

"What happens on the road stays on the road," added Brad.

THWOMP's Current Gigs

Anime conventions, gaming conventions and comic conventions are ideal stages for THWOMP. "The conventions really have our exact demographic – sitting there – already dressed up," said Brad. "We have made some crazy fans over the last two summers."

THWOMP plays regularly at Otafest, Calgary's annual anime convention and Edmonton's annual anime con, Animethon. In 2009, the band gave its debut performance at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo.

The last gig had some bumps. "We were they only band they’ve ever had and you can tell," said Brad. "They had no idea what to do with us."

THWOMP on Dream Gigs

"I think we can all die happy if we played the Penny Arcade Expo," said Dave. The Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short, is held semi-annually in Seattle, WA. It is a gaming festival that hosts tournaments, freeplay areas, concerts and panels over the span of three days. "It’s probably the biggest gaming expo in the world, now that E3’s gone," added Dave.

Another dream gig for THWOMP would be MAGFest, held in Alexandra, VA. MAGFest is a video and computer gaming festival. Concerts by video game bands and jam sessions are featured prominently. "Too bad it’s about 3,000 miles away," said Brad.

Transcontinental gigs are hard for bands. "It’s not about the money but not losing money to get there," explained Dave. "Once you’re carting gear across the continent, it becomes very expensive."

Plus, being a niche band doesn’t make it any easier for bands like THWOMP. "It’s hard to stop at bars along the way and play to pay for your gas and food money," said Dave. "A lot of bars don’t want bands that don’t have singers and for good reason. That’s the world we live in. Ultimately, the more conventions we can regularly play the better."

Touring Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia is another "ultimate dream" for the band. "Getting paid to wander around Japan and play video game music would be really nice," added Brad.

THWOMP is a Nintendo® band comprised of Calgarians Brad Stanton (lead guitar), Colin Mitchel (lead guitar), Scott Munro (bass), Scott Moffat (drums), David Marshall (keyboards/percussion) and Kirk McVean (keyboards). For more information about THWOMP, the band or to listen to audio clips, visit their website and Myspace page.

Full interview series: Part 1 – THWOMP’s Origins | Part 2 – Band Names & Niches | Part 3 – Songwriting | Part 4 - Hey! Listen! CD Release | Part 5 - On Gigs | Part 6 - Convention Gigs | Part 7 - Video Games | Part 8 - Fun & Food

THWOMP Interview: On Video Game Bands and Niches

In Part Two of this exclusive interview, Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall of the Nintendo® cover band THWOMP discuss band names and niches.

Inspired by the music of video game composers Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy), Koji Kondo (Super Mario Bros) and more, Nintendo® cover band THWOMP share their music with a growing fan base of gamers young and old.

Brad Stanton (lead guitar) and Dave Marshall (keyboards/percussion) from THWOMP take a break from their Animethon 17 preparations to chat with Suite 101. In the first part of their interview with Suite 101, Brad and Dave discussed THWOMP's origins. In this installment, they discuss Nintendo® bands, names and niches.

THWOMP on Naming the Band

It took the band a long time to settle on a name."I don’t even remember any of the iterations before we figured out THWOMP", said Brad. "We tried to have some “Legend of Zelda” reference for a while. We could never find one we liked."

By then, the band was starting to get gigs, making it necessary to name the band. "I don’t remember who came up with it," said Brad. "We should just attribute it to the drummer. It was probably him. I remember we were all standing there out in the parking lot of our jam space, drinking beer and smoking; and somebody said, “THWOMP”. We all just looked at him and we were all like, “Yeah!” It was definitely one of those "light shining from the clouds" moments. On the parking lot of our shitty jam space."

Nintendo® Bands and MAGFest

There are several Nintendo® cover bands out there, such as The Advantage, The Minibosses, Armcannon and NESkimos. Some have carved a niche for themselves in the realm of video game music. One of the top groups is Powerglove, a metal group. Another band, The OneUps, performs jazz interpretations of video game music.

Some of these bands perform at anime conventions and comic cons. The popular Nintendo® bands perform at MAGFest, a video game festival and conference in New Jersey. "Everybody but us, pretty much," said Brad. Their time will come.

On THWOMP’s Musical Niche

The members of the band are involved in other music groups and projects, ranging from jazz to rock and from bar gigs to workshops. THWOMP's focus, however, will forever be video game music. "It will never be anything other than that," said Brad. "It will never be watered down. It will never be compromised."

Their musical background and training, along with their love for the original music influences their philosophy. "We’re all purists about it, really," said Brad. "We really try to make everything absolutely note-for-note. Absolutely exact. We have really high standards for each other." They admit to holding some "good natured but fierce" cutting contests at rehearsals and putting each other in his place on occasion.

Giving others the same nostalgia factor they experience when playing classic Nintendo® music is not only important to them, it's their favorite part about playing this style of music. "We really want it to be fast, punchy, everything you remember," said Brad. "Every show we play, there’s some 30-year old guy in the audience who has no idea who we are and just stands there agape, staring at us, nearly crying. That happens at every show we play and it’s so gratifying.

The band enjoys watching the audience going through the actions from various Nintendo® video gameswhile they perform. "Tetris is always amusing because people try to become Tetris pieces," recalled Dave. "I don’t know if anyone’s come very close to being a Tetris piece yet but we’re interested to see people keep trying."

THWOMP is a Nintendo® band comprised of Calgarians Brad Stanton (lead guitar), Colin Mitchel (lead guitar), Scott Munro (bass), Scott Moffat (drums), David Marshall (keyboards/percussion) and Kirk McVean (keyboards). For more information about THWOMP, the band or to listen to audio clips, visit their website, BandCamp and Myspace page.

The full interview series:

Full interview series: Part 1 – THWOMP’s Origins | Part 2 – Band Names & Niches | Part 3 – Songwriting | Part 4 - Hey! Listen! CD Release | Part 5 - On Gigs | Part 6 - Convention Gigs | Part 7 - Video Games | Part 8 - Fun & Food

Hey! Listen! Album Review

Originally published on Suite101.com on July 27, 2010. Updated on March 22, 2013. All rights reserved by Rhona-Mae Arca.

THWOMP Album Review: Hey! Listen!

THWOMP's sophomore album, which features beloved Nintendo® video game themes, including The Legend of Zelda series, Double Dragon II and FFVII is reviewed.

Nintendo® cover band THWOMP released its sophomore album on April 27, 2012. Entitled Hey! Listen!, the album boasts 15 tracks, a musical treat for gamers of all ages.

THWOMP is a five-piece progressive "prog" rock band based in Calgary, Alberta. It is comprised of Brad Stanton (bass), Colin Mitchell (lead guitar), Dan Bronson (guitar), Scott Moffat (drums) and David Marshall (keyboards).

Founded in 2001 by Brad Stanton and former band member Scott Munro, THWOMP performs regularly at conventions across Western Canada. Last month, the band performed at the Calgary Comic Expo, where Hey! Listen! was unveiled.

THWOMP released its debut album, Knight League EP in 2010. The eight-track Nintendo® CD featured the band's arrangements from the classic Super Nintendo® racing game F-Zero.

Hey! Listen! is the group's first full-length album. Transcription was done by Brad Stanton, Kirk McVean and David Marshall. All members of THWOMP were involved with writing the band arrangements on the album.

Hey! Listen Highlights

The “Dungeon Theme” from The Legend of Zelda sets the tone for a nostalgic journey back in time. The opening is truly a gem, best appreciated live. "The beginning of the 'Zelda - Dungeon Theme' is actually two guitars, one playing 8th notes, the other playing off-beat 16ths," explained David Marshall in recent correspondence. "The neatest part about it is that it sounds like one guitar. It's an especially cool effect live, coming off the stage in stereo."

They are soon joined by the drums. Layer upon layer is added until the main dungeon theme appears played on the keyboards. As the theme loops, it builds in intensity, gradually leading the listener down musical depths before coming to slow mournful conclusion on solo guitar.

THWOMP's version of the “J-E-N-O-V-A” theme is edgier than it is in Final Fantasy VII. The keyboards, playing it as it appears in the game, but the guitars are quickly given the theme. They circle around and clash as if in battle, playing against the backdrop of a relentless rock groove on percussion.

“Fever” from Dr. Mario is a catchy and “feel good” track. The opening theme is first played by the keyboards (set for full nostalgic effect). The drums lay a catchy groove that is bound to set toes tapping and heads bopping long before the guitars take over the melody. THWOMP really shows how effective rests can be. Although they are in the original theme, the silences in THWOMP's arrangement are especially crisp. Indeed, they are long enough to elicit chuckles or squeals of excitement or delight from listeners.

The band vamps a bit, building the excitement before launching full-on into the “Korobeiniki” theme from Tetris. The guitars play the opening theme, while the keyboards provide an effective contrast with the the second theme. There's enough time in the interlude for listeners to mimic falling Tetris pieces before the main themes return in full force.

A little bit of disco shuffle merged with solid 80's rock grooves come together for the “Double Dragon II Theme”. The guitars belt out the main themes while the keyboards provide the requisite video game sound FX. One could easily imagine character Billy Lee taking down a street full of baddies to this rendition.

Listeners can truly rock out with the Star Fox “Attack Carrier” theme. The guitars weave around like Fox McCloud's Arwing, soaring against the driving beat laid down by the drums. The keyboards have some cool licks too.

Hey! Listen! Track Listing

1. The Legend of Zelda – Dungeon

2. A Link to the Past - Dark World

3. The Adventure of Link - Minor Battle

4. The Adventure of Link - Palace

5. Final Fantasy VII – J-E-N-O-V-A

6. Final Fantasy VII - Under the Rotting Pizza

7. Final Fantasy VII - Still More Fighting

8. Dr. Mario – Fever

9. Tetris – Korobeiniki

10. Double Dragon II - Theme

11. Double Dragon II - At the Heliport

12. Star Fox - Corneria

13. Star Fox - Attack Carrier

14. Star Fox - Course Clear

15. Star Fox - Space Armada

Label: Bandcamp

Release Date: April 27, 2012

Price: $4.99 CAD

Hey! Listen! Verdict

At 15 tracks, it may seem at first glance that Hey! Listen! is far too long, but that is not the case. Video game themes, by the nature of the scenes, are fairly short. The album contains 36 minutes worth of musical adventure.

THWOMP delivers these classic video game themes ably and serves them up with a bit of spice. At times sexy, sometimes humorous, but always cool and fun, Hey! Listen! provides retro-gamers with a solid collection of themes to indulge in a bit of nostalgia. This video game CD also introduces a younger generation of gamers and music fans to a fun era of video game music.

Hey! Listen! Is available through Bandcamp. Video game music download formats include MP3 320, FLAC, as well as other audio types. Stay tuned for their Suite101.com interview, which will be republished here.