Rock Band Simulator has me pining for the good ol’ days.
Before all of the podcasts, content, and showcases, life revolved around music. The alluring sonic timbres that flesh out songs grasped me by the neck at a severely young age, so much so that I committed every parent's worst nightmare: pursuing a career in music. Bless my parents (mom specifically). From buying me my first guitar to attending a handful of early shows, they always had my back. What they saw was the surface-level depiction of the music life: pursuing a degree in audio engineering, freelancing with local artists on their records, spending weekends in the steady rotation of band practice and playing shows. But it was the moments in between that added a bit of zest to that life, the type of zest Rock Band Simulator from KONTRĀST MEDIA seems to be capturing quite accurately; at least depending on your own experiences.
Now, before we get into this little feature, let’s properly set the stage (no pun intended). I was, in fact, a dumb kid. There are stories from 15 - 20 years ago that I’m happy to tell in varying degrees of detail, and there are some that should be kept close to the chest with various parties in mind. What I will disclose is that I was always a level-headed dude. Still to this day, I’ve never drank. I’ve never smoked. And while things could have always been much worse, goddamn. That clarity came in handy on one or more occasions. So with that said…
Rock Band Simulator is a first-person life sim set in a sketchy 1990s neighborhood. The goal is simple: survive the week, keep the band alive, and no matter what, make it on stage each night. Taking place over the course of seven days, each day you're presented with new quests, random events, mini-bosses, and more. What you do with your day is up to you; explore the neighborhood, take odd jobs, hunt for records and CDs to upgrade your garage and car, and more.
While on paper that sounds like an ordinary gameplay loop, it's how you approach each day that piqued my interest quite a bit. There’s one line on the store page that really captured my attention: “A good gig builds your reputation. A bad one... builds character.” The sketchy neighborhood is brimming with drunks, hustlers, mechanics, promoters, gangsters, and overall not-so-great people. Being a life sim, my hope is that we can approach each of these shady characters and their accompanying tasks with as much elegance (or the complete opposite) as we’d like. Going back to that one line, the focus on one’s character when it comes to the band grind is a fact of life. Yes, musical talent and pumping out certified bangers help. But it’s what you do before you hit the stage that gets a neighborhood, town, city, state, and so on talking.
As KONTRĀST MEDIA details, “one day you're helping your drummer out of trouble. The next you're arguing with the police, breaking into abandoned garages, or wondering why that guy keeps staring at you.” While their interpretation of these scenarios may be a hyperbolic approach to most, chances are there is at least a wink of truth in play. Going back to the top of this piece, it’s going to be all dependent on the player’s real life experience and perspective. Whether a player digests their on-screen actions as hyperbole or something rooted in reality, well I see that as the magic behind Rock Band Simulator. Personally, those aforementioned three scenarios do spin up a memory or two.
“...you're arguing with the police.”
Arguments with those meant to protect and serve come in endless shapes and forms. The outcome of a simple warning for jaywalking down in Saint Marks should be straightforward. But when met with the more dramatic response of “when cars hit me, I will destroy them” while blocking traffic, that’s when an argument begins to ratchet up a bit. When (allegedly) various substances are (potentially maybe) in play, a level-headed individual may be focused on keeping your lead guitarist out of cuffs since we had class the next day. Does the band remain intact, or is it time to figure out what Plan B is in time for Friday’s show?
“...breaking into abandoned garages.”
Garages, undisclosed members-only clubs; one in the same, really. Listen, even straight-edge folks recognize that a DIY Bronx Underground show requires quality beverages. Obviously, as the audio engineer, I was at the venue blocks away focused on the production. But with the full intention of signing up for a membership upon signing a record deal, even I recognized the value in providing an IOU to taste-test beverages with the local community. It’s a win-win, really. Folks are having a good time with some good tunes and gaining the knowledge of a local establishment with quality goods.
“...or wondering why that guy keeps staring at you.”
KONTRĀST MEDIA discusses how your week can end in more than one way, capped with a simple descriptor: “There’s always tomorrow, unless there isn’t.” One of the unspoken appeals of the band grind is the unknown. One night, you can whip up the gnarliest hook for what will become your most popular track. And moments later, when in desperate need of a Red Bull Cola (yes, those did exist at one point in time), you get mugged outside of a 7-Eleven at 3am. Here comes the flip of a universal coin: “there’s always tomorrow, unless there isn’t.” The coin told us there was, in fact, a tomorrow. So we walked back to practice, cracked open our respective energy drinks of choice, and fleshed out that hook until we crashed at 7am.
The moments in between are what make or break a band, and from what I can gather, Rock Band Simulator understands the importance of those moments. Additionally, there is the deep understanding of the cardinal rule. Once 9pm hits, you’re on that stage no matter what. How you get there, though. That’s where my intrigue lies when it comes to what is possible within the game. Taking that a step further, the line between hyperbole and reality is the secret sauce. Experiencing the game through the lens of someone’s inkling of the band life versus someone who has lived varying degrees of it will be fascinating to see unfold.
Rock Band Simulator launches on October 27th, so restring your guitar, tell your screamer to stop threatening [insert name of well-known scumbag vocalist in the scene here], and wishlist the game on Steam.
