Nintendo Rocks!

摘要

It's a sweltering night in Phoenix, and I'm standing in a desolate industrial park, where neatly aligned warehouses fence in a rectangle of asphalt. The buildings echo with the sonic mess of a half-dozen practicing bands. Through one garage door comes a pretty, prog-rock melody of guitar notes. It's being played by the group I'm here to see: the Minibosses. The band is fronted by a guitarist who's 6' 6" and prematurely balding. There's a bassist, bespectacled and just as tall, and a second guitarist, a foot shorter, both also balding. There's a drummer who isn't balding. He's very thin. Their names are Aaron Burke, Ben Baraldi, Fred Johnson, and Matt Wood. And they play only covers of music from classic Nintendo Entertainment System videogames. Tonight, they seem a bit stressed. In a couple of days, the Minibosses will drive to Los Angeles to perform at a friend's party and then play last in a four-band lineup at a Hollywood club. The other bands do not play only covers of music from classic Nintendo Entertainment System videogames, and this is a matter of some concern to the Minibosses. Audiences at regular clubs never seem to know what to make of them.