The Artists Formerly Known as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain



The Artists Formerly Known as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain (abbreviated for simplicity as TAFKAL80ETC; previously Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain (L80ETC), Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain (L70ETC), Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain (L60ETC), and originally Tenth Level Tauren Chieftain (L10TC) is an American band comprised of employees of Blizzard Entertainment. The band's virtual alter ego, The Tauren Chieftains, appear in World of Warcraft as a band comprised of members of the Horde, and retain the logo used by the Level 70 Elite incarnation of the real-life band. Their gimmick revolves around writing content that is based on mainly subjects related to the Warcraft universe, though they have more recently extended into StarCraft and Diablo lore as well. The band debuted in 2003 with their first song, "Power of the Horde", which was featured in the credits of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

History
The band has been known by several monikers since it was established; originally being known as Tenth Level Tauren Chieftain — level 10 being the highest level a tauren chieftain hero could be in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion. The name was changed to Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain for BlizzCon 2005 — level 60 then being the highest level attainable in World of Warcraft. The band was later dubbed Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain following the release of World of Warcraft's expansion, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade — as The Burning Crusade raised the game's level cap to 70. They have since been renamed to their current title, Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, to comply with World of Warcraft's second expansion, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King — which once again has raised the game's level cap to 80. With the coming of the third expansion, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and the raising of the game's level cap to 85, the band has eschewed traditionals labels to become The Artists Formerly Known as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain. In the distant future of StarCraft II, a TV advertisement viewable in the Hyperion's Cantina shows that they will rename themselves "Level 800 Elite Tauren Chieftain", and will actively tour the galaxy.

On July 16, 2007, the band, then known as Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain, released their second song, "I Am Murloc." On August 4, 2007 at that year's BlizzCon, the band performed two new songs, "Rogues Do it from Behind" and "Terran Up the Night".

On June 29, 2008 at the Worldwide Invitational in Paris, France, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain performed "Power of the Horde", "Rogues Do it from Behind", "Terran Up the Night" (a new song), "Raise Some Hell" ( referring to Blizzard's newly announced development of Diablo III), and "I Am Murloc." After each song, the band "levelled up" twice before ending their set as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain. The band has yet to release any studio recordings under their current name.

In concert


The virtual incarnation of the band, The Tauren Chieftains, perform "Power of the Horde" inside the World's End Tavern in Shattrath City every three hours on the hour, eight shows per day. Several minutes prior to their show, Shattrath Saul will announce the band's upcoming performance. In addition, every night at 8:00 PM server time, The Tauren Chieftains perform a five-minute concert inside Blackrock Depths' Grim Guzzler. Anyone who has Direbrew's Remote from the Brewfest event can trigger a performance here at any time by talking to the roadie in charge, Ognip Blastbolt.

At rest
The Tauren Chieftains can otherwise be found at rest in Silvermoon City's Walk of Elders on a balcony overlooking the walk. Their stage manager and stage tech, Michael Schweitzer and Roitau respectively, both sit below the band. Their purpose in Silvermoon City was initially uncertain, but it has since been learned that the band is placed there as part of the Children's Week quest chain for Horde players, which begins in Shattrath City. Performing emotes to them, such as cheer, will cause them to respond in turn. The band and their manager remain friendly to Alliance players and will still respond to emotes.

Current members

 * (Samwise Didier) – vocalist (2003–present)
 * (Chris Sigaty) – rhythm guitarist (2003–present)
 * (Dave Berggren) – lead guitarist (2005–present)
 * (Mike Morhaime) – bassist (2003–present)
 * (Alan Dabiri) – drummer (2003–present)

Former members

 * – lead guitarist (2003)

Crew

 * – band manager
 * – roadie manager
 * – roadie
 * – roadie

Discography

 * "Power of the Horde" (2003)
 * "Leeroy Jenkins (Paladin of the Horde)" (2006)
 * "I Am Murloc" (2007)
 * "Rogues Do it from Behind" (2007)
 * "Terran Up the Night" (2007)
 * "Raise Some Hell" (2008)
 * "Nightfall" (2008)

Fictitious albums

 * Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, a fictional 2003 album by the band on which "Power of the Horde" appears (in reality, the song appeared on the expansion set of the same name).
 * Udder Chaos, a fictional 2007 album by the band on which "I am Murloc", and "Rogues do it From Behind" appear.
 * Terran Up the Night!, a fictional 2504 album by Level 800 Elite Tauren Chieftain, published by Dilling HoloPublishing, Inc. The following tracks are listed as for the album:
 * "I Kissed a Zerg!"
 * "Bunker Lust"
 * "Like a FireBat Out of Hell"
 * "I Left my Heart on Mar Sara (Literally)"
 * "New Folsom Prison Planet Blues"
 * "Rogues do it From Behind"
 * "Don't Cry For Me Tarsonis"
 * "Terran Up the Night"
 * "I am Murloc"
 * "Another Hydralisk Bites the Dust"
 * "With or Without Nukes"
 * "Saturday Night's Alright for Nuking"
 * "Power of the Horde"
 * "Lucy in the Sky with Mutas"
 * "I Can't Drive Warp 5.5!"
 * "Every Rose Has Its Thor"

BlizzCon 2005
Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain (L60ETC) is undoubtedly best known for their multimillion-selling single, "The Power of the Horde," a track that appeared on their 2003 album "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne." In addition to the hard-rocking, heart-thumping tunes it contained, that album might best be remembered by music lovers everywhere for the popular little computer game that was included as a bonus feature on the disc.

The band performed at BlizzCon 2005 on October 29, 2005. This performance was recorded and included on the Burning Crusade Behind-the-Scenes DVD.

BlizzCon 2007
Comin' straight outta Outland: Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain invades Southern California once again to perform at BlizzCon. Taking a break from their massive multi-world tour of Azeroth and Outland, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain is gracing the mortals in Anaheim, California with another evening of power, majesty, and metal! The group's last non-Azerothian performance, the final show of the highly successful Storm, Earth, and Fire World Domination tour, took place at BlizzCon 2005, where they received a hero's welcome and even had the multi-platinum recording artists, The Offspring, close the show for them. Now, having levelled past their previous name -- Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain -- the crunching chords and pounding war drums of the newly dubbed Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain will once again be echoing throughout the Anaheim Convention Center's main arena at BlizzCon 2007. Exclusive to BlizzCon attendees, the concert will start at 7:30pm on Saturday, August 4, preceding the other live entertainment that evening. Get there early because seating will be first-come, first-served.

WoW BlueTracker
To celebrate the upcoming BlizzCon event on August 3rd and 4th, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain will be making a guest appearance beginning tonight at midnight at the new Darkmoon Faire location outside of Shattrath city! They’ll be shaking Shattrath to the ground with their performances at the top of every hour for the duration of BlizzCon, and showing everyone the true Power of the Horde!

Possibility of quests
The possibility of quests related to The Tauren Chieftains has been suggested due to comments by the band's manager, Michael Schweitzer, who has alluded to the possibility by saying, "We're not currently hiring for the show or the crew, but you can always check back later. Who knows what will arise?".

Trivia

 * The song "I Am Murloc" is available as a downloadable bonus track for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ports of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
 * Using the cheer emote with one of the band members during The Tauren Chieftains' performances will give you a Pumped Up! buff, increasing all stats by 10% for five minutes.
 * Their current name (as of Blizzcon 2009), The Artists Formerly Known as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, and their current emblem is a parody of the musician Prince.
 * Their name in StarCraft II, Level 800 Elite Tauren Chieftain, parodies World of Warcraft's gradually increasing level cap, implying that the cap will reach 800 in the distant 26th century.