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BE A GUITAR HERO AND SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY!

Who would've thunk it? And yet...
Check out Guitar Hero, the new game for PS2. Then read this:

Take ambitious local musicians, geek them up as computer programmers, then allow the fruits of their day jobs to produce popular video games that, in turn, spread their music to tons of new fans.
That’s harmonic convergence.
Actually, make that Harmonix - as in Harmonix Music Systems, the Cambridge video-game developer responsible for the new PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero.
The game includes 30 songs with famous rock riffs and 17 extra tunes mostly devoted to Boston-area bands that are Harmonix friends or faves.
"It was a golden opportunity to slide some Boston product into the game," said Greg LoPiccolo, Harmonix vice president for product development. "There was nobody really to stop us, so we did it. It was fun."
They’re celebrating their success with a showcase Saturday at Harpers Ferry in Allston.
In only a month, Guitar Hero is an across-the-board hit, receiving rave reviews from the Web sites GameSpot, GameSpy and GamePro. IGN named it 'game of the month' for November. Guitar Hero also won best-soundtrack honors at the Spike TV Video Game Awards.
From its Central Square offices, Harmonix has carved out a niche in the industry for music-related games, previously roducing Frequency, Amplitude and Karaoke Revolution (think Dance Dance Revolution with singing instead of dancing).
Replace the singing with guitar riffs, and you have the basic concept for Guitar Hero.
The game ($70) includes a miniguitar with fret buttons, a strumming paddle and a whammy bar.
Hit the correct buttons and strum as notes slide down the scrolling fret board and you’ll hear the guitar parts - miss and you won’t. Miss too many and the song/game ends.
Beginners can take a tutorial.
For novice and expert guitarists alike, the game is highly addictive.
Classic riffs range from "Smoke on the Water" to "Iron Man," from "Frankenstein" to "Godzilla." Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix all get a tune. Newer tracks include "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age and Franz Ferdinand’s "Take Me Out."
All these hits were licensed, then covered by a California company.
There might not be any Led Zeppelin or Van Halen represented, but LoPiccolo said the biggest blow was missing out on AC/DC, since Harmonix used ”Back in Black” as its ideal tune during development.
But they made up for that by including their own tunes in a special level that’s only available once players have earned enough "cash" during the game.
Many Harmonix employees either have a band, used to be in a band or have friends in a band. The company’s audio director is in Freezepop, which has nabbed a song on every Harmonix game.
Other employees play in the Acro-Brats and Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives. LoPiccolo’s brother plays in Din.
All of those bands, plus Graveyard BBQ, Count Zero and Artillery, will perform at Saturday’s Guitar Hero party. Harmonix also will set up a game booth.

Guitar Hero party, with Graveyard BBQ, the Acro-Brats, Count Zero, Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives, Artillery and Din, 8 p.m. Saturday at Harpers Ferry, 156 Brighton Ave., Allston. Tickets, $7. Age 21-plus.Call 1-800-594-TIXX. Or go to www.harpersferryboston.com