Principals List: Pleasing old people since 2003
Well, yesterday was Battle of the Bands. There were some awesome people and some awesome bands there. As well as an awesome sound man and an awesome lighting guy. You could say it went without a hitch if you consider the fact that if Malander feels a hitch coming on, they just tackle the bass player, then we laugh, and I throw the bass. There were about 300 people there. I was about the most nervous I'd ever been in my entire life. About 75% of everyone I'd ever met in my entire life was there, watching me play my bass guitar.
It went like this; First was Marinara Boiler Room. They were great, the people in the band were great, the fighting ninjas on stage were great. It was all great. Then was Leopard Skin Panties. They weren't going to win or anything, but since like half of them were still in middle school I think they probably got the most out of in the form of hype. There was this metal-ish band after that. They had a pretty awesome presence as far as the music, but at that point I was already freaking out about the fact that next was Principals List and then us. The great rivalry. While Principals List was busy setting themselves up on stage we set ourselves up to set oursleves up on stage and then went out for a cigarette break/Malander moment. I delivered an inspirational speech that went kind of like this: "This is the great Rock 'n' Roll struggle. This is the revolution. This is what all of rock history amounts to, the establishment and the revolution. In there (pointing at the auditorium) is the establishment. In there is established music. We're gonna make a change. We're gonna start a revolution. Now let's get in there and change the world.". That's definitely not too close to what I said word-for-word but after I said it everyone started running for the school with revolution on their minds. And I think I did what I was supposed to do.
A few minutes that seemed like hours later we took the stage. There was already a bass plugged into my amp and I was so nervous I was retarded and steVe had to move it for me. Thanks for dealing with me buddy. I had just enough time to talk (or pray? or something) directly to "music". I don't think it heard me considering it's not a person. But it felt important for me to say it anyway. I said, "You've been there for me more than anyone else in my life. Now it's time for me to give back to you. Please let me do well tonight.". And I kissed my pick and the curtains rose and I saw somewhere near 300 eyes staring at us.
We'd shaved our setlist down a little so we'd have time to play the song we wanted to play last more than anything. But as it was we played D-7, Out of the Blue, School, Next Door and then Eulogy, our demolition song. I ruined a pick every other song from playing so hard but I had a pocketful and two left over thanks to my lovely Ges. I don't remember what order we played them in. I just remember Eulogy last, where it'll always be. I don't think I did bad. But I was so nervous I completely and totally forgot how to play the verse for Next Door, I just made up a new bassline for it for like a minute. But then I was so nervous that after the chorus I forgot that I'd forgotten how to play the verse. So I just played it uneventfully the rest of the song. I don't have any idea how, but nobody seemed to pick up on it. Not even my bandmates. The rest of the songs went along well. Especially Eulogy. We never really "wrote" that song in the conventional sense. We just jammed like we jam with every song. But after about the half way point there is absolutely no plan of action on how to play it. We just decided it has to end different every time. This time it's going down in the history books. Near where the end usually happens anyway Brad leaped around a little too much and the relatively short cord popped out of his guitar. The solution to this problem was simple. We both knew exactly what it was looking at the blue cable on the stage floor. I braced myself and made sure my bass was in a non-pointy position. And Brad tackled me into the side of stage right. I threw my bass over him into the view of the audience. And we both walked out with our arms in the air, triumphant after an incredible first complete set ever. The curtains closed. I picked the instruments off the stage and we walked into the auditorium. A huge crowd of people stayed afterward to meet us. I didn't like it. I don't know why but a bunch of people telling me how great I am makes me feel like shit. Don't ask me why, last night's the first time it ever happened. I tried to find a place to hide with Brad and steVe but Brad couldn't be found. steVe and I walked around the whole school looking for him. I knew there wasn't really any good reason to find him. But I wanted to get out. After we did that we found him in the auditorium, chillin', where I sort of thought he'd be if he wasn't out smoking. I tried to lay down and avoid people the rest of the night. I was really burnt-out on rock stardom. And that nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach had expired and turned into pain. But somehow it was a good pain. I embraced it until I fell asleep that night.
It went like this; First was Marinara Boiler Room. They were great, the people in the band were great, the fighting ninjas on stage were great. It was all great. Then was Leopard Skin Panties. They weren't going to win or anything, but since like half of them were still in middle school I think they probably got the most out of in the form of hype. There was this metal-ish band after that. They had a pretty awesome presence as far as the music, but at that point I was already freaking out about the fact that next was Principals List and then us. The great rivalry. While Principals List was busy setting themselves up on stage we set ourselves up to set oursleves up on stage and then went out for a cigarette break/Malander moment. I delivered an inspirational speech that went kind of like this: "This is the great Rock 'n' Roll struggle. This is the revolution. This is what all of rock history amounts to, the establishment and the revolution. In there (pointing at the auditorium) is the establishment. In there is established music. We're gonna make a change. We're gonna start a revolution. Now let's get in there and change the world.". That's definitely not too close to what I said word-for-word but after I said it everyone started running for the school with revolution on their minds. And I think I did what I was supposed to do.
A few minutes that seemed like hours later we took the stage. There was already a bass plugged into my amp and I was so nervous I was retarded and steVe had to move it for me. Thanks for dealing with me buddy. I had just enough time to talk (or pray? or something) directly to "music". I don't think it heard me considering it's not a person. But it felt important for me to say it anyway. I said, "You've been there for me more than anyone else in my life. Now it's time for me to give back to you. Please let me do well tonight.". And I kissed my pick and the curtains rose and I saw somewhere near 300 eyes staring at us.
We'd shaved our setlist down a little so we'd have time to play the song we wanted to play last more than anything. But as it was we played D-7, Out of the Blue, School, Next Door and then Eulogy, our demolition song. I ruined a pick every other song from playing so hard but I had a pocketful and two left over thanks to my lovely Ges. I don't remember what order we played them in. I just remember Eulogy last, where it'll always be. I don't think I did bad. But I was so nervous I completely and totally forgot how to play the verse for Next Door, I just made up a new bassline for it for like a minute. But then I was so nervous that after the chorus I forgot that I'd forgotten how to play the verse. So I just played it uneventfully the rest of the song. I don't have any idea how, but nobody seemed to pick up on it. Not even my bandmates. The rest of the songs went along well. Especially Eulogy. We never really "wrote" that song in the conventional sense. We just jammed like we jam with every song. But after about the half way point there is absolutely no plan of action on how to play it. We just decided it has to end different every time. This time it's going down in the history books. Near where the end usually happens anyway Brad leaped around a little too much and the relatively short cord popped out of his guitar. The solution to this problem was simple. We both knew exactly what it was looking at the blue cable on the stage floor. I braced myself and made sure my bass was in a non-pointy position. And Brad tackled me into the side of stage right. I threw my bass over him into the view of the audience. And we both walked out with our arms in the air, triumphant after an incredible first complete set ever. The curtains closed. I picked the instruments off the stage and we walked into the auditorium. A huge crowd of people stayed afterward to meet us. I didn't like it. I don't know why but a bunch of people telling me how great I am makes me feel like shit. Don't ask me why, last night's the first time it ever happened. I tried to find a place to hide with Brad and steVe but Brad couldn't be found. steVe and I walked around the whole school looking for him. I knew there wasn't really any good reason to find him. But I wanted to get out. After we did that we found him in the auditorium, chillin', where I sort of thought he'd be if he wasn't out smoking. I tried to lay down and avoid people the rest of the night. I was really burnt-out on rock stardom. And that nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach had expired and turned into pain. But somehow it was a good pain. I embraced it until I fell asleep that night.