On the PhotoStoryFriday Bandwagon

Pure joy
2005. My son's band entered a Battle of the Bands contest, without ever having played in public before.

Our whole family sat outside (in the New Mexico sun) through performances from band after band.
Some we really enjoyed, some not so much so. One heavy metal band was SO loud, I had to put a bouncy castle between the bandstand and myself and still hold my ears. It was terrible. That statement may make me sound old, but believe me, I like a good head banging tune as much as anybody else-- just not so loud that my teeth start cracking.

As the sun began sinking deep into the clear afternoon sky, my son got more and more nervous. At one point he was desperate to find a place to throw up. I considered joining him. I was nervous too.

I liked their band. I'm the weirdo parent that would encourage the band to play in our house and would allow all of my furniture to be moved out to make room for the amps. I liked the songs they wrote and often sang along (picture a 40-year old woman toting a baby on her hip and singing Blink182 loudly as she dusts), but I was nervous because they entered a contest to compete with people who were making their livings performing.
I was so proud of them for entering and equally anxious for them.

Their turn finally came. They performed. J1 was on drums and vocals.
On the song he sang lead vocals, his headset went a little nutty on him halfway through the song. He kept drumming. He kept singing.


When they were finished, relief was palpable. J1 was reduced to just a smile sitting on a sweaty teenage body..



Three more bands played.
The sun set.
We had been tapping our feet and bobbing our heads for over 7 hours. Now we had to just sit and wait.

The results were in:

1st place: a local band, well-loved with quite a following.

I was holding a sleeping toddler, so I handed the camera over to my husband and asked him to get in front of the boys. I told him to be ready. I don't know for what.

2nd place: another local band, but this one plays cover tunes in lounges.

And finally, The People's Choice-- determined by the crowd (who had to pay to vote)...

That first photo is the boys hearing that they won. They won the cash prize. The cash paid to say, "I think these guys rock!". They won a few hundred dollars and only $20.00 of it was from us.
I won a new respect for the fearlessness of three teenage boys who suddenly saw opportunities they hadn't imagined before. And a great shot despite the red eye.


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek