I Wanna Be A Rockstar.....

Do you ever let that hidden side of you come out? Well...I'm not very adept at hiding things, (ask my mom, my denial - "No I didn't go swimming" her response - "why is your wet suit in the washer then?") --- but sometimes new oddities of Debby pop out....mini secrets come to life. My latest? I think that I've secretly always wanted to be a rockstar (for a day or two that is.) I'm kind of getting my wish too, and I'm surprisingly enjoying it. I'm playing the keyboard for a patriotic dinner show at the Village Green. (performing this Fri. and Sat. and probably again the weekend of Sept. 11)
Yup - I am officially a member of a band. Company D is what we are called. There is a drummer, and 2 guitars, and 2 basses and 7 or 8 singers. Granted...it is not really "rock" music, (the wildest thing we play is Chuck Berry's Back in the USA) - and the vast majority is country music which I absolutley loathe...but still I am enjoying myself. I hated the rehearsals for the longest time - I was so annoyed to be working with some people who can't read music or count...etc...but I've come to really appreciate their craft, and realize I really stink at "rocking out." I'm not to keen on feeling the music and picking it out by ear, if you know what I mean. I certainly have my talents, elsewhere. But, as the "wild child" inside of me is released - I am finding it kind of fun to put on a show that can appeal to a more mainstream and mass audience of people than most shows I play for= and I'm slowly learning to let go a little bit. This isn't the first time (nor the last I hope) that my rocker chick self has emerged. Here are a few other rock-on moments from my past:

1. In college my friend Alessandra and I - we stayed out well after midnight at some guitar major's apartment. Doing what? Playing with amps and electric guitars of course! We were soooo clueless, but karaoked to Dave Matthew's band (who I actually think is quite talented and reputable) and that is my first encounter with real rock music, and I started thinking....yeah...this could be fun. (remember I only have ever listened to the radio, minus NPR, for about 1 year of rebellion in 1998.)

2. Fast forward - dating my now husband Eric who loves to tinker with the guitar. I ask him to teach me my favorite song I loved to hear him play: "Enter Sandman" by Metallica? I think? I LOVED learning the intro to this, and thought it was sooo cool. Eric wasn't so sure how neat I would think it if I heard the real version...yup...he was right...it is just a tad wild for my leetle ears.

3. My drum solo at the Snoring and Deranging (okay, Scoring and Arranging) Finale Recording Session. We were suppposed to orchestrate a piece and then the school sympohny performed it and we got a recording of it. My friend Cassidy an awesome percussionist asked me to help out with her arrangement of Up on the Housetop. I got to play the big timpani drumset. I only had about 4 beats....but having never drum soloed - I got just a little intense with it.....Okay...so I had the whole symphony orchestra and my class in hysterics with my full body drum banging. Needless to say my drum beating made it so that we had to re-record the piece. (ooo - that was a fun day. Everyhone in the class did a nice Christmas Song - Mary's Lullaby, UP on the HOusetop...etc...my pick? A Kabalevsky Prelude - so dark and eerie - yup - it was like Santa turned into the devil - go me for being different. I guess I"m not afraid to stand out a bit.)

4. Girl's Night Out - just a month or two ago. 2 of the moms that I meet at the gym sometimes for crazy early morning body pump and spin classes had a mom's night out. We got together at someone's house and played RockBand on a playstation, I think. SOOOOO FUN! I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED IT! I guess, it showed too -because they put me on drums, and in my sheer exctiement, I broke the covering on one of the drums. Oops. I just got a little too into it, that's all. People were certiainly surprised at my wild side - I wasn't. Hitting a drum is the perfect vent for any frustrations or pent up anger. Try it - you'll like it. After my drum episode, they put me on vocals. Of course I'd never heard any of the music, and I was screaming in the bass range changing the words like crazy (Feed my sheep...etc.) and getting quite a few cackles out of my stupidity. (I know now that it is the Beastly Boys, not the Bearded Boys.) On a side note, I felt like a hypocrite. I would really never let my kids play that game. Wayyyyyy tooo much suggestive language and the way the people are dressed is way to provocative. I don't want my boys to even watch it or come within twelve houses of it....yet I Loved it? I enjoyed it? How can this be? I think I have an inner battle to work out yet. I'll let you know when I reconcile my enjoyment with my hesitations.

5. Lastly, here is a recent picture of a rock out session in the comfort of my own home. I'm not afraid to jam out and play "jailhouse break" with my boys, any time of day or night. So...the real Debby comes out....don't worry, this "wild child" side of me - yeah...not too much to worry about. I'm still the same old nerdy boring bookish freak - but I do wanna be a rockstar still ---at least sometimes.