By the Light of the Moon

chapter nine

     After the show, I ran backstage into the green room to hug the guys. I couldn't stop gushing over them, and they felt the energy from onstage, too.

     "That was probably the tightest we've ever sounded!" Lars yells, and the guys all nod in agreement, "I played 'No Remorse' so fucking fast, but I wanna keep playing it that way, dude, that was kickass!"

     "Yeah it was cool, but my fingers were about to fall off, dumbass! My poor fucking wrist, man..." James smacks Lars' arm, and we all howl in laughter, the banter continuing from the coattails of our adrenaline rushes. Dave prompts us to start picking up while Cliff and James run the band's merch table, stocked full with home-made cassettes and band tshirts. All that was waiting for us now was what felt like the party of the year- people crowding around the stage and the merch table still, asking for the address to the house for an afterparty and what kind of beer the band likes. Of course the guys are ecstatic, and I can't help but laugh and shake my head.

     Once we arrive back at the guys' house, it's a sea of people in the front lawn kicking back and hanging out- I've never seen this type of party here before. People from Ruthie's, people I don't think I've ever even seen before are here...

     Dave and I exchange a glance before he lets out a puff of air, "Here we go, lady and gentlemen," scoffing. My jaw hangs open in shock and I take it all in.

     Thus began my trek for my own band. Tonight lit a fire under my ass, and I wanted to bring the heat like never before- and my friends were my biggest supporters. They called up anyone and everyone they could think of, they always included me in making connections at shows, letting me talk to other drummers, bassists, guitarists, letting them know my hopes of trying to form my own band. A female lead singer was something nearly unheard of in our town- there weren't many bands I even knew of that did something like this in our genre. Heavy metal wasn't something to mess around with, but luckily, those who I talked to seemed to be the real deal, they gave me a shot and I quickly began to make friends and connections of my own, and soon enough I was off, talking to two guitarists, Michael (Mikey) Bastian and Rudy Graff, bassist Frank Rittel, and drummer Michael Eurich.

     Rudy is bursting with hopeful ideas and passion, telling me that he writes a lot of the band's music. Tonight was the stars aligning, Frank told me, because the four had met about a month earlier, after their respective bands had fallen by the wayside. They each had their own strengths to bring to the table.

     The conversation between us five is so promising that my face felt hot the entire time- maybe that was partially the beer's fault, but I'll say its not the latter for my pride. We converse brightly, shouting over the loud music blaring inside the Metallica house, the air thick with smoke.

     "I never thought a girl would want to sing for a metal band like this. Diana, this is so kickass!" Mikey exclaims, running a hand through his fluffy, brown hair. I nod along with a wide smile, the rest of the guys pat each other on the shoulders with this unmatched excitement.

     "And yknow, Dee, people will lose their minds. This could be something really good if we do it right," Frank chimes in.

     I take a swig of my beer, "I sure hope so, man. I've been dying to do this for so long. And with being friends with Metallica and all, I feel like I know enough to get me started, I've even been developing my own style. Do you guys have a jam space? I want to start meeting up and writing with you guys."

     Michael starts with a laugh, "It's at my house, it's a bitch to move my kit just about anywhere, so we use my place. Saves us the trouble, I have a rack with rototoms and everything!"

     I zone out a bit, looking around. To my right in the distance, I see Dave leaned up against the wall, beer in hand, staring me and my new bandmates down. My eyes flutter, looking at the guys, and back at him. He smirks at me, and finally turns away, walking into the kitchen.

     When I zone back in, it's Michael touching my left shoulder, laughing, "You here with us, Diana?"

     "Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You guys wanna step outside?" I shout over the music inside the misty house, "let's talk about when we're all good to jam. I wanna get this started."

     They all nod, and I trail behind them in a single-file line to the backyard to start making our plans. I look around the kitchen as we walk through, seeing Dave talking to Lars, waving his hands around enthusiastically. Dave laughs at him, and glances my way. He smirks again and gives me a thumbs up. I send him a huge smile and pass through the threshold of the back door, into the backyard, the crisp night air waiting for us.