Band

Once I started getting a feel for my guitar, I knew that I wanted to play in front of an audience. It was an ambitious endeavor to embark on, especially since I had only started playing a couple of months beforehand. I felt that if I had a performance to look forward to, it would give me incentive to perfect a song or two.

Up until then, I knew bits and pieces of certain recognizable songs. I knew "La Bamba's" main riff, as well as the chord progression for "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath. However, I never actually learned an entire song the whole way through. As a result of timely coincidences I ended up striving to play for an event called Culture Day. Culture Day, which was an event held by my high school, showcased the talents of alumni as they perform dances, songs, and poetry. Anyone could enter, and I realized this was the perfect opportunity to perform before an audience. 

I would need other band members in order to enter the performance, and I began approaching people who may be interested. The first band member was my brother Eduardo. Luckily, my brother owned a bass guitar, and he played it rather often. We learn riffs together for songs we both enjoyed, and we decided on The Strokes "Reptilia" as the song we would perform. A classmate of mine also played guitar, and when I mentioned interest in performing for Culture Day, he jumped at the chance. The song required two guitars anyway, so it was a perfect fit. Lastly, we needed a drummer. No one knew of any experienced drummers, and I kept asking around hoping to catch a break. Finally, a friend named Paul expressed interest in drumming. He said he didn't own a drum set, but he could learn the song using someone else's equipment. 

The group was complete. 

While the guitarists practiced every week at my house, we entrusted Paul to learn the song and have it ready to go on Culture Day. Meanwhile, I focused on learning the solo for the song. It wasn't long, but at the time it was very complex. I nailed the solo after many tries, but it was still rather sloppy. When Culture Day finally arrived, we all went out and did our best. 

And that's when everything fell apart. Paul actually learned the song by playing Guitar Hero using a fake drum set. Come showtime, he couldn't keep the beat without someone else providing a metronome by clapping. The guitars were too loud compared to the bass, and when I performed the solo, it came out choppy, sloppy, and rushed. 

Even still, the rush I felt was gripping. I loved performing in front of people, and although we kind of bombed, it was one of the funnest times I have had.