We'd better give these kids a Breakdown...

Devin's just loud. Loud, loud, loud. I guess that's this band's m.o.. But I'm trying to find the other side of these 4 Brides. The underskirt. And they of all people would support blowing up a skirt or two.

I'm at Lyric for a The Bride Wore Black practice. My book's never seen this setting. There was already mention of the Presbyterian Church show last summer, which puts this afternoon into strange perspective. There were 2 bands I conquered by word before I even thought to look into to these 4 boys. I feel kinda lame about that, yet time cannot be mended, only made up for. So I open the book. None of them seem all that interested in my activities but I keep my eyes down on my page more than I've grown accustomed to getting away with. They're not used to being stared at- yet. Plus I know they WILL say something if they don't like what's going on. It's hard to write with a need to be constantly aware of possible sexual innuendos. Bride isn't Score24 or This Condition, they will absolutely call me out on all my shit. And I like them for that.

It's channel 6.
Ok.
No, it's channel 6.
Are you sure it's channel 6?
I can see a fucking 6 in front of my face!!

It sounds shaky at first. Nobody's really together at all. I can't hear Devin and Mike is just staring at frets. Sean holds his fingers over the mic like he never learned about its pickup. I start to feel like I don't wanna write what I'm thinking. But 2 songs and 1 debacle later it is the second verse of "Live" and things start to come together. Sam's in time, his fingers are warming up. Devin starts to let them catch up, he's always ready to take off right here right now. And Sean, with that infamous pink pick guard that I couldn't forget, is singing right into that microphone.

I am good at this, far too good. Efficient too. I know which one of them interests my pen the most, which one will be a challenge to break apart, which one is the one I want to stare at, and which one will ask me what I thought after this is over.

Hey, This Condition, Bride's bassist sits on his ass during practice too.

Mike really is a fucking idiot. In fact he answers to such, as well as fucking stupid, fucking retard, and fucking moron. "Check my mic, stupid ass." Mike goes to tip toe around the high hat taking forever to even grasp what his task is. "It's fucking flexible douche bag!!"

I know they like when I laugh at them making fun of each other, but I like when Sean giggles at himself. "And then I'll do this. And then I'll jump around like this. Then I'll stand here with my hands on my hips like this. And it will be very awkward." Cue self giggle.

Devin's the real one. He is the focus. And he wants to get a set list secured. They actually vote on an order...? How unexpected. How cute. Someone's gonna kill Mike very shortly however:

Mike- "So when are we playing Semantics if we aren't playing Semantics before Peen and Semantics is gotta be played??"
Devin- "You are dumb."
Sam- "You ARE dumb."
Sean- "Pay attention dude."
Mike- "Fuck."

The crisis is on going over a set list. I listened the whole time and I don't even know what it's supposed to be. I would write it down like they asked me to, but it's far too fun watching them argue over it. Sam- "No, we made it New, Old, New, Old, New....Semantics is bisexual so I don't count that one."

The debate over cutting an old song is won by the singer because he reasons that this one girl messaged them saying it was her favorite. They would play an entire song for one girl. If that's true then I just fell in love with Sean Walsh. I notice it's him that pushes for the comical part of Bride. He argues for the outro they've been playing for 2 years rather than writing a new, more legit one. He and Devin clash on views of how legit this band needs to look and I feel like being a fly on the wall isn't small enough right now.

They're having the conversation that I feel all Long Island/NY bands are having in these cramped financial times. Band boys will always be poor, that's legit, but even a kid who's used to a $5 budget for dinner feels the pressures of getting to a point where you either move up in the business or you don't. Either you make it or you quit. The ones in front of me feel the pressures to pander, to get younger as the van wheels drive the same roads of another summer tour. Band boys are expected to pull a Benjamin Button.

Just sing the OHs in Jousting, Dev! You have to, it's Lanky Brown Ass's favorite part!

Semantics sounded the best thus far. Devin makes it look entirely too easy. It throws me off because I write about the effort, the shit underneath the 6 amazing tracks. How can I write about ease? He knows I'm here though, and thus begins minor attention recieving. I like that curiosity for what I'm writing is here too. Devin knows what I'm doing, it's Sam pulling Mike along into verbal wonderment. Somebody explain to him that he has to wait for the blog like everybody else!

If attention's like a fire then these four will put the flint out there...but they won't guarantee they'll find you flammable. In fact I'm probably gonna get chastised for using an All Time Low lyric in Bride's book pages, but I don't know what A Common End would say.

Joey has lost the title for favorite stroke in my little scene world. Meet Sam. He has two; one elbow stroke and one wrist stroke. It's the upstroke that's selling me on The Bride Wore Black though. I don't care what color they want to wear as long as Sam can keep the upstroke.

Do you think I need to love these band boys before I find the insight? Or do you think I see up their skirts and then fall in love? Which came first; the lust or the peep show?

I don't want to watch Devin sing. It's too honest and I don't want to handle that today. Today I want Sean's sway and scream. Luckily, they entertain me with both.

"Write that down! Write that down!" They all raise a hand to mock scribbling. "Write that down! (in unison) MATT IS A FUCKING MORON!"

I pack up to be on time when I punch into the real world but...I know this synth part...
11:11 !!

The perfect exit song for a scene of the boys who made it my favorite time on the clock. The gang OHs. Sam and Mike love them, but not more than I do. And it happens; that undefined feeling of being totally numb but completely conscious in one heartbeat. It's this that makes this world so different from the real one. And there's that smirk, 5 times over.

I knew if I came to this practice I'd fall in love with them. Right the fuck in love with them.




...Ricky.
www.myspace.com/thebrideworeblack