Coconut Pecan Snappers Essay, Research Paper

Playing punkrock created for me a sort of freedom through which many of my desires could be achieved. In music there are really no boundaries and the possibilities are endless. It has really made a great impact on me as well. I have been playing punkrock for several years now and everytime I m playing, whether its on stage or in the garage, I feel like I have this towering power where I can actually be someone. To me, that means being noticed, even accepted, and being seen for something I m good at, not just who I appear to be. It gives me the power to release any feeling that is inside of me and even the chance to meet others.

I got into punk way back in the middle of 10th grade. I suppose I was looking for a change in my life as well. A majority of my life was spent in front of the computer playing games and causing destruction to the online world when I wasn t at school. I lived on a hill in the middle of Egypt with no neighbors of interest and no where to go. I had no one to talk to or ride bikes with except for my brother. I can still remember the sound of that first song that clicked on something in my head and brought about the change. I was lying on my back in the middle of a poorly lit skating rink in between periods of a hockey game. I was exhausted and drowning in sweat with no desire to move. Over the radio I heard a song come on that I had almost long forgotten. It was a Greenday song. Exactly which one, I forget, but I remember just lying there listening to every aspect of the song in complete amazement. I particularly admired the speed in which it was played, the sloppy sounding vocals, and the way it didn t just drag on like most songs. I guess it caused a chain reaction in my head. I started listening to more and more bands playing this punkrock music, it was excellent.

The coolest thing in the world was when my best friend Bob sparked the same interest. For a long time we had this goal to start a band and now we had our style. He introduced more bands to me as I did for him. I still remember the sound of that NOFX CD he popped into the player for me and that Rancid CD that I struck back with.

We both sortta had this kid we looked up to as well. His name was Doug, Doug Ruckle to be exact. He was in school with Bob and I worked at the local McDonnalds with him. He was about my height, my build, had black hair that was always kind of short and crazy on the top while being nearly shaved on the sides. He always wore baggy blue jeans with black boots, and he played guitar for a local band called The Mongols. The Mongols were big in the scene and, to Bob and I, Doug was like the man. He had this tape of a band called Screeching Weasel and when I heard the crazy catchy guitar riffs, the whiny vocals, and the intense backing vocals for the first time, I was hooked, they became my favorite band.

Well, there you have it, punkrock became my poison and that was only the beginning! More importantly, what started out as two kid s dreams turned into something that changed us for a long time. Two years latter, Bob and I had ourselves one rockin punk band that had almost seen it all.

The limits to what you could write about had no boundaries and the prime listeners all saw each other as equal. Everybody all seemed to fall victim of being the outcast, or the nerd, or just someone that was looking for a change. With the cool songs I kept hearing, I knew that the up tempo, fast beet was what I wanted to get into.

Whether it s punkrock, or something else, when you re up on that stage playing it s the best feeling in the world. You may disagree, but try it. Do you know the feeling of getting up in front of over a hundred people and getting them to put aside all their worries and just break loose? It s indescribable. When the music my band plays puts out that inner effect; everything we worked for just became worth it. Sometimes the feeling of playing is that of great relief. I find that I can relieve an awfully great amount of stress yelling into that microphone. I often play best when I m really pissed off about something.

Besides the fluid feelings and emotions that come through the jam are the more external achievements. Not only does my band rock out for us, but it s also for the crowd. To give them what they want. When they get that, then we get what we want in return. That primarily being acceptance, but; also satisfaction, half naked crowd chicks, a rising popularity, and the occasional nice comment after the show. Not all shows turn out to be crowd pleasers though, but hey, ya win some and ya lose some.

In a more longterm sense, its great to meet new people after a show. If we play shitty, we usually just book, but when we put on something good we ll stick around and shoot the breeze with the peasants. It s really something spectacular when you get to meet some heads of some really big bands and labels. It s even cooler steeling all the girl friends after the show. It means a lot to a small band who s ultimate goal was just to be heard and liked.