I had an experience Friday night, the strangeness of which approached out-of-body: my 16 year-old son's thrash metal band, Blood Omen, played its first gig at the Kent State Student Center. I had not previously heard them play in that they (thankfully) rehearse at another kid's house. They brought about 20 kids with them from Aurora - there wasn't going to be much of a crowd otherwise at 8:30 on a Friday night, the first band out of a five-band lineup.
Dawn and my dad came too, and to all of our astonishment, they were shockingly good. I am less than thrilled with cookie monster vocals, which are more chant than sing, but the power-trio lineup of guitar, bass (my son) and drums was remarklably tight, precise, and their 25-minute all-originals set was energetic, professional, and entertaining as hell. Even the blase older people hanging around waiting for other bands were drawn in by their ebullience, confidence and noisy panache. I was so proud I almost popped.
My dad, who is almost 71, wrote this email to his friends and family:
- Hey Dude, you missed it:
Last night, at Kent State's Student Center's basement Rathskeller, at 8:45 PM, the soon to be famous heavy metal band, Blood Omen, made it's first ever (world) debut. The four Aurora high school students, who had never appeared in public before, made their auspicious start before 20 or so friends and classmates from Aurora, several soon to be interested Kent students, the Kent student Animal Rights sponsors whose fund raising event brought the band to Kent, and three old people (who attempted to make themselves invisible not to embarrass the Olsen teen member) named Eric, Dawn and Ray.
The band was appropriately dressed in black with heavy black and white makeup reminiscent of KISS (see, I even remember them), which had been applied by a female classmate (their first groupie). They appeared on a real stage, instruments plugged in, the first of five bands invited to the gig. And - they were great. Chris was by far the best showman of the group, really into the music with wild gyrations playing his bass guitar. The singer was shouting or grunting unintelligent words or wails into the mike. The lead guitar player was calmer and the drummer was beating his instrument with fantastic intensity. But, they were really tight together and didn't sound at all like a new or high school group. The spectators all gathered around the bandstand and shouted appreciatively at the end of each number with even the Kent students in the large room joining them as the startlingly loud music filled the air.
Article comments
1 - Casper
Please pass along my congradulations to your son and his band. First gigs are notoriously hard (I remember several initial outings with other bands in which I have played with, um, good humor at a distance), and it sounds like they killed at theirs.
2 - Dawn
Nice write up. I can't wait to do mine. BLOOD OMEN RULES!!
3 - Jonathan
Kick ass.
4 - Shark
Eric, congrats to you and all involved.
I think your 71 year-old dad's enthusiasm is a real gift. Hope your son appreciates how special that is.
Raising a son is hard these days, especially with all the sex and drugs.
So did he share any of those with you, or did the little bastid keep them to himself?
Anyway, count yourself a lucky dad, cause it could always be worse: he could be in a band that does Billy Joel covers.
Then you'd have to kill him.
5 - Mac Diva
Eric, his tongue does not appear to pierced, yet. A seventeenth birthday present from Dad, perhaps-:)?
6 - Eric Olsen
piercings limited to two in left ear, as it shall remain as long as possible
7 - Ed
Frist, being there, I would like to say BLOOD OMEN ROCKS and second, look for a blood omen website very soon. Finally, can't wait for round two.
8 - Nicole Rusnak
BLOOD OMEN RULES! i'm so proud of them because they have only been together as the band for 2 or 3 months and they sound absolutely amazing...
i hung out with them before the concert and provided their faces with the dark eyes and blood... only finding they all look really hot like that ;) he he...
oh yea chris darling you're my hero...
he he
~always love to the band,
~(1st groupie)
9 - lori
Chris looks awesome! Congratulations on your first gig Chris. I hope I can catch a show in the future.
10 - Matt
Hey, We need more pics of the band... Im friends with Nate, the drummer... Just graduated last year.
11 - Eric Olsen
hi Matt, I''l try to get some more pics up - most of what we have is geared toward Chris, him being my son and all
12 - METAL STEVE
HAILS BLOOD OMEN NEED YOU TO CONTACT ME ABOUT DOING A METAL FEST IM PUTTING TOGTHER IN OCTOBER ,I HOPE YOU SEE THIS OR SOMEONE YOU NO SEES THIS AND CONTACTS YOU ,PLEASE GET BACK TO ME ASAP
13 - Eric Olsen
will forward the message Metal Steve, thanks