Sunday, November 14, 2010

Life After Gifflegs


It's strange being an out of state student anywhere, especially when the distance is a great as thousands of miles. I'm a Californian (specifically, I come from Granite Bay, a little city suburb by Roseville, which is roughly 40 minutes away from Sacramento) and the only one from my high school to come from Ohio State. I wasn't worried about making friends, I'm pretty good at that. What I was concerned about - correction - what I AM concerned about is finding comrades. Bandmates.

Gifflegs @ the Shire Road Club: Me in front, Seth in the middle, and Joe on the left
                                        

Back at home, I was the bassist for the band known as Gifflegs. We were notorious for our live shows and the seemingly endless chaotic energy we produced on stage. We didn't just make music: we made an experience. Not the grandiose, ultra flashy and expensive arena rock kind of experience. We were as rough and rowdy as any punk band that ever played in a packed basement, except we actually had shows that weren't in someone's house. Those bandmates were my best friends, and I still consider them as family (which is rather fitting, since one of the guitarists is my cousin).
We knew the band would have to go on hiatus, or "suspended animation" as we like to call it, once I left for Ohio. Last I heard, they had all moved on and formed new projects.
Me? Not yet. I've gotten an offer to be in a punk band, but we've yet to find a drummer or have any real communication. But I'm hopeful. I've done well for myself at Ohio State so far, so there's no reason I should doubt that I can't find an opportunity here. I just need to be patient. Soon, I'll be up on stage again, a place I've been gone from for far too long.

3/4 of Gifflegs from left to right: Levi Mira, Joe Thompson, and Seth Mira