I'm a Believer!

My mom used to poke fun at me for believing everything people told me. You could tell me something crazy like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were real, and sadly, I would have believed it. Eventually I outgrew my childish gullibility, but she continued to tell people how easily I could be deceived. Determined to prove her wrong, I became who I am today - Ryan the skeptic. The one who absolutely will not be convinced something is true, unless it is reported from the most reliable news source, but even after that I'm often still unable to swallow it.

Rolando and I shared the same house for 4 months I discovered he was a drummer/bass player for the band Project Analogue. He told me this only after I asked if he was a musician when seeing the practice drum kit in his room. He had set it up beside his bed, likely due to a lack of owning a proper stool. Now...this would be ideal for one who's first thought after waking is "I gotta play drums-IMMEDIATELY." But on one finger, I can count the number of times I actually heard those drums.

I never believed him when he'd tell me he had to go to band practice.

I thought perhaps his "band" was a codename for his group of friends who played first person shooter games online, like Counter Strike. Not wanting to sound like a complete dork, he masked his obsession over videogames with the identity of a cool rock band.

Other reasons for my skepticism:

-What kind of bass player doesn't actually own a bass guitar?

-He never left for these practices with an instrument in his hands.

-His band's Myspace site at that time, had ZERO photos of him, only of some random ninjas and pirates.

-The one video he showed me of "his" band was shot at a party in a room with just enough light to make out some dark shapes playing instruments.

Well, last night, at a seedy club in an equally seedy area, complete with creepy old homeless men carrying hockey sticks in dark alleys, I saw my old roommate on stage rocking the bass like I'd never seen before. Because really...I'd never seen him play before.



These two other guys and I were without a doubt, the loudest, most abnoxious people watching the show. But hey, we had to support our bro. Besides, no band wants to play for a dud audience.



I believe him now. But I'm pretty sure that wasn't his guitar.

While I certainly feel I have proved her wrong, to this day my mom still thinks I will fall for anything you say.

(All photos taken by someone else with a real camera)