They call it the Tuesday night grind. Every Tuesday the members of Hellakill, drummer Peter, bass player Steve, singer Tyson and guitarist Jay gather in the basement of the ratty house Peter rents in downtown Millenburgh for their weekly practice session. Peter’s roommates usually clear out for the night and the band gets the place to themselves. It’s been a solid routine ever since Peter joined the band.
Peter jumped to Hellakill more than a year and a half ago from a pub band that made the rounds playing the small town hotels around Indiana. The band made all right money but he didn’t like the way they were going: the Janis Joplin lead singer had dated and dumped the rhythm guitarist and was moving on to the bass player, which was causing friction. Besides that, the lead guitarist had started selling his extra equipment to finance his cocaine habit. Peter figured it was time to jump ship before they imploded.
Lucky for him, Tyson and Jay were looking for an upgrade behind the drum kit, and after seeing Peter play they brought him into the Hellakill lineup. The fact that Peter had a van and a house where they could practice every week was frosting on the cake.
The Tuesday night grind usually goes like this: at six o’clock the members of the band start dropping by. Steve, the bass player is often first. He lives nearby and since he spends his days at the Indiana University campus in Millenburgh’s core area, it’s easy for him to make it there early. Sometimes in the summer, when Peter is working as a roofer’s assistant, Steve will get there even before Peter does, and has to kill time watching cartoons with Peter’s roommates.
Like Peter, Steve is a more recent addition to the Hellakill lineup. After going through stints with different bands and different genres (from pop-punk to nu-metal, covers to originals), he finally escaped the loop of student musicians that can be found around any university or college campus, where students congregate and form bands, practice once a month, play a single gig and then get too busy with exams to carry on. Answering Hellakill’s ad got him in with a band that was not going to give up after one rough show.
Tyson and Jay usually drop in for the grind sometime between six and seven. They both take the bus in from different sides of town. They are the two core members: they write the songs, they have final say on the major decisions. Tyson found Jay by posting an ad looking for a guitar-player and song-writing partner, and since Jay was the only guy who replied, he was in. They started the band when they were both eighteen years old, fresh out of high school with nothing to do except get crappy jobs working in warehouses or shoe stores. They suffered through the line-up changes and the bad performances and the shows in empty rooms. They did the dirty work to build the band.
This week Jay is the last to arrive. The other three members are waiting for him in Peter's kitchen, drinking coffee and eating chips. After a quick greeting and a brief discussion of the past weekend's performance at The Station, they head downstairs and get plugged in and set up.
It's a well-established routine by now. Once the band is ready to go, they all face the same direction, performing to an imaginary audience at the far end of the room. They go through the list of their original material from start to finish, not repeating a song. If there are mistakes, those mistakes are acknowledged but they don't stop and play songs over to fix one missed note. They keep going, trying to keep the speed of a live show.
Hellakill has a list of twenty original songs at their disposal for their shows. On top of that there are the dozen or so other original tunes that they used and eventually dropped for one reason or another. Usually a song would get dropped because it "doesn't fit with the rest of the set," or "needs a bit more work," or some other reason that really just means "it isn't good enough."
Beyond the originals there is a list of covers they are ready to play. The covers were tricky to choose. Tyson and Jay, as well as the other bassists, guitarists and drummers who have sat in with the band have recognized that the band has a particular sound, a certain style of play with its originals. Any cover they play has to be changed so that it has the Hellakill sound, and that's not always possible. A lot of good songs were tried and discarded because they just couldn't be bent to the band's style.
So what is Hellakill's style? It is an attempt to combine speed, power and distortion without sacrificing melody. It mixes the pop sensibilities of the '80s (skipping the keyboards) with the darkness and aggression of '90s, blended with simple values: movement creates movement and excitement creates excitement. If you feel it and show it, the audience will feel it too.
They play for an hour, running through the first thirteen songs on the list before calling a break. The guys wipe off sweat, pry and stretch their fingers to loosen stressed ligaments, and wander up the stairs.
"This sucks," Jay tells the others as they settle into the kitchen. "We need to get another guitar player. I can't do anything if I'm trying to play both rhythm and lead."
"Yeah, we're missing Chris," says Steve. "You know, I bet he'd come back if we called him up. It seems like a real waste to lose a guy like that."
Tyson shakes his head. "No. Forget him. We don't need a guy that's going to miss gigs over little fights."
"What do you guys think about giving my brother a try?" Jay offers.
"Is he any good?" Peter asks.
"He's learning," Jay replies.
Tyson gives him a serious look. "Danny's under age. We can't sneak him in the back door of every place we play."
"Don't worry about that," Jay says. "If he can play the songs, you guys would give him a try, right?"
"Sure," says Steve. "If he can play the songs."
Jay doesn't say anything more about it, and they move on to discuss other potential replacements, guys and girls from around the city scene who might fit in. The best guitarists already have bands, so it's not a long list they have to choose from. There are always a few guys drifting around who are terrific players, but lack the dedication and teamwork to stick with a project. Nothing conclusive comes of the discussion and eventually they head back downstairs.
They hammer their way through the seven remaining originals, and then pick and choose their way through some of their covers. Any time Tyson, Peter or Steve look over at Jay they can see the irritated look on his face. The band has always had a rhythm player, and to go without one now means the sound of every song is compromised. Everything sounds thin and loose, and trying to make it sound like nothing is missing is a frustrating exercise for Jay.
They go back over the songs that seemed off at the Station show, and by nine thirty they finish. After casual goodbyes Steve collects his bass and walks off toward his downtown apartment, while Jay and Tyson wander off to their bus stop. "Tyson," Jay says as they reach the stop, "Could I borrow your acoustic?"
"What for?"
"Danny needs something to practice on."
"I knew it." Tyson rubs a hand over his close-cropped hair. "He can't play at all, can he? What are you going to do, teach him yourself?"
"Yeah," Jay answers. "So let me borrow your guitar, okay? You don't need it right now, do you? You've got an electric anyway."
"No, I don't need it. But I guess this means you weren't serious about having Danny try out, were you?"
"I was serious. I'm going to teach him the songs, and if he picks it up, I want him to have a tryout."
Tyson shakes his head. "But why should we let him try out if he can't even play?"
"I'll teach him. Don't worry. I won't let him come out if he's not up for it."
"Yeah, but don't you see? He hasn't earned a tryout. Why should we give him a shot when he's never done anything before? You and I have been in this band for three years. We put in the time. Peter and Steve got their chance because they had the ability and the experience. Those guys were in like, ten bands each or something. Danny hasn't done anything. We can't put him in the band just because he's your brother."
Jay gives him a frustrated glare. "Look, I'm not asking for anything big. I just want you to lend me your guitar for a while so I can teach my brother how to play. If he catches on fast and it turns out he's good, maybe you can give him a listen. No promises or anything. And no free rides."
"Whatever," Tyson says. "Just remember you said that, okay? No promises."
The bus rolls around the corner two blocks away and rumbles toward them. "If you want the guitar, come get it now. But if Danny really wants to learn how to play, he'll have to get his own. He's not going to spend all his time with my gear."
"Right." The bus pulls up to the curb and they climb on, heading to the west end of town where Tyson lives. Jay collects the acoustic guitar from his friend and heads back out onto the street to ride clear across the city back home.
2007 © Nolan Whyte
/ my profile 
bit shorter than the first 2 ones though.
awesome job dude
