place: RAY'S

year: 2006

shirt worn: deftones

type of show: local

bands:

one:

Stillkept

indium

Absolute Asylum

went with: John Cuilla & Lisa Cuilla

show was: something i learned a lot from

entry:

OK. so for the events which led up to this show.... one: went on a three month tour across the country with famed bands: SEVENDUST, nonpoint, SOCIALBURN, & WICKED WISDOM. Since this was their first major tour, they wanted to have a welcome back show when they got back. So, by a joint production between John and AKT Productions, they did. As for how I fit it into in.....well, it was too late to put together my own show for my project, so, one day I went to the business magnet teacher at my school after school one day, and she said that since I've already done more work on my project than anyone to just document a show put together by my mentor, John. So, it was 4/6/6. It was the second semester of twelfth grade. I went to school. In lunch I didn't have time to eat because I was getting Alena approved to be able to come to our prom and getting our tickets and it took all of lunch. So, I was fucking hungry all day. When school ended, Chong drove me home and gave me his older digital camera   that he doesn't care about to borrow and take pictures with for the project. So, then my step dad took over to RAY'S. I ate my lunch that I would've eaten at school on the way there. It hit the spot, yo. I was supposed to get there as early as I could, which I did. So I get there at like three, and the show doesn't start till seven, but you know I have to document everything. So, right when I get there, John immediately pts me to work. My first job was to help these two dudes unload the trailer and bring all the equipment into the venue. Their names were Danny and Crispy. It was a lot of work. I had fun though. So, when we had a little bit of a break, I talked to them and found out about how they fit in to all this. Danny is a professional roadie. He lives in Atlanta but isn't at home much because he makes living off of touring with bands and moving their equipment. Crispy is a good friend of the guys in one:. He's been with them for eight years. So, he does what any band's best friends do, provide party and work. He just hangs out  and travels with them and moves their shit. They're both real funny guys to be around. Hehe, at one point, I was like "Ok, John, take a picture of me pretending to push this in." So, I acted like I was pushing in an amp crate or whatever and he took the picture and was like" Alright.......now push it in," and everyone started laughing. It was funny. I spent a little bit of time getting to know Kevin and Fish from one:. So, now I'm friends with all the guys from one: except Muk. Now, see, to John, RAY'S's sound system wasn't good enough for an artist's point of view. So, he hired a sound system company to come in and bring in a bigger and better P.A. I overheard John talking to Ray about selling him a sound board left over from THE KELSEY CLUB that is way better than the one there. So, after all the bands' shit was inside, we had about an hour or two or three or more until the doors open. I don't know how many. So, we were all just chillin till then. i was sittin next to Kevin having a good convo with him. We were talking about KoRn and nonpoint and IlNiño. I was tellin him about how I was also a big fan of his old band, whatserface. He's a real good bass player, yo. It was funny cause, when I was movin the stuff with Danny and Crispy, he was like "Hey, are you in a band from around here? Cause you look really really really familiar," and I was like "No, you've probably just seen me at like ever show ever." So, now I was tellin him about how after I got kicked out of my last band, I decided to give up on being a rock star, and he was like "Dude, don't give up. How old are you?" and I was like "eighteen" and he was like "See, you've got plenty of time. I'm thirty-two and I'm the youngest member." SO, that kind of made me realize, wow, I do have time. Then I had bring up the fact that John's the only member who has a degree of any sort. None of the other guys finished college. So, Kevin was tellin me that since I'm going to college it'll be easy to find a lot of people there with the same interest as me. Anyways, shortly after that, Chong's camera stopped working, and I couldn't fix it. Now, see, when I was dating Alena I would always get on a bus or two and go to City Place after school to see her since she goes to Dryfoos and it's right there, ya know. So, because of that, I've gotten to know City Place kind of well. So, I knew exactly what to do. I walked out of RAY'S. I walked to my left. When I got to the first street light, I took a left. I walked down that street until I reached Publix. I went in and purchased a disposable camera. The person who checked out my camera just so happened to be Rebecca Baker, an old friend of mine from Lake Park Baptist School and Middle School of the Arts. Wow, I've know her since Pre-K. So, I talked to her for a while. On my way out, I was like "what the hell, I'm here anyways" and I got a Mountain Dew. So, I came back. I went inside. I ate my SOUR Skittles left over from the cruise. I drank my Mountain Dew. I went outside to see who all was there in line waiting to get in. I saw none other than good old buddy Quazzy. He'll always be Anthony to me though. He was there with Josh Strode and Zakk Strode. Josh was like "Hey, see that tall goofy guy over there with the glasses. He owns the place. His name's not even Ray, it's Mark . That's fucked up." I was like "Um.....his name is definitely Ray." He was like "no, it's Mark." I jokingly whispered to Zakk "I think he's lying." So, Josh was like "You wanna go?" and I was like "no" and he was like "I'd have to hear Dana bitch about it but I could kick your ass.........I'm just kidding." Apparently he had a new girlfriend with him. I'd never seen her before, I don't think at least. So, then I was like "I'm gonna go back inside. I'll catch you guys later" and snapped my fingers and made the little gun hands. It kinda funny. So, this chick that does make up finally finished putting the make up on Sean's face. I came up to him like "So, is Stillkept goin theatrical tonight?" and he was like "I'm tryin. That chick is so awesome with make up." So, since musicians have to eat, Phil from Stillkept brought in a pizza for his band. They gave me pizza. So, I ate pizza with Sean, Phil, & Martial from Stillkept. I had Sean take a picture of me eating pizza with Phil. Then I had Phil take a picture of me chilling with Sean as Mr. Scary make-up man. I went outside and had Kevin take a picture of me in front of the line of people. Then he went off to talk to his friends. I ran into Rain, the girl I sat next to at the last Bakesale during StAiND & OURLADYPEACE & TRAPT. She introduced me to her friend or boyfriend, Matt. Don't know which kind of friend. She was like "who are you here to see" and I proudly said "I'm working this show." So, I had a little chat with them and hten finished it off wiht "Well, I'm gonna return to my rockstar enviornment." It made them laugh. Then the door guy wouldn't let me in. Then I was explaining to him that I was with John. He was like "are you on the guest list?" I was like "I'm Travis Fucking Finch." Adventually one of te other security guys came in and was like "Oh, yah, let this guy in. He's good," and I was like "Fuckin right." Some how me and John gt to talking about stuff, that I'm not going to say because Sean Wasik decided to put a link to this site on his My Space for the whole world to see. Anyways he told me something that I've heard a lot, but I think it just ment something to me cause I've never had someone say it ot me in the way that a father figure would. Whatever, Anyways.  John had to drive to Port St. Lucie and pick up his wife Lisa. So, like thirty minutes later the doors finally opened. As usual, Absolute Asylum did really well. I noticed something I hadn't noticed before though. One of their guitarists was the drummer of that HOLLOW POINT band that beat the shit out of me and Alex Adler at the first Stilkept show I went to in the pit with Josh. Funny, eh? So, after their set, I went and laid down on one of the couches. After a while of laying there, some girls came over to me who I do not know but apparently know me and wanted to get a picture with me. So, I let them take a picture standing next to me lying on a couch. From now on I'll call them "my fans." After they were done I looked up and there was Dana smoking a cigarette in a sublime shirt with a black sweater and jean skirt and those pokadotted sandals she always wears. So, she came over and hugged me and talked to me. We were talking for a little while and then she was like "What's John's last name?" and I was like "Cuilla. He's not here right now, but if you'd like to leave a message---" and then Beau came over and she ran off to talk to him and I'm sure they were talking about me but whatever. Anyways. indium got on. They were great, as usual. When they were done, I went back into the back area with couches and pool tables. I stood behind Stillkept's merch table with Martial and had one of "my fans" take a picture of me pretending to sell merch. So, then I ran into Sheila. That was really nice. So, Stillkept played. They did really really well. In fact, they kicked major ass. The first thing Sean sais when he gets on stage "It's my birthday! It's my birthday!" I only moshed during Unnerving. I had Sheila hold my backpack and camera when that happened. A couple songs later, Dana came up to me and she gave me a hair tie and she was like "in case you go in the pit again" and I was like "hehe. oh. ok" and then she smiled and pinched my cheek and walked away. Weirdo. I never went in the pit again though. So, lets' see. Sometime after they were done, John got back. Adventually one: got on. They were amazing. Everyone was jumpin around and singin their songs. It was funny seein all those fancy lights they brought in at RAY'S. Too bad RAY'S will never see that again. I'm just kiddin. I really don't think it was necessary though. I mean, we're in a club not even the size of my house. So, blah blah balh. Muk split the crowd again but I couldn't get a picture of it. When they were done some guy asked me to get them to turn on the lights so he could find his PANTERA wallet. So I got them to turn on the house lights and he found it. Me, Crispy, and Danny packed everything up. As me and Crispy were loading something up, some guy came up  to us and was like "I really wanna thank you guys for making shows like these possible. God damnit thank you so much," and we were like "we really appreciate that." I was real fuckin tired after that. Dana hugged me bye. So, after most of the people had left, John and Lisa wanted to stand around and talk to their friends all night. So, I laid down on that piece of shit bench they call art. Why does that thing look so fucking retarded? Anyway. So, I remember lying on that thing and looking up at the trees above me with lights on their branches. I remember thinking about how I wasted three or four years of my life chasing Dana. I remember thinking about how I don't wanna spend the next however many years chasing Alena if she's not going to chase back. I remember thinking about how I literally can't comprehend how so many people can love someone for a couple days or weeks or months and then not. For some reason, I just don't have the ability to move on like that. I really don't understand how you can just get tired of loving someone. I remember thinking that these shows are real fun and all but life still seems so pointless when you look at it as a whole. I remember hoping that these shows will somehow have a major factor in the path of my future. This has been a beautiful hobby of mine and I don't wanna see it go to waste. I remember thinking about how it's so fucking stupid of me to be sad that I've never met my father. I mean, people go through so much harder shit than that and that's the hardest thing I have to deal with. I look at everything Alena has to deal with and then I wonder why I'm blessed to be a spoiled suburban kid with a nice family and everything laid out for him and why she doesn't. It's not fair. Ninety-percent of my problems come from girls. That's nothing. Some people have had to know their father and watch him die and yet I can lay here on this dumb bench and think "it sucks to not know half of where I came from."  After all this philosophical and emotional pondering, some scary homeless black guy tries to sell me weed. That's when I decided to go inside. Finally, at three in the morning, John and Lisa decide to go. They dropped me off. I went to bed. That's how my project turned out.