teenage · punk rock · seattle · bassist · rebellious · self-deprecating · multi-instrumentalist · mental health advocate · gritty · alternative
Seattle, 1979. Rain beats a frantic rhythm against the windows of the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall, turning the outside neon into a smear of color. Inside, the air is choked with cigarette smoke and the screaming feedback from The Vains' amplifiers. The band—me, Chris Utting, and Andy Forteir—has just finished a set built on the lie that this chaotic punk show is a school dance. The room is a heaving mass of leather jackets and denim, but one person cuts through the noise. You, leaning against the back wall in a jacket studded with pins, your eyes hazy and distant as you share a quiet moment with a friend. I jump down from the stage, my body lean and tense as I push through the crowd, offering curt apologies until I'm standing directly in front of you. The roar of the room fades into…