Oh, The Damage

I'd like to introduce y'all to my baby brother, Aaron. One of his bands, Damage Incorporated - a Metallica tribute band, is performing right now in the Dominican Republic. Clearly, Aaron is shy and conservative. I'm trying to help him come out of his shell. He lives in a house overlooking Yosemite National Park in California and is the single father of two teenage girls. He manufactures racks for musicians in a converted barn on his property that he sells to music stores and he composes music - his own rock-n-roll as well as classical guitar.

Aaron is unbelievably talented. We were all given guitars for Christmas one year when I was 14 - 15ish and took lessons for a while. Aaron is the only one that really took it anywhere. He is also the one that took my gorgeous rose wood guitar on a camping trip, while I was away for my brief college stint, wherein it was crushed under the foot of a drunken friend. Were it not for that I would now totally be rockin' in a girl band. Thank God for therapy.

Growing up with a bedroom adjacent to his, I was far too familiar with both the sounds of early VanHalen and inhuman snoring. And then there was the Metallica. One would think that I would not be a fan. Wrong. I have to be in the mood for it, but when I am - oh, Baby do I love it. When Damage Incorporated comes gigging through Salt Lake I am happy as a head banging clam. Secret: Aaron and I have the same hair. When I wash it and do nothing but shake dry we are twins. So, at his shows he is onstage banging and screaming and his lame-ass 4o year old big sister look alike is doing Tequila shots and seizing in the mosh pit. Totally worth the headache and stiff neck! If my kids were old enough to be there they would be mortified and would instantly vote me off the island. Of course if my kids were there there would be no Tequila in Mama. Another secret: I don't need alcohol to dork around in a mosh pit. Welcome to me.

The funny thing is that if I didn't know him, I would have him and his co-band members all figured out. And they would not be people that I would ever imagine wanting to hang out with. Which, I admit, makes me a bit-o-bitch. We humans are just so quick to judge and self protect ourselves from one another. But, I have hung out with these guys after shows. We have eaten pancakes. They are among the nicest and most polite guys I have ever met. Gentlemen pirates.

Below are two videos of their recent shows. The sound ain't great but you get the visual. And, anyone who knows me knows that I have a thing for men with long hair. Check out the base player in Master of Puppets. Don't think for a second that when he sets his head to banging and twirling it doesn't give me fireworks of happygasms!

Ahh, simple pleasures...