Live music (Touchdown Edition)

Chapter 1: The Broken Heart Brigade

In basements, garages, and living rooms all across the United States, something exciting is happening. Driven by an intense passion for music, teenagers are pounding away at drum kits and belting out power chords on electric guitars. As these young musicians discover their own unique sound, they’re creating the music of tomorrow.

A great example of this is The Broken Heart Brigade. This band is together almost every day playing music, working on new songs, and trying to improve. They have fun exploring new sounds, while perfecting old ones. The lyrics they write represent the voices of their generation. Here, in this rural town of Diamond, Ohio, located 50 miles southeast of Cleveland, they dream big. Like thousands of other bands across the country, they have their sights set on hitting the big time.

On this chilly fall afternoon, the band is downstairs in the basement, getting ready to rehearse. While Brandi adjusts the high hats on her red, five-piece Pearl drum set, Ozzie and Zach tune their guitars. Meanwhile, Isaac carefully ties his red-and-black-checkered bandana—which he sometimes wears when he performs, and often when the band practices.

As they start playing, Ozzie steps up to the mic. His powerful voice is clear and distinct. It’s obvious that he has been influenced by many other bands, including My Chemical Romance. When fans hear the first line from their classic song “Welcome to the Black Parade,” they recognize the unmistakable voice of Gerard Way.

Being compared to someone as talented as Gerard Way makes Ozzie proud. After all, he’s a huge fan of My Chemical Romance. If they heard Ozzie sing, they would probably become fans of his as well.

Ozzie

“I express my emotions through music, whether I’m feeling happy, sad, or even scared. I definitely have an alter ego on stage.”

An alter ego is like there are two of you. One is the normal you, while the other represents a completely different side of your personality. Confused? Think of the movie The Dark Knight, which features millionaire Bruce Wayne—and his alter ego, Batman.

In the case of 18-year-old Ozzie Thomas, the two sides of his personality are also very interesting. In his everyday life, he’s a soft-spoken teenager who attends church, loves Star Wars and Tim Burton movies, and listens to music ranging from Elvis, to 70s rock, to Green Day. Yet he’s the same guy who straps on a guitar, grabs a microphone, and rocks out as the charismatic lead singer of The Broken Heart Brigade!

Before music came into Ozzie’s life, it was all about sports. He has played basketball and baseball for as long as he can remember. A hard-throwing lefty, he would still be pitching today if he hadn’t suffered a shoulder injury. At that point, his focus shifted to basketball.

Ozzie has always been a talented athlete. At six-foot-two with a sturdy frame, he’s the starting center of the Southeast High Pirates. Of course, his schedule is busier than most athletes. Besides attending basketball practice, working out in the weight room, and playing league games, he also spends a lot of time practicing with his band.

According to Ozzie, the launching point of his music career was a rainy Saturday afternoon in 2004, when he was 14 years old. His dad decided to take the family shopping—at Guitar Center. When Mr. Thomas was a kid, he and his brother played music together. Now it was time for that tradition to be passed on to Ozzie and his younger brother, Isaac. By the time the family returned home, Ozzie had a beautiful new acoustic guitar. He’s been playing it ever since.

As usual, The Broken Heart Brigade has gotten practice underway with several covers. A “cover” is when a band or singer performs a song that was originally recorded by a different musician. An hour later, they’re still at it, having mixed in a couple of long instrumental solos—and a lot of messing around. Band practice is completely different from sports practice, where a coach barks out instructions and makes sure it’s all business. Here, the mood is relaxed and light—even downright goofy at times.

At the moment, Ozzie, Brandi, and Isaac are laughing as Zach describes every gory detail of the hernia surgery he recently had. He has everyone cracking up, especially when he reaches into his guitar case for a large brown envelope: “Check out these pics my surgeon gave me after the operation.”

“No thanks,” Isaac says, feigning disgust. “Dude, you’re the only person in the world who would carry around pictures of the blood and guts inside his body!”

Without missing a beat, Zach grins and walks over to Brandi, photos in hand. Trying to keep a straight face, she holds up her hand like a police officer stopping traffic. “Don’t even THINK about it, Zach.”
It’s funny and all four of them are laughing, but what Isaac said is true. What’s also true is that Zach is a unique teenager who is interested in things that many of his friends wouldn’t even understand.

Zach

The four members of The Broken Heart Brigade are bound together by a deep love of music and a fierce desire to succeed in the music business. They are the best of friends, but also distinct individuals who have their own lives.

In addition to music, 18-year-old Zach Kuntz also takes part in several other hobbies. Over the course of his life, “Kuntzy” has enjoyed riding four-wheelers, being on the wrestling team, running track, and taking piano. Oh yeah, and another one of his interests is the human body.

(Feel free to take a moment to laugh, or make a joke about hot girls, body parts, etc.).

Actually, it’s not like that at all. Like many brilliant minds, Zach is interested in anatomy and the inside of the human body. “In school, I’ve always found myself fascinated by how the body works, how it can heal itself, and how we can help it heal,” Zach explains. “We take it for granted, but it’s amazing how science has given us the opportunity to live longer and better than ever before.”

Bones, muscles, joints, organs, arteries that transport blood—these are just some of the basics of the human body. How important is it to study these things? Well, consider that understanding human anatomy is one of the starting points for college students who train to become doctors.

Zach obviously isn’t grossed out by the blood and guts inside his body—and even asked the doctor to take the internal pictures during his hernia surgery. He clearly has an appreciation for these types of things. That’s why, if music doesn’t work out for him, Zach may choose to pursue a career as a doctor, radiologist, biologist, or researcher. These are good career choices because, while they’re not as glamorous as being a rock star, they play a crucial role in making the world a better place.

After the laughter over the photos dies down, things begin to get serious. The band decides to work on a new song Ozzie has written. They stop briefly a few minutes later while Zach changes a broken string on his guitar. While they wait, they start discussing an upcoming gig they’re all really excited about.

Soon they’re back at it. As the chorus kicks in, Brandi sets the tone with her aggressive and precise drumming. People always comment on how cool it is that she’s the only girl in a band with three other guys, but it’s never been a big deal to her.

“I have a brother who is seven years older than me and a bunch of cousins who are boys, so I’m used to it,” she explains.

Isaac nods his head in agreement, adding, “We’re always messing around and picking on each other. Brandi’s just like one of the guys. If any of us messes with her, she always dishes it right back.”

Brandi

“That was the night I fell in love with music.”

Brandi Walden, drummer of The Broken Heart Brigade, is reflecting back on the first concert she ever attended. Just ten years old, she went with her family to the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Appearing that night were Poison and Cinderella, metal and hard rock acts that found big success in the 1980s and ‘90s. Some music fans might be familiar with Poison’s lead singer, Bret Michaels, who also stars on VH1’s “Rock of Love.”

Brandi remembers being mesmerized by the power and force of the music and the energy of the crowd. When Poison did their famous song “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” which once went to #1 on the Billboard “Hot 100” chart, the audience went wild. This was a different world than anything Brandi had known up until that moment. The drummers in particular had a major impact on her. She wanted to be like them—up there on the stage, drumsticks in hand.

After that concert, Brandi, who was then in the fifth grade, began playing percussion in band class. She played the snare drum, bells, and other percussion instruments. It was fun, and the seeds of her musical future, which had been planted at the concert, began to blossom.

By the time Brandi was in the eighth grade, she was ready to take things to the next level. Her parents signed her up for lessons on a real drum set. Brandi was done playing simple percussion parts in band class—especially after she began to show real skill on the drums. When Christmas rolled around in 2005, 14-year-old Brandi received her very own drum kit. “It was the happiest day of my life,” she recalls.

A deep and genuine love of music runs in Brandi’s family. Her father, Jack Walden, is the manager of The Broken Heart Brigade. Her uncle, Nik Storm, is an accomplished musician who has taught her a lot about music and performing. In fact, the first time Brandi ever played live was alongside her uncle, who invited her to sit in with his band.

Brandi, only 15 years old at the time, was extremely nervous. They were at a cool little club called David B’s, which was packed with people. Brandi tried to appear calm. Inside, though, she was terrified. She didn’t want to let her uncle down.

Leading the band on a powerful rendition of Led Zeppelin’s classic song “Rock and Roll,” Brandi won the crowd over, and instantly conquered her own fear of performing. It was this amazing experience that fueled her desire to become a great drummer.

The few times the band had practiced Ozzie’s song, Isaac felt there was something missing. True, the song was so new it didn’t even have a title yet. Still, Isaac was sure something didn’t sound quite right. All of a sudden, like a bolt of lightning, an idea hits him. “Hey Ozzie,” he says to his older brother, “what if you switch out the second line with the first line, and replace the words ‘hey girl’ with the words ‘see the world’? I’ll bet that will make the chorus flow better.”

Ozzie and Zach, almost at the same time, understand what he’s talking about. “Yeah, Isaac, good call. C’mon, let’s try it.”

After only one take with the new lyrics, everyone is telling Isaac that he’s a genius! Just like that, the chorus sounds more natural, and it makes the song much better. No one else in the band could have figured it out, because they don’t look at things the way Isaac does. Actually, very few people look at things the way he does.

Isaac

Isaac Thomas was busy. While uploading pictures to his MySpace page and searching for new music, he chatted online with friends. Booming out of his computer speakers was “What It Is To Burn,” by Finch. His desk, where he was sitting at the moment, had books and papers spread out everywhere.

What’s important about Isaac has nothing to do with how organized—or disorganized—he is. It’s about the way his creative mind works. His friends, family, and teachers know him as a free thinker and a talented writer. Within The Broken Heart Brigade, his bandmates recognize him as a powerful lyricist.

Growing up, Isaac was always fond of the English language. Writing was a skill that came easily to him. While his big brother Ozzie would be playing the guitar, Isaac would be in his room, writing or reading. Like all artists, he has discovered many things in life that inspire him: “girls, heartache, fear, and a strong trust that God and love will see me through,” he states without hesitation.

Judging by how many friends he has, it’s clear that 15-year-old Isaac is extremely popular and well-liked. This is even more noteworthy considering that he doesn’t always conform to mainstream ideas and a “follow-the-crowd” mentality. Instead, Isaac chooses to be himself, even in situations when he leaves himself open to the judgment of other people.

A perfect illustration of this is his participation in a program known as the Silver Ring Thing. Using education, live events, and support groups, its purpose is to encourage teenagers to remain sexually abstinent until marriage. Isaac’s decision to participate in—and talk about—the Silver Ring Thing shows that he has the courage to serve as a role model for other teenagers, even in the face of ridicule.

Isaac’s brave choice is shared by another group of musicians—although ironically they couldn’t be further away from the pop punk and emo hardcore genres he embraces. While he jokes about how much he dislikes their music, Isaac admits he has respect for the Jonas Brothers, who are famous for their “purity rings.” Like Isaac, they have remained true to their core beliefs—even when kidded about it on the Internet and on TV.

Isaac knows that some of the most influential people in history have had their skeptics, but that it didn’t stop them from following their chosen paths. So whether or not you agree with them, you should applaud the Jonas Brothers—and Isaac Thomas—for having the courage and conviction to stand up for what they believe.

Four hours later, The Broken Heart Brigade finally wraps up practice. By now they’re wiped out, but they all feel satisfied after a very productive afternoon. They had initially only planned to rehearse for a couple of hours, but they just didn’t want to stop playing. This happens to them a lot. And it’s not just because they’re always working on new songs or preparing for their next live show—it’s because they love playing together.

For The Broken Heart Brigade—and bands all around the world—it’s all about the music.