Blaugust #11: The Band Project

Brief. A sort of humorous coming of age comic. I played bass in a 'band' very briefly in high school so I was never a real musician or anything, but it's always been an itch I can't scratch. Maybe if we fucked around less in high school and practiced more we'd actually get to playing something. Well, instead I'm doing a comic about it. The story is still kind of lose but it's pretty simple: a high school band that takes itself way too seriously tries 

Premise. Kai, Kasra, and Ira are in a band with hopes to attend a local Battle of the Bands. However, they just aren't that good. Hoping to sound better they recruit Aidan, who's not really happy to be there but wants to win the Battle's prize. Personalities clash, unexpected friendships form, and shows are played!

Setting. Honestly, I don't have much ideas. Generic small town. A lot about this project seems generic, I know. But I'm kind of just throwing the sure things down for now.

Main Cast.

Kai Javernick. So full of himself, he think he's the shit. He's actually not well-liked outside his circle of friends. Kai is the eldest of many kids, but the only child from the previous marriage of his mother. He hates his step-father and has issues being perceived as a weirdo by his cooler classmates. That's what makes him a total dick to many people, such as Aidan. He plays lead guitar, bad, and does vocals.

Aidan Katz. Unlike Kai, Aidan doesn't give a shit what people think about them, at least not about their reputation. They are incredibly hostile to everyone, and everyone pretty much returns the favor. Even though they don't get along with Kai at all, they are persuaded to join the band by Kasra, who knows that Aidan is a pretty solid guitar player.

 

Kasra Hakimi. He appears as a heartthrob to most, many are afriad to approach him. He's actually kind of a huge nerd with conventionally attractive looks. He's Kai's childhood friend and mostly follows what Kai wants to do. He's kind but incredibly secretive. He plays the bass and does vocals.

Ira B. Drop out with nothing much going on, some people think Ira is kind of lame for hanging out with a bunch of high-schoolers pretending to be a band. He doesn't have much going on. He's the most socially adept of all the band members. Ira actually gets them sort-of real gigs (house parties) instead of what Kai usually finds (Kasra's mum's birthday party). He's friendly and charismatic, but way more talk than action. He plays the drums.

Emi. Emi is new to the town and her weird eccentric ways are off-putting to the majority of the school. She's branded annoying and often excluded. Eventually she finds her way to the band and 

Angel. A functioning alcoholic, he was once in a pretty good alternative band but now considers babysitting the band effective community service. He's supposed to be teaching them or something but he doesn't do that until Aidan calls him out on his bullshit. Kai idealizes him, even though his whole shtick is a fake. Somewhere deep down inside Angel wants to actually help these kids... maybe to make up for people he let down before. 

 

Inspiration. Honestly, almost all the bands I listen to. Some that seem like they fit the vibe of this comic are Samiam, Failure, Local H, Tonic, Feeder, Incubus, and The Thermals. There's also band-centric movies that I like such as We Are Best and Linda Linda Linda and even some I don't like but for some reason have stuck in my head, like Bandslam and Sing Street.

Notes. I'm totally running out of steam as August is coming to a close but the crunch also really has me picking projects I'm actually invested in, so that's a plus. Do you like movies or books about bands? If you were in a band, what kind of music would you play? Let me know in the comments!

 ☆ Finny ★