Auric Boom
A Virtual Ska Punk Band
The BandA Virtual Ska Punk Band
Len - Lead Guitar
Rin - Rhythm Guitar
Shiyu - Bass Guitar
Oliver - Drums
Maki - Trumpet
Lily - Saxophone
Ann - Trombone
[Auric Boom is a virtual ska punk band I (eventually) want to make, with music videos and an accompanying 4-koma comic about the band members. Sort of a more wild "K-on!" The premise might be something like: the rock music club and jazz club didn't have enough members that year and so the two combined to make a ska punk club. (The band shares the same setting/universe as "Residual Sound," the main band I'm working on first.) I'll still be coming up with ideas for this concept as I go along. Not sure if I need to mention this, but the name is a play on "sonic boom" and the word "auric" means gold/golden.]
Member Profiles
Len
He always seems to feel out of his depth. He tends to credit luck for his successes, instead of recognizing his ability and effort. When interacting with others he is prone to reading too much into things. He maintains a stoic façade even when he’s panicking inside. He has a hard time accepting praise. On top of all that, he needs to learn to say “no” more often.
Still, once he gets on stage he’s an excellent guitarist, vocalist, and front-man. He’s good at working around complications and making mistakes seem like they were part of the show. While performing he is really in his element and knows that music is what he wants to do.
Rin
She gets over enthusiastic and volunteers Len and the group to do things without asking them. She has a strange proficiency at filling out forms and paperwork and reading over rules and contracts to find loopholes. This skill lets her sign the group up for things, fill out the forms, and get it all approved before anyone has a chance to object. It has also saved the group in the past when people have tried to sabotage them by skirting the rules.
She is good at encouraging people to overcome their doubt and believe in themselves. This probably comes from always pushing Len to do what she knows he is capable of. Be careful of things you say you “wish you could do” around her, because she will find a way to make it happen! (Ready or not!)
When performing, her biggest goal is interacting with the audience and getting a positive reaction from them. It’s devastating to her if they give a lukewarm response.
Shiyu (SeeU)
A Korean exchange student. She plays a bass guitar that is almost too big for her. She wears a kitty ear headband most of the time, except when a teacher makes her put it away during class. She is obsessed with Kawaii Culture, and likes to dress up and hang out in the shopping district.
She's willing to do anything that "sounds fun." Even if she doesn't fully understand the details. She is very carefree and flighty, in stark contrast to how proper she behaves back home in Korea.
When she messes up or gets in trouble, she tries not to but she ends up crying and apologizing in a way that makes people feel bad for getting on her case (she doesn’t do it on purpose, that’s just how she is).
Oliver
An exchange student from Britain. (His eye patch is re-imagined as a hachimaki or sweat headband that he wears while playing drums.) He likes to try get people to eat odd British food that he doesn't even eat himself, and some of them he just makes up (“Oh yeah, back home we always put mustard on peanut butter sandwiches. Try it!”). He also teaches them slang terms that he doesn't actually use back home.
He excuses any of his behaviors or things he does that people object to as being a "British thing" no matter how ludicrous it may sound. He just generally likes to see what he can get away with. He's never mean. He's just endlessly amused that people will let you do things or believe things you say if you just do it with enough confidence.
Mischief aside, he always has your back and would take a punch for you. In fact he’s a bit too quick to put himself in harm’s way to protect others (sometimes when it’s not actually necessary).
Maki
Started playing the trumpet because someone told her it was popular, but ended up loving it. In fact, she tends to keep up on popular trends without really thinking about why she is doing it. But she'll quickly give it up if she ends up not enjoying it. She always seems to know what the new popular restaurant is, who the new big celebrity is, the hot new song, this season's fashion, etc.
This seems highly at odds with her life long love of classical music, fine art, 18th and 19th century costume, and period dramas.
Lily
Somehow has the uncanny knack for succeeding at everything the first time she tries it. She is a sort of big-sister figure to the other girls in her grade (but doesn't realize it). Her cadre of fangirls show up to every performance (again, she is oblivious that they're her admirers and thinks they're just fans of the band).
She's generally willing to try anything. She'll support whatever the group decides to do, then take charge to help get it done. She has a tendency to just drift through life doing what she thinks she ought to do or what people need her to do, without seriously considering what her long term goals or desires are.
Ann
Is the most savvy when it comes to understanding and reading people. She often knows what people are thinking or what they want better than they know themselves. She has been known to play match-maker when the two people involved are hopeless at making any progress toward a relationship. Sometimes she uses these abilities to get people to do what she wants or get her something she wants. Subtly manipulating all involved toward the best outcome without their even knowing, or realizing she was even involved.
While devious, she is a good person. But sometimes she can be a bit greedy about getting a particular item she wants. She can get obsessive about collectibles and limited edition items.
Una
She is a senior this year (this version of Una is older than Rin and Len) and became less active in the rock music club (now the ska punk club) in the second half of the year. She still writes music for them, and many of their songs are ones Una wrote during the previous two years.
She plays with them for some performances and gives them advice when they ask. But currently she is focused on graduating and her remaining time is involved with the new band she joined outside of school (Residual Sound).
Music
Remixed, English version Cover Songs I would want to do (alongside original songs):
- Remote Control - The ska guitar upstroke technique would fit perfectly
- Matroyshka - played a tiny bit slower with a more bouncy beat
- Meltdown - re-imagined as a dark reggae remix with free styling vocals
- Hello, Planet - raise the tempo and play in a straight ska style
- Melt - piano parts divided between the saxophone and trombone, add brass fills
- Secret Police - replace electronica sounds with aggressive brass
- Dappou Rock - Basic adjustments for adding brass
- If You're Gonna Jump - Add brass and push the punk sound
- Kimagure Mercy - change the beat and tempo to a punk style
A Surprise Performance
Unexpectedly, they're informed they're supposed to be playing a gig this weekend at a town cultural festival. (Unknown to them, It turns out that they've been wrongly sent the notice when they were mistaken for a different band.) At first they blame Rin, but she had nothing to do with it. They scramble to put together a set list and practice.
On the day of the concert the van transporting their instruments breaks down and they have to get across town and back by their own means to retrieve them in time. Len takes off riding his bike like a madman before anyone can propose a different idea. Desperate, he takes a shortcut through a mall. He rides his bike down an escalator and through the food court all while being chased by security guards on segways.
Oliver and Ann end up awkwardly lugging his drum set and her trombone onto a public bus. They failed to notice that it is a tour bus taking the long way around the city. It gets progressively more crowded. By the time they need to get off the bus they have to ask people to pass the parts of the drum kit overhand to the exit and crowd surf off the bus.
Rin and Shiyu take a taxi there. At first they're smug about their idea, but freak out when they see how much it cost. So to get back, they end up going to a nearby pizza place where Po (one of Una's new friends) works. They order a delivery to the venue and get Una (over the phone) to convince Po to let them ride along with him as he makes the delivery. Seeing how late they are and how far they have to go, he does some "Initial D" style driving to get across town in time. Rin is terrified for their lives. Shiyu thinks it's great fun.
Lily borrows her uncle's motorcycle, with Maki riding in the side car. They made good time, but they get lost for a while on the way back. They keep asking people directions, but keep misremembering the name of the place they want to get to. So people keep sending them in different directions. Frustrated, they stop at a crepe stand trying to figure out what to do. That's when they catch the briefest glimpse of the pizza delivery car as it goes streaking past with Rin and Shiyu in the back seat. Lily peels out on the motorcycle to follow them.
They're all a bit late and scramble to get to the stage. Then they are surprised to find the band that was actually supposed to be there is on stage. But it turns out that another act had to cancel, and our characters get a chance to fill their time slot.
[Everything wraps up with a music video of their performance.]
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