1968 Conqueror of American Rock - Chapter 135



Only Noblemtl

135. LA Metal (1)

Rock music began as a 12-bar blues song played by black people in the 1940s that was transformed into a violent and decadent dance rhythm. It began to develop as the culture of working-class and lower-class youth in America mixed with that of poor black people.

The upper class despised it as low-class culture and the devil’s music, and rock musicians began to criticize and resist the existing social system. However, as the Beatles captivated the world, rock music began to change the landscape of music beyond class.

Since then, rock music has been divided into several genres: rock and roll, folk rock, traditional hard rock, progressive rock, and glam rock.

The LA metal genre is, in a way, a unique genre in that it includes city names compared to other genres. From the early 1980s to the early 1990s, the music of bands active in the western region of the United States, centered around LA, was called LA metal.

In fact, this word is rarely used in English-speaking countries, and it was a word that was used in Japan and then came to Korea. In English-speaking countries, it was called Glam Rock or Glam Metal.

The musical characteristics are that it has relatively light lyrics and a lot of pop elements compared to the existing heavy hard rock. In terms of appearance, it features handsome and slender men with long hair, wearing flashy clothes, and even putting on makeup. So some critics even used the term “hair metal.”

Glam rock also tended to focus more on commercial success than musicality. There were cases where bands with great playing skills were rejected at auditions because they were not good looking. The decadent lifestyles of some bands even gave rise to the term “gangster metal.”

In any case, LA was a city that would play an important role in the future history of rock.

This is why I chose LA as my home.

* * *

I returned to LA, talked to my brother Kevin about building a studio, and immediately called Bethel Farm.

“Hello, boss. How have you been?”

-James, it’s been a while. Bethel is always peaceful, haha.

I explained to Captain Devon about the studio we were going to build on the farm. They had a large unused shed located far from where they lived.

– Oh, a residential studio. That’s a great idea. Jack Tyver is the best at that kind of work. Our guys help him out whenever he needs a hand, so we work very well together.

“I see. I will pay you the labor cost separately. Just do it thoroughly. I will visit you once in the middle.”

-Thanks to James, our theater company is so happy these days. The kids love it too.

“I was able to trust Devon and the members with the farm, haha. Then I’ll contact you again.”

After finishing the phone call with Captain Devon, Jake, Andrew, and the London Smog came back to the dorm, sweating. They had just come back from their morning jog. Jake and Andrew looked refreshed, but the kids looked exhausted.

“Brother James, do you have to run like this every day?”

The corners of Joseph’s eyes drooped.

“It’s not mandatory, but did you guys see when Annie sang? No, Annie is a natural talent, so let’s leave that out. Bao also didn’t have good stamina at first.”

“Bao Gao? It flies when you sing.”

“Musicians don’t necessarily have to run around and sing like that, but later on, when you release an album and go on tour, stamina is really important. It’s on a whole different level from just performing a few songs at a club.”

“Yes, bro. I’ll work hard.”

Although Jacqui looked tired, he never once said a word of regret. He was a guy who absolutely obeyed everything I said, to the point of being burdensome.

“It’s because it’s your first time. Once you get used to it, you’ll feel suffocated if you don’t run every morning.”

Jake looked relaxed, and it seemed like he had been running slowly, keeping up with the children’s pace.

“Guys, let’s take a quick shower and eat. Food after a run tastes really good, haha.”

Jake and the kids went downstairs first.

London smog has only been in the US for a week. Rather than starting anything right away, it was a priority to get Andrew acclimated to the place.

Andrew remained in his seat.

“Andrew, do you have anything to say?”

“I met Eddie at the company practice room yesterday.”

“Hey, how’s our youngest doing?”

“Actually, I’ve been feeling a little strange lately.”

“Why? Eddie is the brightest kid in our company.”

“He had some injuries on his face and his expression was dark. When I looked at him, it looked like he had been hit by someone, but when I asked him, he said he had fallen and gotten hurt.”

“Could it be that he really fell and got hurt?”

“If he had fallen and gotten hurt, he would have laughed and told me about it. He’s such a cheerful kid. There must be something wrong with him.”

Andrew was genuinely worried about Eddie.

“Okay, I got it. You go wash up and eat with the kids. I’ll go and find out. Thanks for telling me, Andrew.”

* * *

“Eddie, you’re not going to tell your brother either?”

Alex had been worried about his younger brother, who had been acting strangely for the past few days.

“It’s true. I was just playing with my friends and fell and got hurt.”

“Then why haven’t you been using the booster in the practice room since that day? Did someone steal it from you?”

“I lost it. Seriously, bro.”

Alex clearly thought his brother was lying. It was a booster he treasured so much. There was no way he would lose it. However, he felt frustrated because he didn’t think he would get an answer even if he kept questioning his brother who was so depressed.

“Hey, check this out. I put tape on my guitar. Cool, huh?”

Edward forced a smile on his brother’s face and showed off the guitar he had designed.

“Come here. I’ll put some medicine on you.”

The two got along very well, unlike most male brothers. The older brother took great care of the younger brother, and the younger brother followed the older brother’s example.

“You shouldn’t go out alone for a while. Let’s go together today.”

Alex applied ointment to his brother’s face and put a bandage on it.

“No, hyung. It’s okay. It’s a waste of time, so come on time for the rehearsal.”

Eddie was strange. Normally, he would have smiled and asked to go with me. Why on earth was he doing this?

Alex eventually headed to the practice room with his brother. Eddie looked around nervously as they walked.

“Brother, let’s not go this way.”

“Why? If you just pass this alley, the practice room is right across the street.”

“Just. Let’s go back over there after a long time.”

Alex felt increasingly suspicious.

That was when.

“Hey, kid!”

Someone appeared from the shadows of the alley. It was a group of people who looked to be in their late teens. A skinny man with long, flowing hair, smoking a cigarette and frowning.

“Who are you guys!”

“Haha, I guess someone brought something today.”

“Brother, don’t do that. They are scary people.”

Eddie stopped Alex with a very frightened look on his face.

“Did you get hit by them?”

“······.”

* * *

I rushed to the office to check on Andrew’s words. The lights were out in Broken Combs’ practice room.

It’s weird. This is always the time when Eddie comes out and studies guitar tones before the other members.

What on earth happened?

Then Eddie and Alex showed up at the practice room. The brothers were accompanied by Raju, the tour team’s bodyguard.

“Eddie! What’s wrong with your face?”

Eddie had a bandage on the left side of his face and an unusually frightened expression on his face.

“Alex, what happened? And how did Raju come with these guys?”

“My brother has been acting strange for the past few days, so today I was coming to the practice room with him. Some thugs called Eddie from the alley. I think he got beaten up by them. Honestly, I was really scared. He had a knife. Then this old man showed up and saved us.”

Raju shrugged his shoulders and explained.

“Since we don’t have any tours these days, we’re working between the club and the office. Today is a work day at the office, and on the way here, we saw some guys threatening kids in the alley.”

“Brother James, who is this guy? He was really great. He took the knife away in an instant and subdued three men all by himself.”

“You’re our tour team’s bodyguard. Thank you, Raju. I almost got in big trouble.”

“I couldn’t catch them because they scattered and ran away. I couldn’t leave the kids behind to chase them. They were so awkward with their swords that they didn’t look like gangsters, but more like neighborhood thugs.”

Raju, a former Guruka mercenary, was a truly trustworthy man.

“Brother James, there’s something a little strange. They kept asking us about the CW practice room equipment while threatening us with a knife. They even took Eddie’s booster.”

“What? Is that true, Eddie?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. It was a gift from Brother James······.”

Eddie’s eyes filled with tears.

“No, it’s okay. If something like that happened, you should have reported it to the police or told the company!”

“I was afraid that if I told anyone else, they would retaliate against me, so······.”

Oh my, how much mental anguish this guy must have had.

“Raju, I’ll ask you to protect my brothers for the time being. I’ll explain to the company.”

“all right.”

Someone is trying to take advantage of my guitar sound in a very dirty way. They are cowardly blackmailing the youngest and most vulnerable Eddie.

In fact, you can’t imitate me by stealing a booster. Also, while I was in the UK, Garage Brew developed a revolutionary noise-cancelling technology.

Besides that, I was upgrading my pickups, guitars, and even my amps to really kickstart the LA metal era.

But I have to find out who they are.

You dare touch our Van Halen?

* * *

“Hey, you fucking idiots! Can’t three of us take on one guy?”

In a dark place, a man was smoking a cigarette and shouting.

“He was a real monster. He was small and looked easygoing, but he was so fast and precise······.”

One of the five skinny guys answered. He was a tall, handsome boy with long, blond hair.

“Could that guy have been Paki?”

“Yes, I think that’s right.”

“Whoa, this is driving me nuts. Did that guy see your faces?”

“Well, it happened so quickly······.”

“You guys, stay out of the house for a while. Don’t go near CW!”

“Then, our debut······.”

“You guys are going to serve in the store until I tell you otherwise, and you can practice in your spare time!”

The three boys are friends who met at a juvenile detention center. Having lived rough lives since childhood, they developed an interest in musical instruments and singing while in a rehabilitation program and formed a rock band.

After their release, they each attended high school and devoted themselves to practicing their instruments, but they were unable to control their temper and caused trouble again. They fled San Francisco and came to the Sunset Strip without a plan.

The boys, who had nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep, came to the club ‘The Devils’ after seeing a flyer offering them food and lodging and help to debut in a band.

Club manager Anthony checked the boys’ singing and playing skills. They were not bad. He also liked their half-and-half faces and their punk-like eyes. He thought that if he could just steal CW’s guitar sound, these guys would be worth raising.

He thought that a band with outstanding looks would make money as long as they had a certain level of playing ability.