Bloodsports were the first band to kick off Total Bummer Fest yesterday,
I was supposed to meet them at their practice space earlier that afternoon. Instead, I ended up on the wrong street entirely, standing outside a warehouse that had nothing to do with anything. A few texts later, I was back in an Uber heading to the correct building.
By the time I arrived, they were already practicing.
The elevator doors opened onto the fifth floor and before I could even figure out which room was theirs, I could hear them playing. The opening of "Trio 1" was coming down the hallway, bleeding into the sound of the freight elevator and distant conversations from other rooms.
I followed the noise. Found the door and slipped inside. Set my bag down. Pulled out my camera and started taking photos.
The room felt exactly how a rehearsal space should feel. Cables everywhere. Cases stacked against the wall. Half-empty water bottles.
The thing I always forget about rehearsal spaces is how different they feel from stages. Songs are still becoming themselves in those rooms. Nobody is performing yet. Nobody is trying to look like a band. They're just working. A little while later rehearsal was over. The room emptied quickly.
Drums packed away. Cases closed. Amps being carried toward the elevator.
We loaded everything in piece by piece and squeezed ourselves into the remaining space.
