Hello guys. It’s been a while.
So much has gone on since my last post, it’s difficult to
even know where to begin. I’d like to say it’s all been roses and sunshine and
all that rot, but I’d only be telling…well, 95% of the truth.
Life is great.
You all are well introduced to “Nina the College Student”
and “Nina the Nerd”. Now, I’d like to introduce you to Nina Vox.
It started all the way back in 2012. I was flying to Germany
to see Ashley (yes, that Ashley), and I was nearing the final leg of the
journey. As it happens, because I fly standby, I just so happened to get a seat
in first class on the way from JFK to Frankfurt. I was wearing one of my
favorite shirts (a T-shirt with a robot throwing the metal horns, with the
phrase “Heavy Metal” on it. It’s awesome).
I walked down the aisle, and noticed that I was sitting
beside this dude who clearly thought he was important. Black jeans, black
shirt, long black hair, sunglasses on, yammering on his cell phone. I was both
excited and annoyed, because I didn’t believe this dude was actually a
celebrity, but he did seem well connected. He paused his conversation, looked
at me and my shirt, and said “Eeeeeyyyyyyyy, heavy metal!”, then continued his
conversation. I already liked him more after that.
That was how I met Joey DiMaio, of Manowar fame, though I didn’t
know it yet.
I’m terrible with faces and names, and of course didn’t know
who he was. Once the plane took off, he turned his attention over to me. We bonded
over a love of heavy metal, and he asked me about my desire to be a musician. When
he heard that I wanted to be in a band, but was afraid I wasn’t marketable, he
practically shouted at me: “Of course you should be in a band! Don’t listen to
people who tell you otherwise. If you love music, then you should be making
music.” This was a life changing moment for me.
While this story is a blog post unto itself, it’s not the
story I want to tell.
When I got back from Germany, I immediately started putting
out ads looking for a band. Eventually, I found one (which broke up a few
months later), then there was a long dry spell for a couple of years. It turns
out, it is a challenge to be a female singer in a metal band, especially in
Texas (Oh yeah, I live in Texas now. Yay!). 
After 2 years of looking for a band, I finally found one.
Called Tracing Over Evil, it was the first band that was doing the genre I wanted
to do, AND they wanted a female singer. We had a classic style metal sound
(think Judas Priest or Iron Maiden), and I enjoyed being on stage with the
guys. For a year, we forayed into the local metal scene and did our best to
leave our mark. And I really got to experience being on stage.
I know now why people will do anything to be on stage. It’s
the equivalent of a drug. I loved every second of it, and as soon as I got off
stage, the only thing I wanted to do was to get back on stage again. Hell, I even
played when I was sick and had no voice (I refuse to cancel a show if I can
avoid it).
It’s a great experience, and I’ve made a lot of friends over
the years. People like me for my voice, not my cosplay. They see the “real” me
as opposed to a fictional character (though I can also make the argument that
Nina Vox is a character as well).
As with all things, however, it all came to an end. Last Friday,
actually. As with all relationships, we had our difficulties, and they became
insurmountable.
So I am once again looking for a band. But now I have a year
of good experience under my belt, and a reputation to uphold. And whenever I feel
sad, I hear Joey’s voice in my head reminding me that at the end of the day, it’s
all about the music.
This is who I am, now. Welcome to the new era!
(Oh yeah, I also lost 40 pounds and learned how to apply makeup. That's why I look different :D)
