About Me

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Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Always a Metal Maiden

Long before I started writing books, I played bass and wrote songs in an all female band called Driven Steel. We played in Orange County, CA, L.A. and the Inland Empire in the late 80's to mid 90's. Yes, we had the "big hair" going on at first. My husband and I laugh about that because we lived in a small apartment, and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so that we could afford to get our hair done. He was also (still is) a musician, but his "big hair" is long gone. We had our priorities straight--the hair came first when you played in a heavy metal band back then.

Anyway, back to my story. Driven Steel was my life for many years and we played with aggressive passion. We proved that chicks could rock just as hard (and better) than the guys. Though it ended in a bitter cloud, I wouldn't change a thing. It was an awesome experience for me.

It was unfortunate that we broke up, but this was a huge turning point in my life. It turned out that writing lyrics and music would one day lead me to writing books. My roots are in Driven Steel and will always be a part of me--the metal maiden to my fiction chick.

Metal Maidens is an e-zine based in Holland that was and still is a huge supporter of Driven Steel. They recently interviewed us, and it was a pleasure to travel back to the past and reminisce about the good times. The link to this interview is http://www.metalmaidens.com/drivensteelint.htm

Rock on!

2 comments:

Silma said...

I've been in rock bands since I was 13. I formed my first all-girl band in junior high. Got sent to the principal's office several times for playing "that satanic music" as the principal so put it. Back in the 80's I was the lead-guitarist in a female metal band. Tonz of leather, some big hair. We didn't want to look cute like Vixen. *lol* We broke up in a nasty way, and I ended up selling all my guitars - except for my Carvin V220. I kept that baby as a reminder. *g*

Kelley Heckart said...

I still have my two basses, but I got rid of my Gallien Kruger head. I probably spelled that wrong. It has been awhile! I don't have time to play anymore because all of my time is put into writing now.