Post by Reese Lovera on Jan 17, 2011 14:29:43 GMT -5
- Other characters: Dominic de Vere, Daniel de Vere, Asher Kingsley and Rio Adams.
1. Name: Reese Lovera
2. Age: 26
3. Band/Occupation: Lead singer/guitarist in Icarus.
4. Band lineup:
Reese Lovera - lead vocals, guitar
Josh Bartel - guitar
Brody Conrad - bass
Sebastian Decker - drums
5. Music genre: Rock, with a hint of sleaze.
6. Biography:
For the past couple of years, Reese has spent a lot of time soul searching, to try and figure out why things happened the way they did. He didn't have a particularly bad upbringing, he wasn't at war with the world or with his parents any more than the average kid, nor were his parents at war with each other, and aside from the occasional and pretty much mandatory siblings tiff, he didn't hate his sister. They were all a normal family, living an ordinary suburban life in the outskirts of New York City. So why then did things all of a sudden take a turn for the worse, leading Reese down a path of drug addiction, promiscuity and general assholery? That is what he has spent a lot of the past couple of years trying to understand. He's tried to figure out why by the age seventeen, he was almost kicked out of school, why by the age of twenty, he was mercilessly hooked on heroin, and why by the age of twenty two, he was suddenly married to a young woman whom he only later discovered he barely even knew. He's delved into the dark issues surrounding the loss of some really good friends, and the making of some really, really bad ones, as well as the alienation between him and his family, which when he was at his worst was rather far gone, but now is in recession.
The answer isn't an easy one to find. No matter the variety of angles he's tried to take, there is no clear-cut explanation, no one exact moment in time that he can point at and say "this is where it all went wrong". Factors and circumstances, and many of them, in one great mix; that's the reason he has found, for why his life's turned out the way it has. Just like with everyone else. A couple of factors were how as a teenager, he was much like his peers, struggling with his image, his confidence and his self-perception, and how he didn't feel like there was anything that he was truly good at. Like so many other teenagers, he wanted to stand out, at least a little bit, and be an individual. He just didn't know how. Added to that, and working only to intensify that feeling, was the fact that he felt that his sister managed to excel at a few things, and thus was better than him. Which, as a brother who truly loved his sister, he didn't exactly begrudge her, but which didn't exactly work wonders for his confidence.
Enter circumstance. It might have all continued down that road, and Reese might have grown up to be just like the average Joe, had it not been for circumstance, and how it placed Robbie in his path, to click with the already existing factors. Robbie, the cool kid moved from downtown New York to Reese's school, where he befriended Reese, and came to be what many would label "a bad influence" on the young man. The two started hanging out together, and it wasn't long before Robbie introduced Reese to his old friends in New York, and they became Reese's friends as well. It was in their company that he soon found two things that he was fairly good at; music, and being bad.
The first came about when in their mutual desire to be somebody, the boys decided to start a rock band, with Robbie on vocals and Reese on guitar. He had taken a couple of lessons in school, but it wasn't until now that the interest awoke. Once that happened, he turned out to be a fast learner, and before long, the quartet calling themselves Weak Anarchy had their first couple of noisy excuses for songs penned.
As for being bad; it kind of came with the territory. Rock stars weren't mama's boys and they knew how to party hard. Everyone knew that. And it wasn't as though Reese didn't already have a little bit of a head start since having befriended Robbie, with cutting classes, smoking behind the school and mouthing off to teachers being frequent elements in his teenaged everyday life, not to mention the occasional testing of drugs. Although at that point, it was far from a daily or even weekly occurence, but rather something they did for special occasions.
However, the thing with special occasions, is that they are so very easy to find, especially if you're looking for them. Thus, the downward spiral slowly began. Weak Anarchy didn't last too long of course, and Reese soon went on to play with other people in other bands, always hoping to make it big, while struggling to hold down the various jobs he tried his hand at, and often was fired from due to his unreliability and bad attitude. The only thing that seemed to remain a constant in that everchanging world, was the penchant for drugs. Heroin especially, which eventually came to be his main drug.
Somewhere along the way, he met the guys with whom he formed his current band, Icarus. Josh and Brody he came to know through acquaintances in the music scene, and Sebastian was chosen to be their drummer after they'd put up ads all over the clubs they frequented, and held auditions for the handful of hopefuls that called. The four of them just clicked really well, with them having several major influences in common, and enjoying playing the same kind of music. They were all going in the same creative direction, and thus, after a few jamming sessions, Icarus was born. The material started pouring out of them, and while a record deal was conspicuous by it's absence, they did land frequent gigs at local clubs, and even went on a small tour covering the east coast, during which they discovered that although unsigned and labelled C-list at best, they had a small gathering of faithful fans. And groupies.
Once again, factors and circumstances that on their own were fairly harmless, together made for a toxic mix. Deep down, Reese was always a decent guy, who strived to be considerate and nice to the people whose paths he crossed. But, as was still the case, he wasn't one-of-a-kind. The treacherous nature of drugs has been known to corrupt the considerate and the nice quite easily, and Reese was no exception. As the addict that he was, Reese Lovera cared only about Reese Lovera, and many were the ones who found that out the hard way. Family, friends, lovers; they were all burned by the roaring flames of his self-indulgence. The only reason why the band still functioned, was because the other guys had their vices too, and the only reason why Reese's marriage to Alannah lasted for just over two years, and even happened at all in the first place, was because they shared not love, not affection, not even friendship, but addiction.
The turning point came when Robbie, with whom Reese was still close friends despite no longer playing together, died of an overdose. It was a fistful of reality punching Reese in the face, that he couldn't ignore, and although he went on a serious binge up until the funeral, and was still high when attending it, the haze of the heroin didn't protect him from seeing the grief of Robbie's family and loved ones, nor the glares they sent Reese's way. It didn't block out the shame he felt under their scrutinizing and judgemental eyes, or the way that it made him into a coward that slunk away as soon as the ceremony was over.
Aged twenty four, Reese decided to quit, and become clean. He tried to do it on his own at first, but after a couple of relapses, he finally took the bull by the horns, and admitted to himself that he needed professional help, in the form of rehab. That was almost two years ago, and he has been clean since. He and Alannah are now divorced, since getting clean woke him up to the fact that the only thing the two of them ever had in common was the heroin, and he has instead focused on his career for real. Icarus were finally signed to a record label, much thanks to Reese's appearance on a popular TV show (see Additional Info), and released their first album about a year ago.
7. Additional info:
Has several piercings; ring in his left nostril, ring in his bottom lip (centered), studs through both nipples, and several rings in his right ear.
Also has many, many tattoos; full sleeve on both his left and right arm, consisting mostly of skulls, angels and demons. The one on the right arm spreads onto the upper right part of his chest in the form of tangled thorns. Also has a Vargas style Bettie Page portrait and a piece of H.R. Giger's work on his left lower arm. After rehab, he got "Ad Vitem" (latin phrase, means "For life") tattooed across his abdomen.
All tattoos are done in black and grey.
Got involved with Emily Moore at one point during his addict days, and who ended up being one of the many people whom he treated badly.
Due to his inability to hold down a regular job, he's had about a dozen of them. Among other things, he's worked as a busboy, a gas station attendant, a roadie, dishwasher, meat packer, in a record store, at a car wash, as an assembly line worker, and as an order clerk.
Shortly after leaving rehab, Reese applied for the TV show "Suvivor", and was chosen to participate. He had only been clean on his own for a couple of months, and saw this as the perfect way of ensuring that he stayed that way, since it would be impossible to score drugs on a desert island, and also figured it would be a good way of finding himself and his strengths. It was a way for him to challenge himself and grow as a person, without the risk of relapsing, even if he got the craving for drugs. It was catharsis, in a way. Once on the show, he was first perceived as a bad boy and wannabe tough guy, due to his appearance, but eventually turned out to be the huggy bear of the group, that got along with most everyone. He ended up being among the final 4 or 5, and didn't play the mind games others did, but got as far as he did because he was well liked among the others, and known for being honest and upfront, even about his sordid past.
His appearance on "Survivor" ended up paving way for his band Icarus to finally be signed by a record label, as it turned out that one of the show's viewers was a producer in the music industry, who liked what he heard when on the show, Reese played one of the band's songs to his team mates. Thus, about a year ago, after that episode had airead, Reese and his band mates were contacted by the label, signed, and now have their first album out, which, again due to Reese's appearance on the TV show, has gotten quite a bit of publicity.
Icarus' first single and first hit was a rock cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", which, although a bit softer and slower than their regular material, still reflected their rock-with-just-a-pinch-of-sleaze roots.
8. Picture:
9. Name of portrayal: DJ Ashba
10. Questionnaire:
Name: Reese Lovera
Nickname: Butter cup (As in Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Yeah, someday, I'll kill Josh for that one...)
Instrument: Guitar and vocals.
Previous bands: Weak Anarchy, among others.
Siblings: A sister.
Food of choice: Rattle snake. No, seriously. There's this cajun place in New Orleans that has it on the menu, and I just had to try it.
Drink of choice: Beer, or Evian.
Weapon of choice: Sling shot.
Accessory of choice: Piercings. Can't you tell?
Movie of choice: I love the easy-going action movies of the 80's, like Raiders of the Lost Ark, or at least with the 80's action movie feel, like The Mummy.
Most inspirational artist (musician or not): Bettie Page.
Never goes on stage without: I'd feel kinda naked without my guitar.
Lucky charm: Don't really have one.
Preferred time of day and why: The morning, probably (or rather, whatever time it is shortly after I wake up
)If in an emergency, the one person you'd first think to call, and why: My buddy Chris. He always has my back.
Personal quote: Me, quotable? Ha! Can I plead the fifth?
(((The roles as Reese's ex-wife Alannah, his sister, and all of his band mates are available, should anyone like to roleplay a character with already partly existing connections and backstory.)))
