THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 19, 1996 TAG: 9601190117
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
ON ONE OF the last nights that the nightspot The Fire Escape was cranking away at its 17th Street home in Virginia Beach, Sweet Nectar was alternately throbbing with a dense, metallic drone covering impressionistic lyrics, and sending its young fans into paroxysms of moshing with avalanches of speedy punk-like motion.
Nearly hidden in the shadows at stage right, attending to a stack of electronics and occasionally pitching in on acoustic guitar and hushed vocals, is Alicia Luma, the Beach-based group's youngest member.
At 15, the purple-haired Psychedelic Furs fan is building on her early piano and bass lessons, living the kind of musical life that many kids dream of. A home-schooled student, Alicia has nearly finished her high-school graduation requirements and is free to tour with her more seasoned bandmates.
She can't officially finish high school until she turns 16, the minimum graduation-test age, in June. ``Alicia,'' says her mom, Joanne, ``has always been the type of person who wants to do things and get them over with quick.''
Tour she has, hitting nightclubs around the region with the band while also continuing to appear in Hampton Roads. Sweet Nectar plays at 10 p.m. Saturday night at Poorboys, 46th Street and Killam Avenue in Norfolk. Cover is $3; for information, call 489-1042.
So far, they've also visited the Richmond club Twisters in addition to venues in North Carolina, Indiana and Kentucky. Thanks to interest in Four Living Creatures, the local group whose demise provided Sweet Nectar's foundation of singer/guitarist Devon Thompson and bassist Jairemi Gray Rodgers, the quartet also has a deal with R.E.X. Music, a Brentwood, Tenn.-based company with national distribution. The band's debut CD, ``Tired Face in Clown Paint,'' is set for release soon; it can be ordered from Frozen Rope Management, 2506 Corryville Court, Richmond, Va. 22236.
``Jairemi and Devon asked me if I would join,'' she says. ``I'm 15, you know. It was, `Do I wanna do this? Can I take the time to do this? Are my parents gonna let me?' Once my parents said they were gonna let me, I decided that this was what I'd always wanted to do, and I'd be stupid not to.''
``The things that made me nervous,'' says Joanne Luma, ``were things like her going to another city, and I would probably be nervous the first time she did that whatever age she was. Plus, I really feel like the guys in the band are real protective over her. They make her put her coat on and stuff like that.
``The way that I see it is, if your child has a talent and they're willing to use their talent in a positive way, it should be encouraged. She has other talents that could be used for bad things. She's very theatrical. She would be a great liar. But if she wants to do something positive, she should.''
Alicia's already well into paying her dues, say her colleagues.
Brad Wells manages the band and runs the Richmond label Frozen Rope, whose logo appears alongside that of R.E.X. on ``Tired Face.'' He praises Sweet Nectar as ``serious'' and ``committed.'' Wells adds that Luma, who contributed to the later stages of recording, is an ``incredibly dedicated'' musician with a ``very creative and innovative'' approach.
``She would come up with parts right there on the spot, very spontaneously. She's also a pleasure to work with. She's very pleasant.''
In addition to her band duties, Luma plans to continue her work as a regular contributor to and columnist for Teenology, in the Virginian-Pilot every Friday. Sweet Nectar has led her to put college, where she wants to study journalism, off for a year or two. She's writing more than just songs, though.
``I've been compiling a road diary. It's interesting to write about, `Man, I'm not at home, and I'm brushing my teeth in the bathroom of a McDonald's,' '' she said.
``I've never been one for spending the night at my friends' houses, and now I'm getting used to sleeping on a couch in a church or on a pile of coats on the floor when I'm tired of going out to the van.'' ILLUSTRATION: GARY C. KNAPP
Alicia Luma, 15, teen columnist for The Virginian-Pilot, is a member
of Sweet Nectar, along with Jairemi Rodgers, 19. Touring with the
band has led her to put off college for a year or two.
by CNB