Secretin of the Week - Freak

This week's Secretin is a total freak, and I mean that in the best - and most literal - way. You know her by Freak, though I am told this is NOT the name her parents gave her, it's still pretty fuckin' cool.

The first time I really remember seeing her is when she showed up at the KWOD Xmas show at Arco Arena with her friend Lexy. They were sporting the tank tops that Matt DGAF made and they were both so excited and energetic that I couldn't help but watch them running around during the Secretion set.

Since then, Freak has gone on to learn to play the guitar and become a member of Kepi and Friends and a (hopefully) permanent fixture in the Sacramento punk scene. Enough from me, here's Freak.


Name - Freak
Band - Kepi and Friends
Alter Ego - Black Wolf Ninja Ranger (only comes out at cons)
Age - 18
City - Sacramento
School - Sac City

Favorite Secretions Song
Freaks Like Us!!! I love it live. Shouting obscenities at the band is quite fun.

Favorite Secretions Cover
Gotta be 'I Just Wanna Have Something To Do'. It's my favorite Ramones song and they played it the first time I saw them.

Favorite Secretions Album
'Til Death definitely. I bought it in Vegas.

Favorite Secretions Video
Cemetery Pogo. I love the little things about it... like the tombstone that says El Flaco Loco on it.

Favorite Secretion
I'm taking the noble way out on this one. I love them all for different reasons.

When did you first see the Secretions?
Oh, sometime July 2006. Cesar Chavez Park with the Groovie Ghoulies. Within a couple weeks of the show, I picked up ADD and Coming to Save the World.

Describe your favorite Secretions related memory.
ARCO ARENA DECEMBER 2006 with Papa Roach and My Chemical Romance. Best show ever. Matt DGAF made shirts for everyone that read "Fuck the shitty bands, I'm here to see THE SECRETIONS" (I still have it). Jesse Damnit from Last Chance sat in seats in front of my group and then suprised us with floor wristbands. I remember seeing looks of jealousy from the die-hard My Chem fans around us. There were also these giant yellow signs that read "916 Punk" and such. One of them got torn in half and it now hangs on my bedroom door. And the giant EMO SUX blow up dick made it's debut and it was brought out during My Chem's set. That night was just so much fun.

Do you have a favorite Secretions related picture?
Mind the colors. This was after they played me and Lexy's birthday partay. I'll let the pic speak for itself...

Do your parents know you're a Secretin, how do they feel about it?
When I first started going to shows, my mom would ask me extensive questions making sure I knew exactly where I was going and who I was hanging out with. She stopped doing this after she met them, however, realizing that they weren't perverts like she probably thought they were. Now she tells her friends (who are in their 50s/60s) about them. Kind of odd how that all works out.

You designed the header for the Life Line and from what I've seen you're pretty freakin' good with graphics. How did you get into that? Did you take some kind of training or just mess with it until you were good?
I'll try to make this as short as possible. Back sometime in 2002 or 2003, I used to be quite a frequent visitor of forums and message boards. I was always impressed with how people could make such pretty banners in their "signatures." I got to the point where I wanted my own so I requested that some of the graphics makers draw some up for me. I was never thoroughly pleased with the results, so I... er... "bought" Photoshop one day and just started messing around with it. Never took any classes though I did read tutorials and tips to learn my way around. Most of what you see is self taught.

You're a member of Kepi and Friends. Is this your first band? How'd you get started on guitar? Tell me about your musical career.
It's not my first band, but it IS the first band I've been in where everybody knows their role, everybody's on time, everybody's motivated, and nobody fights. I picked up the geetar on some Halloween night at a party a few years ago. One of my friends had brought their Warlock. I spent the whole night plucking at the strings and experimenting with the different sounds. I found it fascinating. A few months later, I got my own and just started playing. It's more of a hobby than a career... I don't think I'm better than anybody (I know better) and I don't try to be. I just play for fun. That's all it's ever been about.

What's the hardest song for you to play on guitar?
I don't think there's any single hardest song for me. I usually have a hard time keeping up with rhythm on fast songs however... there's so many technicalities and techniques. If you miss one little thing or fall behind, the whole song is messed up.

What do you want to see on the Secretin Life Line or what ideas/items do you want to contribute?
Fan Art and Crafts! A place I can send all of my random doodles I do in Algebra to!

[note from crystal - on the secretions flickr, there is a diy section for all secretin creations, everything from clothes, drawings, whatever! i'm not going to be super strict about what goes on there. if you have a drawing or a picture of something you made or WHATEVER, send it to me at crystalsecretin@gmail.com with a little description of what it is and why/how you made it and i'll post it up. if it's secretions related, i'll include it on the life line as a short article.]

What are your top five favorite albums ever and why?
Ever? Uhhhh... I don't think I have a Top 5 "Ever". Music's always new and constantly changing. Sometimes I'll get addicted to a certain album for a few weeks and then slowly start listening to it less until a few years later when I pick it back up again. So here's my Top 5 albums of the now... the things that have been on repeat for me these past few weeks and months... in one case, a year.

Final Summation - A New Approach
This is everything I've ever wanted out of a punk album. I can't describe in words how much I love it. There's these little riffs, chord changes, the way it all blends together... it's just fantastic. I've been listening to it every day since it's release. I cried a bit the first few times through, not because it was sad, but because it was so awesome.

CKY - Infiltrate.Destroy.Rebuild
I recently picked this one back up. I'm having a hard time trying to come up with any bands that even sound remotely close to these guys. This album is nice to pop in anytime. You can listen to it full blast with 'Flesh Into Gear' or let it exist quietly in the background with 'Close Yet Far'. The melodies and the timing... it's all great.

HIM - Love Metal
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let the groaners start groaning. Let them make fun of the Heartagram and everything else that might classify this band as LAME. Fuck you guys. This album still gives me chills when I listen to it. There's no song on it I don't love to death in some way.

The Dollyrots - Because I'm Awesome
It's happy-go-lucky-cute-pop-punk! Seriously. If this album doesn't make you smile in one way or another, consider yourself void of all possible human emotions.

The Dark Knight Soundtrack
EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. Sometimes I just need something dark and instrumental that can screw with my thoughts and feelings. The movie reels in my head when it plays. Even though there's no real theme, I still manage to pick up every note and how long each lasts. GAWWWWW, I love it!

What's something most people don't know about you?
There's not a whole lot you can't find out by asking me... so I'll just say that I'm LOADS more geeky than I seem. Yes, my myspace page makes me look like a pretty big nerd... but you honestly have no idea. ;D

What's the worst tattoo you've ever seen?
<------ speaks for itself!