To attend an orchestral concert performing Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3 in D minor, strict rules exist. Never wear jeans to a performance. Turn off all cellular phones. Never applaud or cheer while the music is playing. Stay in your seat.

Sophomore Jessie Wood violates these rules all the time, and although her music isn’t considered to be soft and soothing by classical artists, she is attune to the piece of heaven hidden in every note.

She cannot find this paradise just anywhere though. There is no trace of her favorite bands on MTV or in major teen magazines. Mainstream artists like J. Lo, Britney, or Justin are nowhere to be seen in her CD case. “Most bands I like, people haven’t really heard of,” Wood says. In other words, if it’s well-known it isn’t worth listening to anymore. “I used to like Good Charlotte a lot,” Wood says. “But once they got onto MTV, I sort of lost respect for them.”

Even though she loves scouting for new music, Wood still has an appreciation for the founders of classic and punk rock. “I still love Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Hendrix. And I could never forget the Beatles either,” she says.

But as for her music A-list right now, it includes a fusion of classic rock, punk, and indie-music, featuring bands like Brand New, Emo, AFI, Rancid, The Smiths, Postal Service, and Coheed & Cambria. As she would put it, her taste in music is “not too diverse, but eclectic in a rock sense.”

Finding this new music however, is not a sporadic ordeal. Her music selection is well thought out. “I don’t just jump on the band wagon,” Wood says.
As for a central vein of information about these underground bands, there is none. Music-hungry teens like Wood are on their own to discover new bands that will spark their interest, and there is no better hot spot to find them than at concerts.

The ones Wood attends are usually held in a small place jammed with anywhere from 200 to 1,000 people. Within a few minutes into the performance everyone “is getting into the music, and it’s great if you don’t mind other people’s sweat on you,” she says.

The opening bands are the ones to introduce newfound music, and it is a way for concert goers to find novel groups and music genres.

In the past year, Wood has attended nine concerts. Proving her fidelity for the concert life, she confided laughingly that her latest concert was during finals week.

When she is fortunate enough to see the band members up close and personal, Wood admits that she is prone to getting “really star struck. Meeting the band is like a huge rush,” she says. “They’re the ones creating the amazing music you’re listening to. It’s really cool.”

Another highlight of concert nightlife is crowdsurfing. In fact, Wood considers herself to be a veteran crowd surfer and recalls the first time she tried it at the Warped Tour in June of 2003. “After getting a big guy to push you up, the crowd carries you in the air. You feel like you’re flying,” she says.

Wood warns that this is not all fun and games though, and novices should be aware that crowdsurfing can come with its share of dangers too.

Any sort of distraction can lead to pain. “While a band called Less than Jake was performing, I was crowdsurfing and making sure my pants stayed on at the same time,” Wood says. “Then I fell and a bouncer pulled me up, but somehow I landed on some metal at the front of the stage. A few minutes later, I noticed my shins were all bloody.”

She easily forgets the sparse bad memories though and can’t wait to relive the good ones. She plans on attending more concerts and uncovering new bands in the future. As for her own music endeavors, she would love to learn how to play the drums.

Throughout the years, Wood feels that she has gained a lot from the music she loves. As for sharing her own experiences with others, she offers this final piece of advice: “Discover music on your own. Don’t listen to what other people say. Just do what you want to do.”