My daughter is 36 years younger than me. At times I look at her and am astonished by how similar we are, down to and including thoughts occurring at virtually the same moment. In many ways, she is the female version of me.

Her tastes in some things, however, are quite different, as you would expect.
But not music. In this area we are again, surprisingly alike. A little over a year ago, she asked me “Hey Dad, you ever hear of the Black Veil Brides? (BVB) They’re pretty good!”

I told her that I had not, but that I would give them a listen. I watched a little online video of the band, with her, and she said, almost apologetically, “They’re kinda glam. People dislike them because of that.”

I was incredulous. Who gives a flying damn about how a musician DRESSES? Bought the album, burned a copy (for my personal use, in my personal vehicle) and began to listen to this (according to daughter) “!@#in awesome band!” I was commuting about two hours a day, pretty much the perfect amount of time to listen to the album twice. A day. For a month.

My mind was completely blown. You know how once in a while, you are pleasantly surprised to find more than a couple of good songs on an album? THIS album was pure wall of sound yummy goodness. Song after song, lyrical crescendos, epic guitar licks . . . furious bass and drum lines, and . . . WTF is this? A VIOLIN? In a ROCK album? This masterpiece was both Wretched and Divine, and it reminded me of another favorite rock opera album, The Wall.

I can say out of pure belief and conviction that the Brides have the musical depth and breadth to be as big as Floyd, or bigger. That they believe in entertaining their fans with a real show, including makeup and effects a la classic arena rockers does not bother me one bit, because that is what they ARE.

Fast forward a bit. Crafty daughter convinces dad to buy Warped tour tickets “Because the Brides will be there! They ALWAYS do the tour!” So . . . many awesome bands to see, just not BVB. Crafty dad is disappointed, but resolves to see them live if at all possible. Miracles are real, and now the Crafty family will be seeing a live BVB show together. A 13 year old, and a 48 year old. A female and a male. A daughter and her father. So no generation gap there.

Thanks kid, for bringing this slice of awesome to me. For reminding me that rock and roll is NOT dead, and that it exists somewhere besides zombie studios, being tracked by machines and soulless “musicians.” This musical epiphany that we have had and shared has bonded us in a way that so rarely happens in these days of teenage angst and “adult” apathy.

Carpe diem.