American Diary

I was completely amazed at the first glimpse. They were a local band from Maryland. Its members consisted of Brandon Ingley, Mikey Clark, Ben DeHan, and Brandon Reeder. I saw them for the first time on a warm night in September 2007. I remember exactly what I was wearing: splatter-paint vans, black jeans, and a white long-sleeve t-shirt. There were only a few people at the show; I’d estimate 25 people. A few bands played, and then American Diary came on last. Literally, I fell in love. I became so amazed by their excitement. I could see the love of what they do in their eyes.

Once I got home, I immediately became friends with them on Myspace. I knew I had to see them live again. So, I saw them again in early November. I remember how awesome I felt because they remembered me from the previous show. One band member even let me walk outside with him while he smoked a cigarette. I remember having some small conversation with him, but I wasn’t even listening. My mind was just saying “this is so awesome, this is so awesome.” I continued going to their shows whenever they were playing close by. Over the next year and a half, I saw them live eight times. Each time was still as awesome as the other one had been. Instead of falling in love with some boy, I fell in love with a band. I wrote my 8th grade speech on American Diary; the speech was told to the whole middle school. The last time I saw them was May 2009.

Since then, I’ve slowly fell away from my absolute love of American Diary. One of the members, Ben DeHan, left the band last year. Once that happened, the love just wasn’t the same. I’ll listen to them occasionally, but the love I had for them is just gone. But when I found out last night that this band, the band I loved dearly, is breaking up, it made me sad. My fourteen / fifteen year old heart was breaking. That’s okay though. I grew out of my love for American Diary a while ago. I just never thought this day would come. It caught me by surprise. They’re farewell show is on February 18th in Maryland. Ben, the one who left American Diary, is even going to be there. I’m hoping I’ll make it up there to have one last glimpse of their excitement that captivated me that warm September night in 2007.