Some girls had summer camp.
Some had sports.
I had dimly lit venues, MySpace flyers, and bands in vans that had enough heart to power a city block. Michiganâs local music scene practically raised meâfed me, shaped me, and handed me a camera and said, âYeah sure, film this set.â
Once I got my driverâs license, I basically lived out of my Ollie Bug. I was hitting one, two, sometimes three concerts a weekâGrand Rapids to Detroit, everywhere in-between, and even across state lines when the itch got strong enough.
Here are the bands that carved their names into my teenage ribcage.
Rocky Loves Emily: My Accidental Origin Story
I found Rocky Loves Emily the way every emo teen dreams of being discoveredâstumbling across a newer band hustling at Warped Tour. Next thing I knew, they were recruiting fans to shoot their music video for their song “Clueless” and I ended up cast as their unenthused goth girl, whichâŚaccurate.
After that, I was basically their unofficial roadie.
Showing up at every show I could reach.
Filming a live set for them.
Being known by name (which for teen-me was basically sainthood).
They got signed, drama happened, life lifeâd, and eventually they drifted into normal adulthood with families and nine-to-fives. But for a while?
They made me feel like I belonged somewhere.
Rival Summers: The Sweetheart Era
Leo. My god. Leo is genuinely one of the sweetest humans to ever touch a stage.
I found him by accidentâopening for another bandâand was instantly drawn to his energy.
Eventually he teamed up with Sam, and Rival Summers became a fixture in my weekly schedule.
He even had one of those tiny-but-huge indie-artist wins along the way: his song âCome With Meâ was featured on The Fosters. Peak âI knew him whenâ energy.
I filmed a live set for them too (because of course I did), and when I reunited with Leo in 2024, he STILL remembered me.
Heâs performing under just his name now, but the heart? Still intact.
Lights Out!: My Questionable Obsession Chapter
Listen. We all have one band we loved a little too intensely for reasons we cannot currently justify.
For me, that was Lights Out!.
Did Rocky Loves Emily treat me better? Yes.
Did Rival Summers treat me better? ALSO yes.
Did teen Nicki care? Absolutely not.
I booked them for my graduation party becauseâŚwell, of course I was going to book a band. And they brought Jimmy from I See Stars, which made me feel like I had ascended into some exclusive emo stratosphere.
Was I cool? Debatable.
Did it feel cool? Absolutely.
12 Track Radio: The Hot Topic Meet-Cute
12 Track Radio was one of three bands managed by the owner of MXTP, a tiny Grand Rapids venue that no longer exists but that I basically had a residency at.
It was just Mitchâone guy, one guitar, one mission.
I found him because he was doing a meet-and-greet at our local Hot Topic (a sentence so aggressively 2000s it should be preserved in amber). I went to see him at MXTP afterward, and that was the beginning of that chapter.
Simple. Genuine. Peak scene kid lore.
Number The Stars: The Small Band With a Big Impact on My Teenage Ego
Another MXTP-managed group, and one that gave me one of my favorite teen experiences: filming their live set when they opened for Panic! at the Disco at The Intersection in November 2011.
I also shot their music videoâalongside The Dockside Fever, who I also filmed a live set forâbecause apparently my teenage life was a rotating internship I never formally applied for.
They were a fun group. Energetic, good-hearted, the kind of small band that makes every venue feel like a house show.
Chinese Baseball: My Name in the Liner Notes Era
Short-lived, chaotic, wonderful.
Chinese Baseball was made up of Mitch from 12 Track Radio on vocals, Ethan from Number The Stars on guitar, the MXTP owner on guitar, and a couple of others who filled out the lineup. I filmed their live set too, because apparently my teenage years doubled as an unpaid documentary career.
When their EP came out, I found myself listed in the thank yous (as Nicki Owen) â which, to a teenage girl with a camera, felt like winning a Grammy.
It was brief, but it mattered.
Special Mention: The Swellers
I canât talk about Michiganâs local scene without tipping my hat to The Swellersâa band I quite literally stumbled into.
I first found them at a meet & greet at the Hot Topic in Novi (as one does in the late 2000s). I hadnât heard a single song before walking in, but I left with a signed poster, a CD, and the realization that these guys were actually really good.
A few months later they headlined BLED Fest 2010, which was held inside an actual high schoolâfluorescent lights, trophy cases, linoleum floors, and a shocking amount of teenage adrenaline. It was intimate in a way concerts rarely are anymore. You could basically smell the guitar strings.
Jessie, Taylor, and I had VIP passes, which meant we got to hang out with The Swellers (and more), and they signed my school ID.
Yes, I still have it.
No, I will not be parting with it in this lifetime.
If Iâm remembering right, Taylor got nailed by a drumstick during their set. A true badge of honor.
We also went to their CD release show a couple of months after that â sweaty, loud, chaotic in the best way.
Somewhere in the middle of all this, the Diener brothers hosted a workshop in Flint about what it takes to be in a band. I donât remember much â mostly because my anxiety was breakdancing at the thought of being in downtown Flint â but I do recall them talking about how they keep stage banter to a minimum because people came for the songs, not the chatter. They also covered song structure and band logistics, but againâŚanxiety, breakdancing, etc.
Still, The Swellers were a bright, unexpected little chapter in my teenage music pilgrimage, and they absolutely earned their own mention.
A Final Note from the Girl in the Pit
These werenât just bands happening one after another.
They were all happening at the same timeâthis wild, overlapping constellation of music and people that shaped me in ways no adult supervision ever could.
They were my community.
My weekends.
My emotional education.
The soundtrack to the version of me that was still learning how to take up space in the world.
They shaped my teens the way only small-scene bands canâup close, chaotic, and utterly unforgettable.
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