The bass guitarist stepped forward with his hand extended. "Shawn Simmons. That was priceless," he said, flipping his reddish brown hair out of his eyes. It was long in the front, but collar length in the back and sides, and wavy.

"Nice to meet you," I replied, laughing as I shook his hand. Somehow, I already felt at home with this group of guys. In fact, it was almost as if we had known each other for a while and not that we'd just met.

The drummer stretched across his ...