Outside of the band’s practice room, in the 300 building at Palo Alto High School, the sounds of drums and guitars beat faintly. Gabe Galang bursts out of the cave-like practice studio, the before-muffled sounds of rock and roll instruments pour through the doorway for a brief moment. Galang clutches his bass guitar tightly in his left hand by the neck, and in his right, a pair of string clippers.

Galang mainly plays lead guitar and, on occasion, rhythm guitar for the club, “Paly Rocks.” He also sings from time to time.

Galang prunes his instrument’s strings, sitting nonchalantly on the edge of the lunch bench, every so often swooping his long black hair. Suddenly the door to the cave opens and one of Galang’s band mates summons him from inside. Galang hops lithely off the bench, and rushes towards the door, his mane of hair bobbing up and down with each step.

1. What band are you a part of?

I run Paly Rocks and I help out with a lot of the more downright bands at Paly like the Bad Neighbors, run by Edward Kwiatkowski, a great blues band, plus Palpitar —f a senior band I help out when they do their open mics and I help coordinate their rehearsals. 

2. What fuels your passion?

Well, music was the one thing I found out I am good at, actually. Education never ever came to me as a huge priority growing up; I never found any other extra curricular activities.  Mainly just being on the stage and playing with people.

3. What is your philosophy on life?

People should take it less seriously. Your life is short and you’re going to spend a lot of it worrying about tiny things. I think you should enjoy it while you can, because you don’t know how long you’ll get it.

4. Where does your inspiration for music come from?

A lot of the problems I’ve had over the years, basically. I grew up in a generally bad neighborhood in Las Vegas. I saw a lot of stuff back then, drug and violence related. Big one: my dad walked out on me when I was a little kid. I think of these problems which I grew up with as a sort of well I can draw from in music. The best inspiration for most forms of music are your experiences, the emotions you feel during those experiences, and just generally just how life weathers you and changes you over the years.

5. What’s the craziest performance experience you have ever had?

The thing I did back in Vegas, when I lived there during Middle School. We went to Coronado High School [for a Prom] and I remember that a lot of the seniors there were really, really wasted. I had a bottle thrown at me, and I was pretty young — I was in the seventh grade. The worst ordeal was that my drummer did get into a fight — he was also in the 7th grade — and we were thrown out of Coronado because he hit someone with a bass. My ex-girlfriend also hit someone with a bass.

6. What are the most important things in life?

My friends and my family obviously, my musicians — they are great people, they’re  like family to me too — and playing music.

7. Religious views?

I grew up in a semi-religious household, it never really caught onto me, so I guess I’m agnostic. I don’t really know what’s out there, and I think if there is something out there then they’re doing a bad job with helping us out.

8. Which historical figure do you look up to?

Blackbeard was a super cool dude. Pirates man. They’re really rock n’ roll.

9. What is a topic that interests you?

Aside from music, photography is really interesting. Getting gigs, preparing for gigs, talking to people about gigs, performing more, the rehearsals, the practice, the hours of arguing with all of my musicians because they’re really hard people to work with. I’m a huge L.A. Lakers fan, so anything about that. Anything from Vegas, my hometown.

10. Why do you wear your hair so long?

Looks great. Stage presence man, stage presence.