When I’m let into Lauren Dumaresq’s room, I immediately notice all of her posters. Each one features a different band, including KISS, Queen, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, and Guns and Roses. She’s wearing a KISS shirt, featuring the four members in heavy makeup and black leather. A red electric guitar is tucked into the corner, glittering in the light of her room.
Lauren Dumaresq had always shown a love of music. Whether it was listening to music with her mother, playing electric guitar, or having mini dance sessions on the bus with her friends.
She recounts when her mother introduced her to the world of music. She tells me of a time in Kindergarten when “Another One Bites The Dust” came on the radio, and it became her favorite song for a long time. When Dumaresq’s mom discovered that she enjoyed Queen, she introduced her to other classic rock bands like Van Halen, which branched out to Michael Jackson and Cher.
Her mother also helped build her vinyl collection. Although she has a great deal of her own, including almost all of Motley Crue’s discography, she also got a lot from her mom. Most of Dumaresq’s Van Halen collection comes from her mother, along with other records from the ‘80s. She talks to me about the number of records that she and her mother own. “In my room, I have about 120, and my mom has about 200 in a closet, but the ones I primarily listen to are in a milk crate above my shelf.”
Dumaresq’s sister, Carley Dumaresq, says that music had always been a part of their lives. Whether it was battling on guitar hero or dancing to Elvis Presley with their grandmother. She says that people might be shocked by the fact that she and her sister appreciate the music of earlier generations.
In 2018, Dumaresq saw Bohemian Rhapsody when it first came out and noticed the sense of family and community in the band, and decided that she wanted something similar for herself. And so began the dream of being in a band. A year later, she met her best friend, Sophia Covello. Their music tastes and dreams aligned, and they grew closer because of it.
She started to play electric guitar and even joined a rock ensemble. She plays me a couple of riffs, ranging from “Stacy’s Mom” to “Welcome to the Jungle.” While playing, she seems to be in complete concentration, like she’s entering a different realm.
As for inspiration, she views Motley Crue and their careers as something of a model of what she wants her band to look like, although she made it blatant that she did not want to adopt their lifestyle.
Dumaresq explains her two reasons for wanting to be a musician. The first is that she wants to see more originality. She talks about how modern music sounds the same: autotune and identical lyrics that carry little to no meaning. She wants to hear more natural voices, songs about real emotion, and not just a meaningless train of thought. She also wants to keep the idea of material instruments alive, and not just make it all digital.
Her other reason is more of a theme than anything. She tells me that she wants to bring people together. She believes that music is a way to unite people. Dumaresq tells me how music is always played at get-togethers, whether it be at a wedding, a party, or even a funeral. It is a way to connect, and one that isn’t limited to a certain language.
