Outfits for Living Room Rock Stars

I used to be a professional video game tester. It sounds like a dream job, right? Except for the part where I rarely play video games. I get frustrated fairly easily, and I also get really stressed out by things trying to kill me. (I think that's understandable.)

What I do have, however, is a fairly good sense of rhythm and the ability to hit a note properly. Therefore, it's no surprise that some of the video games I love best are the music games. My all-time favorite is UmJammer Lammy, the sequel to Parappa the Rapper, where you hit your PSone (yeah, old school!) buttons in time to play the guitar.

Needless to say, there's been a lot of changing and improving since '99 (was it really that long ago??). Now we've got full-on plastic instrument peripherals for Guitar Hero, plug-in microphones for Karaoke Revolution... and, of course, Rock Band's full band kit, with guitar, microphone, and drum kit.

For more on Rock Band, check out this podcast on real musicians, including Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, playing Rock Band and talking about how even though it's not the same as really getting up there on stage and playing true music, it's still a lot of fun for the casual gamer/music fan. (Which is me!)

So, since Rock Band is meant to be played in a group and there's nothing better than having a full performance, I poked around Polyvore and made up some outfits for the four parts of Rock Band -- drums, guitar, bass, and vocals.

Drums:



I picked flats for easier use of the bass pedal, decided a no-go on bracelets because you'll be busy with your drumsticks and don't need bangles crashing around, and a cute yellow watch to keep time for you. Plus a Blondie t-shirt because female rockers need to rep-re-sent! (Seriously, there are far too few female-vocal songs on Rock Band.)

Guitar:



The guitarist, on the other hand, gets the awesome bracelets and heeled slouchy boots. Also, sequins. And naturally, our favorite colored tights.

Bass:



Like drums, the bassist has a watch to keep the beat, but is also more laidback with jeans and a loose tunic top, plus a headband to keep hair out of her eyes. Again, sequins, but this time on the shoes.

Vocals:



But ah, vocals! This is usually what I wind up playing if I'm in a group, although lately I've been going for drums. I originally went for more of a diva gold glam look, but realized it wasn't really rocker enough. Even this is on the girly side, but the pyramid bangles are a lot of fun (seriously, I want some) and I love the feathered headband. Plus, since everyone's going to be watching your lips, the original Viva Glam is obviously the red lipstick of choice. And, once more with feeling, there are sequins.

Honestly, I'm much more likely to play Rock Band in my pajamas than anything else, but it's fun to have the rock star dream, isn't it?

images from polyvore.com