It's dark. It's loud. The crowd is going crazy.

For two local bands, DizeAzeD and the Hooligans, this is a typical Saturday night. Y-Press talked with Nicole Anderson, 19; Macey Frank, 18; and Dannie Frank, 15; from DizeAzeD and Jonny Nagel, 20, from the Hooligans about their lives in the music circuit.

The punk-rock Hooligans were created about two years ago when Jonny's older brother, Mike, met Matt Jamison in a course at IUPUI. The two started messing around with their instruments and let Jonny play along.

DizeAzeD, a metal band, got together about three years ago after Macey and Nicole met at Pike High School and went to a concert together. Then Macey's sister, Dannie, was added to the group.

There's nothing these teens would rather do.

"It's just so much fun. I mean, it gives you so much experience," said Jonny, who plays bass.

"I think about when I'm 45 and I have kids of my own, we'll have a good paper clipping or a CD that we made, and I'll be, 'This is what your dad did when he was young.' "

Their interests in music evolved differently.

"It's been there all my life. My grandparents were both musicians," said Nicole, a bass player. "In elementary school, of course everybody had choir, and then in middle school I started playing the flute."

Dannie, the drummer, is a junior at Pike High School. She and Jonny developed a love for music in elementary school, but Macey, who plays lead guitar, really wasn't interested in music until she was about 12 years old.

"From there, rock 'n' roll just slowly started taking over everything," she said.

Macey recalled her band's first show.

"It was my 16th birthday party, and we were like, 'Hey, let's put on a show in our garage and invite our friends,' and so we did."

Jonny described the excitement of being onstage.

"It's just kind of a real rush when you're up on the stage and you have the lights on you, and people are watching you and they're not talking or anything but fixed on you and what you're playing and stuff. It's a thrill."

Both bands routinely perform three or four shows a month.

One of the biggest rewards is positive response from fans. But some fans do some crazy things.

"A guy took off his boxers and threw them up on the stage, and I didn't know what they were at first," said Nicole, laughing.

Some fans like to throw beer bottles at the Hooligans.

"One night it hit me and Matt in the chest. It kind of hurt. But it's all fun, they're trying to have fun. You don't know they like you until they start throwing stuff at you," said Jonny.

Fame is not a priority. Their focus is on the music.

"We want to take over the world, so therefore that entails the fame aspect a little bit. But you know, we just want to have fun and do what we want to do and love what we do for the rest of our lives," said Nicole.

"We're almost kind of anti-famous just because people seem to change when they get famous," said Jonny.

Their love and respect for music make it difficult for them to think about anything else.

"Sometimes we want to try and waver and just be like, 'Oh, let's go do something else,' but it's just impossible. It's just sort of like programmed in all of our heads or something," said Macey.

The teens disagree that being in a band is a waste of time.

"There have been people that said that to me, and I just kind of let it go in one ear and out the other and do what I want. It's not their life, it's mine," said Nicole.

"Being in a band kind of keeps you out of trouble in a lot of ways. It gives you something to do, a way to express yourself," explained Jonny.

"I'd probably be like a hot dog vendor in New York if it weren't for this band," added Dannie. Although they put an enormous effort in their bands, things don't always work out the way they want them to.

"Once you get your name out there, it's pretty easy, but trying to break into the scene and get your name recognized, that's the tough part. You just got to keep e-mailing people and calling and sending demos if you have them, or kind of keep nagging them until they give in and give you a show," said Jonny.

Being in a band is not just about performing.

"The business side is just as important as the musical side," Nicole said, explaining that DizeAzeD has to keep track of bookings, promotions, merchandise sales and contacts at different venues, among other tasks.

The groups agree they wouldn't be where they are without the help of their families.

"My dad actually was in a band when he was in college, just a cover band, but they played a few shows, and so he knows what it's like to some extent," said Jonny.

Nicole's mom is equally understanding. "She's awesome. She said, 'Whatever you want to do with your life, it's your life.' I mean, she did really want me to go college. I had enough scholarships to go through for free, and I just chose my own path because I don't think the college life would do anything for me," Nicole said.

Neither band has a definite plan for the future, but they want to stay together for a while.

"I really don't look that far ahead. I just go with day by day," said Nicole.

Dannie had encouraging advice for all young musicians: "Sometimes it'll be worse, sometimes it'll be better. But if you really believe that you want to do something, just go ahead and do it."

Editor's note: This month, DizeAzeD played its last concert in the Indianapolis area. Band members have moved to San Diego, hoping to further their careers.

REPORTERS : Rebecca Salois, 13; Izaak Hayes, 12.