It's time again for Utah StoryCorps: everyday people sharing their stories at the StoryCorps recording booth in Logan.
Aria LaMalfa: Hi, my name is Aria LaMalfa. I am 13. And I'm here with my dad.
Eric LaMalfa: I'm Eric LaMalfa.
Aria LaMalfa: Now ....
Eric LaMalfa: Well, we talked about talking about theater.
Aria LaMalfa: Sure.
Eric LaMalfa: So you convinced me to try out for School of Rock, the musical, which is based on the movie with Jack Black, and I got so excited. I ended up getting three little minor roles, and you got the lead role. You play the cello, but you learned to play the bass and then you join this kid rock band. The whole combination for me was the final scene of School of Rock. You guys are all on stage and you're standing on a box and you're playing the bass and you're killing it.
Aria LaMalfa: I've got my pigtails and golden shoulder pads.
Eric LaMalfa: White Doc Marten boots.
Aria LaMalfa: I had the whole cast sign them. And then I wore them on closing night.
Eric LaMalfa: And you're making the —
Aria LaMalfa: — "Katy face."
Eric LaMalfa: Puckered lips. And you were jammin'. And then they shot the confetti .... That's etched in my mind. And you guys seriously rocked. I was so into theater when I was your age. And I bottled it up and forgot about it. And while we were doing that, I rediscovered I love doing theater. And then we were doing it together. And I was so proud of you.
Aria LaMalfa: I was watching you. And it was really good. You have like one line where you would be like "What a lightweight!" And you would start swinging your jacket around and you hit
Eric LaMalfa: Doing a disco dance and I hit ... and her glasses would fall off.
Aria LaMalfa: You hit somone in the face. So funny! I remember Emanuel he was like, "Aria your dad never gets old." So funny.
Eric LaMalfa: That means a lot to me. And this kind of leads into ... how old were you when you wrote the neighborhood musical?
Aria LaMalfa: Like, 9.
Eric LaMalfa: You were nine and you wrote it with your friends on Google Docs and you rehearsed it in the yard. And you built a set out of cardboard and this was all just you guys. You've always written stories.
Aria LaMalfa: I remember Evelyn, I gave her like a lead.
Eric LaMalfa: You were the narrator.
Aria LaMalfa: She was like freaking out. And so I was like, "Don't worry. It'll be okay. You just gotta get out there."
Eric LaMalfa: You've always been very bold and fearless. And you really have a big heart. The other day, you're 13 years old... and you were over at the park hanging out and me and Stella, your sister, rode by and you and your friends were like, "Hey, Stella come over here and
Aria LaMalfa: We were having a mock trial.
Eric LaMalfa: You were having a mock trial and you wanted her to be the judge.
Aria LaMalfa: Yeah.
Eric LaMalfa: It's just cool that you include your sister in things. Those little moments. I'm so proud of you.
Aria LaMalfa: I guess I was proud that you did the theater with me. I know it took a lot of convincing for me and mom to get you to do that. And I was... I was really happy that you did. And I think it was a bonding experience for us.
Eric LaMalfa: It was!
Aria LaMalfa: But like you have your band the Highline Drifters. It's cool! And I guess when my music stuff...
Eric LaMalfa: Yeah, you're gonna start a band band over the summer.
Aria LaMalfa: You know, starting a band ... uh ....
Eric LaMalfa: What are you calling your band?
Aria LaMalfa: Hopefully "Quentes Bochechas"
Eric LaMalfa: What's "Kenshee bushesheh?"
Aria LaMalfa: "Hot Cheeks" in Portuguese.
Eric LaMalfa: I love watching you ... be you.
