Photo by Michael Donahue // Buy this photo
Seeing Red: (From left) Daniel Barker, Nina Makris, Wayne Walker, Jessica Willett and LeAnn Cary.
When they’re not on stage rocking out in the Seeing Red band, Nina Makris and Jessica Willett are in school teaching teenagers.
Makris, who sings and plays acoustic and electric guitar, teaches psychology, health and physical education and is head coach of the volleyball team at Munford High School. Singer Willett teaches physical education at Elmore Park Middle School.
Photo by Michael Donahue
Seeing Red: (From left) Daniel Barker, Nina Makris, Wayne Walker, Jessica Willett and LeAnn Cary.
A lot of their students know they’re in a band, Makris said. “They try to act like they don’t care in front of you, but I think maybe behind the scenes they think we’re pretty awesome,” she said.
“I can tell my kids dig it,” said Willett, who wears her hair in class the way she wears it on stage — blonde in the front, brown in the back and black streaks: “Just a big, I don’t know, porcupine.”
Makris grew up around music. Her mother, Nita Makris, is owner of The Stage Stop, where many musicians got their start, as well as a shot from Nita’s squirt gun if they used profanity on or off stage.
Seeing Red originally was known as The Nina Makris Band. “Nobody could remember ‘Nina Makris Band’,” Makris said.
“They would say ‘Nina Marcus’ or ‘Nina Mattress,’” Willett said, adding, “They would ask me if I was Nina.”
They used the initials ‘NMB’ for a while. “We tried to shorten it and they still couldn’t remember it,” Makris said.
Willett came up with the “Seeing Red” moniker. “I took it from the Chevelle song, (‘The Red’),” Willett said. “That’s one of my favorite songs. But it can play on so many different things. We got two redheads in the band. We can all get angry at each other (to) where we’re seeing red.”
The rock pop band will celebrate the release of its first CD, Stereotype, Saturday at The Stage Stop.
Makris, who wrote the title song, said, “Everybody wants the skinny blonde cute girl. It’s kind of a play on that. And it’s also a story of bad relationships.”
The lyrics include, “I’m not the way you would like. I’m not pretty and petite. I can’t make you complete and I won’t be pushed around by you anymore.”
Listen Up spotlights area performers. Michael Donahue can be reached at 529-2797.
Seeing Red
The band performs at 9 p.m. Saturday at The Stage Stop at 2951 Cela Road. Cover: $10. A Stereotype CD is included with the admission price. Call: 382-1577.
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