(December 17, 2004) — Junior Richie Reza usually sits in his room surrounded by thousands of dollars worth of music equipment, playing songs by his favorite guitarists. He describes loving Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen for their genius solos. Inspired by these soloists, Reza, who has been playing guitar for almost five years, practices about two to three hours a day. He used to take guitar lessons in the seventh grade, but that soon ceased when he moved and decided to play on his own. According to Reza, playing guitar is something he’s loved to do ever since he was young. “I wouldn’t say that I’ve had just one motivation to play guitar, but I really love just sitting and playing songs like ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin or ‘Californication’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I listen to all kinds of music except classic and country,” laughed Reza. The music that he listens to gives him the inspiration to keep writing. He started writing his own song about a year ago, which he practices daily so that he can play “for the ladies.” When Reza practices he is usually on his acoustic Fender, which has steel strings, or on his electric Squier. He has other equipment such as Guerilla Amps and a Marshall head, which is an amplifier that is placed on top of a cabinet. When Reza moved he had to leave his band behind but he never lost the drive to be in a group. He is motivated to start his own band, and rekindle his love for music with others. “I use to play in a band called Seaweed, until I moved and now I pretty much talk to my friends from Glendale High School about music,” Reza said. He is thinking about joining a band called Slow Motion Riot. “If I don’t join that band I’m probably going to start my own band called Absolute Zero,” said Reza. He is inspired to continue playing and maybe in the future actually join a bigger band that can help him further excel in music. Reza described incidences where he would play in his room for hours, causing the walls of his room to pound with intense music. “I usually get yelled at by my sister, because she gets sick of listening to me play the guitar, but I can’t help it,” said Reza. “I play because it’s a way for me to express myself. I wouldn’t stop because I would give up something I love.” Although his favorite hobby is playing guitar, he is interested in snowboarding and skating as well. “I’ve been snowboarding for about four years now and skating for six,” said Reza. His goal in life is to go to college, which he’s still confused about, and then move to Argentina or Chile to open a snowboarding park. “I also want to marry Jessica Alba,” Reza joked. When being asked if Reza was single, he replied, “Why make one miserable, when you can make them all happy.”