Two fluorescent bulbs provide the only illumination for the faces of four 20 and 30 somethings while they set up their instruments in a stuffy windowless room. The air begins to reverberate, causing the room to seem even smaller and hotter, as the local band Addiction Theory starts to practice.

Although they are all sweating, the band members don’t seem to mind the conditions they’re in. On the contrary, the shabby studio in which the musicians recently moved into allows them to play as loud and as long as they like.

“We just wanted a place to play, we were tired of playing in a living room,” said lead singer Jared Lawson.

“With that you have neighbors to think of. Here we can play until 1 o’clock in the morning. If we get on a roll, we can stay up.”

Along with Lawson, Addiction Theory’s members are bassist Ben Sherman, drummer Jeff Clayton and guitarist Eric Carrillo. The band has been together for more than a year, playing everywhere from performance venues to back yards.

“If we can play and scream our heads off in front of our closest friends and not get laughed offstage, then we can do it in front of a crowd of strangers,” Lawson said.

Addiction Theory is one of many unsigned Bakersfield bands making and playing original music. According to the band members, they are attempting to do everything they can to get the hard rock sound of their band known.

“We’re heavy, but you can understand everything we’re singing about,” Carrillo said.

“Not everybody’s going to like what we do, but we like what we do.”

The band members contend that their hard rock sound is different and they are trying to set themselves apart from the crowd. Rather than sounding like everyone else does right now and get lost in the shuffle, they want to be the next big thing. They appreciate and understand other groups, but they don’t want to directly emulate them.

“It’s hard to play for somebody else’s crowd when you don’t sound just like them,” Sherman said.

The band practices once or twice a week and performs nearly every weekend at venues all around Bakersfield.

The group has been trying to meet people, make connections and friends in the music business. In addition, the band members have a demo CD that they distribute to anyone and everyone who will listen.

Carrillo is a full-time student taking graphic arts classes at BC. He and the others have designed a logo, shirt, stickers and business cards to help get the band name known. Carrillo has also created their most important tool, a Web site. By way of the Web site and e-mail, the band can easily direct a person on another continent to a music sample or quickly set up another performance.

Perpetuating the band is not free. Addiction Theory spent nearly $1,000 to rent a studio so they could record their six-song demo last year. The individual members have also spent several thousands of dollars on equipment. They each pitch in about $80 per month into a band fund in order to pay for the $225 monthly rent for their studio. There’s also the cost of printing their shirts, stickers and business cards. Although some performances have paid up to $400, the majority of Addiction Theory’s shows are free. Lawson, Sherman and Clayton work fulltime at regular jobs.

“If I could spend the rest of my life making about as much money as I am now and just playing music, I think I’d be a very happy man,” Lawson said.

It has been over a year since they recorded their first demo, and now Addiction Theory has started to record their next demo at B2 Studios. They are hoping to record a strong three-song demo that they can send to the record labels. They also want to record a full album.

The band name Addiction Theory is derived from their belief that everyone is addicted to something, whether it be sleep, drugs, food or whatever. For Lawson, Sherman, Clayton and Carrillo, their a