When Tashea Nicole Delaney first picked up a guitar she played "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple.

At the age of 11, Tashea played the bass guitar, following her dad's cover band to the occasional small gig at bars to jam. One song her dad would often play was "Smoke on the Water".

"And the tune would always get stuck in my head, right? So there was an acoustic guitar lying around, and one day I just picked it up and could play it," says the now 20-year-old, "just like that."

Ever since then she has been first and foremost a guitarist.

"I feel more connected to the guitar than the bass." To Tashea the guitar is more versatile, allowing one to play both melodies and rhythm. "You can do anything with the guitar."

It's a Tuesday morning in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, where Tashea lives with her family. Two days earlier, she performed with her band -- Pain Killer -- at Soundrenaline in Medan, North Sumatra, to a crowd of thousands clamoring over each other in the pouring rain.

Her Texan dad, wearing a Kiss T-shirt and sporting the odd tattoo, and I sit outside in the shade, chatting and waiting for the rock star to blow-dry her hair.

Tashea emerges from the house. Her hair stands out at the roots, perfectly frazzled. Later, she will send me an SMS telling me that it is "soo 80s Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue".

We saunter to her studio, which is nestled in the back corner of the backyard next to the swimming pool, moving to where the air is cool. We sit cross-legged on the mat next to the drum kit and converse about rock 'n' roll. Posters of the usual suspects hang on the walls around us.

"I find classical rock music to be more meaningful (than popular music)," Tashea says, "because when you hear it, you can tell it is from the heart. It is not simple music."

After starting out as a cover band playing Metallica and Iron Maiden songs five years ago and several lineup changes, the band Pain Killer now plays songs written by Tashea. The band released its first album in 2006.

Numerous rock gods and guitar legends influence Tashea's music, from the classics -- Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Jimi Hendrix and Aerosmith -- to modern metal and rock bands such as Black Label Society.

"I guess that's what makes us different from a lot of other bands around here. Because our influences are older, our music is more mature."

Tashea is both media and industry savvy. When she speaks, remarks about target markets and professionalism are peppered with expressions like "you know", "stuff" and "whatever" -- just like a kid brought up on a regular dose of MTV.

She is currently studying music at the University of Pelita Harapan, majoring in music management and production with a minor in guitar.

"Pain Killer's target market is not only teenagers," she says. "We hope that ... a wide spectrum of people will listen to our music, not only heavy metal people, but also the people who like rock music or punk music or classic rock."

"That's why we try to mix all of this stuff together, so that it's suitable for all people. And our type of rock music is easy listening. There is no screaming or anything like that or growling. Lots of young kids today like to play that metal-core or hardcore stuff. It is really hard to sell that," she adds.

But it is not just about selling albums. "I love the music I make and I love the music I listen to, and I hope people will feel the same way about it too."

According to Tashea, Pain Killer gave its best performance ever at Soundrenaline to a stadium-sized crowd.

"It was awesome," she says. "It was professionally performed. We weren't playing as if we were playing an ordinary gig, but we were performing an actual concert. It was different. The stage was really big, so you have to make use of that."

Tashea is quickly gaining media attention and rock kudos. She is the first and only guitarist in Indonesia to be sponsored by Gibson Guitars. But while her solo career is taking flight, she is always quick to bring the conversation back to Pain Killer.

"Right now, most people know Pain Killer because of me, right? Because I am the front person I get invited to a lot of TV shows or feature as a guest guitarist with other artists (including Slank) or something like that.

"Most people who know me, know me for being a chick that plays guitar," she says. "I really want Pain Killer to be a band thing and not just about me."

We step back into the heat. The five members of metal band Last Warning from Austria, out for Soundrenalin, lounge around the outdoor setting. It is their turn to wait. Two of them wear Pain Killer T-shirts.

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