Just for fun, here's an AyaRyo (+Alive!Sota, background Mitsugure) rock band AU//
Main time setting: mid to late 90s (band forms in 1994)
Band Name: ?? (TBD I guess, feel free to leave any suggestions~)
Band Sound: rock/punk rock/ ska-punk (In my head I picture something like No Doubt meets The Boom (a jrock band))
Band Members (age when band formed // age when band really takes off and becomes popular):
guitar and occasional backing vocals
played in a punk band in high school, and occasionally with other groups, but found that he did want to take this path seriously so he decided to form a group with his brother
does some song writing for the group early on, but then let's Ayako and Ryota take the lead on that later on
tried playing with other groups in jr high and high school but didn't end up staying with them for various reasons, so thisis the first one he's really committed to
also plays some piano and does a lot of song writing for the group
he can also sing well but is shy about singing in front of others and doesn't like to sing for the band because he thinks his voice doesn't match the band's sound (which Ayako thinks is a shame)
regarding his crush on Ayako it was definitely love at first sight for him, but for the sake of the band he does his best to keep his feelings at bay (to varying degrees of success)
started out by singing pop covers and was initially trying for a solo singing career
one night Sota and Ryota saw her perform and Sota boldly tried to recruit her
she turned them down at first but later on changed her mind
her one condition for joining was being able to have a strong hand in the writing process, she and Ryota end up working closely with each other on that end
showed up for an audition that Ayako and Sota set up
formerly part of the metal band scene in high school and carried a reputation for getting into trouble/fight a lot at and outside different venues, which is the reason Ryota was adamantly against him joining at first despite him being very talented and having a great audition
used to have long hair but then cut it to show he was serious about changing his image for the band
Other characters (age when band really takes off and becomes popular)
designs the band merch and occasionally helps to manage the merch table
doesn't play an instrument (wasn't super into it as a kid)
Yasuda "Yasu" Yasuhiro (~21)
trumpet player for the band
music major (in a graduate program)-when the band needs other horn players he brings along people in his program that he knows (Shiozaki, Kakuta, Iishi, etc)
he also went to the same university as Kogure for undergrad and they became friends
best friends with Ryota since jr high
Yasu's older sister (just one of his other siblings)
met the band and Sota through Yasu (goes to check up on him during when the band was starting out)
becomes friendly with Sota since they're close in age
Sota develops a crush on her but thinks she's totally out of his league since she's super cool and smart
She likes him too but doesn't think he would ever be into her like that (it's a slow burn between them)
majored in theater design, is working as a set designer with a theater company
by coincidence he and Mitsui went to the same high school, but didn't really interact with each other back then. However, one evening in high school when Kogure was out with his friends he runs into a then drunk Mitsui fighting with one of his band members on the street. After Mitsui gets knocked out from that fight and other people leave Kogure goes to help him up and get into a taxi home (since he recognized him as someone from his school). It just so happened that it was after this fight that Mitsui decides it's time to leave his band, but he doesn't remember Kogure helping him back then.
later when he goes with some university friends, this time to just go watch local bands, he sees Mitsui again with this new band, and through Yasu gets connected with Mitsui directly
He and Mitsui become good friends and get closer...and they're in "will-they-won't-they" situation for a couple years until Mitsui confesses to Kogure and they get together
Background (Sota and Ryota)
When he was a young guy (~1970s-1980s) Miyagi's father was really into the rock music scene going on in Okinawa and was a skilled, self-taught guitar player. Outside of his usual day job he played locally in different bands, and when he married and had kids he taught both his sons guitar when they both turned ~8 years old
Sota was especially talented at picking up guitar and playing well early on, but Ryota also learned pretty quickly as well
Their father passed away when Sota was ~14 and Ryota was ~11 (a little later than in canon)
The Miyagi family moved to Kanagawa about a year later (when Sota started high school)-but for other reasons not really having to do with their dad passing (although it did partially contribute to them moving)