Marlie Langer | Student Life Editor
High school students all across Southern California have begun to create their own bands and even write their own music. Many of these bands play together at various locations, which range from garages to venues like The Coach House.
The Bad Kissers band was the winner of the San Clemente High School Battle of the Bands in 2022. Lead singer and guitarist, Tre Kuhn, has been in this community for a long time. Kuhn stated that he “love[s] playing with other bands,” considering the new connections and bonds he creates. Performing with other bands will grow their “crowd whilst the other band has the same opportunity” to grow their crowd as well. Tre is leaving on his mission for the next two years in Argentina, but that won’t stop him and his band from “releasing music for the next year.” He has released multiple singles such as The Crime and Summersville. Their first single ever to be released was Walk Away, which was a hit that all of their fans loved. He sees his band as more than just the typical high school band that normally doesn’t make it past graduation or until everyone has to leave to start their new lives. He “crave[s] every second of music” and hopes to “get people to know who The Bad Kissers are.”
Another local band taking Southern California by storm is UltraViolet. Their singer, Maddie Montejano, says that she enjoys making new connections with the members of her band as well as other bands because it creates a “deeper connection” between people. However, sometimes bands may bicker with each other over songs. When bands are first starting out, “a great way to please a crowd and get discovered is through doing song covers,” explained Maddie. The issue, unfortunately, is that several of the local bands want to cover the same songs. As a band, you want to be unique and stand out, so you need to find songs that bands around you are not already covering. Aside from that, she says that “it just isn’t as fun playing by yourself.”
Additionally, a big part of creating these connections is the friendships that come along with them. Many bands that play together will “cheer each other on” while the other band waits to play or has finished playing. She also discussed how great of a “learning opportunity” it is to play with other bands. Being able to watch other bands they play with perform allows her and her band members to see things they can improve on, such as stage presence.
Overall, these high school kids have worked very hard to get where they are now. Many of them hope to keep pursuing music as a career and to continue to build these new relationships with other musicians as well as strengthen the bonds they already have.
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