Battle of the Bands Aftershock concert

Sienna Stone | Writer

May 22, 2025

From teenage punk rockers and young live music enthusiasts to older patrons seeking entertainment as they enjoy dinner, all were in eager attendance as Gibroni’s Pizza hosted the 2025 San Clemente High School Battle of the Bands Aftershock concert. On May 15, student bands Surf Strands, Reservoir, and Tumbleweed performed for a crowded and spirited audience.

The energy of the attendees is not independently cultivated. The teenagers in performance, zealous in their musical passion, inspired a community to mimic the same comfort in self-expression. With restaurant tables pushed aside and the dance floor cleared, audience members ease into lively motion, freed for the night from the insecurity and anxiety often plaguing high school years. 

And what better way to share your love for live music and fascination for raw talent than in the camaraderie of a crowd dominated by students wishing to cheer on their peers and enjoy the tune of these bands’ impressive abilities? SCHS sophomore Mimi Somsel personally attended this event, and commented that “SCHS students are so talented” and that within the crowd, “there was a lot of diversity.” A mutual admiration for musical skill is something that brings the widest variety of people together, and specifically for this night, to support the creativity and charisma of the three featured bands.

One band in particular shared their insight and personal experience of the show from their place on stage— Reservoir. Though unfortunately at a loss of a pen and missing out on the future-a valuable autograph of SCHS senior Grey Jara, the lead singer of Reservoir, they however were able to gift me with words of stage-born wisdom, preached that “punk is not dead” and that “music unites” and is “all about coming together.” Additionally, the band’s drummer and also one of the most respectful and kind individuals I met of the night, SCHS senior Noah Rydquist, advised people to “remember to bring ear protection” and remarked that “live shows separate the men from the boys.” Often admired by the teenage girl audience members, Talani Camacho, SCHS junior and the band’s bassist, telled how “the experience is one of a kind” and that “you either love it or hate it.”

Members in all three bands are classmates, students, and high schoolers. Yet in an environment fostering youth musical pursuits and manifestation of artistic ambition, they are able to have a taste of the idolization and appreciation the audience faithfully gives to those willing to share their abilities so generously at a concert open to all. From original songs to covers such as Tumbleweed’s performance of beloved hit “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters, for the night, Gibroni’s Pizza was filled to the brim with young voices in energetic song. But beneath these inspiring performances was the moving atmosphere of supportive peers and a place for people to be themselves whether it be on stage or on the dance floor.