Music drives

By Jacob Valcarce News Editor

At age 7, senior Josh Chavez was gifted a junior drum set. A year later, Chavez was given a “real” drum set, leading Chavez to enroll in a music school and start his life in the music world.

“It’s honestly through band I’ve met pretty much my whole friend group for the past couple years,” Chavez said. “Music has pretty much been the central part of my life.”

The group started going to concerts once live performances returned to the Houston area after COVID. They had the money and free time.

“Post-COVID, I hadn’t ever been to a concert before and a bunch of shows were happening again so I was excited to see live music,” Castello said.

The concerts the friends frequent range from the rock band Paramore to the singer/ songwriter Taylor Swift, and even lesser-known bands like Black Midi.

It is the music community the group enjoys just as much as the music they hear at each show. At concerts, they meet

Truly fans

Students often pick up tshirts at concerts or in stores of their favorite musicians and bands. It often becomes a conversation starter in class. What’s their favorite song? Why did they first like them. Read about a few who wear those types of tshirts.

so many people from all walks of life.

“The first concert I had ever been to was Thundercat,” Brown said. “I went with my two sisters and It was a nice time. I wore a really stupid hat and people complimented it there. So it says a lot about the people there. It was a plaid bucket hat.”

With ticket prices usually ranging from $25 to $30 for the group of friends, this can be an expensive hobby, but the group of friends doesn’t mind. To them the bonds they make and the live music are worth it.

Chavez has been involved with music for most of his life. In 2017, Chavez was involved in an ‘80s cover rock band. They played gigs from Houston to San Antonio.

They even participated and won the Group Division for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s “Rodeo Rockstar” competition in 2018, allowing them to perform on the Chairman’s Float for the 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade in downtown Houston.

According to Josh, playing for a live audience is much different than practicing alone or even playing for the band.

“The live-like stage environ- senior night. ment is way different it’s just like an energy playing in front especially just up he said. “It’s exciting, inspires you almost.”

Another award in the fall of 2022. of a few selected solo and ensemble

“It kind of validated work that I put toward solo because it was

“I loved the Scooby Doo movie with KISS! Ever since that I have loved them. That’s where my favorite song from them came from. I was like 7.”

Ashley Pearce, 12

“I really like ‘Shape of my Heart’ [by the Backstreet Boys]. It’s just like a really pretty song because boy band songs are usually more sappy or whatever.”

Elaine Smith,

11