Rachel Clayton
The Battle of the Bands has been a tradition at Newport Harbor for decades, and this year’s crop of talent has maintained the rockin’ spirit of the annual celebration of Newport Harbor’s musical aficionados.
The five lucky student-run bands who were given the opportunity to showcase their musical styling’s at the Quad during lunch, meaning they had a very short window of time to give the audience a taste of what they had to offer.
“It was interesting having such a short set, but it forced me to really think about what defined me as an artist in only a few songs.”, said Junior Rachel Clayton, who is one half of her group, Sea Legs, a band she formed with her 20-year old sister Sydney.
While Clayton did miss having her sister on stage with her when she performed her set on Thursday, she was still able to give a high quality performance that won over her growing number of fans in the audience.
Junior Joe Zavala also gave the crowd a show when he performed his mix of Comedic and Folk Rock, performing such hits as Tenacious D’s “The Greatest Song in the World” and Don McClain’s “American Pie”.
Zavala reasoned that while it was risky to perform a song that was almost 40 years old, he felt that it was risk that paid off, and was the his personal highlight of his performing experience. His set on Tuesday reflected his tastes in music, and he was glad he was able to put it on display for the students of Newport Harbor.
“I’ve always liked performing, but haven’t always found an easy avenue to do so. I am grateful for the opportunity to put on a show for the students; it certainly was a good time. ”
Next up was Freshman Jacob Craddock, who was yet another solo performer at the Battle of the Bands. This is Cradock’s first year at Newport Harbor, making it an all the more nerve-racking experience for him to perform.
His set contained more contemporary rock tracks, with hits from the Blink 182 and My Morning Jacket library. He enjoyed rocking out in front of his friends, and was glad that his hours of practice paid off in a successful set of songs.
He spends hours every night practicing his numerous instruments, including the guitar, trumpet, piano, and saxophone.
“I would hate being restrained to just one instrument, it would just get boring. My wide array of instruments reflects who I am as a musician, which is very diverse”
While there was no clear winner to the Battle of the Bay, it was clear that there is a plethora of musical talent at Newport Harbor. Weather with gnarly cords or silky smooth vocals, Harbor just keeps on rocking
“It was interesting having such a short set, but it forced me to really think about what defined me as an artist in only a few songs.”, said Junior Rachel Clayton, who is one half of her group, Sea Legs, a band she formed with her 20-year old sister Sydney.
While Clayton did miss having her sister on stage with her when she performed her set on Thursday, she was still able to give a high quality performance that won over her growing number of fans in the audience.
Junior Joe Zavala also gave the crowd a show when he performed his mix of Comedic and Folk Rock, performing such hits as Tenacious D’s “The Greatest Song in the World” and Don McClain’s “American Pie”.
Zavala reasoned that while it was risky to perform a song that was almost 40 years old, he felt that it was risk that paid off, and was the his personal highlight of his performing experience. His set on Tuesday reflected his tastes in music, and he was glad he was able to put it on display for the students of Newport Harbor.
“I’ve always liked performing, but haven’t always found an easy avenue to do so. I am grateful for the opportunity to put on a show for the students; it certainly was a good time. ”
Next up was Freshman Jacob Craddock, who was yet another solo performer at the Battle of the Bands. This is Cradock’s first year at Newport Harbor, making it an all the more nerve-racking experience for him to perform.
His set contained more contemporary rock tracks, with hits from the Blink 182 and My Morning Jacket library. He enjoyed rocking out in front of his friends, and was glad that his hours of practice paid off in a successful set of songs.
He spends hours every night practicing his numerous instruments, including the guitar, trumpet, piano, and saxophone.
“I would hate being restrained to just one instrument, it would just get boring. My wide array of instruments reflects who I am as a musician, which is very diverse”
While there was no clear winner to the Battle of the Bay, it was clear that there is a plethora of musical talent at Newport Harbor. Weather with gnarly cords or silky smooth vocals, Harbor just keeps on rocking
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