Local teens keep rocking on
From commercially successful bands such as The Neighbourhood and AWOLNATION, to popular local bands Full Measure, Paper, and Static, Newbury Park has been a place for rock bands to get their start.
The alternative rock band Static, which was formed at Rock Nation School in Agoura, consists of singer/guitarist Mikey Netka, guitarist Zane Vandevort, drummer Trevor Smith and bassist Kyle Hart.
“Once upon a time, Kyle’s parents threatened to take him out of Rock Nation if he didn’t make a band, because all of his friends had bands. So after school one day, I got a Snapchat, and he’s like, ‘Hey. Wanna start a band?’ and I was like, ‘No.’ But then after a couple of days, I was like, ‘Yeah,’” Netka said.
After starting at several open mics, Static plays at gigs three to four times a month, which allows them to gain exposure. Many local venues are available to young musicians such as the Canyon Club in Agoura, The Thousand Oaks Teen Center, and Rock and Roll Pizza in Moorpark.
“(Our first gig) was really cool because we were playing live for a while, so (playing live) wasn’t really an issue,” Hart said. Struggles regarding feeling comfortable in front of an audience vary from each member.
“During my early stages as a drummer, I as hindered by the pressure of an audience,”Jeff Demorest, drummer and backup vocalist for the band Paper, said. “However, it wasn’t long before I became confident in my ability and was no longer phased negatively by a crowd.” The members also like the publicity that their band receives, and how it feels to be onstage.
“All your worries go away because all you’re focusing on is playing and having a good time,” Vandevort added. “I feel at home. I feel like I should be there.” The musicians each try to keep the crowd going while they are onstage.
“Our style of music is very high energy, and I get a lot of adrenaline from performing,” Demorest said. “Being onstage feels very natural to me. I love being able to share my passion with all who are willing to observe.”
Full Measure, another band from the Thousand Oaks area, got their start at Rock Nation School. The band consists of Angel Torres on bass, Trevor Smith on drums, Conner O’Brien, who attends Agoura High School, on vocals, and Shane Peterson, who attends Moorpark High School, on guitar.
“Probably about almost a year ago, after one of the Rock Nation concerts, Shane asked Trevor if we wanted to make a band, then they needed a bassist, so they asked me,” Torres began, “and then from there we just made a couple of originals, and the singer Conner, he came late into the band, but since then we’ve just been jamming together and just writing songs.”
Writing songs has also been a key component in how the bands interact with one another. While musical influences play a big part in shaping the bands’ sound, each member has a different aspect to add to the process of creating a song.
“It’s really just emotion, sort of what you go through in your life and it inspires us to write different songs,” Peterson said about Full Measure, “Sometimes, you just need to sit down and write, and that turns into some pretty cool stuff.” Each band has a different way of attaining creative energy.
“At first we had trouble writing music. But then, one day, we decided to like, cut the crap, get down to business,” Netka said pertaining to Static. “We kind of took a while and had trouble writing, but we decided to just all go home and write stuff separately, so it was easier for us to just do it by ourselves.”
Overall, performing with each other has been an exciting experience for both of the bands.
“It’s more of just adrenaline rush to just go up there and have as much fun as you can,” Peterson said.
“It’s great. I love performing, and that’s what we get to do in this band,” Netka added. The members each hope that their band will be successful in the course of the next few years.
“I’m pretty serious about it,” Hart said. “I don’t know how far we’ll go, but I’d like to see what happens in a few years.”
