Musical Influences of bands from School of Rock

The Conant auditorium was filled with thudding sounds of the drums, vibrations of the guitar, moving vocals. The School of Rock had their first showcase on March 16.

In regard to the inspirations of the bands, the Conant Crier explored the influences of the musicians in the School of Rock.

Say Yes to Pizza

Say Yes To Pizza played “Hooked on a Feeling” by Björn Skifs and Blue Swede, “Wonderwall” by Oasis, “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer, and “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins.

David Moskal, ‘20, lead guitarist/vocalist: My two biggest inspirations are Eric Clapton and John Mayer. I really like how they take the guitar and give it a voice. They also sing and play the guitar, and that’s what I do for my band.

Brodie Dorman, ‘20, rhythm guitarist: The artists Les Claypool and Metallica inspired me to play an instrument. I feel the way I play is inspired by the way they do every day.

John Tamms, ‘20, bass guitarist: I feel like [Mike Dirnt] influences me in playing by the way I play every riff.

Andy Farnsworth, ‘19, drummer: My influences are John Bonham and Neil Peart because I fuse in that type of drumming in my own.

Panama

Alyssa Michelsen, ‘20, drummer: Any upbeat song can really inspire me. I might be picky when it comes to what music I listen to, but that doesn’t stop me from appreciating most music I hear. Although I am very stage shy, I try my best to let loose and have fun.

Guyen Ganbagana, ‘20, bass guitarist: I worked and got money and had a choice: Playstation or guitar. I simply bought the guitar and studied it on my own. I’m gonna learn to sing soon.

Eduardo Vazquez, ‘20, lead guitarist: I I have many influences ranging from Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and John Petrucci. But my main influence would have to be Eddie Van Halen. As a kid, my dad would play Van Halen all the time, and hearing Eddie’s masterpiece “Eruption” blew my mind and inspired me to start playing the guitar. And I very much want to play [the way] he plays with his technique tapping. When I perform I am not much like Eddie, but I do feel the emotion he feels.

Kyra Sanders, ‘20, rhythm guitarist: I have a lot of influences, but the one who is actually related to rock is Queen. I thoroughly enjoy their music, and they inspire me to do try to be a better guitarist.

Annie Fu, ‘20, vocalist: My influences are mostly classical composers (currently it’s Prokofiev) and a mix of songs from other genres. They influence me as a composer to try new things when I write songs and pieces. Overall I try to add some small things into my performances to make them more interesting because of this.

The Naturals

The Naturals played “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, “Africa” by Toto, and “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. Dominic Gomes is the drummer for The Naturals. 

Zain Siddiqui, ‘22, bass guitarist: My influences are my friends. They were the ones who inspired me to first pick up guitar and challenge myself to be the very best I can be. There is nothing more fun than playing with a band, and I believe that everyone should try playing in a band. It does not matter if you’re good or not but only if you have fun.

Nikhil Joshi, ‘22, vocalist: My influences come from many places, but usually it comes from the music I listen to. Whenever I’m listening to a song I like, or a new one that I enjoy, I’m always thinking about how I can sing it.

Arjun Gopal, ‘22, pianist/guitarist: My musical influences come from 70s-90s rock and pop bands. I love bands such as Queen, and their songs influence me musically because I change my styles of playing to their styles. I’m always thinking about the different instruments and parts of my favorite songs and try to recreate them with lots of instruments and with my friends.

Gasmask Spidermonkeys

Gasmask Spidermonkeys played “Brain Stew” by Green Day.

Lennox Glab, ‘22, bass guitarist: I get inspiration from the likes of Mike Dirnt (Green Day) & Flea (from Red Hot Chili Peppers). Both of these make me want to learn more about the bass. I look up to the energy that both of these great bassists have, and one day I hope to be one of the greats.

Anthony Cooper, ‘22, trombone: The person who inspired me be a musician is my uncle [and] his love for Metallica. This helps me for my performances for a person to look up to.

Zack Barnes, ‘21, drummer: I am one of the two drummers we have here. I was inspired to play music by my dad, who has been playing drums for years. I am heavily influenced by bands like Shinedown, who write very meaningful music

Nick Carlucci, ‘21, drummer: I was really inspired by Green Day and Foo Fighters and all those great bands. Drummers that influence me have to be Tré Cool and Taylor Hawkins from Green Day and Foo Fighters. They influence me because they make me want to play their style of music and songs. They all have amazing music, and I definitely recommend taking a listen.

Ryan Weippert, ‘21, guitarist: Being a music creator and member of another band myself, I’ve had my influences range depending on what songs we play and cover. Personally, my favorites have always remained as Green Day, Queen, Scorpions, and Collective Soul. Each of the bands influenced my song selection and stage performance for the better and will continue to influence which songs I chose to play and create.

Space Whales

Space Whales played “Mind Mischief” by Tame Impala, “Ten Cent Pistol” by the Black Keys, and “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin. Andy Farnsworth is also the drummer of Space Whales.

Erika Terrado, ‘19, vocalist: Music itself has made such an impact on my life and arguably is a huge influence in our world. Whether it’s a feeling of sadness, heartbreak, frustration, or complete joy, I always turn to music. But some of my greatest influences are the very people in my band. Kyle, Daniel, and Andy all inspire me and influence me to use music as my outlet. Being on stage with them makes me feel strengthened and allows me to feel more open on the stage and open with myself.

Kyle Patterson, ‘19, guitarist: My influences are Led Zeppelin, The Who, and the Black Keys. Led Zeppelin and The Black Keys have a lot of blues roots, so as a musician, they’ve introduced me to playing a lot of those styles. The Who was influenced by everything and were just spunky, and that has inspired me to be creative in playing music. All of them have really strong stage presence and are high energy, so I try to be up to that level when performing because I know how much a good performance can add to a song

Daniel Glinski, ‘19, bass guitarist/vocalist: Blues and jazz are my roots. I moved to classic and alternative rock recently. Major bands have been Alt-j, Interpol, Tame Impala, and most of all, [The] Black Keys and other blues rock musicians. They inspire me and leave a bit of their specific style and flair in my performances and all my original work. My performances are built off of the mood of the music, the feel of it, and it lets me adapt and interact wholeheartedly with what I’m playing.