Behind every word-conquering band lie surprisingly humble origins. From John Lennon’s Quarrymen to Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt’s Sweet Children, each and every band started as little more than a desire to come together and groove. That passion is reflected in some Cypress students as well.
WHAT REMAINS: Day In the Life Of An Upcoming Band
Reese Ciccarelli, Bradey Bowman, JD Trujillo, and Jude Black from What Remains. It all started at Lexington Junior High, where Black met Trujillo in Mr. Muckey’s class. A core memory in meeting Trujillo was Black making fun of Trujillo for crying in class, which sprouted the seed that would eventually become What Remains. Bowman, who played bass, posted on his Instagram
story, asking who can play an instrument and get a band together. Thus, Black went through many phases before landing on what it is today. First name was going to be Eat Me, but was rejected by Bowman’s mom for sounding inappropriate. Tussy Fit was pitched next by one of their old band members, but later had to be changed when he left. Black suggested the name I say, which everyone hated. Reese finally came up with What Remains, named after a video game, What Remains of Edith Finch. The original chemistry and flow of the band first got together was, in their words, “horrible.” According to them, none of them were really that good, and their first band session consisted of playing Master of Puppets over and over while Trujillo was locked in a closet with a drum kit, only after waiting four hours for Black’s dad to wake up, since their first session was at Black’s place.
A core memory for the band was signing up for a show and having to write four songs on a week’s notice, one of them was the infamous I Hope You Die. Which, halfway through the song, Black’s guitar turned off without him even noticing, so the whole song was just bass and drums, with the vocals consisting of saying “I hope you die” over and over again. They note that playing their first show where there were actually people was nerve-racking, but when they got up there, they started having fun after realizing that people don’t really care what they have to play. Black stated that any type of ego and pride left him after having fun and messing around, “I’ve let go of pretty much any sort of ego and pride that I have, and I just like to get up there and mess around. Y’know, even when it’s not my show, I still go up there and mess around, which is the awesome part.”
Though they are still together, they also have other projects going on that aren’t What Remains. Trujillo has Snout and Shrine, Black is working on an acoustic project, and Bowerman and Trujillo are starting up a project called Inffliction Of Will, which they plan on practicing during Thanksgiving Break. They wish to start practicing together more because, looking back on it, they realize it was something special. “Honestly, at the time, it was really annoying, but looking back, it’s annoying no matter what, and it was fun,” states Bowerman. Even when Bowman and Black butted heads over musical endeavors, they cherish those memories and appreciate how fun it was. People interested in hearing some songs from them and their other musical projects can find Black’s acoustic band, called Dead Calm, on Spotify and Apple Music. Trujillo has two bands, one that specializes in skate punk called Snout Beatle, which you can find on Instagram: @snoutbeatle. His other, more edgy, band called Shrine can be found on Instagram: @shine.0000, they specialize in grind-core. Bowman has Affliction Of Will, Instagram: @inflictionofwill, as well as Berate OC, Instagram: @berateocdeath. Finally, City Fire Skate on Bandcamp.
Overall, these dudes are symbols of what a band goes through in its first steps. No matter their ups and downs, their victories and losses, all that matters is having fun. Advice from Trujillo for anyone who aspires to start a band is to always record music beforehand, “I can’t stress this enough, please record music before starting to play in shows, so people know what you’re about. You won’t get very far if you don’t have anything for people to listen to.” Another piece of wisdom that What Remains gives is to always promote yourself on sites like Instagram. They say if someone is passionate about a scene or getting a band together, it’s important to understand and ingrain oneself into the culture and community, as well as making friends is very important. Bowman says, “Find people you work well with, it’s a commitment, you gotta keep practicing, and steer clear of Jude. I wanna be a pirate.”
NACHO: Destruction Under The Bridge
Ninth grader and punk-rocker Tadeo (Nacho) Guerrero is the vocalist for his band The Degenerates. He says the name came from the fact that they’re all
degenerates. They’ve been together for two years, and all his other band members have already graduated from school. The Degenerates play a vast spectrum of genres like punk-rock, more 80s-sounding rock, and reggae. Their music perfectly captures the heart of punk: destroy property, and screw authority. Their most popular song, “Banned In Cypress,” is a hate-letter to the town of Cypress, criticizing how all the kids dress the same and both the people and cops are stuck up. All backed up with a drum line that would make you want to punch someone, as well as a gritty guitar that screams anti-establishment, and what would a punk song be without its coarse screams of anger as vocals? Their live shows are found under bridges and to find out when they are, fans can go to their Instagram: @the_oc__degenerates. Overall, The Degenerates are a band worth listening to if you have a taste for destruction, and a radical addition to the punk scene.
