After the band broke up, my friend--and Formerly So's vocalist Brayden Green--and I got together with his cousin Andrew in an attempt to write some music and perhaps one day be able to perform again. Shortly after, Jason Stapleton, Formerly So's old keyboardist and one of my best friends, returned from an LDS mission to Romania and he joined us in music writing.
Unfortunately, the dream never came to fruition as schedules and other conflicts got in the way of being able to accomplish much in terms of music, and the project coasted to a stop.
I continued to play my bass and acoustic guitar to my iPod by myself, not wanting to give up the talent completely, and met together with Jason a few times after work (both of us working as web developers at a web hosting company in Orem). I even kept an eye on CraigsList, hoping to find another musical opportunity that I could join in on.
That day eventually came when I saw an ad for a band that I had heard of called Goodnight Annabelle, who was in need of a bassist. I contacted them via email, and immediately bought all three of their albums on iTunes and learned to play most of the songs.
I heard back from the band about a month later, and they asked me if I would like to audition with them. While speaking with Byron, the guitarist, he also asked if I knew anyone who knew how to play the keyboards, as they were looking to find a keyboardist as well. Lucky for him, I happened to be sitting in the cubicle next to Jason at the time, who was more than excited at the chance to practice with them. We auditioned together that very night, and became the newest members of the band.
I was so lucky to find such an awesome band, and one that is already so well established and has such a large fanbase. The members of the band are great people and so much fun to spend time with, and we have accomplished a lot together in the short time that Jason and I have been with them.
One of those accomplishments took place last Saturday, when we were able to participate in the Rock the River 2012 Battle of the Bands. The competition, which is still underway until the end of July, took place at the gazebo in front of the Tucanos restaurant in Provo, UT.
This was a competition unlike any that I have experienced. I have participated in several Battle of the Band competitions in the past few years, Formerly So even placing first in the College of Eastern Utah Battle of the Bands competition a few years ago, but this was the first contest that actually had a panel of celebrity judges that would watch and critique each band's performance.
The judges of our wave of the competition were Chunga from 101.9 The Edge, Amy from The Whits, and Ryan Innes as the guest judge. Hearing the rather blunt comments and critiques from the judges on the two bands that played previous to us, we were more than a bit nervous to hit the stage. However, when we took the stage and were greeted by so many cheers of fans that came from all over, our fear melted away and soon became one of the most memorable shows that I have ever played in my life.
We were utterly amazed at how many people came to see us...especially those that came for the band in general just as fans, having no connection to any one member of the band (i.e. family member, friend, etc.). In fact, we even had the opportunity to hang out with several of the fans before and after the show, which was a super cool experience.
After our set and some deliberation from the judges, we were shocked to find that we were announced the winners of this wave of the competition. While we were given some constructive criticism from the judges that we all took to heart, they were very impressed with our music and genuinely seemed to believe that we have a bright future with our band.
After the competition had ended for the night, we were actually able to hang out with the judges for a little while, and were given some great advice on how to improve as a band on many different levels. The advice was priceless, and we have been working on everything they told us from that point forward, and are very pleased with the changes. The judges were really great people.
This has been such an awesome experience for me to be playing in a band again, and especially to have found the perfect band for me: one in which each member has become one of my closest friends, where I am able to play in the same band as my pal Jason, where everyone is equally motivated in moving the band forward, and where I truly see myself going places musically.
I can't wait to see what my musical future has in store for me.
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