How long have you been playing the guitar? I’ve been playing for about two and a half years, roughly. What inspired you? Well, my inspiration comes from many places. First off, there was this kid at my old school who was absolutely amazing at guitar. Watching him play onstage at school eventsencouraged me more to learn to play the guitar myself. Also, there is this all-instrumental guitarist Joe Satriani who I have worshipped since forever. He is basically a god in my eyes. Are there any specific bands that have inspired you? I do not necessarily have a specific band but there is this one song by Van Halen. It is called Eruption and it motivated me to get better at playing the guitar. Do you know how to play that song? After listening to that song, I vowed to learn to play it. I spent a whole summer working on it, perfecting everything. And now, I can definitely play it. How is your guitar playing going at PA? It’s pretty good because I’m in two bands, one is Four Corners and the other one is temporarily called Purple Helmets and the Love Warriors. Members of both bands are boys from the class of 2011. In fact, both of them are going to be performing in Battle of the Bands this weekend. How do you distinguish between two bands of Lower boys? In Four Corners, we all have different interpretations of good music. One of us would be into classic rock while another would really want alternative or something. So, it is harder for us to choose the style of music to perform when everyone has different opinions. With Purple Helmets and the Love Warriors, we usually agree quickly on music genres. Still, even then, I love both bands equally. Do you do any other kinds of art? Well, I used to sing in like the fourth grade and I played the piano a few years ago but neither really stuck with me. And any other art besides music, I was pretty bad at it! So why did you choose guitar over the others? I chose it because I love it. Playing has now become something that is mindless entertainment for me. When I sit down to play, it is to relax and have some fun. It’s like sitting down to play video games after a long day for hardcore gamers! Every guitarist’s goal is learn to play everything, and even though it’s an impossible goal, you can always find new licks and techniques. So, I’ll settle for learning something new everyday. Where do you see yourself with your music in the future? I don’t know what the future holds in store for me and my band members but maybe we’ll catch a break or something! I’m probably not going to be a rock star, but I still want to keep up with my playing. Would you ever consider playing professionally? What is your dream? My dream would be to do something academic and play the guitar. Brian May, the guitarist from Queen is awesome because he is an astrophysicist, and he is part of a successful band. How cool would it be to do both?
