It’s a cold rainy Friday night in the English seaside town of Liverpool in 1961. There’s a buzz about a new band and you want to go see them since you heard their drummer Pete is exceptional, but you decide to stay home and wait out the weather. Soon the band dropped Pete, and picked up a new drummer named Richard, better known as Ringo. They go off and become the biggest and most influential bands in history, yet you missed their first show.

Although The Beatles won’t be making any appearance in BG, we are still full of musical talent inside and outside of school halls. Besides our provided musical programs, students have made an effort to expand their art. Multiple students spend their time making music and exploring their talents outside of school, and have even played for audiences or released songs.If you’re someone who needs to yell, loves listening to something loud and fast, and has a taste for some older hits, Takeover may be the band for you. The lead guitarist: sophomore Brennan Watson, and rhythm guitarist: sophomore Joseph Weirech met through a band camp. Weirech walked in on Watson playing a Whiplash song which is where they discovered their shared love for heavy metal music. They soon added sophomore Josh Oo, a bass player, and had started a band. They’re biggest inspirations for the original songs they are working on are Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus, and Misfits. They have not yet released any products, but wish to eventually play live and record their music to release on more platforms.

“I’m in the theater, I turn up the guitar and start playing some stuff, then Joseph walks in and asks if it was Whiplash and it was, so we start talking and exchange numbers,” Watson said.

For those of you who listen to Kanye, Childish Gambino, Tyler, The Creator, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, or other hip-hop and indie rock artists, this solo rapper may be your next favorite. Sophomore Jack Greenspan has been making music on his own since he was in middle school, as a hobby and something fun to do. He started with mainly hip-hop and rap songs inspired by the artists listed above, but has been experimenting with new projects since he also finds inspiration from bands such as the Gorilla, The Black Keys, The Eagles, and Led Zeppelin. Jack has been releasing his own music on SoundCloud, Apple Music, and Spotify. You can find him on any of the listed media under the name “GreenieRaps” and should definitely check out his new album “Easy Being Green”.

“Truth is I don’t really care if people like it or if it gets popular, I do it because it’s fun,” Greenspan said.

A significant factor of being in a successful band is playing music you love with the people you love. Born To Part is held together by the seniors Ricky Cardoso, Max Svadlena, Reed Haas, and Hrishi Shah, who have been best friends for almost seven years now. This band bonded over their love for artists such as 21 Pilots, AJR, and idk how, and had formed a cover band that has played for live audiences and is working on making their own original music. Their lead singer, Cardoso, says they have been working on a “screaming in the car” song, something everyone needs. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok at the username: borntopart.

“We want to make music that people can really connect with, like how we connect with the music we listen to,” Cardoso said about their upcoming song.

The obvious place to go when looking to start a band, is a place where other people also want to be in a band. Zach Olbur, senior, met his band mates Lucy Bollack, Nathan McCann, Jadie Corzo, Matthew Sanchez, and Alex Lofrano who have all graduated from BG through the music school “El Rey” but branched off to form their own band. Six On Friday, named after their practice time every Friday at six pm, have played at local bars, restaurants, and community gatherings, performing mostly 80s-2000s music. Bands like Paramore, The Killers, and Greenday are big hits on their set list along with other rock artists. If you are looking to see this group live, your best bet is to ask around since they have stayed off social media.

Another great school to try if you are interested in joining a band is School Of Rock, an after school program where kids from all around the area can play music and learn how to work their instruments the best they can. Sophomore Ben Alport along with students from Hersey, Stevenson, Rolling Meadows, and other schools nearby are just part of one of the music groups that School Of Rock has helped organize. This specific group plays music for their specific gig, ranging from classic rock to modern pop and even heavy rock, R&B, and blues jazz often at restaurants and bars. This band only performs covers but many students have found themselves creating original products outside of the school.

“It’s especially cool because it’s not just BG kids, so you meet a lot of new people,” says Ben.

There’s music for everyone, whether you need to scream it out to rock and heavy metal or if you need to chill and listen to indie and rap. BG is home to some future music stars, as well as students who just want to have fun doing what they love. You can check out some of these artists on social media, but always keep an open ear for any performances or upcoming releases you would want to know more about. Who knows, some of these artists could be as big as The Beatles, so you don’t want to miss out.