With the school year starting up, a new house band is debuting at Lincoln Park. I had an interview with all the members to get to know them and the band better. The band members are Abigail Beadle, Marley Sargent, Ja’shawn Moon (the singers), Samuel Goodge (the drummer), Christian Mosley (the bassist), Addison Karpa (the saxophonist), Jed Wright (pianist/keyboardist), Zoey Brandyberry, and Lexee Herold (the guitarists).
What made you want to join the house band?
Beadle : I’m a senior and I wanted something to do.
Goodge: I just like music.
Mosely: A couple of years ago, Logan Rosepadler dragged me into it as a sub-bassist, and now I’m just, like, here doing it.
Herold: It sounded fun to be able to play songs I like.
Brandyberry : I’ve always wanted to perform.
Sargent: I’ve always wanted to be in a band, and I like singing, so it just kind of made sense.
Moon: Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always liked to sing and perform in front of people. So when I found out about the house band in eighth grade, I was like, “Wow this is my chance.”
Wright: I joined the house band because I’ve always just wanted to be part of a band in general, and I would be playing with some of my friends! I love music, and being able to cover multiple genres with good friends is an awesome privilege.
Karpa: I wanted to join the house band because I wanted to be a part of something. Whenever I would watch the band, it always made me want to be a part of it. You can tell that they always have fun on stage and are playing for themselves. I love being a part of a family.
How did the auditions go? Were you confident about getting in?
Beadle: I was pretty confident about getting in because I was friends with Macey and Mckayla, [former house band members] and they were like, “Aw you’re gonna do so good, Abbie.”
Goodge: I was confident because I was the only drummer to audition.
Mosley: I was in house band for the previous two years, and I was also the only bassist to audition, so yeah, I was pretty confident.
Brandyberry: I messed up, so not really.
Herold: I honestly didn’t think I would make it.
Sargent : Uh, no. I think I looked pretty stupid, but I was just told to have stage presence. I kept looking at the other singers, and was like, “Okay, I’m just gonna do this.” And then they never stopped me.
Moon: I feel, like, I always go into an audition acting confident, but for house band, I was really confident because I put in the work and practiced.
Wright: I was confident with the piano, and it went pretty well.
Karpa: My auditions didn’t go horrible! There were definitely moments I wasn’t confident in what I was doing, but it always worked itself out.
Are there any bands that are inspiring you?
Mosley: I think we’re trying to pan towards all types of genres, so it’s kinda a mix of what we all like.
Wright: Yeah, we have a pretty wide range of what we play.
Moon: I like music in general, so yeah, we have a pretty wide variety of what we perform, which is what I like about our band.
Karpa: Laufey’s music has always been an inspiration for me. I love how she mashes pop music with jazz. I myself definitely play jazz more, but with this group, I enjoy playing anything.
How did you choose the name Clearway?
Goodge: I just used ChatGpt
Sargent : It sounds like a water brand, but we keep getting referred to as House Band.
Mosley: This year’s selections were pretty different than other years.
Sergant: I think it’s suitable though. It’s like a vibe.
What do you wish to accomplish this year as a band?
Brandyberry: I think we just need to work on confidence.
Beadle: I know we want to end our songs better.
Sargent : Yes! End them when they’re supposed to end.
Mosely: Also work on communication, getting into the groove, and knowing what’s supposed to come next.
Do you plan on continuing music after high school?
Beadle: Yes. I’m going to be a music ed major in college.
Moon: After high school, I plan to go to college to be a teacher, but I still plan on continuing music and releasing albums like I currently am.
Sargent : In a way, yes. I want to go on Broadway.
Karpa: I do plan on continuing music after high school. I love performing for people, and I truly believe it’s what I was meant to do. All I want is to be on stage for the rest of my life, playing music and having fun.
Any other comments?
Mosley: This year I’m glad we have all the core instruments, because last year was a struggle to find people. And we have a pretty good rehearsal time, because everyone is mostly on the same schedule.
Sargent : I mean our first day performance was pretty fire, and I’m excited for the next fun lunch.
Wright: I like that we can improve so fast, because we didn’t have much rehearsal for the first Fun Lunch. And even though we didn’t do our best during A Lunch, we got better almost immediately after.
