Garage bands used to be popular with the parents of current Arroyo Grande High School students. A group of teenage friends playing in their free time is now resurfacing in the halls of AGHS.
Walking through the halls of AGHS, there is a band by the name Euphorik. The band members include Jazmin Valdez, who sings and plays rhythmic guitar, Kian Dela Cruz, who plays the base, Paul Pelypec, who plays the drums, and Lauren Martinez who plays the keyboard.
Martinez filled in for a band member at a more recent performance and was more recently added to the group. This band started at the beginning of last year, with a total of six members. Euphorik has gone through many challenges, losing members, and trying to find the motivation to keep playing.
“Jazz (Valdez) is the one that pushed me to keep doing this, it is something that I really enjoy and we’re having fun doing it,” Dela Cruz said.
This group has been able to perform in a few different places, with much success at these performances. They have most recently performed at Winter formal for AGHS, this was their first time performing in a crowd where they didn’t know the majority of people.
“Winter Formal was my first performance ever, I’ve been playing drums for 5 years and I loved performing,” Pelypec said.
Winter formal was a huge success for Euphorik, they got to experience a bigger crowd and excited students. They played cover songs and the few that were a big hit were, Teenage Dirt Bag by Wheatus, and Creep by Radiohead.
“I remember the crowd going, and this made me feel yes, this is exactly what I wanted and why I perform,” Dela Cruz said.
Euphorik plays cover songs mostly, and is described as alternative Indie pop. This group isn’t only a band, but they have been friends for a while. They started as friends hanging out all the time, enjoying each other’s company, which makes their bond very strong.
“We work reall well as a team, but also as friends we have a strong bond,” Dela Cruz said.
These members practice as much as possible, and perform whenever they have the oppurtunity. They practice anywhere from 2 times a week to sometimes 4, wherever they are free they get together to play.
“Aside from the money we make, hanging out with my friends and being around music is my favorite part,” Valdez said.
Starting something new like this can be scary, putting yourself out there and not knowing how people will react can be intimidating.
“Be yourself. It is terrifying putting yourself out there, but be confident and don’t think about what other people think about you,” Valdez said.
Euphorik has and continues to have so much success along their journey of playing music. They as a group are bringing back garage bands and are having great success getting the crowds going, and spreading their love for music.
