by Gabe Mielke ‘16
Click to check out more photos from Round Three.
At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 23rd Round Three of the 20th Annual Tri-C High School Rock Off began with two Wildcats waiting for their time on stage. Tommy Wild ‘18 and Eric Schanzlin ‘16 were both lined up with their respective bands to perform for the crowd of music lovers, band supporters, and most importantly the competition’s judges.
Eric’s band, Calm Amongst the Chaos, played as the third last band and served up a trio of rockin’ original songs. Tommy’s band, Distortion, followed on Calm Amongst the Chaos’s heels as the penultimate band of the night. Distortion played an assortment of covers of punk rock classics. Although neither of the bands made it to Final Exam both Wildcats had a lot to say about their experiences.
Question and answer interview with Tommy Wild ‘18:
Gabe Mielke: How and when did you start playing music?
Tommy Wild: I started playing the guitar when I was in the 2nd grade at Ron Zehel Guitar Center in Avon Lake.
G: How did you meet your bandmates?
T: I met them through my guitar teacher. He put us all together just for this year’s Rock Off. But I am sure we will start playing together more because we really enjoyed playing with each other.
G: What motivated you to enter the rock off this year?
T: As young musicians we thought that it would be a great opportunity to play in front of people and get a feel for the competition. We also all really wanted to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
G: How did you feel before taking the stage? How about after you performed?
T: Before we took the stage none of us were nervous, just eager. We were super excited to play, but since we were one of the last bands to go we had to watch hours of other bands performing waiting for our turn. The best way that I can describe how I felt after I performed was like getting off of a rollercoaster. My heart was pumping, my legs were shaking and I wanted to go up there and do it all over again.
G: What songs did you play, in order?
T: American Idiot (Green Day)
All the Small Things (Blink-182)
Basketcase (Green Day)
G: How did you feel about your bands not going through to the Final Exam?
T: Although my band did not make it through I definitely learned a lot from the experience. We also had a lot of fun performing. Since this was our first year performing in the competition none of us knew what to expect. But I am happy we played because now looking to next year we have a lot better sense of what the judges are looking for in each of the bands and we will definitely make the adjustments for next year’s rock off.
Question and answer interview with Eric Schanzlin ‘16:
G: How and when did you start playing music?
E: I had taken piano lessons from kindergarten to second grade, then continued to teach myself after quitting lessons. As I grew older, I got more into rock music through my father, and the video game “Guitar Hero.”
G: How did you meet your bandmates?
E: My bandmates and I all met through our band manager, Skip Szalek, who felt that we would provide extraordinary musical talent.
G: What motivated you to enter the rock off this year?
E: Skip had formed our band for the sole purpose of entering the Rock Off, but other motivations included the publicity, and the grand prize of one-thousand dollars and a chance to open for the inductee ceremony.
G: How did you feel before taking the stage? How about after you performed?
E: I could not control my excitement before taking the stage, nor could I control my excitement afterwards. I did not want to have to wait until 9:10 P.M. to perform, so once I finally set foot on the stage, I let loose and gave the performance my all. Afterwards, I was hugging all of my friends and family, and could not express how proud I was for all of my bandmates.
G: What songs did you play, in order please?
E: We played three original songs: “Old Man’s Lament,” “Lady Gypsy,” and “Follow.”
G: How did you feel about your bands not going through to the Final Exam?
E: I felt devastated about not making it to the finals. Everyone had thought that we were a no-brainer to make the next round. I, as well as the entire crowd, was speechless when they announced a different band to move forward. However, I shortly gained my spirit back, because I had so much fun. Not many people can say that they have performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This feat is something I will never forget.
