Meet very real
Source/Author: Raffi Darrow, Ebytes Editor
November 01, 2023
On a rainy October afternoon in the Raymund Center at Shorecrest, I had the exclusive opportunity to immerse myself in the vibrant and unfiltered world of very real, the Upper School rock band. As rain pelted the windows, I sat down with band members Ethan Creadon '25, Jensen Hallock-Wishner '24, Sarah Kingsford '25 and Andrew Myint '25 to delve into their journey and uncover the origins of their unique sound. What I discovered was a passionate quartet of musicians who are unafraid to push the boundaries of indie rock.
Here’s your backstage pass to the eccentric world of very real.
The band's formation is a tapestry of connections. Andrew first joined the Shorecrest Middle School Rock Band. "I met Ethan and asked him to join," he recalls. Ethan introduced Sarah to the mix in Upper School, and she in turn brought Jensen into the fold.
The band's name, very real, was born from a moment of spontaneity by Andrew during a Shorecrest Fall Showcase in 2021. Ethan insists that, despite the fact they are known as Are We Real on Spotify and Amazon Music, "we are definitely very real."
Early Influences
Sarah Kingsford, the charismatic vocalist, remembers the allure of rock pulling her into its embrace. "I grew up listening to rock and thought all the people who played rock were super cool," she says. "So I wanted to be like that. I was inspired at an early age."
Andrew Myint, who initially wanted to play piano but ended up playing guitar at his father’s insistence, eventually found his passion for the instrument.
Jensen Hallock-Wishner started his musical journey with the piano. “By the time I was old enough to appreciate music, I got my inspiration from the music my dad listens to. I picked up a guitar over quarantine because my mom wanted me to do something. The rest is history,” he adds, reflecting on his evolution from a casual observer to an essential part of very real.
Ethan Creadon's multi-instrumental journey began with piano lessons, but it was during quarantine that he branched out. “My piano teacher said, ‘If you want to play bass you need to start with guitar.’ So I started there and a couple months later I was playing bass. The skills transfer a little bit.” He had some help from Chris Powers ‘00, Director of Online Learning and bassist in the band The Hip Abduction, as well as YouTube.
As for musical influences, the band's eclectic tastes run the gamut. While their sound is decidedly indie rock, their individual preferences span various genres.
“What we play and what we listen to are absolutely not the same thing,” Ethan shared. “Everyone has such different tastes. I’m mainstream, I like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine. Andrew is super not mainstream; that’s his whole thing.”
Andrew interjects, “I listen to a lot of different stuff like Standing on the Corner, to King Krule, or Phoebe Bridgers.”
Ethan continues, “Jensen likes dad rock and metal, like Led Zeppelin or Ozzy Osbourne. I also listen to metal which is weird because I don’t play metal.”
Sarah makes an effort to listen to music that her three bandmates are listening to as a way of forming their band’s sound. “I’ve added stuff on my playlist from what they’ve mentioned or what’s on their playlists. Personally, I enjoy a lot of different things. I’ve been listening to calm music like The Beatles and Jack Johnson recently.”
“Basically Sarah is like the glue of this whole thing,” Jensen tosses out the compliment casually, but it’s clear that Sarah schedules band interviews and photoshoots, and hosts band rehearsals.
“In my basement on a Friday,” she narrates, “normally they’ll come up with rhythm and song structure. After they make the beat, I produce - sometimes with Andrew - lyrics within an hour. So really the lyrics aren’t incredibly deep. They often reflect teenage angst or emotions in general, a lot of things people can relate to.”
“This is why music is subjective,” Jensen adds. “You can interpret lyrics any way you want to. Our lyrics might mean different emotions for different people.”
The band members all have their favorite very real songs and memories. For Sarah the first performance of their single, "Fluorescent Lights," is particularly special, as it represents the culmination of their hard work and creative process. “We’re all really proud of how it turned out because it took so long. Performing that live and seeing an audience as we performed it was a neat experience.”
While very real thrives on musical diversity, it can also present challenges. Collaboration can be tricky when members' musical tastes are so different. As Ethan puts it, someone may think they've created their best work, only to have another bandmate say it sucks.
“The bigger challenge is getting Ethan and Andrew to listen,” smirks Jensen.
The Shorecrest community plays a central role in very real's success. They've been able to rehearse in their school's facilities with Band Director Ethan Updike as a crucial supporter and mentor.
“He seriously has been a huge motivating factor for us and talks to us about how to elevate our band. He’s been incredibly helpful. We really owe all of our band successes to him,” the band states.
The Future of very real
very real is gearing up to release new music on their first EP in the winter 23/24 season. Their commitment to both original songs and covers keeps their performances fresh and exciting.
Single available on:
Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0BT9SHYFS/are-we-real
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7FGNXcEYMDFqhW9I3dGCxz?si=O-RSz6F5R7iREfX4sNjEYg
