It seems like punk bands are popping up all around Inspire. Playing primarily at the Naked Lounge, and garage shows. How did we get here?

Sure Inspire churns out incredible performers left and right, but what do you know about the musicians? Especially in the punk scene? Alumni Reece Thompson stars in Mark 3. Sedition with highschool students such as Drew Cramer-Hicks (10), Lili Askew (10), Danny Farmer (11), Chico High student Aydin Rolen, and exchange student from Spain, Lucas Bravo (10). Punk band Exposure Therapy includes Natalie Ivey (12), Devon Anderson (10), and Violet Talbot.

Here’s what an avid fan of Sedition, Grayson Vega (10) has to say about the experience. “[It was] very fun, I love moshing, and I like seeing the band.” Grayson has been a fan of Sedition since day one and has gone to every show at the Naked Lounge.

But what about the perspective of the band members? What do they think about the experience?

And now a snippet from the bass player of Sedition, Lili Askew (10) “It’s fun as hell! They’re my friends but they’re also my bandmates. They’re cool, really cool people. If you have any musical talent, join a band, because it’s like one of the best things you can do.”

Alumni Reece Thompson is the guitarist for a Chico punk band called Mark 3. He has this to express about his experience about music at Inspire, and about how he continued to pursue it after highschool. “For me it was not only super fun, but also really informative. Inspire is where I learned a lot of my music abilities and know-how, and was also super informative for what I was going to be doing for the rest of my life as a musician as well as a recording engineer. The classes I took helped me significantly, and I wouldn’t be nearly knowledgeable nor passionate about what I do had I never had taken all the music classes that I did.” Reece Thompson (Alumni, Class of 2022)

Perhaps, Inspire has some secret method for creating great bands, maybe it lies within the teachers, guess we’ll never know. Want to find out for yourself? Find these bands on Instagram at @sedition_ca, @exposuretherapyca, and @mark3band.ca