Sports editor junior Ellen Hwang interviewed members of the student-led band New Reputations about their experience as a group on campus and how they prepare for upcoming shows, like their most recent performance at the International Food Fair [IFF] Assembly.

Some of the questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Question 1: What is the name of your band, and who are all the members?

Answer: “The name of the band is New Reputations. The members and their positions are as follows:”

• Jonah Bruce (10), drummer
• Kai Liwanag (12), lead singer and guitarist
• Mollie McLain (11), bassist
• Camila Robles (10), guitarist
• Kaitlyn Soh (11), singer and guitarist

Question 2: How was the band first created?

A (Liwanag): “I started New Reputations as a continuation of my initial band, Roundhouse. I joined in [my] sophomore year, but as the other members graduated, I saw it fit to rebrand and start my own pop-punk band to build a new reputation. Coordinating the band as the leader was definitely difficult as I had to enlist new members and teach parts to some who were newer to their instrument. Taking the role of lead singer was also daunting since I have always been an instrumentalist instead of singing.”

Question 3: What is the band’s style or main genre of music?

A (Bruce): “We like to play a lot of rock and punk rock. We all have similar music tastes, so that’s our favorite type of songs.”

Question 4: What is the dynamic like between band members during rehearsals and performances?

A (Bruce): “We usually bond and have fun. I don’t think there’s ever been a tense rehearsal where we’re fighting, [so] the rehearsals are always fun. We rehearse once every two weeks, and then we’ll perform every chance we can, like choir, band stuff, Performing Arts Center [PAC] shows and more.”

A (Robles): “Whether it’s a rehearsal or we are on stage, we maintain the same relaxed, humorous atmosphere.”

Question 5: What was it like performing at the IFF assembly?

A (Liwanag): “IFF was definitely a fun and unique experience. We performed ‘Ain’t It Fun’ by Paramore for the whole school and parents, so it was definitely nerve-wracking compared to the Conservatory of Fine Arts [COFA] shows we regularly play in the PAC. It was very exciting to see the crowd actually have energy and respond, whether it was cheering or clapping along. It was also very successful in advertising for [the] Musicians United for Service and Entertainment [MUSE] club’s Battle of the Bands, since the band I coordinated for IFF was a mix of multiple bands within [the] MUSE club, including New Reputations.”

A (Robles): “Performing during the IFF Assembly was definitely scary. I enjoyed playing to a bigger crowd.”

Question 6: How do you choose the songs you perform at school events, like the IFF Assembly?

A (Bruce): “We talk to each other and decide if the songs are too hard or too easy. Then, we play them, and we see how we like them.”

A (Liwanag): “For IFF, I chose ‘Ain’t It Fun’ by Paramore, as it was a fun, collaborative piece to play with a larger band mixing New [Reputations] and Just Girls. It’s definitely a crowd favorite that gets people hyped up and singing along, so it made sense to play it in front of our biggest crowd. New Reputations’ COFA Fall Festival set was more of the songs that we liked as individuals and less popular music for a big crowd, so we played more Midwest emo that had a more personal connection to all of us.”

Question 7: Do you and your bandmates get nervous before performing? How does everyone handle it?

A (Bruce): “I get pretty nervous before performing, but when you step on stage and start performing, everything just starts getting better and better. We also have sound checks at rehearsals to make sure everything is right.” 

A (Robles): “Typically, [our bassist and I] get a little nervous, so [we] go over the songs unplugged once or twice.”

Question 8: What challenges has the band faced, and how did you overcome them?

A (Bruce): “Learning the songs in a very crunched amount of time was a challenge. Sometimes, we had very little time to learn and actually perform them, but we still got over it and played songs.”

Question 9: Do you have any favorite memories while playing in New Reputations?

A (Soh): “I think my favorite memory was probably performing in the PAC show. It was the first performance that I did with all of New Reputations; we had really cool lighting, people were cheering and I really liked the songs we were doing.”

Question 10: What are your goals for the band moving forward?

A (Robles): “My goals are to keep performing and encourage more people to make their own bands for events like Battle of the Bands.”

A (Soh): “We want to perform more at school events and perform in the quad during lunch. We also want to maybe perform outside of school.”