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Lila Gallagher
Staff Writer
Mira Costa High School’s Link Crew and Associated Student Body (ASB) invited four high school bands, composed of under and upperclassmen, to recreate the annual music festival, Coachella, on Wednesday, May 19.
The week of May 17 was filled with informational posts on Instagram, a Coachella costume dress up day and a chance to win prizes like Starbucks gift cards. The 405’s, The Dropoffs, Pier Pressure and Minor Problem were chosen to represent the event this year.
“The online aspect threw us off a bit, but we could tell from the interactive Instagram that our ideas paid off,” Link Crew Member and Junior Isabel Wilmot said.
Four student-run bands, Coterie, the a cappella group, and Mira Costa clubs were recognized during the event on Instagram. Publicity posters, band pictures and even music videos were posted on @Costachella21. Each band was tagged to further publicize the groups. The bands usually performed at restaurants and cafes, the bands’ audience was an older crowd, with some teenagers mixed in. Costachella expanded the age range of the audience, and promoted the performers using their social media platforms.
“We think that Costachella gives students and our peers some opportunity to get their songs out into the community, so holding it online, instead of just cancelling it, seemed to be the best call,” Wilmot said.
The 405’s band is made up of Charlie Majcher, Taft Buckley, J.P. Lim, and Aidan Silver, are a mix of Juniors and Seniors from the South Bay. Majcher said mutual friends and a mutual interest in music are the reasons for the beginning of the new band.
“We’ve been playing and recording together for several months now, and we’re pretty proud to say that our music is on all platforms,” said The 405’s lead singer, Majcher.
Majcher and the rest of The 405’s weren’t the only band who appreciated the free marketing. After speaking to other band members, like Jack Whitney from Pier Pressure, Costachella benefitted them enormously in terms of free publicity and a brand new audience.
“It was great exposure for our band and it was so exciting to get people listening,” Whitney said. “Although we didn’t perform in person, Costachella spread our name throughout the South Bay.”
Playing a variety of classic rock, funk, and pop music, Pier Pressure began in 2018, all members remaining consistent since the beginning. Pier Pressure has five members, Zak Anderson, Sophia Papouchado, Leo Puccio, Sam Rohde, and Jack Whitney. Although they started at a young age, the members are now high school seniors and college freshmen.
“We’ve bonded so much over the years, and I think since we started, every performance has improved,” Whitney said.
Kobe Miyake, Braden Woomer, Sam Nicosia, and Teddy Stavropouslos created The Dropoffs in 2018, and have been performing ever since. Due to Covid-19, the band took a break from live performances, but plan to be back in action on June 12, 2021.
“We’re starting back up on June 12th at Red and Louie’s Pizzeria,” Miyake said. “Maybe after Costachella, we’ll see some Costa students there to listen.”
Minor Problem began in 2015 in Hermosa Beach, California. Emma Canty, Zak Anderson, Brady Gin, Jacob Less, and Max Hendrickson work together to write and create new music. Since their start, this band has released two Singles in 2019, ‘Chasin’ it,’and ‘The Reason,’ available on Apple Music and Spotify.
“We wanted to release one more song before our guitarist graduated, so we came out with ‘Chasin’ It,’” Hendrickson said. “We saw the amount of listens rise after Costachella, which tells us we received good recognition.”
Costachella has been featuring bands for four years, the last two being online. The 2021 Costchella, although a revised version due to Covid-19, still engaged the student body, brought attention to student-run groups, and ultimately made light of the circumstances of today, with Covid-19 affecting the high school experience.
“We’d love to be recognized, and hopefully perform, next year at an in-person Costachella,” Whitney said.
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