Not everyone gets the chance to make it big, but a band formed by five musically inclined students may have just gotten the opportunity of a lifetime.
“Our band has worked really hard to get where we are today. Really we’ve worked hard together,” said senior and lead singer Jack Gochnour. Artificial Bliss was formed three years ago in the summer after the members’ sophomore year at Eagle High. They were drawn together partly by their shared love of a particular artist.
“‘The Backseat Lovers’ is our main inspiration… We love the ‘Backseat Lovers’ and we play a lot of their songs, but we also like to branch out and write our own music,” Gochnour said. The band specializes in the indie rock genre and has competed twice in the yearly Battle of the Bands organized by English and Japanese teacher Layne Ward.
Even though ‘Artificial Bliss’ started because of another artist, they have begun to write their own material, enough to release an EP in the near future.
“We’re really excited to get on Spotify and get something out there that’s really concrete,” said senior and drummer for the band Grant Glenn. The band received a very fortunate opportunity recently, allowing them to get a head start in the industry.
“In the music industry, it’s all about who you know and your connections and we were able to swing that to get a lucrative deal for ourselves. It’s all about taking initiative to set yourself up for success,” Glenn said, “Success is opportunity met with preparation. And that’s what we’ve done. We’ve prepared great songs, and now we have the opportunity to make something out of that and turn it into something real that people can enjoy every single day.”
‘Artificial Bliss’ was able to get their hands on a record deal that will allow them to have a big name attached to them, opening the floodgates to even more future opportunities. It hasn’t all been easy, though.
“It’s hard to get five people to go to a band practice every single week,” Gochnour said. The band has had its fair share of struggling to keep momentum but they have persevered, allowing them to receive an incredible opportunity that may help to skyrocket their progress even further.
