Students form new band “Bearfoot”

Since the past summer, seniors Jonah Thornton and John Rhodes and junior Isaac Baker have spent all their time in a room above City Point Church writing, playing, and producing music. Recently having performed a cover of “Arabella” at the school talent show, the band’s name has been mentioned throughout the school.

Bearfoot consists of Thornton, Bearfoot’s lead singer and lead guitarist, as well as Baker, the band’s bassist, pianist, and backup vocalist. Rhodes serves as Bearfoot’s dedicated drummer. All three work as songwriters as well. Before the trio was known as Bearfoot, the band went by the name of Stereo Mindset.

“It’s actually kind of a funny story. One day, we performed in front of the choir and we were all barefoot. See, we never wear shoes, and in that moment, we decided that we would go by “Barefoot” and call ourselves a band,” said Thornton.

The band has written tracks about personal struggles, addictions, and heavier themes. The boys draw inspiration from each other when they hang out as well as from their life experiences.

“Right now, our ‘fans’ include our moms and our girlfriends, but we’re currently working on our full album,” said Rhodes. “A lot of our album that we’re hopefully releasing soon includes a lot of things that inspires us like life stories, our past, and even instances that could happen in the future.”

An album release is expected on December 1 featuring tracks such as “Relapse, Relax,” “Forward,” and “Oh.”

“I think this whole album is us dealing with a lot of high school issues that we’ve all come across in our own lives and that we’ve noticed in other people’s lives that we have encountered,” said Rhodes.

The band recently released a song via Bandcamp entitled “Oh.” The song features abstract lyrics and calm tones, and seems to fuse the Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys.

“Our goal with all of our songs is not necessarily to get a specific message out there, but to figure out what the song means to each of us individually, and for listeners to figure out what it means to them,” said Baker.

Thornton, Baker, and Rhodes are still trying to find their sound and are constantly experimenting with various sounds and genres to find one they’re most comfortable with.

“We definitely wanted to make own our way, and this was one of those things where we just said ‘What sounds good? Okay, let’s do that.’ We’re still figuring out what we like, but simply put, I feel like we fall under alternative,” said Thornton.

Any form of art can serve as an outlet, a way to release, or a way to comfort. For Rhodes, music is a great form of self-expression.

“I know you hear that a lot from a lot of people, but truly, when it comes to anything with my future, it always comes back to music. There was a day I spent seven hours straight on my drum set. I’m very passionate about music even though it’s still in its younger stages and still developing,” said Rhodes.

Thornton grew up with music, and with musicians in the family.

“My dad was a collector and I was instilled with his love of music. Music is very much a way for me to connect with the world around me very easily,” said Thornton.

For Baker, music is an art form, and he is passionate about music for a reason separate from his bandmates.

“Where John and Jonah find it important to share a message, I find so much beauty in the creation process of music. This isn’t limited to just music, there’s beauty in the sculpting of a sculpture, and the time spent painting a painting,” said Baker.

The trio have chemistry, and it is evident in their friendly banter, their shared experiences, and how they play together.

“Real. If anything, our band is real. Nothing that we write about, even if it’s abstract, it’s not  fake. There is a very real reason as to why we write what we do. We draw from our personal experiences. It’s very raw,” said Thornton.