City Lights shine in the recording studio

January 27, 2010  
Filed under Entertainment

To Do List: Study for math test? Check. Practice piano? Check. Become a recorded artist by senior year of high school? Check.
For seniors Alyssa High and Alex Sinclair, this is all part of daily life as members of a band called City Lights, who recently laid down its first five original tracks at a recording studio, only two years after forming. High, guitar and base player as well as backup singer, became a band member through a shared passion for music with Greg Primo, Vianney senior, and lead singer of City Lights, but Sinclair, key board player and backup singer, has a completely different story.
“It all started for me two years ago in the beginning of May of my sophomore year, when I got locked out of my house,” Sinclair said. “Greg offered for me to come over, and we all started jamming together. After that, I was in the band. It’s not the typical story, but pretty funny.”
High works at Dave Simons Rock School, and the company provided City Lights with recording time in their facility and a chance to further put its music in the public eye.
“It was a long, but amazing process,” High said. “We laid down five tracks, and it took around 36 hours of recording time. We were perfectionists, but we had such a blast. We even made a video recording and clips of our time in the studio.”
City Lights mostly plays local gigs in bars and restaurants around St. Louis County, but recently the band was offered a chance to play in Chicago and have a band open for them. The decision is still up in the air as of right now.
City Lights is described by Sinclair as a classic rock band, but she said recently it has been emerging into more modern rock.
“We are mainly a cover band, and we try to play songs we know people of all generations would appreciate and like to hear,” Sinclair said. “Mainly, we just want to be sure that everyone is having a good time while listening to us.”
As well as playing some of their classic favorites, City Lights performs a few of their own original tracks. The band has a total of about 12 origional songs to play at gigs, including five which members have recorded.
“Everyone in the band contributes to the song writing,” High said. “For me, I take experiences I have had and put them into a song. It is like being able to express yourself in ways when words cannot. I find my release in music.”
Although everyone has heard their fair share of band drama, this does not seem to be the case for City Lights.
“We all get along so well with one another. It’s almost like having a second family,” Sinclair said. “We have become very close over the last couple of years. I see us being friends for the rest of our lives.”
Even though Sinclair considers the band as another family, she said her real family is extremely supportive of her band. Her parents are great about coming to the gigs and watching the band perform. She said her mother’s only complaint is when she comes home-sometimes as late as 4 a.m.-after shows.
High receives the same encouragement from her family. Her mother, in particular, seems to be a comforting factor on performance night.
“My parents come to all of the gigs that are not private, and she gives good critiquing and reviews of the performance,” High said. “I trust what she has to say because she also comes from a musical background. She played the flute and sang when she was younger.”
High has advice of her own to give for other bands trying to pursue their dream.
“Go for it all the way, and you will not regret a thing,” High said. “It is an intense process but so much fun, and it is unbelievably worth it to get yourself and your music out there.”