Last month, Student Government hosted the second-ever annual Battle of the Bands performance. After an hour of riveting vocals, soulful piano, melodic guitar, and more, Lakesiders voted for their favorite performance. To learn more about the preparation process, Tatler talked to band members of the dynamic group that won the competition for the second year in a row: Sophie and the Wicks.
Introduce us to your band or group!
AP: Our band is called Sophie and the Wicks! The name was created by Lorelei Schwarz ’25. We decided to call ourselves the Wicks [after Sophie, our lead singer]. We have been a band for over a year — we started with just me, Sophie, and Aziel last year, with Christina and Maia joining for this year’s performance.
What instruments do you play in the band?
AP: I play the piano.
CL: I play guitar.
Do you play any other instruments?
AP: I spend the most time playing piano, but I also play the flute in the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra. And for fun, I’ve been learning guitar and ukulele.
CL: I started playing piano when I was 4 years old, before also picking up the cello. I’m classically trained in both, so learning electric guitar by myself – it’s definitely a new direction for me! Since learning guitar, I’ve also picked up bass and drums to record my own parts for songs I write. In my orchestral pursuits, I also founded an organization called Project Andante (www.projectandante.org) in 2022 that’s centered around hosting concerts in senior living centers!
How did you get into music?
AP: My parents put me in piano lessons when I was five. As for branching out from strictly classical music, I had a lot of songs I liked that I wanted to play on piano, so I downloaded Musescore and went from there. It’s always a nice break from my regular practice.
CL: I started playing guitar around 2-3 years ago and I’m completely self-taught. I was inspired by many online guitarists to start playing, and they’ve influenced my own style today.One of my favorite musical things to do nowadays is to write guitar parts for songs I like.
What is your favorite memory with the band?
AP: Those moments in the practice room when we are just jamming and we all just play what sounds nice together. That’s what being in a band is really about.
CL: Unplanned jam sessions during practice! Sometimes I’ll just be randomly playing a set of chords on the guitar, Aziel will join in on drums, and we’ll each enter one by one until we get something totally spontaneous and creative.
Why do you continue to play/enjoy music?
AP: Music is just fun! It sounds good, and it’s fun to create. I really like that I can dedicate myself to one thing and continue to improve. It’s one of the best things about playing an instrument.
CL: Same as Amber – playing and writing music is just really fun! But I feel like it’s also such a great way to bring the community together. I’ve had so much fun at various places hosting sing-alongs, whether that be away at summer camps or Sing Away the Stress at Lakeside. It’s a great way to get your spirits up!
What was the process of preparing for the Battle of the Bands performance?
AP: After choosing a song, we started rehearsing weekly. None of us had specific sheet music, so it was mostly a lot of listening to the actual song and deciding which parts we wanted to keep.
CL: Other than what Amber has written already, I did some personal arrangements for my own guitar parts based on the chords. I wrote my own guitar solo too!
What challenges did you face before or during performance?
AP: The biggest challenge was probably scheduling conflicts, as finding a time where everyone could rehearse was very rare. Also, during the performance the sound mixing was not something we had experienced before, so it was a bit of a challenge to adjust to it.
CL: Probably sound mixing. I had pre-configured amp settings, but my amplifier was super tiny compared to all the rest of the equipment, so I ended up having to change my guitar tone to make myself audible. Plus, in earlier rehearsals it was picking up feedback from the big speaker towers, so I was super nervous it would explode everyone’s ears when I got to my solo. Luckily, it didn’t, so all was good!
What is your favorite part about being part of a band?
AP: [I love] creating music alongside extremely talented individuals with my shared passion for music. And they’re also some of my best friends.
CL: It really feels like we can play off of each other and create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Each of us adds something irreplaceable to our band’s sound, and I think that’s really cool! Playing guitar alone gets lonely sometimes, and having friends along the way is always nice.
Any advice for aspiring musicians?
AP: It’s never too late to start something new! Don’t get frustrated if you aren’t good at something immediately. The most fun part of music is in the learning and collaboration.
CL: I’ve heard a statistic that 99% of guitar players quit before the end of their first year. Be part of that 1%! Don’t burn yourself out too early. Find songs you like, noodle around, and try new things!
