The Collegian

Issue date: 2/22/06 Section: Detour

Media Credit: Jen Utley High Like Five takes time from busy rockin' schedule for a quick photo op. Left to right: Danny Wecks, Nick Carr,Darius Moghadam and Hector Zaragoza.

Saint Mary's has not yet escaped the pop punk phenomenon circulating through the homes of teens everywhere. High Like Five (familiar, perhaps, due to their active Myspace and Facebook accounts), a group comprised of Nick Carr '06 (drums), Darius Moghadam '06 (lead guitar), Danny Wecks '08 (bass) and Hector Zaragoza '08 (lead vocals and guitar), embrace this catchy sound, adding their own unique twist. While leaning towards the more mainstream popularity of bands such as Fallout Boy or Blink182, HLF ignores all that "na-na-na" space-filler crap and, instead adds a distinctive profundity created by the diverse backgrounds of each member.

They formed after Carr's mom had a brief affair with Zaragoza (a fact gathered from the band itself, yet still subject to inquiry). The two, along with Moghadam and their original bassist began playing around November of 2004. Wecks joined recently, only about six months ago, replacing the bassist (ironically after HLF beat out Wecks' band in last year's Battle of the Bands). With their new format, HLF has since created "about 11.75 songs," according to Wecks, having roughly six still under construction.

Although Zaragoza drives the band lyrically ("he doesn't take too kindly to lyrical input" laughs Moghadam), the other members contribute musically, fashioning their own riffs and harmonies to provide backing for Zaragoza's work.

While the yield of such a conglomeration does tend toward the pop-punk arena, their sound deviates from the norm with an occasional bluesy depth of guitar solos or perfectly chaotic (and still precise) thrashing of the drums- a style reminiscent of one of Carr's idols, Travis Barker.

¬Most new pop bands of this generation tend to fall victim to the musical evil called monotony; HLF avoids this trap by mixing tempos of both the vocals and melody. Perhaps their varying style reflects Zaragoza's muse: life. He calls this his inspiration, the result of which spurs feelings of merriment while providing comments on growing up. The outcome is clearly relatable; the band has gathered quite a following here at SMC.

Having won Battle of the Bands last year, the reward was a gig at Berkeley's Blakes venue. After impressing the crowd, as well as the management, HLF was called back to headline another performance.

Since, with the aid of their Myspace account, they have been asked to "loosely headline" (or at least, close) at a music festival called Emergenza. After five other bands play, HLF will take the stage February 24 at San Francisco's The Pound (located at Pier 96) at approximately 11:30 for their thirty minute set.

As contagious pop-punk continues to run rampant throughout our nation, High Like Five will only be subject to the influence, maintaining their original and occasionally comical sound. So if you're either bored, musically inclined, or just desperate to shake the Emo title for good, it would be advisable to support our ever-dwindling local music community.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools