Westpark

Wirebox, a group of University High School and Woodbridge High School students, consisting of Shiva Verma (vocals and guitar), Enad Abunimeh (drums) and Prithvi Jana (bass), began their friendship in kindergarten and eventually grew into a musically diverse band through the years. “We all went to kindergarten together, we all grew up together, we all hung out with each other in elementary school,” says Shiva Verma (Jr.), a student from UHS and the band’s vocalist and guitarist. They began Wirebox freshman year as they discovered their passion for music. “We just wanted to create music that we could all enjoy together. It’s fun and we have a good time pushing ourselves to become the best musicians we can be.” says Enad Abunimeh (Jr.), Wirebox’s drummer who attends WHS.

The members of Wirebox all have different music tastes, ranging from Cage the Elephant and The Strokes to heavier bands such as Rage Against the Machine. They don’t categorize themselves as producing a specific genre, but they said if they had to choose they’d describe their music as alternative rock: “We are constantly experimenting and we try not to limit ourselves with what we write… It’s about writing good music whether it’s blues, funk, indie, or even pop. There’s good music in every genre. We just write music that we like and it’s really up to the listeners to classify us into any sub genres that they would like,” says Abunimeh. “Personally, I’m very influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Zepplin, Pink Floyd, and Young the Giant.” Their other inspirations include the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Black Keys.

Wirebox practices every weekend and manages their schedules so that they all have time to jam out together. Verma says, “It’s not a burden for us. We look forward to it the whole week. Instead of thinking about how to fit practicing into our schedule, we change our schedule to fit around jamming.’” The members of Wirebox consider practices one of their top priorities and adjust their schedules accordingly to make it work. They practice every day of the weekend and once or twice during the week when they have a show coming up.

They write their songs both separately and together and work on them during practices. “What usually happens is they’ll come in with an idea or I’ll come in with one and the person who has the idea has a visualization of how the song will turn out, so then we just bring it to the jam session and see where it goes,” says Verma.

Their plans for college differ, but they hope to stay together and make it work. “Prithvi and I are most likely going to go to community college for a couple of years and then hopefully transfer to a music school. We definitely want to keep pursuing music as a band even in college,” says Abunimeh. Although Verma isn’t interested in community college, he wants to go to college somewhere in California so they can keep making music. “We want to stay together. I hope to go to college somewhere in California so that I can still continue with them, but right now we’re just trying to make the most of what we have. The future is uncertain,” says Verma.

Wirebox’s whole perspective focuses on doing what they love for as long as they can, as put by Abunimeh: “The future is hard to say; you never know where a band can go. You see bands with almost no talent and they make it to the top, but then you see these inane musicians who write such amazing music struggle to make a dollar and be heard. All I know is we need to work hard and try our best and good things will happen. Personally I just want to write good music with my best friends, and if it so happens that the whole world likes our music too, that’s awesome. But again, the future is unpredictable.”

Wirebox played the Youth Action Team’s Battle of the Bands on February 13th, which was extremely successful. They recently performed at Hogue Barmichaels and the Hope Festival at Bill Barber Park. In April they will play at Northwood High School and in May they will compete in the final round of YAT’s Battle of the Bands. - UHS Sword & Shield

Wirebox took first place against four other bands in Battle of the Bands on Feb. 13 with a spectacular performance that made the crowd go wild.
Battle of the Bands is an event hosted by YAT every year. This year, juniors Shiva Verma, Enad Abunimeh and Prithvi Jana performed and won the competition through their band, Wirebox, while senior Lanszen Chang performed with his band Tella Keller.
According to Steve Knollmiller, the adviser of the organization, the goal of the event is to give students the opportunity to be creative and allow them to act on their talents. The event encourages participation by not having strict requirements for performers, and the performers are not required to attend auditions.
Wirebox surpassed this minimum requirement. According to Abunimeh, Wirebox’s drummer, the band not only won Battle of the Bands last year, but also performed at various other large events throughout the year.
The band started off its competition set with a cover of “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West followed by five original songs: “In Cold Blood,” “The Ghost Inside,” “Funky Song,” “Just To Let You Know” and “I Feel”
“Wirebox is amazing,” junior and YAT member Anam Chaudhary said. “They were really good, and the entire crowd ran up, and they were really jamming out.”
There were amatuer bands as well. Wingdings, a recently-formed band from Northwood High, said that Battle of the Bands was its first live performance.
“It was great seeing the crowd,” Wingdings bassist Bradley Arca said. “It was very nerve racking at the beginning… but we pulled through.”
Hard Candy, a band featuring a female vocalist, came in second place. The band also won Crowd’s Choice for bringing the most people.
“It’s amazing; [performing is the] best feeling in the world,” Abunimeh said. “The crowd was great; [it was] one of the best crowds we’ve played for.”
Battle of the Bands was a great way for many students to relieve stress after finals, as junior and audience member Eden Jacnuk pointed out. The next Battle of the Bands is on March 27. The top two bands who win this competition will then compete against Wirebox and Hard Candy on May 29 in Battle of the Best.
“The atmosphere was good … I had a great time, [and it was a] great show,” junior Evan Duran said. - WHS Golden Arrow

All the bands and artists you listen to were at one-time local bands. Without people like you, these bands wouldn't be where they are today. Orange County has been the starting point for bands like No Doubt, Social Distortion, Thrice and countless others. Knowing where these bands came from is important but it’s also important to know the current local bands. Supporting these bands is easy-just go to their shows and tell people about them - word of mouth is more important than you think. With all of that, here are six local bands you should know!

3. Westpark
This band goes to the same high school I went to, which I think is pretty awesome, and they also have really awesome music. The band consists of three soon-to-be college freshmen. They’ve won the Irvine Battle of the Bands competition twice, which is something no other band has done before. Winning the competition and the fact that they have awesome music are two reasons why you should give them a listen.

FFO: Two Door Cinema Club, The Kooks

Check out their song "Simple Thoughts (Stuck With You)." - The Odyssey Online

Six Irvine high school bands will sock it out by rocking out Friday night at the High School Youth Action Team's Battle of the Bands.

For two decades, the city's top high school bands have competed in the contest, which draws upward of 300 locals, eager to watch the teens perform.

Well-known indie rock band Young the Giant competed between 2005 and 2007, when the band was still known as The Jakes. Thrice, a post-hardcore rock band that has released eight albums since 2001, played in the local battle in the late '90s.

But the local bands don't have to be future chart-toppers to enter. The groups do not need to audition to enter, and the only requirement is that the band includes at least one member who attends an Irvine high school.

The battle is one of many events the High School Youth Action Team hosts throughout the year. The group, which is run through the city of Irvine, aims to engage local teens through youth leadership, community service and social activities. The team also sponsors yoga sessions, trivia contests, open mic opportunities and fashion shows for Irvine teens.

Friday's Battle of the Bands is from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Heritage Park Community Center, 14301 Yale Ave. Tickets will be sold at the door and will cost $5 for students, $6 for adults.

Competing bands include The Buster, Scavengers, Axcentro, Wirebox, Joon Hee & the Lees, and The Pebble Beach Kids. Friday's winner will advance to a June battle that will award recording studio time to the top performer. - OC Register

"Equal parts fervent and snarky, this Orange County trio crafts eclectic garage rock akin to a roughly cut Cage the Elephant, Gnarled vocals and raucous guitar consume their spastic, head thrusting jams" - IndieU

Orange County band Westpark played one of the most infamous rock venues is Los Angeles.

As I have stated in the past local music is really important and it’s really cool when local bands go on to do bigger things and you’re around to watch. Well, this is happening with Westpark. A band from Irvine, CA that went to the same high school I did and are beginning to play more and more shows. On Saturday November 26th, Westpark played at the Whiskey a Go Go in Hollywood,CA.

Following in the footsteps of other Irvine/Orange County bands like Thrice and Young The Giant, Westpark are making a name for themselves outside of the Orange County scene. The Whiskey has had a long history in Hollywood, it opened in 1964 and has been open ever since. It’s hosted some of rock ’n’ rolls most legendary bands like The Doors, Blondie, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

If you've never heard Westpark’s music you need to listen to their EP Simple Thoughts immediately. It’s a good album and gives you something new to listen to. The band has a cool sound that reminds me of The Kooks and Two Door Cinema Club mixed together. They have new music in the works with a new single coming out pretty soon called “That Groove”. They’ve been working hard playing shows all around southern California and are now expanding and playing a show in San Francisco next month. Westpark has also sent a bunch of copies of Simple Thoughts out to radio stations across the country. Their songs have been played on radio stations as far away as New Jersey and Illinois.

The show itself was one to remember for the band themselves and anyone who went to the show. Westpark had LA based artist Rav Mojo come up and sing a verse on one of their songs. Although, sound issues were experienced the band powered through and finished off what is probably their coolest show to date.

Along with all of the above Westpark has a radio interview/performance with KUSF on Sunday. The San Fran show is on Thursday 12/1 and I have a feeling the dudes in Westpark will give it all they have.

If you like music I seriously recommend you check this band out. If you live in Orange County go to one of their shows next time their playing around here, don’t miss out. - The Odyssey Online

Review written by Rob Treanor

“Keep it simple stupid.” These were the words of my drum teacher when I first started playing in bands as a teenager, letting me know that it is not what you can play but how well you play the tune. This certainly is the philosophy for independent California alternative- indie trio Westpark, who’s self-released EP, Simple Thoughts, proves that one can perform well executed pop tunes without flashiness.

As the title suggests, the band relies on minimalist pop hooked song structures by keeping it simple but groovy. Once one listens more critically, one can hear influences from across the board ranging from garage rock to blues to even post hardcore at some points. Lead singer and guitar player Shiva Verma’s versatile vocal abilities also supplies the EP with an earnest and soulful tone to the album which will most certainly give this group an edge in an era of dime a dozen garage rock bands. A highpoint for the EP is during my personal favorite track and the closer, Intaglio, whose aggressive instrumental bridge is reminiscent of modern progressive post-hardcore acts such as Circa Survive. This is the only moment that the band explores such tendencies, and I can only hope that they pursue more of this style in their future works. For those who are fans of the Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not era of Arctic Monkeys however, this certainly is the record for you. Distorted guitars, fuzzy basslines, and danceable drum orchestrations echo throughout the short but concise six track album which hits just over the 25 minute mark. Although at some points it is obvious Westpark is still trying to figure out their own sound and direction as the EP unfolds into some moments of cloudiness, their ambition and modesty shows a bright future in the horizon. - 90.3 WMSC FM - MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY RADIO