NEW BEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - A New Bedford High School rock band is still processing a special trip to California where they got the opportunity to record a music video in a state-of-the-art studio.
The band took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Los Angeles where they participated in workshops, went shopping, and immersed themselves in music for several days.
The culmination of the trip was the band getting to record a cover of the song Knowledge by punk band Operation Ivy in Studio 606, a renowned recording studio located in owned and operated by the Foo Fighters.
“It was very nerve-wracking, but we were very prepared and we practiced a lot before then,” one of the band members said. “After we finished performing it was really satisfying.”
A member of Operation Ivy praised their work, sending the students a video message.
“Hello this is Jesse Michaels from the band Operation Ivy. This is a shoutout to the New Bedford High School Rock Band, I understand you covered our song Knowledge,” Michaels said. “Thank you for doing that, it is an honor.”
The fun didn’t end there – the band was surprised during their recording session with Kevin Preston, a guitarist who tours with Green Day. Preston spoke with the students and gifted them guitar picks and drumsticks.
“I really want my main career to be music,” said one student. “I’m in a band right now and we’ve been exposed to a lot of opportunities by this trip, and it has given me a lot of hope that I could become really successful in the music industry.”
The students’ music teacher said it felt like they were on tour.
“I know that I personally felt like I was on tour with these guys for the four days we were there,” said Tom O’Leary, a music teacher New Bedford High School. “It was waking up early, we had workshops, we went to concerts, went record shopping.”
Students said the trip helped them build friendships, which is key to success onstage.
“Being in a band, you build a lot of friendships, you have to trust the people around you, you just have to build that relationship in order to be successful,” one student said.
The trip was made possible by Musak, a nonprofit music education organization founded in Nantucket.
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