Unique individual talent comes together collaboratively to create symphonies both artistically unique and musically pleasing.
Junior Aidan Bach and freshman Max Gunner join forces to impress local crowds with their new band: Electric Hat Shop.
Gunner, new to to Carlsbad High School, had his first encounter with Bach under movie-like circumstances.
“We were introduced by mutual friend’s at a party. The band at the party wasn’t very good so Aiden and I took the stage,” Gunner said. “We jammed together and everything just mixed. Our music just blossomed for the 13 people there and continued to escalate.”
Neither of the two musicians are new to music as shown by their talents. Bach used to be a part of the school’s orchestra program, but his style developed independently from the support of his family.
“I remember my brothers always playing when I was a kid,” Bach said. “In a way, they inspired me to begin playing the guitar and later move on to other things.”
Gunner’s ambition began with an impressive start. Formerly part of a band in Arizona, Gunner played at a Fall Festival prior to moving here. When he was still in middle school, he and his band were signed to play before a crowd of seven thousand to make way for a career as a more professional band.
“The guy asked me to play a solo from the back, moving forward,” Gunnar said. “Basically, I walked down playing from the top of stairs [and] descending down the courtyard while the audience jerked their heads to see where the music was coming from.”
Electric Hat Shop draws inspiration from separate sources. Bach credits his beginnings to musical inspirations ranging from Pink Floyd to Spaceman Three. Alternatively, Gunner credits his style more “poppy” and contemporary.
“The foundation is the guitar, but we both dabble in electronic software,” Bach said. “Generally, Max handles most of the editing.”
Gunner’s precision and focus hone down on Bach’s raw creativity to deliver a product that epitomizes their dedication and ingenuity.
“Aidan and I both spend about five hours a day doing things related to our music,” Gunner said. “[Aidan] will sit and play and will send me recordings of some of his coolest works while I go and add a lot of the electronica.”
Electric Hat Shop has performed at a few gigs and plans for more in the future. Electric Hat Shop wants to further itself by including others in its albums beyond just the band hoping to showcase more musicians and talent out there.
“Together we plan on producing a collaborative album,” Gunner said. “The album will include other musicians and bands around campus on top of our own tracks that [Aidan and I] created together.”
