Carlsbad High School junior Jake Heatherman first picked up a guitar in second grade. Over time, his passion grew into creating music inspired by post-hardcore and grungegaze genres. What began as lessons has since become a driving force in his everyday life.
Heatherman’s interest in music started at a young age, though he took a break for several years. When he entered high school, a music class rekindled his passion and motivated him to play regularly.
“Around freshman year, I took a music class with one of my old friends,” Heatherman said. ”And we started a band out of it. Then I started playing a lot more.”
Inspiration for his music comes from the bands he listens to and the musicians around him. Watching his friends perform and create music pushes him to improve and experiment with new sounds.
“Where I find my inspiration would be a lot of the bands I listen to, like Title Fight and Macseal,” Heatherman said. “Also, just seeing all my friends make [music], and just how well they play, just makes me want to play like them.”
Duncan Reilly, a close friend who met Heatherman early in their freshman year at Carlsbad, has had the opportunity to watch his musical style grow firsthand. They said his creativity and originality stand out the most when he plays.
“What stands out most about Jake’s music is his ability to take inspiration and make stuff into his own,” junior Duncan Reilly said.
Creating music is not always easy for Heatherman, but the challenges are part of what makes it enjoyable. He highlights the moments when experimentation leads to something that sounds right and feels complete.
“I think my favorite part of creating music is that it’s hard, and it takes a lot of time,” Heatherman said. “It’s just that you’re kind of messing around, and then something sounds good, so you stick with it.”
Reilly has also noticed a change in Heatherman’s music over time. As he continued practicing, his confidence in playing the guitar increased.
“He always played really quietly because he didn’t want people to hear,” Reilly said. “But he’s definitely a lot more confident and comfortable playing guitar now.”
While Heatherman manages to balance school and music without too much conflict, collaborating with others can be tricky. Coordinating schedules with friends sometimes slows down the progress of finishing songs.
“The biggest challenge I have with making music is when I want to play with my friends, but no one can find any time to,” Heatherman said. “That can definitely make it hard to complete a song, but when I’m on my own, there are no conflicts.”
Despite challenges, Heatherman is focused on growth and improving his skills. He has set goals for himself to learn new songs and continue developing as a musician.
“In the future, I see myself still playing music, hopefully at a better level and with better musicians,” Heatherman said.
