Entering the teen center on a Tuesday after school, the faint sound of swirling vocals and distorted guitar might drift through the cracks of the door to the music studio and into your ears. Though you might not be able to see them, inside are the four girls that make up the After Springs.
Made up of seniors Esther Wang (vocals), Jenna Min (drums), Yuli Grigoryeva (bass) and junior Aleksandra Betts (guitar), the band allows the members not only to play instruments and sing together but also to form a unique friendship with each other.
Inspired by artists such as Radiohead and The Cranberries, the group was formed at the beginning of the year when Wang met Betts in their AP Chemistry class.
“[Betts] told me that she played guitar, and I told her that I sang and that I really wanted to start a band in high school. It’s always been a dream of mine,” Wang said.
Along with learning piano at age six and playing violin, Wang also joined her church’s worship band where she gained experience playing music with other people.
“I feel like the musical bond I experienced when I was in the worship band was so close, and I think that’s really special. The bond between band members is really unique because it’s such a different vibe and relationship,” Wang said. “They’re more like family members because you all have to sound good together. And also if one person stands out too much it also doesn’t work, so I just think that’s a really interesting dynamic.”
Although initially the band only had two members, more were quick to join. Min, the band’s drummer, heard about it from Betts.
“We were both in Jazz Rock Ensemble and we were also the only two girls there, so we were in a lot of groups together. She said she knew another girl who is a really good singer and wanted to start a band. We all wanted to make music together so that’s how it happened,” Min said.
In the beginning, Wang didn’t intend for the band to be an all-girls band, but naturally, as girls started to join, she liked how it could change the narrative about rock bands.
“The bands that I see online or on TikTok, most of the time the lead singer could maybe be a girl and then the rest is mostly all guys,” Wang said. “It’s also like a friend group, so we’re all really close. Before we had our first rehearsals we had multiple hangouts, and I think that was really important for our first rehearsals to go really well.”
Most recently the After Springs have performed at Revisions, the high school’s annual talent show, while also having performed at the teen center. After having only performed to a live audience twice, Betts looks forward to performing more in the future.
“I hope we can perform more often to different people and events and maybe create our own stuff. We haven’t made our own music yet but we’re working on it,” Betts said.
Even though the band only has two performances under their belt, Min has noticed that people are shocked to see an all-girls band.
“I feel like when we always play outside or at the teen center, there’s always people being like we’ve never seen a girl band. I’m just surprised that there hasn’t been more before us. I feel like I just expected there to be other girl bands, but we’re kind of like an anomaly, even though we shouldn’t be.” Min said.“Even in a male-dominated genre, especially indie rock, we just hope that we can inspire other girls to play music too.”