What started as a normal morning school announcement on Thursday quickly turned into a unique opportunity for many guitar students. Students were going to be able to meet and discuss guitar skills with the band, “The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.”
“A local band promoter called the school and apparently the band loves doing this so they kind of asked me [if they could come],” Guitar teacher Mark Berntson said. “It lets them [students] see that it is possible to make a living making music and that just because the class has ended doesn’t mean the music has to.”
The band members, who write their own songs, first got their start by having friends come over and play the popular Xbox game, “Halo.” Eventually, with each person being musically talented, the band was formed.
“We [His brother Randy Winters and Ronnie Winters] are actually all classically trained musicians,” Ronnie Winters said. “Everybody in this band can play more than on instrument.”
The band went through many different possible names, such as Umbrella Monkeys, when they were choosing a name. They finally decided on “The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus” because they did not want to choose a name that would cause listeners to have to think deeply about a meaning. They wanted a name that listeners could take and make their own. The band’s main message to students today was practice, do not give up.
“Practice makes perfect, the only pros that I know live by that rule,” Winters said. “Most musicians are crazy and obsessive [though] with what they do.”
One such student who plans on living by that is junior Megan Delaney. Delaney, who had not heard of the band before today, was inspired by what they said and plans on listening to more of their music.
“I love guitar because you can learn pretty much any song on it,” Delaney said. “I kind of learned how to play a new song [today] and learn some background on the band.”
The band wanted students to know that anything can happen for anyone who is willing to practice and work hard. Their lead guitar player Josh Burke used to play the guitar up to five hours every day before being discovered by Ronnie Winters.
“In three days he went from playing on the couch to playing for 10,000 people,” Winters said. “Believe in more than just life.”