Artist of the Week: Real Friends

Sean Miehl, Staff Writer

March 5, 2014

Hailing from the windy city of Chicago, Illinois, Real Friends are a booming pop punk act that will dominate your playlist for the next year.

The band formed in 2010, and after some member changes, reached its current line up in 2011.

A blend of traditional emo and pop punk create a catchy sound that is irresistible to the ears. Catchy melodies matched with creative lyrics are really “music to your ears.”

The musical influences include Jimmy Eat World, The Promise Ring, American Football, Taking Back Sunday, The Starting Line, and Brand New.

Taking pride in the “do-it-yourself” attitude, Real Friends have quickly become one of the biggest unsigned bands in the genre, getting recognition from fans all over the world.

The band released its first extended play in 2013, titles Put Yourself Back Together. Feature songs from the extended play are “Late Nights in my Car” and “I’ve Given Up on You”.

In 2013, the band signed to independent music label Fearless Records. Fearless has become one of the largest independent labels in the past few years. Fearless boasts a big name roster including: Mayday Parade, Pierce the Veil, The Summer Set, and Breathe Carolina.

The band has been featured on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour. Also, the band will participate on the 2014 Vans Warped Tour, playing all dates. The band also participated in the 2014 Soundwave Festival in Australia.

The band is currently in the studio in Chicago recording their new record billed for release in summer 2014.

About the Contributor

Sean Miehl, Staff Writer

Walking through the halls of Bethel Park High School, one will catch a glimpse of an energetic guy shaking the hands of all his peers. Sean Miehl's charismatic enigma is prevalent at the high school. Sean joined Hawk Eye and the journalism class to sharpen his writing skills, hoping that it'll give him an edge in college. Sean's main aspiration is to major in journalism at a four year college. "I joined Hawk Eye to improve my writing skills and to also gain some experience in the writing field," Sean said. "I'm thinking about going into journalism later on in life." Post high school Sean is looking into majoring in journalism or political science preferably at Ohio University. Sean is a diverse character. He admires music and going to concerts as well as playing inline hockey for Bethel Park. Miehl said, "I enjoy music and going to concerts. Music is apart of my life." In addition, Sean loves longboarding after school. A longboard is a skateboard of bigger size that allows the rider to make sharper turns and easier cuts. Sean said, "Aside from working at Ace Hardware and playing inline hockey for Bethel Park, I enjoy riding my longboard around Bethel Park." Sean's goals for Hawk Eye this year go above and beyond. His vision is to upload articles and videos quicker and on a larger scale. Sean said, "I want to see a successful, fresh, constant stream of articles. Also, more features that blend well with the student body. I want to make Hawk Eye apart of every student's experience here at Bethel Park High School." Expanding Hawk Eye means a lot to Sean. This past year, Hawk Eye, as a publication, won "silver" from the Pennsylvania School Press Association, a scholastic press association that represents PA. "I want to see Hawk Eye win gold next year. It's all about improvement," Miehl said. Sean's unique character will add a special flare to Hawk Eye. Sean said, "I think my enthusiasm will bring something special to the table." Sean's energetic character will add freshness to Hawk Eye. With Sean aboard, Hawk Eye can fully spearhead any task or obstacle in its path. Written by: Adam Larson, Editor-in-Chief