FOREVER the Sickest Kids (from left): Austin Bello, Jonathan Cook, Caleb Turman and Kyle Burns
“Music moves mountains,” says one of the bands in Ayala Malls’ concert series, “Live5,” which features A+ Dropouts, The Summer Set, The Ready Set, A Rocket to the Moon and Forever the Sickest Kids on Friday, 5 p.m. (Glorietta Activity Center), Saturday, 4 p.m. (TriNoma Activity Center) and Sunday, 3 p.m. (Market! Market! Activity Center).
The Washington D.C.-based A+ Dropouts is fronted by 14-year-old Filipino-American Cheska Zaide. The band has performed in over 100 live shows, including New York and California.
The Summer Set, which counts fellow Arizonian bands Jimmy Eat World and The Format as inspiration, has released two albums and has played in over 300 shows, including a slot on the 2012 Vans Warped Tour.
The Ready Set is led by 20-year-old, Indiana-raised Jordan Witzigreuter, who played on all the instruments in the band’s 2009 debut album, “Love Like This.”
A Rocket to the Moon, founded in 2006 in Massachusetts and led by vocalist Nick Santino, has released four EPs and its 2009 debut album, “On Your Side.”
Forever the Sickest Kids, from Texas, released its debut “Underdog Alma Mater” in 2008. Its success led to the recording of an EP, “The Weekend Friday.”
The Inquirer had an e-mail chat with A+ Dropouts, The Ready Set, and Forever the Sickest Kids:
A+ DROPOUTS (from left): Brendan Evans, Cheska Zaide, Lucas Tomlinson, Evan Apodaca)
Name your biggest influences and why they matter to your music.
A+ Dropouts (AD): Paramore because the band has a cool sound and a kind of energy that inspire us.
The Ready Set (TRS): Tons of bands. But our favorite is Cageland—a huge reason why we started writing songs. There are really too many artists to count though.
Forever the Sickest Kids (FSK): Garth Brooks is our biggest influence. He showed us that Texans can make great music and you don’t have to be from LA or New York.
What kind of struggles or difficulties did the band go through while starting out?
AD: Being young. People have low expectations of us, but it’s our job to prove them wrong.
TRS: Sleeping on floors, playing for a small crowd, and really not having any money to support ourselves.
FSK: We are a shy group of guys and nervousness was our biggest speed bump.
JORDAN Witzigreuter of The Ready Set
What inspires you to start writing a song?
AD: The people who look up to us as role models.
Jordan Witzigreuter of TRS: Sometimes ideas will just pop into my head randomly. I usually record it on my phone, then hurry to my computer to start working on it.
FSK: Real-life stories put to music we like. If we enjoy performing it, the fans will enjoy watching and hearing it.
Do you have any particular quirks or habits when writing songs?
Cheska Zaide of AD: I tend to write melodies while in the shower because it’s the only place where I’m completely alone.
Jordan TRS: I tend to try to fit way too many words into a small space. I’ve been practicing simplifying things a bit!
Caleb Turman of FSK: I have a habit of climbing on things while singing and sagging my pants. Not proud of the second one.
Do you believe music can change the world? Why or why not?
AD: Yes, because music is the universal language that everyone can understand.
TRS: We do. We think there are a handful of artists who can reach a huge amount of people and potentially influence opinions.
FSK: Music moves mountains.
Name the artist whom you think has been very influential in helping change the world.
AD: Michael Jackson. People watched him as he rose above everybody’s expectations.
TRS: Michael Jackson!
FSK: Like it or not, Taylor Swift’s music has influenced hundreds of zillions of people in a good way.