Students form hard rock and metal band ‘Holiday Drive’
Along with Turner High School students, sophomore Anthony Molinaro, senior Noah Collins and sophomore Carter Harvey play in a rock band
By Lily Godfrey
Holding their instruments, sophomore Anthony Molinaro and his band “Holiday Drive” pose for a picture while sitting on a tractor during band practice Thursday, Feb. 25. The band practices most Sundays. “The practices consist of us playing covers, our own songs and messing around,” Molinaro said.
March 11, 2021
Strumming an electric guitar, sophomore Anthony Molinaro plays with his band “Holiday Drive” during one of their weekly Sunday practices. Molinaro teamed up with senior Noah Collins, sophomore Carter Harvey, and Turner High School students sophomore Wyatt Huyett and junior Calvin Denson, to create their hard rock and metal band.
“Holiday Drive” began during the summer of 2019, after the boys in Molinaro’s neighborhood noticed they all loved music.
“We came up with this idea because we all knew how to play different instruments,” Molinaro said. “We were all close friends and we thought it would be fun. We came up with the name because Holiday Drive is the road that combines all of our houses.”
Molinaro faced challenges when he first started.
“I started playing guitar in 2018; I am self-taught,” Molinaro said. “The hardest part was learning what to learn first and how to solo.”
“Holiday Drive” performs both covers and originals, according to Molinaro.
“We write our own music and we play cover songs just for the fun of it,” Molinaro said. “Our songwriting process is making our own riffs, getting together to share them and building off of them. Our inspiration is our favorite bands like Metallica or Foo Fighters.”
Along with Metallica, Harvey and the rest of the band enjoy music from other rock bands as well.
“Right now we’re playing rock music,” Harvey said. “My favorite song to play is “Talk Dirty to Me” by Poison because it’s really funny to sing to that song for no reason at all.”
Molinaro felt a mix of emotions during the band’s first concert.
“We had a New Years’ concert for my neighborhood going into 2020,” Molinaro said. “The New Years’ performance was amazing and so much fun. I was nervous leading up to it but once I got in front of everyone I was pumped up.”
The band faces uncertainty due to Collins’ older age and plans for college.
“I believe our plans are to try and still practice with him,” Harvey said. “The band wouldn’t be the same without him.”
As of Feb. 2021, “Holiday Drive” have not released music but they plan to, according to Harvey.
“We haven’t released any music because of COVID-19, but we hope to release some music by summer or the end of the year,” Harvey said. “We don’t know [what platform] yet, but I would imagine SoundCloud or another streaming service.”
