By Mike Seymour
Hey, it’s me—Mr. Seymour. In case you don’t know me, I teach English here at Harding High School and I’m the Harding Herald Advisor. People often ask me, “Hey, you! Yeah you! Why do you teach in Marion?” My reply is always the same: “Who are you, and why are you talking to me?” Once we get past those pleasantries, I eventually get to my real answer: “I love it here.” That’s the inspiration behind this new column that I’m writing. I’ve taught here since 2010, and there’s a lot to love about this place. Each issue, I’ll be exploring this idea. So—here goes nothing.
When I was in high school, the coolest thing you could do was play in a band. I briefly played in a band called Simplified Existence. We were bad, but we had fun. Our standout song was a Limp Bizkit-inspired rap-rock song called Party Knockin’. Later on, in college, I pretended that I played in a band as a way to impress a girl. That girl later became my wife, so I’ll say my theory that being in a band makes you cool still stands.
This brings me to my point—a few years back, I had a group of really creative students. Among these students were Will Adkins and Preston Bender. Will is the kind of guy that would always keep you guessing. In class, he would take whatever literary analysis we were doing and completely flip it on its head. Similarly, Preston had a sense of humor that bordered on the bizarre. This is exhibited most clearly in early episodes of Telecom’s Joe Show.
When former student Dawson Gamble showed up at Harding last year as a substitute teacher and told me that his little brother Bronson—along with another former student of mine—Jaxson Greenwalt, had formed a band with Will and Preston, I knew I had to take a listen.
Hospital Brute. That’s the name of the band. I don’t know what it means, but I like it. They released their debut on November 1st, and it’s available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you listen to music—and you should listen to this music. This three-song EP is an exciting blend of melodic punk and garage rock. The sound is reminiscent to me of the types of alternative punk bands that I listened to back in college. Bands like Hot Water Music or Red City Radio, with a little bit of Jawbreaker thrown in for good measure. It’s punk with a little grit and a ton of heart—music that sticks with you. What elevates the sound of Hospital Brute is Preston’s powerful vocals coasting alongside the rhythm guitar forming a catchy sound with a ton of potential. And with the intelligence and magnetic personalities of its members, these guys could really make an impact with their music.
In a lot of ways, that impact has already started. This past summer, the band organized a local music festival dubbed Brute-Fest, which raised over $200 for the Marion Area Humane Society. The band has also played the Marion Popcorn Festival; videos of the performance can be found on their YouTube page: youtube.com/@hospitalbrute. Additionally, they recently played an opening slot for a nationally touring punk band (whose name I won’t say here, but if you know what band I’m talking about, you’d be like “Yeah, you probably shouldn’t mention that band by name in a high school newspaper.”)
When you graduate from this place, don’t forget to go out in the world and do cool stuff. What makes me love our school is watching students like you find ways to make a difference, no matter where your creativity takes you.
Now take a break from listening to “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for a minute and throw on some Hospital Brute, alright?
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