This Monday, Oct. 28, marked the first day of Manual’s 2024 Red/White Week. Annually, Manual hosts Ramstock in the courtyard to select the band that will perform at Friday’s pep rally. The bands competing this year were Angels in the Closet, OUCHH!, S p a c e, The Thestrals and Zënith. To learn more about these bands, read the band profiles.
The first band to perform was S p a c e, made up of Marcell Malone (12, HSU), Tony Aloise (11, YPAS), Noah Chudgar (12, YPAS) and Levi Maynard (12, YPAS).
The band performed three songs, including “Lithonia” by Donald Glover, “Die For You” by JOJI and “Ending” by Isak Danielson.
The second band to perform was The Thestrals, with a Harry Potter inspired name. Members included Gavin Fulton (12, HSU) and Maya Nanda (10, YPAS).
The Therestals played guitar and sang to “Duvet” by bôa, “Good Luck Babe” by Chappell Roan and “Apple Cider” by beabadoobee.
“It was really nerve-racking to perform in front of all of these people, but I do it every 6 weeks in [YPAS] vocal, so I think that prepared me for this,” Nanda said.
Following The Thestrals was OUCHH!, made up of Ashton Bowling (10, HSU), Stella Crigler (10, VA) and Sam Richardson (12, VA). The band covered four songs, all of which were by Destroy Boys. The songs included “Crybaby,” “I Threw Glass at My Friend’s Eyes and Now Im on Probation,” “Vixen” and “K Street Walker.”
Next, Angels in the Closet performed, with its members including Charley Ignatow (12, YPAS), Sam Richardson (12, VA) and University of Louisville freshmen Emma Gonzales and DeeDee Mimms.
Angels in the Closet performed “Basket Case” by Green Day, “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappel Roan, a choice that was very popular among the audience. They also performed an original song called “Lavender Lies.”
Ignatow had a similar experience to The Therestals’ Nanda, with school experiences helping her prepare for performances.
“I was definitely nervous being in front of all my classmates, but I think being in YPAS helps me deal with nervousness performing,” Ignatow said. “It was just really fun and scary but I did it so I’m proud of myself.”
Finally, Zёnith performed three songs to finish off this year’s Ramstock. The band, made up of Jackson Jones (12, J&C), Maya Romanowski (12, YPAS) and Trinity High School students Sam Smith and Jake Stone, performed “King of the Hill theme” by The Refreshments, “Time” by Pink Floyd and “I Was Wrong” by Chris Stapleton.
Like the bands in the line-up, students love to participate in Ramstock just as much. Many gathered around the courtyard to hear the bands play and vote for their favorite.
“I wanted to come see Ramstock one last time, and it’s always fun hanging out with friends, getting to vote and usually seeing my friends win,” Nate Bishop (12, HSU) said.
The winner of this year’s Ramstock will be announced later this week. They are to perform at the Red/White week pep rally on Friday, preceding the football game.
