In this interview, we talk with Sky from 2/14, a punk rock band blending edgy energy with heartfelt influences from ’90s punk and emo. Sky shares how the band came together after high school, and how their passion for live music drives them forward. He also reflects on the importance of building music scenes in small towns, the lessons learned from recording their first album, and the excitement of working on their second.
How did 2/14 get started?
After graduating high school during the COVID pandemic, I was writing a lot of songs. Then I found our drummer, Ben, on YouTube doing covers of Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, and other rock music. His friend and neighbor, Dylan, joined on bass, and then we just started playing shows from there. We ended up doing a record.
At first, were you guys doing covers and then moved on to making your own music, or were you writing original songs from the start?
Actually, we were always just playing what I wrote!
How would you describe your sound to someone hearing you for the first time?
That’s hard, but I would say edgy, contemporary punk rock.
What are some artists or bands that inspire your music?
Well, my favorite bands are Blink-182 and Finch. I grew up really loving pop punk and emo from the nineties. I love pop punk bands like Blink-182 and New Found Glory. I also loved bands like Mineral, Far, and Texas Is the Reason. That was definitely the basis for our first record and everything we’ve done so far.
How did you first hear about Make Music Day?
I think my mom told me about it. It was really interesting. We didn’t know how it would go, like just setting up our gear in the middle of a park where kids were running around in the middle of the day. But it ended up being a lot of fun. We’re used to playing in basements and small clubs, so it was a big change of pace for us, but it was really cool and different and went a lot better than we thought.
Do you think it’s important for cities or small towns to have these kinds of community events?
I think music, especially live music, has been kind of a dying thing for a long time. It’s really dormant in my generation, and it feels like there’s not a huge scene for live music anymore—especially punk rock and rock music in general. It just doesn’t feel that popular, especially with how expensive tickets are to see bigger bands. I think it’s really important for kids to be getting out there, starting bands, making music, and building scenes in their communities. Music can really change lives. The arts and music are just so important, and they really don’t seem very valued in society. So it’s important for kids, especially in small towns where there’s not a lot going on, to be getting together, making music, and putting themselves out there.
What’s next for the band? Any new music, videos, shows, or plans ahead?
We are recording our second album right now and playing a lot more shows over the summer.
How was the experience recording your first album?
It came out a year and something ago. Our first record was a huge learning curve. A lot of people talk about recording as being stressful and intimidating, but honestly, we just whipped everything out and plowed through it. It was a lot of fun!
One last question—what advice would you give to new bands just starting out?
Never give up. Ever. It’s really hard in the beginning, and even for the first few years, because especially when you’re young, you’re still learning what to do. You’re still figuring out how you want your music to sound. Music in general is such a crazy learning process. You find yourself learning new things every single week that you’re doing it. But when you don’t have much experience and you’re just starting out, it’s important not to get discouraged. Even though there’s a lot you don’t know and you’re gonna look back on things and think, wow, I wish I did that differently, it’s all just part of the journey. Don’t be too hard on yourself about what you don’t know at the beginning, because as long as you keep that drive to keep going, you’re just gonna keep getting better—making better music, giving better shows. That progress is gonna be super inspiring, and you should never give up on that. Definitely.