Never thinking that it would amount to much, three Bowie students turned their love for music into a music production. Dedicating their time and energy sophomore Gabe Rodriguez, Andrea Bodine, and Ashlyn Raley have created their very own band in which they write their own songs and produce their own music.

Day after day Rodriguez would just sit in his room writing and producing his own music. Finally he realized what he had to do to turn his dream for music into a reality.

“No person is ever too young or too old to make their love for something into a reality,” Rodriguez said. “If you love doing something and you have a strong passion for it, don’t let anything stop you from doing it. Music has always been something that is here for me and I know I want to do something music related for the rest of my life. I thought to myself, why not just start my band now and create it with my best friends?”

Rodriguez is not involved in any music classes at Bowie, but that didn’t stop him from learning several instruments or working with others musicality.

“If I am in a music class I have to play whatever the teacher assigns us to play,” Rodriguez said. “When I am creating my music outside of school I can create it however I want.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Rodriguez took his strong passion for his special musical talent and turned it into a reality.

“Music has always been a staple within my life,” Rodriguez said. “So instead of playing the piano, producing electronic music and writing songs to myself, why not create a band and let people other than myself and my family enjoy the music that we produce?”

Rodriguez and his close friends have come together and have joined all of their music talent together to create funk and R&B music.

“Recently my favorite music to write and play with my friends has been funk and R&B,  which is what we play in one of the two bands that I’m in,” Rodriguez said. “The funk and R&B band I’m in is called, “Amy Lou and The Soul Crew”. I’m the piano player and one of the writers in that band.”

A talent that Rodriguez had had since a little boy has turned into a surprising and exciting experience for his close friends.

“Gabe just came up to me one day and asked if I wanted to be in a band,” Bodine said. “At first I thought he was joking, so I said yes. But when I learned that he was serious, I thought “eh why not?” and gave it a shot.”

Amy Lou and The Soul Crew has inspired Raley so much that she believes her dream of working with music will come true.

“Music has always been something that is always there for me,” Raley said. “I have always dreams of creating a band with my best friends, but I never actually thought it would happen and that we would have this many supporters as we do now. Seeing that I am part of such an amazing band at this age, it really makes me inspired to think of how much our band will improve in just a couple of years.

Rodriguez is starting early and he hopes someday that it will turn into something a little more exciting.

“I’ve always had my heart set on pursuing a career in music in some way or another,” Rodriguez said. “If not a traditional musician, I would probably pursue a career in music production, ideally working for a record label in L.A. Or something like that.”

Rodriguez growing up in a household with a musician had a large inspirational effect on his love for music.

“My dad has always been a big inspiration to me since he’s a musician in the band “The Latin Brew,” Rodriguez said. “I have grown up always being so impressed by the amazing music that my dad can produce and write. My dad has always encouraged me to pursue my musical talents, whether that be my piano playing, electronic producing, or writing songs.”

Bodine grew up with the support of having friends and family always taking her passion for music seriously.
“My parents have always been supportive of my music,” Bodine said. “Anytime I’ve told them that I want to learn or get a new instrument, they try their best to make sure I can. My family and my friends realize how much music means to me, so they’re all very supportive of my interest and talent in music.”

Pursuing his lifelong dream at an early age is the best pathway to success.

“This is the perfect time to start pursuing your dreams,” guitar teacher Tony Rodriguez said. “I love seeing students taking their talents and dreams and turning it into something real. This is a great way to experience what it is like to work with your band members and to get a first little look into the music industry and see what the real music world is like.”

For the amount of time “Amy Lou and the Soul Crew” have been together they are currently doing very well when it comes to listeners and fans of his music.

“People have always been impressed and supportive of my music production, performances, and they always seem to want to hear more,” Gabe said. “I really want to try to get more of my own music out there someday and more people to listen to and enjoy the music that I create with my friends.”