Under the glow of stage lights and the roar of a crowd, three teenagers who met through a shared love of music and were molded in the rehearsal rooms of School of Rock, the band Requient isn’t just playing songs, they are creating their own sound, one performance at a time.
In the spring of 2024, junior Alex Frost and his friends Jesse Mendez, and Kobe Johnson decided to start the band Requient after working together at the music program, School of Rock. School of Rock is a music learning facility that connects young musicians in addition to providing lessons for them.
“Joining School of Rock grew my love for music a lot,” Johnson said. “Before joining, I only listened to rap and hip hop. Then I joined the program, and it completely changed how I thought and felt about music. It has definitely shaped me as a human and who I am today.”
Frost’s passion for the drums has grown over the years. He began playing at an early age and hasn’t stopped since. Through the years, Frost’s parents have supported him by driving him to lessons, watching performances, and being there for him.
“When he was five years old, Alex’s grandfather bought him one of those 3-piece Monsters Inc. kiddie drum sets for Christmas,” Alex’s mother Rebekah Frost said. “It sounded terrible because ultimately it was a toy, but he absolutely wore it out. So, when he was seven, I figured he was old enough to have a full-size set and start taking drum lessons; he hasn’t stopped playing since. He actually still plays on that set here at home. It’s turned out to have been a great investment for sure.”
According to Alex, playing the drums has become a safe space for him. When playing, he can let go of stress and anger by losing himself in the music. This feeling has allowed him to connect deeper with the instrument, and it has also fostered his passion for creating original songs.
“We have performed both cover and original songs,” Alex said. “While playing these songs, it becomes so easy to get lost in the music. If I am feeling anything, I can just take it out on the drums. You can’t really do that with any other instruments.”
According to Alex, the process of writing original songs is different for each one. However, it typically begins with Alex writing something for the guitar, and then his guitarist will refine it. After that, the other instruments come into play and work together to create a new number.
“Making music can be a difficult process, and it often takes a long time,” Alex said. “New songs require a lot of compromise from everyone, which is not always easy especially since the guitarist and bassist butt heads on a lot of the composition choices.”
When writing their own songs, the band takes inspiration from a lot of different rock artists, but the one that has the most effect on their writing style is Pantera. Pantera is a rock band that was formed in Texas and was popular in the 1990s.
“I would describe our music style as energetic,” Alex said. “We want people who listen to get excited, jump around, and just enjoy themselves.”
Requient doesn’t just write songs, they perform them too. From covers to originals, they have put themselves out there in front of an audience on several occasions.
“Performing is an amazing experience,” Johnson said. “There is this adrenaline rush when you are on stage doing what you love in front of a crowd. It is a really unique feeling of pride and nervousness.”
Requient has performed at South by Southwest (SXSW), which is a yearly festival in Austin that is dedicated to showcasing music, film, and media. The band has had the opportunity to perform there twice.
“I first played at SXSW through School of Rock,” Alex said. “But, then I got to play a smaller venue again this year with my band.”
The band has also competed in the Austin Battle of the Bands at Regal Rooms. They won the competition. However, they faced ridicule from the audience and participants after they were named the winners.
“The competition placed as the opening number out of eight heavy rock bands,” Alex said. “There were judges who voted on each performance, and we won by around 30 votes, but people in the audience and even the announcer were really mad and had some rude things to say. It was crazy, we got paid $500 though.”
SXSW and Battle of the Bands aren’t the only places that they have performed. Requient has also collaborated with other bands. They have opened for No Tuition, another student band at Rio Market. No Tuition contacts bands by attending local shows and getting to know other local bands. They found out about Requient after both of their bands competed in the Battle of the Bands.
“After speaking to their former vocalist at Regal Rooms, I asked them to open for us at a little convenience store venue called Rio Market,” No Tuition guitarist and singer Otto Wu said. “Requient was doing covers and had one original song when we performed with them. They played well and were punctual when it came to show-time.”
Alex has not only performed at venues, but he is also a sponsored musician. After seeing an advertisement for the drum company Collision Drumsticks, he decided to give it a chance.
“I’m incredibly proud of so many things he’s accomplished, but to date, I think the most proud moment was when he told me he was selected to be a sponsored musician by Collision Drumsticks,” Rebekah said. “He’s the youngest sponsored musician they have. I actually didn’t even know about them reaching out until they sent the contract over because he was nervous about not getting picked.”
After being chosen by the company as a sponsored musician, Alex has been required to use only the company’s drumsticks and openly support them when playing live.
“It has always been a goal to be endorsed,” Alex said. “I am proud to say I am a sponsored drummer working with Collision.”
Despite all of this action, Alex does not wish to get famous by being a musician. According to him, the idea of fame is daunting, and it would disrupt his personal privacy.
“I don’t want to be in a very well-known band,” Alex said. “Being famous sounds horrible, and it has never been a personal goal. I want to be known enough to work and make a living off of performing the music that I love.”
With his passion and persistence, Alex continues to grow with his band both as a musician and a performer. Whether they’re rehearsing original songs or performing on stage. After the hard work he has put into Requient, Alex shows no signs of slowing down.
“Alex has put in the hard work, I’ve never once had to tell him to practice,” Rebekah said. “In fact, it’s always been the opposite. Since I work from home, I have to tell him to stop playing so I can take calls. My support is limited to financial and time investment, while he’s accomplished so much all by himself.”
