Mark Shatovkin, a freshman at Oakmont High School, is not only a fan of grunge music, but also has his own band outside of school. Shatovkin has high hopes for himself, and his band, but always has a good time.

“Our goal is to write good music,” Shatovkin said. “We don’t really care that much for popularity, we just care for writing good stuff.”

Being in a great band means not only having chemistry on-stage, but having a connection to bandmates off-stage. 

Shatovkin expresses his gratitude for the good relationships he has with his bandmates, which makes the experience more enjoyable. 

“I love them all as friends,” Shatovkin said. “Our humor is the same and we like the same stuff.” 

When reaching for a goal, we try following the footsteps of those who have reached that goal.

Shatovkin’s band is hoping to be successful in music. The band’s mutual love for grunge/punk music has made well known bands such as Nirvana and Led Zeppelin their musical role models, and a key to knowing what makes successful music.  

“I love Led Zeppelin, because they’re very good, and their music is just amazing,” Shatovkin said. “Nirvana because the lyrics are very poetic and very good.”

Outside of keeping up with schoolwork, their band aims to practice twice a week. They are to finish their own original song. . Shatovkin is set on getting their music to all platforms, and performing live.

 Shatovkin is assured that all this work will pay off to success in the long run. 

“We will probably be one of the biggest bands, maybe two years, five years,” Shatovkin said. 

Shatovkin’s life has been changed by this band for the better, and knows he will go far and be known one day for his love of music.

 “You should probably search my name up in five years,” Shatovkin said.