CLEVELAND—“This next band isn’t from Streetsboro High School, it IS Streetsboro High School!” quipped emcee Jeff Kutz as he introduced Streetsboro’s own ‘We Regret to Inform You’ at the Tri-C® High School Rock Off on January 27th. All joking aside, Kutz wasn’t too far from the truth. Brought together in a Streetsboro High School songwriting class, this fifteen member band comprised of Jake Edgerton, Zack Madden, Marcus Bowman, Nathan Bailey, Maddie Oslejsek, Austin McDone, Alex Hahn, Ryan McCormack, Desiree Anderson, Samantha Palania, Jacey Kepich, Amber Lesak, Marissa Campisi, Cassidy Emch, and Dion Hetzel certainly filled the stage, and rocked the packed House of Blues.
With a list of influences almost as lengthy as their list of band members, ‘We Regret to Inform You’ finds inspiration in classical composers such as Beethoven, as well as contemporary artists like Marilyn Manson, Green Day, and MGK. This diversity is incredibly apparent in their song Dynasty in the Making. Written as a blend of Beethoven’s Fur Elise, a hip-hop beat, and original rap verses, this song exemplifies what ‘We Regret to Inform You’ is all about— taking something familiar, and making it new.
Despite competing valiantly against ten rival bands during the semi-finals, ‘We Regret to Inform You’ found themselves without enough votes to advance to the final round of the competition. Stung by news of their defeat the band members remained positive, stating on Facebook “Though we didn’t make it to the finals, we are still a family. We will continue to rock on and have fun as we continue our journey”.
