Near the start of this semester, a group of music-loving students decided to start a rock band called Preacher Red. So far, they have played at a few fraternity events, including at Phi Sigma Chi, and have done mostly covers with some original songs. Even though the band was only formed three weeks ago, the members of Preacher Red are writing new songs for their first EP, performing gigs and planning on releasing their first album.
The band is made up of all first-years. Luke van Leer is Preacher Red’s keyboardist, Davis Kent and Bradford Leigh are the lead guitarist and vocalist, respectively, and Hyson Welborn and Gavin Letulle round out the band, playing drums and bass.
The band’s Instagram has accumulated almost 150 followers, and they are already lining up more gigs. van Leer recounts gigs that have helped the band reach its current level.
“We have another gig lined up for Halloween weekend,” van Leer said. “This one’s paying us. For Kappa Kappa Delta, they’re flying in alumni from all over and they need bands to play for the reunion. One of their members saw us play at another party and they decided to have us to play for them.”
Other than playing for events and parties, Preacher Red has big plans for the future. This includes bigger gigs, more coverage and an official EP with a record label. Kent said that the band has future plans that extend beyond the gigs they have already performed.
“We’ve been wanting to play at the Paper Tiger for some time and maybe an acoustic set here on campus,” Kent said. “We’re moving towards a more original direction, which I’m very excited about, and hopefully we can put out an EP with original material.”
According to several band members, the camaraderie between the band members, as their friendship and shared love for what they do propels the band forward.
Kent described the strong camaraderie between bandmates, which is strongest when they perform. He claims that this camaraderie is a major part of their creative process.
“The audience can feel it. We all kind of remember looking at each other and you can see it in everybody’s eyes. [We’re thinking] ‘Yeah, this was meant to happen.’ This was beautiful,” Kent said. “And when we all bring that same energy, we leave it all out there and we all communicate with each other in that way.”
Leigh noted how each band member contributes to the creative process.
“It’s like a brotherhood, almost like a family. I clicked with these guys and I’m thankful for that connection,” Leigh said. “Our process is very streamlined. Either Davis comes up with a chord progression, or Hyson will lay down a drum beat, or Luke will come up with something on piano or Gavin will come up with something on bass, and I’ll lay some vocals over it and it all comes together really well.”
Preacher Red is planning to release their first EP on Spotify and Apple Music in the near future. They are also planning on possibly playing at downtown San Antonio’s Pee Wee’s Punk House and they are arranging for KRTU to play some of their new material.
“This is a process that takes time, and when you put out music that you know you love, and you know that what you’re creating is a true embodiment of how you feel, it’s a true expression of how you feel and what you want to put out into the world manually,” Leigh said. “That’s why I love music, and it’s just expression in its purest form.”
