Since just last May, pop-punk band Between California and Summer has gone through some major events, such as losing drummer Adam Lamah, who left to pursue other interests and playing a set for one show of the Vans Warped Tour.
In Lamah’s place, fans welcomed Nolan Forstie, 19, with open arms and have all been working well together ever since.
Not only did they bring in a new member, but lead singer Adam Cease had to learn to play the bass guitar in place of recruiting another new member. The last few shows that they have done have been quite successful for him, considering he had never played bass until a few weeks prior to their Oct. 16 show at Chain Reaction in Anaheim.
In the next few months, BCAS will take a break from doing any shows bigger than ones at middle and high schools in order to focus on creating new music. They plan to release a full album early next year.
Rhythm guitarist Legend Pham and Cease have been writing most of the band’s songs, but everyone in the band does their part to create music.
“We try to write about what we’re going through,” Pham said. “Relationships, girls, punk-pop stuff… whatever is catchy. Whatever I feel like 16-year-olds can sit in their room and be like ‘I get what he’s saying.'”
The guys also joked about writing songs about pizza, Philly cheese steaks and Mountain Dew if they could, but find their true inspiration from bands that they’ve idolized since they were young.
As a young boy, guitarist James Boone, listened to Green Day a lot and wanted to learn to play the guitar because his cousin knew how to play their music.
Eventually, he also learned how to play music by Blink 182, My Chemical Romance and Yellowcard, and constantly used it as a way to help better develop his skills.
Former Fullerton College student, Boone, dropped out of school with the support of his family to pursue music more freely since most of them were “failed musicians.” With as far as BCAS has gone, he feels that he has been the most successful in music thus far.
Forstie fell into music when his own cousin gave him a drum set at the age of six and that’s when “it kind of clicked.” From there he moved on into being part of the jazz band and marching band at school, as well as another band before joining BCAS.
With the support of their family members, such as Forstie’s dad showing up to the Chain Reaction show, and Cease’s dad trying to find ways he can be a part of the band from the sidelines, BCAS will be able to go further in pursing their dreams in music.
“[In the next five years] I’m hoping we’d play the full Warped Tour,” Forstie said. “Nothing huge, I just hope we sell out Chain [Reaction].”
Information about their music and their current EP, “Ghost,” can be found on their FaceBook, and their latest single “Hella” is available on iTunes now.