It’s a Saturday night, you have nothing to do… or at least you don’t think you do. Well think again! You can go support one of our very own high schoolers in his band.

Within our community, there are many students who are involved in extracurricular activities outside of school. These activities range from community service projects to being a member of a band.

Sophomore Ethan Eckhard is a member of a local band called Steel Relic which mainly plays classic rock. The band was already formed before he joined when he got involved about six months ago. He met the members at Guitar Center.

When asked, Ethan said that he got involved in the band because he “wanted to share his skills with the world.”

The band needed a keyboardist, so he went to try out and loved it. The members of Steel Relic range from ages 13 to 17 years old. They practice on Saturdays in a Guitar Center studio.

Ethan’s favorite song to play is “Right Now” by Van Halen. He plays the keyboard and the drums.

The first gig Ethan played was at the Flying Dog cafe at the beginning of this past summer. The band plays at various local venues. A few weekends ago, they played at the Linger Lodge and he will play at Anna Maria Island for the Privateers’ Charity Event.

“Playing at Linger Lodge was probably the most fun show we’ve played,” recalls Ethan.

The band is currently working on originals and hopes to get more gigs and a larger fan base. They have a Facebook page with a small fan base currently, but the more shows they play at, the bigger it gets.

If you have any other questions about Steel Relic, ask Ethan or check them out on Facebook.