English teacher Mr. Taylor Hudson could no longer hear the announcer’s voice as the sound of his heart pounding against his chest echoed in his head. “Tonight’s performer at The Wayfarer is a rock band from Orange County…give it up for Good San Juan!” He felt his muscles tighten as he walked on stage. When he sat down behind the drum set, the familiar feeling of the padded seat calmed his overwhelming excitement to perform. Ba-dum… Ba-dum… Ba-dum… Ba-dum… Mr. Hudson listened to his heart beat as one would listen to the ticking of a metronome. A slight smile shined through his long brown hair. He had found his rhythm.
“I love performing music,” Mr. Hudson said. “I used to be really nervous when I was younger but just doing it more and more got me used to it. These days I feel more excited than nervous when I perform.”
Although many adults with full time jobs may find it difficult to make time for endeavors outside of work, Mr. Hudson manages to be both a high school English teacher and an active member of two rock bands.
“Time management is huge,” Mr. Hudson said. “I dedicate at least an hour to an hour and a half to music every day whether it be writing, playing, or rehearsing for shows. I try to get all work done at school so that I have time when I get home.”
Mr. Hudson has been Good San Juan’s drummer for six years and Junk Disko’s main vocalist for a little over a year.
The name Good San Juan comes from the band’s desire to make music that reflects California’s feel. On the other hand, Junk Disko is the name of a character Mr. Hudson created.
“The two bands are very stylistically different in terms of their music,” Mr. Hudson said. “Junk Disko is very much more out there, very eclectic, and tends to stray away from typical song structure whereas Good San Juan is more restricted, catchy, and easy to listen to. I’m very inspired by bands such as Vampire Weekend and Delta Spirit for Good San Juan, and musicians such as Julian Casablancas of The Strokes and David Bowie for Junk Disko.”
Mr. Hudson started Good San Juan with three other students during his freshman year at Azusa Pacific University.
The four initially played for fun in the school’s music room, but later decided to do music on a more serious level.
“A piece of advice that I was given starting out was, ‘Don’t take yourself too seriously but take what you do very seriously,’” Mr. Hudson said. “It’s important to have fun with what you’re doing because if you’re not having fun there’s not much of a point to it–especially since music can be so personal. When you’re starting a band, get together with people who have a similar mindset and just enjoy it.”
Though it is fun to be part of a band, it doesn’t come without its challenges.
“One of the most challenging things is definitely getting people to come to shows,” Mr. Hudson said. “I’ve had tons of gigs where you’re only playing for five to ten people and you think to yourself ‘Oh it’s not very fun.’ But the more and more you do it, the more and more you get heard of and you can eventually look back at those times at laugh at them.”
The past six months have been on the busier side for Good San Juan as the band averaged about two shows per month.
The quartet is currently in the process of producing two new singles which they hope to release in the next two months.
“If you’re a person who is aspiring to be in a band, feel free to stop by room 204 to talk,” Mr. Hudson said. “Sometimes we can be trapped into being very academic, but it’s good to break out of it sometimes and be creative.”
