It's all about the music

Question: What does the rock band Hightower have in common with the TV show “Police Academy”?

Answer: The band’s name. Hightower is a character’s name in the popular TV series from the ‘80s.

But locally, Hightower is a band that has been together for about three and a half years; however not all of the members have been there from the beginning. Hightower’s music is hardcore metal, rock and punk.

Three of the band’s four members are North Lake students — Kelly Baker on vocals, Andrew Maggs on guitar and Brian Shultz on bass. Shane Connelly, who attends the Art Institute of Dallas, is the drummer.

Maggs, Shultz and former Hightower guitarist/singer Shaun Perry decided to form the band.

“Our band stands out because of Shane’s outrageous drumming techniques,” Shultz said. “My bass playing is more jazzy but we don’t want to be classified into a genre.”

The band’s members agree that they have been influenced by the music of Miles Davis, At The Drive-In, Sublime, Jimi Hendrix, Dave Matthews, Converge, Unearth and Glassjaw. Everything Hightower plays is original and written by the band’s members.

“We like getting out there and playing,” Shultz said. “We stand for good music.”

The band has performed in about 30 to 40 local shows, and it rehearses as much as time permits.

“When you’re part of a band it keeps you going,” Baker said. “Playing music is positive.” He also said that he has a natural rocker’s instinct. “If we got a contract, we would buy a house and break everything inside.”

One thing these guys have in common is their shared belief in music — they agree it’s all about the music. Their diverse musical backgrounds help the band’s collective harmony. Hightower’s band members grew up on different genres of music. Shultz has a jazz and rock background, Maggs comes from a blues/trash background and Kelly has a metal and hardcore background.

“We get a lot of different perspectives and it makes our sound,” Maggs said, adding, “the people in your band become like your brothers or sisters, and it’s a bond that’s unparalleled.”

Hightower can be found on Pure Volume, a Web site that promotes signed and unsigned bands. For more information, visit www.PureVolume.com. Find the band by typing in its name under search for artist. Hightower is listed under the category Christian Rap.