Rock band Lever excites audiences with a riveting performance

Chicago-based band Lever wowed York audiences on March 9 with an electrifying set of modern grunge and rock. The three members of the band, vocalist and bassist Jon Babin, drummer Michael Reinhold, and guitarist Jeff Aquino were ecstatic to play for students.

Babin, Reinhold, and Aquino discovered their love of music at a young age. They were heavily influenced by the works of The Beatles, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, and Smashing Pumpkins. However, Reinhold was inspired to play music by what he saw at his own high school.

“I started playing drums by actually seeing a band play at my high school talent show, and I was like, I can do that,” Reinhold said.

Reinhold believes that Fine Arts Week can be that source of inspiration for other students.

“Fine arts week is so important,” Reinhold said. “I think it’s so cool how the math teachers will excuse their students from class to see a rock band. Not everyone’s into math, but everyone likes music, and everyone can learn something from music and be inspired by it.”

Besides their stellar stage presence and rocking original music, the most motivating and inspiring thing about Lever is their passionate, persistent, and gracious attitude.

“We want to keep playing and we’re not going to stop,” Babin said. “We want to keep getting out there in front of different people. I think we’ve got a lot to offer and people would dig it.”

Lever was able to watch some of the student performances during York Live C, and they were excited to see such passionate involvement in the arts.

“This has been really inspiring for us because it’s not a talent show,” Babin said. “It’s a showcase of art and creativity that is happening.”

Lever hopes to continue to grow as a band; they have an upcoming tour in Cincinnati and new music coming out soon.

“If I can make it my job to just be in this band, that would be everything,” Reinhold said. “The bottom line is I feel like we are making our favorite music in so many ways. “It feels like our baby because we all have put so much into it, we all put our own writing into it, you know, our heart and soul in this.”