Swine Stock shook up the Edmond Memorial High School building on March 12 with both the amp and the singers’ voices on max. The winner of Swine Stock is chosen based on the performance that raises the most money that night. From nine different bands singing covers of some of the most iconic songs to singing their original songs, the battle of the bands was an all-out competition that was one to remember.

Swine Stock’s original name was “Swinal Tap” until two years ago when it changed to fit the theme of Swine Week. The new name’s inspiration comes from Woodstock, a music festival from the 1960s, which is perfect for this year’s theme “Back in Swine.” Admission for one person was $10 unless someone had already bought a wristband for all the night events previously.

The show started with solo acts Jackson Pollard and David Pehrson giving it their all. Pollard sang Zac Brown Band songs with his guitar, starting the event strong. Pehrson took it a step further and added fuel to the fire by singing the legendary song “Great Balls of Fire!” Both performers brought excellent talent to the stage with their singing capabilities, kicking off Swine Stock on a high note.

The Underdogs was the first band on the stage with two singers, one guitarist and one drummer. Singers Jordan Ogee and Grayson Graham rocked the stage with the crowds singing along, psyching everyone up for what was to come next. Reese Qualls shredded on the guitar, playing the notes perfectly and putting the audience in awe. 

The next group to perform was The Dorm Four, a group of friends that will be living together through college for the next couple of years, hence the band’s name. They sounded like a bunch of guys trying to have fun as best friends, and I felt it was best fit to be something like that. The crowd loved to hear all these guys, especially the seniors, who cheered them on every second that they could.

An act that everyone had been eagerly waiting for was Havana Affair, led by AP English teacher Regan Killackey and his band. Everyone cheered the band on; even Cannon Bushman, who has a new Danny Devito haircut thanks to the teachers versus students assembly earlier in the day, had Killackey sign his scalp. Killackey’s band destroyed it on stage, providing the proper rock band experience. Killackey jumped all over the stage, and the guitarist gave the experience even more flair and pizzazz.

Even though we just had a spectacular performance from Havana Affair, a returning band showed up this year called Cosmic Skye. Vocalist Austin Leach, drummer Jackson Moore and other members lead the band. Leach said on stage that the main reason why she and her band came back for another performance this year was because of the support that the students show, which can go a long way for an upcoming band. Cosmic Skye has released music on several music platforms such as Apple Music. They debuted new songs coming out soon during their performance, which sounded incredible. Leach dancing along with the song as her band members played behind her made the experience memorable. Cosmic Skye will perform in an upcoming showing on March 29 at Bondi Bowls in Edmond if anyone wants to listen to them once again.

One final artist played that night, known as “Kid Prexy,” an upcoming artist who sang some of his hits from Spotify. Unfortunately at the beginning, it seemed as though everyone had used up their energy in the other performances, but the band still managed to bring the crowd back up to its feet as he proceeded to sing his heart out with some of his unreleased songs, including the first ever song he wrote. As the night ended

Congratulations to everyone who played last night and made the experience memorable with the rock ‘n’ roll. EMHS’s student council put an immense amount of effort into making this year’s Swine Stock and the rest of Swine Week fun for everyone. All the donations raised during this event and in the upcoming will continue to go towards Peaceful Family to continue their mission.

Contact Ryder Richardson at [email protected]