The band Can I Call You Later is made up of students who attend Manitou Springs High School, and they have had involvement in multiple school and community activities over the last school year. They played at MSHS’s S’mores Night and, most recently, the school’s Stampede Week tailgate on March 13.
Nick Jeffcot (10) says that the original band dates back to when he was in seventh grade when he and a group of other students found that they enjoyed performing and decided to create their own band outside of school. Jeffcot says, however, that the band has gone through many changes over the years, including the name and especially relating to the members that are in the band. “We went through a bunch of different people and a bunch of different names,” Jeffcot said. “But we just formed out of a love for music and established our name last year around June and July.”
Isaac Boczkiewicz (12), the vocalist of the band, recently joined in the last year. He described himself to be nervous about living up to the band’s reputation, but he has ultimately had a fun and beneficial time being in the band so far. “I know that the school holds them in pretty high regards from what I’ve seen,” Boczkiewicz said. “I was really nervous, but when I did join, it was awesome and they were so welcoming. I’ve had a consistently good time being in the band.”
The band is able to get involved in school events by working with teachers and clubs that are directly involved in planning events. Their performance at S’mores Night was planned with Ingrid Perez and student council. “StuCo is a big help for setting up band events,” Jeffcot said. “Mr. Walker previously helped with planning the Battle of the Bands as a way to help get us out to the school and perform.”
Boczkiewicz feels that having student and peer recognition within the school is very uplifting, and he says he had a very positive experience at the tailgate for his first performance. “Because I was doing my very first set list with them for the tailgate, I really expected it to not be as big of a crowd as we had,” Boczkiewicz said. “And when I saw people show up, it was really awesome. I felt like my talents were really showcased during that performance.”
Jon Murphy, a member of the second band, called Moonveil, that played at the tailgate recalls also working with Can I Call You Later at a previous Battle of the Bands. He says he lended the band their PA system and other equipment and remembers their professional work ethic and attitude. When Can I Call You Later needed to borrow equipment again for the tailgate, Murphy felt happy to lend it to them. “When the idea came up that we could perform at the tailgate, and that they might need a PA system, we didn’t mind volunteering to let them use ours so that we can streamline the show and have it go smoothly,” Murphy said.
Murphy and his band also recognize this student-led band as a positive impact to the student’s lives, as he also remembers being the same age and having a love for music and playing in a band. “We really do think it’s wonderful, and we’re happy to have younger players have an experience like playing a cool gig with us,” Murphy said. “We hope that they can go on to hopefully have a lifetime of making music.”
The band practices once a week on Sundays where they will play through multiple songs, whether it is working on a set list or creating their own songs. When creating set lists, the band often tries to choose from songs that are currently relevant. “We think about our audience and who we’re performing for,” Jeffcot said. “If we’re covering songs, we will try to select certain songs that fit the demographic that our audience will like.”
The band contains many different positions and roles within the five members. Jeffcot plays bass, Ben Parham (12) plays drums, Boczkiewicz is the vocalist, Cayden Juarez (10) is the synth backup vocals and second guitarist, and AJ Maestas (10) as the lead guitarist. Aside from the school events, the band has not performed at any public events except for one a few years ago. They, however, are hoping to find more performing opportunities in the future. “We’re looking towards finding more opportunities to play out and build a community up in our school area and around Manitou still,” Jeffcot said.
Jeffcot thinks that having a band that is also involved in his high school experience is beneficial as it will create lifelong memories. “It’s really fun putting together a set list and performing it,” Jeffcot said. “Seeing all your friends there and seeing a good crowd really makes it all worth it.”
Boczkiewicz also thinks having this band involved in the school community is very beneficial because it gives students the opportunity to participate in the community and connect. “I think that having fun events is super important for the mental health of students and creating a cool school culture,” Boczkiewicz said.
Jeffcot also says being in this band has made him want to pursue music more as a future career. “It’s just a hobby at the moment, but hopefully I can see it becoming more than that,” Jeffcot said. “I love the group of people I’m playing music with and I have the opportunity to hang out with my friends while also playing music.”
