With FON season coming to a close, many groups have been practicing their dances and polishing their moves for this weekend’s shows. In addition to all the dancing, however, this year’s FON will open with performances from a student Japanese band called “GET THE TIME” or GTT, expanding on JFON.
Formed in 2021, GTT now includes two students from THHS: junior AJ Botsaris and senior Michael Leong. The other members are Francis Lewis High School senior Jonathan Paik, Stuyvesant High School senior Armand Surban, and Brooklyn Technical High School senior Chacoles Tortola.
AJ said, “The name Get the Time comes from the fact that the other four members are seniors and their high school years are almost over, so it’s like chasing whatever time is left.”
When asked about why they joined the band, Michael said, “I joined the band on impulse. Aside from a month-long piano class over the summer, I had no prior musical experience, but some of the other members asked me if I wanted to play bass. I’d never touched guitar or bass before, but I figured I might as well give it a try because it might turn out well. I’ve been with the band for about two and a half years now, and I can’t say I’ve regretted joining.”
Junior AJ, who has recently become the vocalist for the band said, “This band means a lot to me and I’m eternally grateful that they welcomed me in and have allowed me to share their musical vision for the past six months. They’re a very talented and kind group of people whose passion for music is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Rhythm guitarist Jonathan described the band as “a large part of [his] life.” Regarding his time before joining GTT, he said, “I would not go as far as to say I was an ‘empty’ person before the band, but it has quickly taken up a lot of my time, effort, and thoughts.”
This year, GTT will be performing a J-Rock song for the first time at FON. Assistant Principal of Organization and FON supervisor Ellen Fee said, “A group of students came to me, and proposed the idea of a Japanese culture performance in the form of a band. I invited them to my office to coordinate and got excited about the idea. I love seeing all kinds of cultures being represented, and I think musical instruments are a great way of showcasing culture.”
Although it’s the band’s first performance for FON’s showcase, the band does have experience performing for live audiences.
Senior Michael said, “We’ve been practicing mostly in our drummer’s basement as all members go to different schools, so we haven’t been able to make it to all our rehearsals. Although the band has done something similar to this in the past, I’m still excited [to perform] nonetheless.”
Drummer Chacoles said, “For me, the band is just friends. It’s not something I hold to the same standard as my studies, but it’s pretty important. This experience [with FON] isn’t necessarily anything new because we’ve performed live before, but it’s still exciting because I usually enjoy playing live.
Instrumentalist Armand said, “It’s something I do for fun. I’ve studied piano the longest at 11 years, guitar for 8, and bass for 1. To me, FON is just another place to have fun.”
Due to the upcoming graduation of four out of the five band members, their future prospects are unclear. However, the band remains optimistic about their future together and will strive to continue updating their social media platforms to garner a larger following.
Michael said, “Most of us are graduating high school this year, and we’ll probably go our separate ways, but we might as well make the best of our time while we’re still together. GTT isn’t just a name for a show. We’re trying to do everything we can while we’re still here.”
Jonathan said, “With all of our band members besides the vocalist being high school seniors, some change in the frequency of the band will inevitably occur. However, I am fully invested in the band and optimistic that we will continue in some way shape or form.”
Armand said, “The future is very uncertain due to many changes on the horizon, so I don’t really think about it much and just go with the flow.”
Whatever future lies in store for this band, its inclusion in FON this year opens up new opportunities for future types of FON performances and the wide range of arts it may put on display as THHS continues this annual tradition.
