Local Band 'Freelance' Set for Battle Saturday

Ask the members of the band "Freelance" to describe their musical sound, and you won't get a simple answer. 

Funk. Blues. Punk. Reggae. Rock. Metal. It's all there.

"We blend so many different things to get our sound," drummer Tyler Ashford said.

Freelance will perform Saturday at the Anne Arundel County Battle of the Bands, going up against 10 other groups around the area. They'll perform three songs.

The band members include Ashford on drums, Luke Turner on bass, Jesse Johnson on guitar and Trevor Prescott as the lead singer. All are seniors at Arundel High School, except Turner, who is a sophomore at Severna Park. 

Several of the band members said they took up music only in the last few years, though Johnson said he took up music at a young age because his father is a professional drummer. 

Band members began playing together last year and have quickly boosted their profile locally, with performances at Ram's Head Live! 

"We're definitely ready," Prescott said of the band's preparations for Saturday. 

The band's songs are loud and powerful, but also soulful and inspiring. Often, lyrics center on solving problems, so much so that band members considered naming themselves "Remedy." They settled on the name "Freelance" 

The songwriting process is collaborative, they said, with Prescott and Johnson working together on the basic melody and lyrics, with the remaining two band members writing their own parts later. 

After Battle of the Bands, Freelance hopes to begin working on an album of seven songs, and members hope to continue playing together even after high school. 

See also: 

• Crash57, The Goons Participate in Battle of the Bands 
• 11 Local High School Bands Battle for Glory This Weekend