Help raisers

“I’m a nice guy,” says Samson Walsh. “Some people have this idea that I’m a jerk, when I’m really nice.”

The 17-year-old bass player has tattoos covering his body, including one on his head, and ear gauges the size of golf balls. But looks can be deceiving. Although he appears a rebellious youth, Walsh lives free of the influence of drugs, a principle he shares with his band, the melodic metalcore group A Sight for Sore Eyes.

Earlier this year, Walsh’s father died from a drug overdose. As a tribute to the best aspects of his father’s personality, and as a reminder of drug awareness, Walsh bears the words “Destroy Addiction” tattooed above his hairline. “Destroy Addiction” is also the name of an in-progress song about working through difficulties. For Walsh, it has become a personal motto.

“Due to losing my dad in August from drugs, I’ve been influenced a lot to write about how there’s always somebody out there to help you,” says Walsh.

Influenced by their own history with drugs, or the drug abuse of people close to them, the members of A Sight For Sore Eyes have taken it upon themselves to help others with drug recovery. They do this by writing about their message: Stay away from drugs and don’t be afraid to fight for what you believe in. The band members make themselves available to their fans.

“We’re willing to help people who come to us,” says Walsh. “I don’t want people to have something awful happen to them that they could have prevented by talking to us, just because they’re afraid.”

Although most of the band members share a common background in Christianity, they stress that they are not a Christian band.

“We’re not based off of religion,” says guitarist Andrew Briggs. “We just are [Christian].”

A Sight For Sore Eyes is relatively new to the Reno scene. Briggs and drummer Alan Terry started playing together in the eighth grade. It wasn’t until this February when Briggs, Terry, Walsh and guitarist Sam Mussell recruited vocalist Brandon Tiley that the band began to solidify. The music combines Terry’s fast drumming filled with double bass hits, Briggs’ heavy guitar, and Tiley’s screaming vocals. The band members cite metal acts like A Ghost Inside, For the Fallen Dreams, and Parkway Drive as kindred spirits.

The band traveled to Oakland to record their debut EP with Zach Ohren of Castle Ultimate Studio.

The biggest challenge for A Sight For Sore Eyes is their age. Both Tiley and Walsh are still in high school, and the rest are no older than 19. On one hand, the absence of adult responsibilities allows them more freedom with practice times and a closer connection with the metal audience around the same age, but it also reduces their standing as professionals. Record producers, venue managers and show promoters don’t seem to take teenagers as seriously as they do practiced adults.

For now, A Sight For Sore Eyes enjoys their time onstage, spreading their message and developing their talents. When Tiley and Walsh graduate high school, the band hopes to delve into the musical world more seriously, and perhaps even move to Massachusetts to record.

“I just hope that we stay a good band, and continue to get our message out there,” Briggs said.