By Tori Godwin

Aldous Huxley once said, “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” For junior Karl Pogue, this quote fits quite nicely. Through triumph and tragedy, this junior has become intertwined with music and has discovered his true passion for the world of music.

Practicing a few chords on his beloved mother's guitar, Pogue relives memories of his mother while doing his favorite activity in the world. Photo by: Tori Godwin

For Pogue, music has always been in his life. Music first was exposed to him when he was a young boy. “As a small child,  I would always listen to my parents’ CDs and cassettes. [I would listen to] bands like KISS, Cheap Trick, AC/DC, The Beatles, Ted Nugent, Accept, Jackyl, ZZ Top, Guns N’ Roses, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Black Sabbath (the Ozzy years mostly) and a bunch of other stuff.” he said.  After a few years, one of his older sisters introduced him to his now favorite band named Green Day, which had him appreciating punk rock and alternative music.  His other sister and her husband introduced him to Slipknot and Slayer, which shed a new light on the type of music known as heavy metal. Since he has been shown many varieties of music, he is always open to new types. “Now I’m discovering old country and I also enjoy the blues greatly.” he said.

On January 9, 2007, a severe tragedy struck the Pogue family. His beloved mother passed away due to a brain aneurysm, leaving Pogue in a shocked and angered state of mind. He had to cope with this devastation while still having to attend school and live like a “normal” 12 year old boy.  Once he turned 13, music became his source for relieving stress and expressing himself. He began to have the serious desire to play the guitar. “The band Tenacious D [inspired me]. Their songs “The Metal” and “Kielbasa” [mostly inspired me]. When I first saw their movie The Pick of Destiny was when I first decided to get serious about learning guitar.” he said. He always knew that he wanted to be a musician when he was older, but the age of 13 is when he cracked down on himself and started becoming serious about music. He also began to write his own songs. He said his songs are usually about “whatever really comes to my mind, so pretty much anything and everything. From the simpler things to the dark intense regions of my own mind that are able to be expressed now that I have the ability to access them.”

He also began to try forming a band. After a few years of unsuccessful bands, Pogue finally formed a band named 80. This band was originally a rock duo, but eventually formed into a rock quartet. The members included senior Jackson Seering, senior Christine Banghart, PHS graduate Jordan Winkler, and himself. With this band, Pogue was able to experience his first gig. They performed at Heartland Church’s “Rock Youth.” He originally performed for the first time as a rock duo with Jackson Seering, but the other two members were added and they got a second chance to perform for a crowd. For their second gig, they performed Green Day’s “Brain Stew.” Pogue’s band was really shaping up. He described performing on stage as “getting thrown from a moving car, but with a less chance of dying. I also enjoyed the praise that followed. People saying I did great is quite the insecurity reliever.”

Sadly, 80 did not last very long. A few weeks after their performance, 80 broke apart due to personal issues between members. However, Pogue did not let this disbandment hold him back from his dream. He tried to become a part of another band, and when that was unsuccessful, he started working solo. He was able to get some recording equipment and really started testing his abilities. During his sophomore year, he released his first demo song titled “365,” which was just one song on his acoustic guitar. That was mere practice for what was to come for him. After a couple of months, he released his first demo album titled “Trying as Hard as I Can’t,” which featured four songs written by Pogue. The song meanings ranged from a performance that he remembers, trying to find some gas for his best friend’s car, an introduction song, and a song dedicated to his mother. He may not be famous from this demo album, but it helped him open his eyes to the music industry. He was also able to perform at Shaggy’s Diner, a local restaurant, that same year.  Around four or five months after that, another demo album was recorded. It was titled “Mentally Unstable” and it featured 11 songs. Pogue said, “There were no definite themes on my two ‘demo albums,’ but in the second one, a reoccurring element I threw in there was the eventual zombie apocalypse.” He has also had the chance to perform on PHS’ stage. He was one of the groups that performed in the Variety Show “Circus Bezerkus” last year. He was asked to perform “Clocks” originally by Coldplay with a group of his friends. Though he did not form an actual band with this group, he got a better experience of being on stage and performing for a bigger crowd.

Nowadays, Pogue has been experimenting with new instruments. He currently can play guitar, bass, drums, vocals, keyboard, some banjo and some ukulele. He said, “My favorite to play is probably the guitar because of all that can be done with it. That and I’m just drawn to the guitar.” He has also been trying out electric spoons. He has also sent emails and some of his recordings to a record label and they have responded to him saying that they have received his emails. He has not gotten a record deal yet, but he said, “Hey, that’s better than nothing.” He has also been working on a third demo album and has gotten better recording equipment. He described his album theme by saying, “I guess if there was a theme it would be when darkness is all around, all I’m gonna do about it is jam out. The songs I’ve been working on are far from my previous demos in the sense that they are very much better and much more electric than their predecessors.” He is prepared for getting a record deal and getting the chance to put his music out into the world for everyone to hear. He has dedicated a numerous amount of time to music. He also had any advice for anyone who wants to take the same career path that he has chosen. “Keep on it. I thought I was gonna just be [not the greatest] musician, but I think I do pretty good because I practice quite often.” Patience is definitely a virtue in Pogue’s case.

This young man has shown that through difficult times, he has reached for a goal and strives to be the best musician that he can be. He has had grueling times, but music has helped him cope with issues and has become the foundation for his musical career. He said, “We could all die tomorrow, so why not live it up today?” Karl Pogue is definitely living in the moment and taking every musical chance he can obtain.