From 30 fans to 300. From garage practice to Battle of the Bands. From crowded record store shows to booming pep rally performances. The Spanish Girls have done it all.

Comprised of seniors Erick Echegaray, Marcel Chlupsa, Gavin Larios and Jack Matthews, the band previously known as The Noise has taken Manhattan High by storm.

In the beginning, the band performed only for themselves in Chlupsa’s garage.

“I talked to Jack and knew he played drums,” Echegaray said. “We hung out at his house a couple of times, we jammed out; we learned ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ I talked to Gavin and he talked to Marcel and we all ended up meeting at Jack’s house for like three hours and played Nirvana and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. And then we called ourselves The Noise.”

As The Noise, the band performed at Battle of the Bands their sophomore and junior years. After input from a friend of the band The Noise blossomed into what they are today, The Spanish Girls.

Since their renaming, the band has played both the fall and winter pep rallies and have built themselves a fan base throughout MHS.

“It’s really cool to see a reciprocation and a love for our music and getting people to dance and the little mob that they made at the pep rally, that was fun,” Chlupsa said.

The band members agreed that the pep rally reaction was almost overwhelming.

“The reaction has been crazy,” Echegaray said. “I feel like everyone at school looks at us as the band guys, which is a good thing. I guess it depends how you look at it. I’ve learned that a lot of people like the type of music that we play more than I thought people would. It’s nice to see people talk to you, say hi to you or acknowledge you because of something that you do.”

For all members of the band, making music is a way to release and relax, and ultimately to be themselves.

“Making music for me — as a kid I always listened to records and albums so it’s always been an outlet for me to relax or let something out that I want to express,” Echegaray said. “It really comes out naturally, when you’re playing an instrument and song writing, it’s almost like a message you didn’t know you had inside of you. It just comes out and is all laid out there. It’s amazing. I can’t even describe it.”

Despite the fun the band members have, in the spirit of true musicians and songwriters they constantly feel the need to improve.

“It’s different on the side of which you make music because you’re always criticizing your work,” Larios said. “[You are] thinking this could be better. So when people come up to us and say that we were really good it’s like ‘I know you say it’s good but I know it can be better.’ That’s one thing about music though, you play and you keep trying and getting better.“

While all members of the band have the same goal — to make music and have fun — in the process they have developed a long-lasting friendship.

“It’s really fun, all three guys have  different stories and it’s fun to keep up with each others’ stories,” Larios said. “We keep up with each other, we keep each other going, and we inspire each other, we motivate each other and we just have fun. I think that’s the key factor is to just have fun with everything.”

The bond and friendship the seniors have developed throughout their high school career is one that Echegaray says will never fade.

“I know Gavin knows, but I don’t know if Marcel and Jack know, but they mean the world to me,” Echegaray said. “To have three guys that I can be with. I know I can trust them with anything. It’s become a bond and a relationship that’s really cool. I love them so much and they mean the world to me.”