Four Milford High School graduates formed a band after randomly playing together at a campfire and now play at various spots around the state.
We the Many started four years ago and is comprised of Owen Eickhoff, 2020 graduate; Jeremiah Taylor, 2021 graduate; Naudia Larsen, 2020 graduate; and Alayna Piening, 2021 graduate.
Eickhoff said the idea for the band started after he and the others played music around a campfire.
“It was like a worship night with a big group of people there during the summer of 2020,” he said. “Jeremiah and I kind of talked about how a band could work out, and we went from there.”
After that night, the band formed with Eickhoff and Taylor.
“We played at a few camps and other small events like that,” Eickhoff said.
In November, Piening decided to join the band, and Larsen joined shortly after in May after playing with Eickhoff and Taylor at the campfire.
Once the band had all four members, it started playing at different places around the state.
“We got to play at a church in Oakland,” Eickhoff said. “One of our contacts that we knew also got us set up to play at the Burt County Fair. It was an exciting time.”
On Aug. 10, We the Many played a show at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Milford. Eickhoff said they were excited to play in Milford.
“We knew the people, as this was the church I go to and we all graduated from here,” he said. “We were all pretty happy to be able to play in Milford.”
The band plays Christian contemporary music, although Eickhoff said he considers it to be more praise and worship music. He said that type of music fits their style.
“When I first started playing guitar about seven to eight years ago, I started to play at my home church, so that was just my music,” Eickhoff said. “When Jeremiah and I started playing together and got our first gig, that was just what we started out with.”
Eickhoff attends the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is majoring in emergency management. He also works for Seward County Emergency Management and the American Red Cross.
With different members of the band returning to college, Eickhoff said there aren’t any future shows planned.
“Jeremiah and Naudia get really busy during the school year, so other than our monthly concerts at Oakland, we really don’t have anything planned for the near future,” he said. “We are trying to plan some winter concerts, however.”
When it comes to music, Eickhoff said it took some time and practice to get it down. He said anyone interested in music should give it a try.
“When I first started playing guitar, I had been playing for about a year when the church invited me to play with them,” Eickhoff said. “I wasn’t very good at first, but I just gave it a shot and kept working on it. I didn’t have any expectations and I just kept trying, and that’s exactly what kids should do if they want to get into it; just keep trying.”
Eickhoff also wanted to thank all the people behind the scenes who help out with their band and the community for the support.
“I never imagined anything like this and I’m very thankful for it,” he said.
