Growing up with a variety of family members ranging from a christian mother, a father who drove trucks for a living, and a grandmother who loved to listen to rock music, junior Dalton Lhotka has a music playlist consisting of mostly alternative rock and indie music.

His favorite artists include: Black Sabbath, Rob Zombie, Youth Brigade, George Harrison and Mastadon. Lhotka says that his favorite song is ¨Freedom¨ by alternative rock band Rage Against the Machine. He says it is his favorite song because it talks about political issues and he thinks that it sounds really awesome.

¨Basically every rough event or bad time in my life, I remember drowning out all the bad emotions with rock music,¨ Lhotka said.

Music is very important to Lhotka because it helps him through bad events. He says he listens to music during the majority of his free time because music is really an escape to help him get through whatever he is doing. Whether it be completing work in a class or doing chores around his house, Lhotka always finds himself listening to music.

Lhotka says that he often spends his time researching his favorite artists and bands. Lhotka researches bands because he feels like he understands the music better when he knows why they play it and what their influences were. Lhotka also says that he plays the bass but he doesn’t think he’d make or join a band.

Junior Keily Conchas is a close friend of Lhotka and she says that they clicked about music when they met and became friends nearly half a year ago.

“I think it definitely inspires who he is,¨ Conchas said. ¨It’s a big part of him.¨