This is Mothcage. The first notes cut through the noise, and the energy immediately shifts. For the audience, it looks effortless. But for the members of Mothcage, especially one VC student who dreamed of this for years, the journey to that stage was anything but easy.
Itzel, a student at Ventura College, was surrounded by music growing up, fueling her desire to start a band. “I always had the dream of having a band when I was older ever since I was a kid,” she said. Growing up surrounded by music made that dream feel possible. Her dad had been in a band in his twenties and would tell her stories about his experiences as a musician. “Naturally, I was inspired.”
She faced many challenges. One of the hardest was trying to find people who had the same passion. “I hadn’t come across musicians that were motivated enough.” This made it hard to start the band she hoped to build. But it wouldn’t stop her from making it happen. Itzel kept trying until she finally found her bandmates. The people she connected with, people who shared that same passion.
Mothcage has taught the members to stay emotionally connected with each other, which Itzel says is “the most important thing of all.” Even with challenges like losing two of their guitarists, they stayed connected with each other. It showed their strength as a band because they kept moving forward no matter what happened. As Itzel said, “Music is always worth fighting for.”
Balancing personal life, school, and being in a band can be hard to manage, but they make time to balance it all. Getting through assignments throughout the week, using the weekends for writing music, personal practice, and rehearsals. This makes it easier to balance everything by setting aside time for each responsibility.
The band is devoted to continuing to push forward and sticking together. The moment it finally felt real is something she still remembers clearly. “It was when me and my other bandmates finished running through our first original song. We all looked at each other with pure excitement and accomplishment after hearing our first song together.” That shared excitement marked the true beginning of Mothcage. And they aren’t slowing down. They are already planning shows outside of the local scene, including venues in Los Angeles. Their goal is simple but meaningful: “to share a piece of our soul and passion through our music.”
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