Musical passions can begin with a single moment. It might be the hum of a guitar chord through your ears, song lyrics that resonate deeply or the feeling of your fingers sliding across piano keys. For sophomore Tala Ardati, that moment came at 14, when she was gifted a bass for her birthday.
Sparked with inspiration, Tala spent the rest of the day scanning YouTube for tutorials to her favorite songs.
“It felt so cool, like I could be a rockstar,” Tala said.
About two years ago Tala formed a school band with her close friend Charlie Glascott, a current Lab eighth grader. From there, Charlie introduced Tala to Trent Spiegel, another Lab eighth grader and now the band’s main vocalist, and the band was born.
This year, the band went through a rebrand to redefine themselves outside of school and begin their independent music career.
“This year, we decided to scrap everything and market ourselves as not school-based, but like our own thing,” Tala said.
The band settled on Rebuke — previously Lab Rats — as their new group name. In addition to simply “sounding cool,” Rebuke, Tala explained, is an edgy word that reflects the vibe of the band.
Tala enjoys listening to and writing a variety of musical genres. Though she describes her personal music taste as pop-oriented, Rebuke leans more toward indie rock.
Tala largely credits Flea, the bassist from the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, as her main inspiration for wanting to learn the bass guitar.
“In eighth grade, I was really obsessed with the band Red Hot Chili Peppers,” Tala said, “I thought Flea was the coolest guy ever.”
As Rebuke’s main bassist and occasional backup vocalist, Tala also emphasizes the band’s focus on songwriting and finds the process of writing lyrics therapeutic.
“I can use writing as a way to express issues that I’m dealing with or things in the world that cause me stress,” Tala said.
The members have become creative with where they practice, sometimes playing in empty school hallways, Gordon Parks Arts Hall lobby or even over FaceTime.
“Right now we’re focusing on writing things,” Tala said. “We’ll FaceTime and be like ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’ or can you write lyrics for this?’”
Band mate Charlie, who plays electric guitar for Rebuke, appreciates Tala’s creativity and diverse music taste.
“Each one of us kinda has our own music taste,” Charlie said. “If Trent’s writing a song, it’s probably gonna be indie rock. But if Tala is writing a song, you have no idea what it’s gonna be. She has a lot of musical genres that she listens to and enjoys.”
Performing has become an emotional outlet for Tala, allowing her to forget about external stress and become fully immersed in her music.
In the spring of 2024, Rebuke performed during a middle school seminar where they played a set of songs including “In Bloom” by Nirvana and “Not Strong Enough“ by Boy Genius.
By the end of January, Rebuke hopes to release their first single on streaming platforms. By summertime, the band is planning to drop a full album and add a drummer to their band.
“We’re looking into some small venues to book,” Tala said. “Perhaps for next year once we have a larger social media following and more people are listening to our music.”
Performing in front of your peers can feel vulnerable and nerve-wracking but, Tala finds comfort in letting herself get lost in the music.
“The worst that could happen isn’t nearly as bad as you think,” Tala said. “A few minutes of embarrassment isn’t worth regretting not doing something because you were scared.”
Through her experience in Rebuke, Tala has learned to act on her passions despite fear. Now 16, she approaches her musical journey with courage and determination, understanding it can just take one moment to spark inspiration.
