Just two months ago, an aspiring young guitarist named Yafate Shiferaw and up-and-coming drummer named Jon Cuevas were part of a local band called Valley of Unrest. Since then, Shiferaw and Cuevas have left Valley of Unrest and joined guitarist Adam Ornelas, vocalist Sonny Westmoreland, and bass player Sean Westmoreland to form a brand new band known as Pillars.
Their first song, “Broken Windows”, was written in four hours.  Since then they have written three more songs and in the process have becomes closer to each other.
“I noticed a lot of similarities with local bands here in Fresno. We have influence from other bands but I feel like we can bring something different to this area by combining different types of music that we all listen to,” said vocalist Sonny Westmoreland.
While the topics vary, the band is focused on always sending a positive message to their listeners.
“I wrote the songs based on what I see nowadays. I write to those people who feel like they are not loved and I try to tell them to pick themselves up,” said Sonny Westmoreland.
Although it is a time in which many local bands are emerging, the Pillars say they are only focused on playing the music they love and they are not deterred by the current competition.
The process hasn’t been easy concidering that the creation and management of a band normally requires precise communication, sufficient funding, energy and a lot of time. But through it all, the Pillars feel that they have made significant progress.
On Oct. 22, the Pillars will be ready to show Fresno what they are made of as they perform for the first time at the Woodward Park Amphitheater.
“The limits are endless. It all depends on how committed this whole band is,” said Sonny Westmoreland, “Our goal is to eventually go on tour. We are not going to rush anything, but we want to go out of state someday.”
They hope to have more people discover their music as they promote themselves through their account on facebook.com.
Despite the challenge, the band is enjoying the bond gained through playing together and also enjoying the simple joy of playing music.