Senior Ashlyn Eggleston is 1,436 miles from home, and she is nervous.

After two months of nonstop practice, “Liar Liar” is about to play the most important show of their career. It’s only a year since the band got together, and Ashlyn never thought she would end up in Los Angeles.

Ashlyn grew up surrounded by music. She listened to “The Police,” “Jane’s Addiction,” “Stone Temple Pilots” and whatever 90s grunge her dad would play. In middle school, Ashlyn played the flute for her school’s band and realized that she was passionate about music. When she picked up a guitar, she knew music was something she wanted to pursue.

“I would isolate what I’m hearing [in songs,] and I heard a lot of guitar,” Ashlyn said. “I was beginning to realize all of the effects that make music happen, and I [thought] that I want to be part of that.”

In 2021, she started guitar lessons at the music academy Rockstars of Tomorrow. Along with its instrument and singing lessons, it also has live performance programs where students can learn how to run an independent band. Ashlyn slowly became more involved in the programs, landing in “Rockstar Pro” — the highest level. The first band she was part of in the program was called “Forbidden Horizon,” but it dissolved shortly after. From that experience, Ashlyn figured out where she wanted her music career to go.

“I realized I wanted to do something more for myself, something that’s more [similar to] what I want to do music-wise,” Ashlyn said. “I [was] excited, but also nervous; [I was] starting something with a group of people that [I didn’t] really know, but [I] knew that it was something [I] wanted to do.”

After talking with the coaches at Rockstars of Tomorrow about who she could form a new band with, Ashlyn met the band’s lead singer, Kensy White, and the band’s coach, Chloe Clamente. They started as a duo, and later recruited the drummer from Ashlyn’s first band. They all agreed on a sound for their new band: 90s and 2000s alternative rock.

“Their progression [since then] has been absolutely insane,” Clemente said. “ I remember [on] day one, they walked in and were all kind of quiet, but [I could] just feel in the room that there was something there.”

To come up with a name for the band, each member wrote a list of potential names and one would be picked from there. A name from Ashlyn’s list was the final pick: “Liar Liar.” A few months after the creation of the band, they recruited a bassist, but that still left Ashlyn as the only guitarist. Clemente said Ashlyn’s situation as the only guitarist was difficult, but helpful in the long run.

“Having that push of being the only guitarist really has helped [Ashlyn] hone her craft,” Clemente said. “I’m so proud of her, and I think that everything happens for a reason. She’s [improved] a lot due to just being put in that position. It was like ‘hey, it’s all on you now.’” 

“Liar Liar” grew to five members. The band played gigs at local venues and the Dallas International Guitar Festival. Their setlist consists of songs by “Green Day,” “Paramore,” “Fall Out Boy” and various other alternative-rock bands. Meanwhile, the band worked together to write original songs with the help of their coach. They currently have three finished, and plan to record them in the spring. Each member comes up with their own ideas, and together they evaluate each idea to make a song.

“We all have different thoughts and we all have to voice [our opinions,]” Ashlyn said. “ I think about it like a relationship. [We] have to talk it out, be honest and be able to communicate. It can be hard, but so far we haven’t had that issue.”

Clemente started as a student of Rockstars of Tomorrow in California, but moved to being a coach about four years ago. Due to this, she can relate to “Liar Liar’s” experience and said their progression in the program has been amazing. She said she is especially proud of Ashlyn’s progression, and that she has been a perfect student.

“Coaching Ashlyn has been a teacher’s dream [because] she’s very receptive and very responsible,” Clemente said. “[The band members] all remind me of myself when I was their age, but Ashlyn surpasses me in her ability to be a responsible go-getter, and she impresses me at least weekly. She’s always been very passionate about what she does, and I admire that daily.”

Ashlyn said she plans to go to college at the University of North Texas, but wants to stay with “Liar Liar” for as long as possible. Though the band has been focused on improving their stage presence, sound and balance, Ashlyn and Kensy agreed that “Liar Liar” has grown closer since they’ve been working together.

“I can see us going pretty far because [success] is not [always] about what songs are the best and what people like,” Kensy said. “It’s really [about] us being able to get along not just as a band, but as a group of friends that love being around each other.”

Since July, “Liar Liar” has been practicing for their first “mini tour” in Los Angeles. Rockstars of Tomorrow has given them the opportunity to play at Whisky a Go Go on Sept. 18: an opportunity only one other band in the program has ever gotten. Ashlyn said that this show will be a defining moment in her and the band’s career. 

“It’s exciting for all of us to go to California to play at a world famous [venue,]” Ashlyn said. “[The mini tour] will give us some insight on what it’s like to be a professional band, not just a little music school band in Frisco. It’s definitely going to be life changing.”