Meet the Band: Cries for Help

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How much do you know about the Goucher music scene? Do you know about any of the bands here at Goucher? A few days ago, I had the opportunity to interview John Eng-Wong to talk about his band Cries for Help and what direction he wants to take the group in. The band Cries for Help was formed one night in early September of 2017, only a single day before their first performance at one of Goucher’s many open mic nights. Current band members include Goucher freshman John Eng-Wong as lead guitarist and singer, Goucher freshman Erica Manson on piano, Goucher freshman Andrew Harper on drums, and Goucher sophomore Dylan Samuel on bass and rhythm guitar. Frontman John met pianist Erica in a Goucher music class, and almost immediately afterward, the two decided to pursue music together in a band. Not too long afterwards, drummer Andrew and bassist Dylan both found the band through the Independent Music Club here at Goucher. Since then, Cries for Help has built up a repertoire of 9 finished songs and have played over a half dozen shows together as a full group.
In terms of music genre, Cries for Help considers themselves to be a punk band with emo undertones. The band’s major musical influences include the Obsessives, Slaughter Beach, Dog, the Hotelier, the Smiths, Alex G, and Frank Ocean. Lead guitarist John Eng-Wong says he hopes that band will eventually get into the Philadelphia emo scene. According to John, Cries for Help also plans to do some studio work over the summer to create recordings for all their songs and potentially start releasing albums. Currently, the band manages to hold full band practices two to three times a week while crammed in a single on the third floor of Probst. When I asked John where he draws inspiration from as he writes his lyrics and music, he told me “I want to write things that are hard for me, both as an artist and as a human being.” There is a massive difference between a piece of music that is hard to play because of tempo or note complexity and a piece of music that is hard to play because of its emotional impact or personal connection to the musician. Some songs can be both and some songs can be neither. John then explained to me how playing and creating music allowed him to express emotions and communicate ideas in ways that words could not by themselves. As both an artist and musician myself, I could not agree more.
Cries for Help is playing a show in Baltimore on March 31st at a venue called Big Red Booking with several other local artists, including My Heart, My Anchor, At Face Value, and Heart for Hire. I would highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to watch these outstanding musicians at work and get a taste of the Baltimore music scene. Follow the band’s Instagram at @criesforhelp or check out John’s personal Bandcamp at https://johneng-wong.bandcamp.com/.

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