After a successful year of performing in Baton Rouge, local band Blessed Yes has gone from being a campus band to being recognized nationally by mtvU.
Blessed Yes was able to spread its sound to college campuses across the country because they recently made it to the top 25 of mtvU’s “Best Music On Campus” contest.
“The way it worked was that starting in February, bands were invited to submit entries, three original songs and a photo and bio for the contest,” said Sharon Liveten of mtvU. “Those zillion entries were sorted down to 100 by the folks at mtvU and Drive-Thru Records.”
Brooke Waggoner, vocalist and keyboardist for the band and music composition senior, said the band received a lot of feedback from other bands and students across the country.
“It really got people involved, and our band had a lot of support,” she said. “It was awesome because we were the only band from Louisiana that made it.”
Jordy Wax, bassist and communication studies junior, said the band also gained support from listeners who were attracted by competing bands.
“We had a lot of people find us while they were listening to their friends’ bands that wished us luck and gave us a lot of support,” he said.
Blessed Yes has since been knocked out of the competition but still intends to spread its sound to new areas.
Wax said the band plans to go on a tour traveling from Texas through Missouri, Tennessee and other states over the summer.
  “We are pretty much going to be making a big loop on this tour,” Wax said. “We all just started talking about places where we have friends or know people in certain cities and created a tour out of it. We try not to wear out our welcome in Baton Rouge.”
Blessed Yes, which has been compared to the band Coldplay, formed when Waggoner met Adam Amoroso, guitarist and student at Southeastern Louisiana University, at the Baptist Christian Ministry on campus.
“I have always been passionate about song writing and was only doing solo stuff,” Waggoner said. “I met Adam, and it all just kind of developed. We went from an acoustic, indie sound to becoming a band once we incorporated drums and bass into the music.”
After Zach Ingram, drummer for the band, completed the group, all that was needed was a name.
Waggoner said her mom came up with the name for the band while reading her Bible.
“My mom came across ‘divine yes’ in the Bible and thought it would be a good name for the band,” Waggoner said. “It eventually turned into Blessed Yes. We are all Christians and knew we wanted our band to be named something spiritual.”
Blessed Yes’ unique sound has attracted audiences of all ages to its shows in Baton Rouge.
“Our music is just different,” Wax said. “You won’t come to our shows and see a mosh pit or anything like that. You can just sit or stand and listen and enjoy the music.”
While the band’s uncommon sound has gained recognition, Waggoner said the band members are the best part.
“We all come from similar backgrounds and are all just really good friends,” Waggoner said.
Even after national notice, Blessed Yes is remaining humble about its success.
“We’re not in it for any kind of fame,” Wax said. “Any money we make goes right back into the band to pay for gas to get to our next shows or whatever. I know it sounds cliche to say this, but it really is just about the music for us.”
 
Contact Kelly Caulk
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