In a carpeted basement stuffed with cables, mics, and instruments, Huck Amick (‘25) is screaming, and so is his amp. “Don’t want a flying piece of lead …” Crammed back in a corner are the crashing cymbals and pounding kicks of Ashe Baskey (Huron ‘25). A driving rumble rolls from a bass slung around Haven Lexcen (‘25). “… to be the last thing going through my head …”

Welcome to band practice for Reckless Manner.

The three-piece punk outfit Reckless Manner initially formed for the Skyline Talent Show last year – and never even ended up playing it. 

“We were going to do the talent show – that was our thing – so we sent in the audition video to Naya [Loftus (‘24)] ….” says Amick. (Loftus organized the 2024 Talent Show – and wrote an article about it for The Skyline Post.)

“She was like, ‘Yeah, I showed you to my friends; can you play at the [Blind] Pig in March?’”

Since booking that first gig at the Blind Pig, Reckless Manner has also played Porchfest, the Token Lounge, and an anniversary show for Naya’s band, Perfect Average, giving them many opportunities to grow as performers. You can find performance clips from most of these on their Instagram page.

Lexcen says the band’s second show at the Blind Pig was their best. “The energy was a lot better, people were moving around.”  Lexcen jokes, “We actually rehearsed for it.”

The band’s chosen lane is punk, the likes of The Clash, Ramones, and Stiff Little Fingers. The trio has a handful of their own songs written to perform, including “Dead Kids,” a solidly modern-day punk tune about gun violence in America.

“When … my dad made me listen to The Green Album, the Clash’s debut, [I thought,] ‘this is like, the tip of the hierarchy of music,’” explains Amick. “At the core, that’s all you need, really: some kind of message, and to just get it done.”

Reckless Manner is set to play the Blind Pig on October 29th; you can buy tickets here.