More than Just a Girl Band

By Maranda Sayers

LISTEN TO THE GIRLS AND MUSIC OF SHORT LIVED AFFAIR

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MARLTON— The girls of Short Lived Affair are not your average underground garage rock band. They are young, ambitious, and they intend to prove themselves to be more than just girls who rock next door.

Refusing to be a gimmick, the girls have worked hard to gain the respect of many fans and other local bands from the South Jersey and Philadelphia music scene.

From left, Monica Kelly, Taylor Coigne, Kaitlyn Young, Rachel Visitacion. Photo by Dan Axelson

“We actually want to create good music. We want to make people feel something,” said Taylor Coigne, 18, bassist and co-founder of the band, “I feel like we are real musicians.”

They have performed at the renowned venue The Stone Pony in Asbury Park to compete in last year’s Break Contest and were chosen to perform in last year’s local Bamboozle show at The Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford. They are also making headway into the Philadelphia music scene.

Coigne decided to form Short Lived Affair with former guitarist, Kristen Valenti, in the fourth grade. “I wanted to be in a band ever since I was nine,” she said. “I wanted to be a singer, or a guitarist, or a drummer, anything but a bassist.”

It was when her uncle handed her a bass and taught her “The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars that she realized she wanted to be a bassist. “Something just clicked,” she said. “Music’s the only thing I ever really stuck with and haven’t quit.” After trying several sports including basketball, karate, and cheerleading, Coigne realized that music was the one thing she was passionate about.

Rachel Visitacion, 17, is the drummer and was asked to join the band in the eighth grade. Visitacion realized she wanted to play an instrument after watching her father, a saxophonist in a Mummers string band, play in her living room.

After experimenting with several different instruments, she realized she wanted to be a drummer. “It just clicked. I got it within a day,” said Visitacion. “Since then, it’s consumed me. I play every day and if I don’t, I get crazy. Music has really saved me from a lot of stuff.”

Kaitlyn Young, 17, the guitarist, joined the band later in the ninth grade. Young started playing guitar when she was 13. “I loved music and I wanted to be in a band, and I figured guitar was the best way to go.”

Monica Kelly, 17, the lead vocalist, also joined the band in the ninth grade. Kelly was always interested in singing. Musicals were her biggest influence in inspiring her to sing. “I always wanted to be on Broadway. That was my thing in middle school,” she said.

Since the band was formed, the girls have had to learn how to balance school with the band.

“We do the best we can,” Coigne added. “We practice two hours a day, or maybe even three,” Kelly said. “Sometimes on the weekends we practice more,” said Coigne.

For the most part, the girls love practicing, but they do get sick of it sometimes. “It has to be a day when we’re all feeling crazy, but if we’re not feeling crazy forget about it,” Young said.

Short Lived Affair has many influences including New Found Glory and Paramore, but many of their influences are other local bands. The girls frequently play at the Berlin VFW, where they met several of their friends in other bands. They explained that the South Jersey music scene is very supportive instead of being overly competitive.

“I’ve become best friends with the people in this scene,” Coigne explained. “I go to school, I don’t really get along with a lot of people. I just go, and I’m kind of there floating around school. I’ve spent all my time waiting for the weekends, because that’s when we get to play shows. It’s the only place I’ve ever felt like I belong.”

The girls write their music based on the things happening in their lives, such as relationships and struggles with friends. “Write about what you know,” Coigne said. They use their music to get through struggles.

Lately, in writing their newest music, they’ve helped each other get through the loss of former guitarist, Valenti, who left the band in late July. “It was a really hard time in our lives,” Coigne explained.

After graduating from Cherokee High School, the band mates plan to attend online classes at Burlington County College so they can pursue their music career further. They hope to tour in the summer, and like most bands, eventually make it big.

“The time for the band is now, because we’re still young,” Young said.