Courtesy of Trey Boore

Sweet opening! Sweet Desire opens for the Steve Miller band. Pine Knob Music Theatre was packed full of people.

Sweet Desire is a band that started with four teenage boys in 2020 and progressed through 2021. Altoona graduate, Trey Boore, plays the drums. A senior at Central High School, Josh Simpson, plays the bass. Hollidaysburg graduate, Jordan McCaulley, is the singer. Altoona graduate, Kenton Lewis, is the guitar player. 

“The band started more as a joke. Kenton would come over to my house with his guitar, and I had an old drum set I hadn’t touched in years. We’d jam on random songs we knew from the 80s and 90s, like Nirvana, Green Day and Guns N’ Roses. For being practically rookies at our instruments, the joke about being in a band was thrown out a few times, but before we knew it, we were looking for new people to jam with,” Boore said. 

Each member of the band is 25 percent in charge. They all take the role of deciding on anything. 

“We currently are self-managed, and the four of us each take roles in the business side of things to make sure we remain efficient,” Boore said. 

The first show they performed was on July 24, 2021.

“We weren’t very prepared for our first show because we had never performed before. We were so excited to perform, we booked the first offer we received at a skate park called SK814,” Lewis said. 

They got the opportunity to open for the Steve Miller Band on Aug. 12, 2023, at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, MI.

“When we went to Plymouth, MI to record songs for an extended play, we ended up meeting Jimmie Bones, who played the keyboard for “Kid Rock” for pretty much his whole career. Through the connections he has, he was able to direct the promoters of the show to us, who needed an opening act for Steve Miller,” Lewis said. 

“I felt a mix of emotions that moved from nervousness to excitement to a sense of calmness. It was the first time that it really felt like this is what we are meant to do, to bring people together with music,” McCaulley said.

The boys have played in many shows since they started the band. Some of the shows included: Pine Knob Music Theater, McGarveys Bar and Grill, The Underground in Harrisburg, Rock the Mountains in Maryland with Quiet Riot, The Vault in Saginaw MI, Roundhouse Rally and Rock in the Yard. 

“I feel as though we haven’t reached the tip of the iceberg, in reference to how far we can go as a band. There are so many different things to do that I don’t feel a limit can be reached,” McCaulley said.

Their fans, which include their family and friends, have supported the boys’ dreams of being in Sweet Desire.

“My parents have always been extremely supportive since the beginning, and they’re proud of how far we’ve come in the last two years,” Simpson said.

The band has come from just playing at their houses to opening for the Steve Miller Band. They added their first original song to all music streaming platforms on June 9, called Raspberry Joe Blues.

“I think that if we keep the right mindset and stick together, there’s really no telling what the future could hold. We’ve had many opportunities and experiences in such a short amount of time that people who have been playing for years haven’t. But ultimately, being able to put out an album or an extended play and go on some sort of tour to support it is the next step for us. And as long as we stick together, it could very well happen,” Lewis said

“Music means everything to me, and the fact that we get to share ours with so many people is amazing,” Simpson said. “I think we’re going to be on to bigger things here soon, and as long as we have each other and keep our heads straight, I feel we’ll all have an incredible experience.”