Photo Source: Logan Brayan

Canyon Ridge High School (CRHS) sophomore, Asa Anderson, and Twin Falls High School (TFHS) sophomore, Alex Bernal, placed second against nine groups at TFHS’s 2026 Battle of the Bands. On March 1st, 2026, the pair known as Nearfall performed a condensed, acoustic guitar duo version of “Creep” by Radiohead.

Placing second, they won 500 dollars cash to split between the two of them.

Forming a year ago, they collaborated in hopes of “making music and doing that for a [future] living”, Asa commented. However, as they were unable to find enough members to form a full band, they decided to perform the piece in an acoustic version.

“Together rehearsing, we’ve probably spent twenty minutes. We ran through it probably three times the night before,” Asa admitted. The two learned of the competition a few days before it began, but had already mastered “Creep”, each previously practicing it solo for numerous hours, according to Alex.

“Creep has kinda always been our song that we always played together. [Alex] can kill the vocal run, and it’s a head turner,” Asa said.

Despite their lack of prep, they had to “find a way to compress the entire song into two acoustic guitars,” as Asa mentioned, “My parents helped us a lot with transportation, with all the instruments and stuff. A lot of our friends, too. Tons of our friends came to the show and showed us tons of support.”

Alex and Asa were shown a rubric the night before, consisting of composition, accuracy of notes, tone quality, expression, and stage presence. They had a panel of three judges who filled out sheets individually and averaged the scores at the end.

“I walked in believing we were gonna win…We were very confident. We were already planning what we were going to buy with our money,” said Alex.

Alex and Asa revealed that they had never played in front of an audience of that size. “We were in a dark auditorium, and we decided to wear sunglasses so we couldn’t see the crowd,” Alex said.

Because of their sunglasses, the dark auditorium, and the sound of their music, they were unable to take in much of their surroundings beyond the piece. However, once Alex began the vocal run, they noticed the crowd stood and began cheering. “It was like everything had snapped into place. It felt so good,” Alex said.

“We do it for the experience and the love of music. All of the money we get—we don’t buy things we want—we put it all back into music. It’s kind of like we’re investing in our own music,” Alex said. Asa bought a new guitar amplifier, and Alex purchased a new speaker and microphone, which will help them make strides in professional tone.

“[Improving] wouldn’t have anything to do with the music itself; it would have more to do with the energy we bring. Bringing up the crowd before we start playing, introducing ourselves, maybe moving around a lot more,” Alex stated.

The duo now has enough members for a full band, and they intend to write original songs. With these originals, Alex and Asa aim to play more gigs and performances. They are performing at a show on May 23rd in which they will open for a band from Salt Lake City named Glue Coast. Additionally, they aim to release either an EP (a small-scale album) or a full album. They intend to promote themselves on social media to expand their opportunities and build careers in music.

“[These prospects] don’t ever [make me] feel that nervous; I just feel excited. I love opportunities,” Alex said.

First place went to a nine-member Mariachi band, who won 800 dollars.