Artist in residence: One Soul

Photo by Benjamin Hager

About three years ago as a Christmas present, Reece Clark’s parents enrolled him at the School of Rock Dallas, and he picked up guitar for the first time. “I came in not knowing anything about the guitar,” he says. The Franklin Middle School student is now playing gigs all over the city with Christian rock band One Soul. In September the group released a six-song EP titled “Truth.” The other members include Johnathan Ballew, 13, on bass and vocals, and Juan Cano, 14 on drums. Reece says the music is alternative, punk and pop, drawing from influences such as Third Day and Aerosmith. He writes the music himself, too. “It just comes from hearing other bands but from past experiences, too,” he says. Music does run in the Clark family. Reece’s dad, Kenny, used to perform around Deep Ellum in the ’90s, mostly just for fun. “I saw more of a gift in him than what I had,” Kenny Clark says. He also serves as the band’s manager but doesn’t meddle too much creatively. “It helps them learn how to make decisions for the right reasons.” One Soul has partnered with a nonprofit, The Red Thread Movement, selling $3 bracelets to help support Nepalese girls who have been victims of sexual slavery or are at risk of becoming victims. “It’s a way to be about more than just playing music on a stage,” Kenny Clark says. “It’s an opportunity to be part of something bigger than themselves.”