Lorton Youth Set to Rock South County

Local dad Buzz Collins knows what it’s like to play in a rock band as a youngster.

“At that age, you’re really looking for an audience, and this is a great opportunity,” he said. The third annual Battle of the Bands at South County Secondary School provides just such an opportunity. The event is scheduled for this Friday, March 18th at 7 in the school auditorium. Proceeds will help fund the All Night Graduation Party.

Collins says he played in a rock band when he was growing up. His band didn’t play original music, because “we didn’t think there was a market for it.” 

Times have changed.

“Two of the bands in this year’s battle told me they were going to play original songs,” said Collins.  Other bands will play covers, but they will sound different from the familiar versions because the musicians “change them so much.”

Two of those bands are Rhinehart Nebula and the Immigrants…

Rhinehart Nebula

Indicative of the trend towards original music is Rhinehart Nebula who is planning to play all of their own work on Friday.

“We have enough material for an album now,” said frontman Daniel Salinas, a senior at South County. “We write songs easily,” Salinas said.

Salinas said different members of the band have different influences. For example, drummer Aron McNeal and bassist Kevin Beisel are inspired by heavy metal, but Salinas characterizes the band’s sound, on the whole, as carrying a Pink Floyd influence. “I also like The White Stripes a lot.”

The band is not new to performing in public. They have played several times at Jaxx, a venue located off Rolling Road, as well as at The Lab in Alexandria. Last September they headlined NOVA Day at North Virginia Community College’s Annandale Campus.

All the members of the band are seniors in high school, except for the lead guitarist, Salinas’ cousin Diego Romay, who attends NOVA. Salinas and Romay started the band in November 2009, shortly after Romay moved here from Bolivia with his family. Salinas is from Bolivia as well, but came to Virginia with his family when he was five.

Salinas said the band is working on recording an album at present. They also work with two booking agencies who get them local gigs on a regular basis.  All the band members plan to “stay in the general area” next year and keep playing together. The keyboardist, Kyle Maternick, will be about an hour away at college, a distance that can be managed.

The Immigrants

At the other end of the age spectrum are The Immigrants.  This band consists of three eighth-graders – Julian on lead guitar and vocals, A.J.  on rhythm guitar, and drummer Kyle – plus Julian’s sixth-grade brother Gabriel, on bass.

Julian’s influences sound like a who’s who of rock icons from thirty to forty years before his birth. The thirteen-year-old musician says one of his major influences is Led Zeppelin, whose “Immigrant Song” inspired the name of the band.

“When I was younger,” he said, “My dad would always play Beatles and Cream and Jimi Hendrix.”  He said all the members of his band like music from that era.

Earle also appreciates “classic-rock influenced” music from today – Jet, for example.

He said the band grew out of jam sessions he used to have with drummer Kadlubek. When the two heard about the band battle, they decided to pull in more members to form a group. Twelve-year-old Gabriel was a drummer but he learned bass for this project, according to his older borther. Then, A.J. heard about the band and asked to join.

Also playing on Friday will be:

Main Line

The New Experience

Cashmere's Topia

The Right Condition

Band battle organizer Collins is excited that a variety of ages will be represented at this year’s event. He said each band will be granted a period of time in which to play whatever they want.  “I suspect most of them will play three or four songs,” Collins said.

He hopes the community will stage a large turnout for the band battle.  “It’s pretty cheap,” he says; tickets are $5 in advance (at the SCSS cafeteria this week) and $7 at the door. Winners will receive cash prizes as well as gift certificates to Lorton Music. Last year, the Band Battle netted around $1500, Collins estimates.