Area Youth Rock South County Secondary School

“Ky-yle! Ky-yle!” chanted the kids at the front of the audience, at Friday’s Battle of the Bands at SCSS.

They were shouting for Kyle Kadlubek, the 13-year-old drummer of The Immigrants.

Their enthusiasm was not unwarranted, as the eighth-grader’s powerful technique both undergirded and electrified The Immigrants’ performance of tunes such as Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and Jimi Hendrix’ “Purple Haze.”

Gabriel, a sixth-grader, who played a customized small electric bass for the Immigrants, with all the steadiness of an accomplished rock professional. And his brother, eighth-grader Julian, executed the requisite melodies and chords, at times holding his electric guitar over his head. 

These youngsters comprised just one of six bands spanning a range of ages, styles and genres on the SCSS auditorium stage Friday night.  Another highlight was New Experience’s intricate, funk-flavored drum rhythms, which took to the fore in the band’s original song, “Hazel Eyes.” South County sophomore Christopher Pena’s guitar solos also made a lasting impression.

Why Battle?

The purpose of the Battle of the Bands was to give young local rockers a chance to play for an audience and compete for prizes, while ticket sales raised money for South County’s All Night Graduation Party.

“The auditorium’s pretty full,” acknowledged Grad Party Committee Co-Chair Jennifer MacDonald, nodding toward the audience representing a variety of ages, from sixth-graders through high schoolers, parents and even grandparents

Co-Chair Lisa Woody said she hopes to help plan the best party possible, and raise awareness throughout the school.  “We are striving to raise funds to keep all the kids safe and in one place, for one final hurrah,” she said.

Like the enthusiasm Woody hopes to generate for the All Night Grad Party, its band-battle fundraiser stepped the energy up to a new level when The Right Condition took the stage, an older group of kids from Lake Braddock High School. Frontman Brent Gibbons invited audience members to come stand just below the stage.  The band’s second number, “Count Me Out,” sounded halfway between The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” and The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated,” so the audience responded with similar energy. 

The Main Intention:  Fun

There were more to come. Rhinehart Nebula provided a nice change-up after the happy chords of Condition, with a more tense and urgent sound.  Their last song, an original, included technically astounding rapid-fire drum fills and a huge crescendo of electric sound before an abrupt end that felt satisfying and effective. Frontman Daniel Salinas showed what was up to that point the most vocal power and technique.

Cashmere’s Topia followed. Composed mainly of Langley High School juniors, this band pulled off the most rhythmically tight, musically intricate show. They also projected plenty of stage presence as vocalists Brian Patterson and lead vocalist Kevin Nejad smoothly shared their frontman responsibilities. Nejad, while playing guitar, interjected comments such as “It’s Friday,” to huge audience response. Their sound invoked Red Hot Chili Peppers or Rage Against The Machine, but was more playful.

“Our main intention is to have fun,” said Nejad, after the performance.

The last band to play, Main Line, delighted the audience with the clear and powerful voice of Rea Legine. The band backed her up in shaggy, loud covers by VersaEmerge and Paramore. But it was Legine who rocked everyone to their core.

The Envelope, Please

At the end of the event, all the bands lined up on the stage as emcee, South County junior Allison Shapiro, cued the audience to cheer for their favorite band. Audience enthusiasm, she explained, could influence the judges’ decision.

Receiving the most thunderous applause was Main Line, followed by the pint-sized Immigrants.  Kids on one side of the auditorium chanted “Imm-i-grants!” much as they had cheered for Kyle Kadlubek earlier. Third place went to The Right Condition.  Second was Cashmere’s Topia, and first was Main Line.  Winners received cash donated by the PTSO and gift certificates to Lorton Music.