Familiar Faces rocking the suburbs

Coral Wilson

Familiar Faces, a Marina High School contemporary rock band, is

becoming familiar around Surf City. The band made a grand appearance

with an audience of more than 300 people at the Huntington Beach

Performing Arts Center Saturday night.

One young rocker’s mother, Angie Castro, rented the space, which

is usually used for weddings or private parties. A small group of

parents organized the event to help support and encourage their

children, she said. Familiar Faces band members Oliver Atcheson,

Branden Cobb, Josh Hakimelahi, Ryan Wagner and Mikey Nichols are all

16-year-old Marina High School students.

Previously, the group performed in its school’s Battle of the

Bands competition, and in May, they played at the Palace in

Hollywood.

“They have a love of music, they have their camaraderie and they

are all friends.” Castro said. Local bands Following January and

AfterThought were invited to play, and the three groups joined forces

to make the event a success. But the evening didn’t go as smoothly as

planned.

“It was fun but it was horrible,” Mikey said. “The sound was

horrible. On stage we couldn’t hear ourselves ... It wouldn’t have

happened if we did a sound check, but we were lazy and didn’t.”

But with each performance, Mikey said he has become more confident

and his love for music has grown stronger.

“I love being on stage,” he said. “It’s like your heart has poured

out.”

Upcoming plans for Familiar Faces include releasing a demo,

producing a CD, getting exposure and playing at more venues.

Besides their talent in music, Castro said the boys excel in

sports and athletics. As a parent, she said she must constantly keep

them balanced with an eye on the future.

“They can have talent but not everyone succeeds in music, they

still have to go to college,” she said.