Schooled in rock

Jeff Benson

“We’re not goofing off. We’re creating musical fusion.”

Some people are disturbed by Jack Black’s repugnant character

Dewey Finn in the 2003 movie “School of Rock.” But his words mean so

much more to six area youngsters who live by that movie’s mantra.

It’s a safe bet most 10- and 11-year-olds nowadays aren’t Hendrix,

Zeppelin and B.B. King devotees. Many of them aren’t performing

polyrhythmic drum solos or stylish guitar riffs, either.

But The Green Room lead singer Alex Herrera, guitarists Nico

Chavez and Cheyne Kelly, bassist Evan Harr, keyboardist Blake Allen

and drummer Travis Barrett are making 4-foot waves by taking on some

of the industry’s legends.

In May 2004, the six musicians formed The Green Room, formerly

known as The Beagles in another capacity, named for founding members’

Travis and Cheyne’s adolescent worship of The Fab Four. Despite a

lack of instrumental music programs at their respective schools, The

Green Room is trying to make classic rock new-school again by

performing all the old-school favorites.

“I want to go all the way,” Alex said, before weighing the musical

similarities of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan with band director Brian

Barrett. “I want to go to Woodstock....We should write some songs and

put a CD out. That would be cool.”

Travis, Nico and Cheyne are fifth-graders at Harbor View

Elementary School in Corona del Mar, Alex is a sixth-grader at the

same school, Evan is a fifth-grader at Eastbluff Elementary School in

Newport Beach and Blake is a fifth-grader at Pegasus Elementary

School in Huntington Beach.

The Beagles later became The Faculty before they began rehearsing

with new members as The Lead Pencils and The Green Room every

Saturday in the Barretts’ garage. The children grew up taking music

lessons together. Some of them joined the Boy Scouts together and

played on the same soccer team.

Brian Barrett, who plays guitar in area big bands and used to play

solo acoustic blues three nights a week at Sid’s Steakhouse on

Newport Boulevard, said he saw potential in each of them and has

molded the group, George Martin-style, into some real crowd-pleasers.

He holds regular rehearsals and provides lessons for the guitar

players.

“They really know how to work,” Brian Barrett said. “They go

through all the things a band does. They fight; they have it out.

Sometimes there’s as much competition here as there is on the soccer

field.”

The group routinely plays everything from the Rolling Stones’ “Get

Off of My Cloud” to The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie” to The Surfaris’

“Wipeout.”

Alex crooned “Get Off of My Cloud” during rehearsal Thursday. It

was a bit more muddled than Mick Jagger’s 1965 version, which he

admitted he tries to emulate. But every once in awhile, he’d let

loose with a powerfully screeching “Awwww yeah!” that Jagger never

did, leading into a guitar or drum solo.

“I think their future is bright,” Brian Barrett said. “They just

have to keep doing what they’re already doing. They’re all talented

kids. But no matter how good they get, they still have to practice.”

One concert drew nearly 70 family members and neighbors at parent

Rick Allen’s house and introduced the children to performance

anxiety. Allen said the band was even congratulated by a throng of

young groupies after the show.

“It’s fun, but it’s hard work,” Nico said. “As we have more gigs,

I’ll feel more comfortable with them and stuff.”

The band also gave an impromptu performance at lunch last Friday,

on the last day of school, in front of hundreds of Harbor View

classmates. The performance made up for the cancellation of its

scheduled Dec. 12 appearance at Gina’s Pizza in Corona del Mar, since

the Corona del Mar Christmas Walk was rained out.

“Now raise your goblet of rock,” Finn said to his School of Rock.

“It’s a toast to those who rock!”

* JEFF BENSON covers education and may be reached at (714)

966-4617 or by e-mail at jeff.benson@latimes.com.