It was so amazing to watch seventh grade boys doing this.
SPRINGVILLE — They bang their heads like rockstars, amped up in their school's music room, but in their hands are thrashing bows — not guitar picks — and cellos rest against their knees.
They're members of the band Synergy, a young quartet — three cellists and one drummer — who are hoping to take a national stage in a battle of the bands contest in January. The first leg of the competition is playing out online now, and they're soliciting votes and community support that will push them through to the finals.
It might be an uphill battle. Many of the 124 other competitors at www.SchoolJamUSA.com have been playing together for years. But eighth graders Soren Peterson, Jordan Nelson, Trevin Powell and Jared Snelson at Reagan Academy in Springville are unfazed.
"These boys I think are the youngest and they're the most unique," said parent Tanya Snelson.
While practically all the other bands are variations of electric guitars, bass guitars and multiple vocalists, Synergy is purely instrumental. They're hopeful those differences will set them apart.
Reagan Academy orchestra teacher Julie Ahlborn, needed live music for a school fundraiser about a year ago and around the same time, Soren and Jared had been talking about how cool it would be to have a heavy metal band centered on cellos. Synergy was born.
"It was so amazing to watch seventh grade boys doing this," Ahlborn said. "They just started composing and coming up with ideas and working together and creating a synergy. … Generally, 7th grade boys don't do things like this."
Like many of the bands in the competition, the group takes it cues from rockers online, particularly the all-cello group Apocolyptica.
"With our amps we can make (our cellos) sound like electric guitars," Soren said.
Amps coupled with strong drums help the group cover popular rock songs like "Last Resort" by Papa Roach and "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes.
A favorite piece the group plays was actually composed by Soren. "Driven" starts out with an ominous, almost classical feel before breaking out into heavy beats and a full, fast sound.
The competition has helped them get the word out about their group and they have fliers up around Springville asking for community members to vote.
"I definitely think this is getting us more exposure," Jared said. "I don't think anyone outside the school or maybe a couple of friends even knew about it."
Parents of the teenagers say they've been impressed with their focus since forming the band, especially since there are so many distractions for young people in the hi-tech age. Although things got a little loud in the Nelson home as the boys practiced over the summer, an added bonus of the band is the parents no longer have to pester their kids about practicing.
"It's fun to see them put so much time and effort into something good that develops their ability," Tanya Snelson said.
The group has received great feedback from other contestants and plans to enter the contest again next year if they don't advance this year. They're hoping the community will unite and help them get more votes. Coming from a small school makes it difficult to compete with bands that have thousands of classmates.
Voting ends Nov. 30, and the top eight bands will compete live in Disney Land in January. To vote for Synergy go to http://www.schooljamusa.com/bands/synergy-0 . To peruse the other bands, visit www.schooljamusa.com.
E-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com Twitter: mollyfarmer