Turn it up: Bands are ready for their final rock exam in Tri-C High School Rock-Off

By Chuck Yarborough, The Plain Dealer

February 05, 2010, 3:00PM

MUSIC PREVIEW

14th Annual Tri-C High School Rock Off

When: 3 p.m. Saturday.

Where: House of Blues, East Fourth Street and Euclid Avenue, Cleveland.

Tickets: $10, available from participat ing Rock Off bands, and the box office.

Follow the competition: Cleveland.com/rockoff. Also, Time Warner Cable will air a 10-part Rock Off documentary on its NEON Channel 23 beginning Monday, April 12.

It might not be a sure thing that a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2040 will be onstage at the House of Blues on Saturday, but don't bet against it.

Nineteen bands made the Final Exam of the 14th annual Tri-C High School Rock Off, which begins at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The first-place band receives $500 in cash, a $500 gift card from Sam Ash and 24 hours of recording time at Ante Up Studios. The group will appear on Tri-C's cable program "Crooked River Groove" and in the Emmy-winning "Words & Music" program. The band also will get a chance to open for a national act at a Live Nation show, and the group's school band fund will get a $200 donation. The second- and third-place winners also receive a prize, and all finalists got a $25 gift certificate from Sam Ash and recorded a song at Ante Up for this year's Rock Off CD. You can download the CD for free at cleveland.com/rockoff.

Here are this year's finalists and the times they take the stage:

Courtesy Live NationThe Mirrors.The Mirrors (3 p.m.)

School: North Royalton, Garfield Heights, Chippewa, Cuyahoga Heights

Music: Classic rock, blues rock

Members: Ben Capka, 16, guitar; JJ Miller, 16, guitar; David Shaw, 16, bass; Dominic Lamirand, 16, drums; Tori Butash, lead vocals.

Edge: We hope that our playing experience together for three years now will give us an edge over some of the newer bands.

Signature song: We don't really have one signature song, but we are very influenced by bands like Led Zeppelin, the Who and many other blues and rock artists.

Kathy HitesmanYield on Mars.

Yield on Mars (3:20 p.m.)

School: Bay

Music: Alternative/psychedelic/stoner rock

Members: Dalton Brewer, guitar; Dustin Peplin, bass; Luke Heberle, drums, vocals; Nick Snyder, guitar.

Edge: We play good music.

Signature song: The one that's kinda long. It's a good song.

Cindy BensonNo Smoking in Space.

No Smoking in Space (3:40 p.m.)

School: Aurora

Music: Spacey alternative punk rock

Members: Andy Guy Lowe, 18, guitar and vocals; Matt Ciani, 17, bass and backing vocals; Nate Benson, 15, lead guitar and backing vocals; Nico Ciani, 15, drums.

Edge: Our unique songs and overall love for the music.

Signature song: "Marie Antoinette Is a Space Monkey," because it is our most unique song and captures all of the elements we try to bring to our shows: a story, humor, drama, action and good music!

The Big Sweet.

The Big Sweet (4 p.m.)

School: Jackson, the Lyceum

Music: Alternative/indie rock

Members: Sam Regas, vocals, guitar; Brad Berbari, guitar; Drew Watson, drums; Matt McDonald, bass.

Edge: We've already played several important venues, such as the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, Musica and the Canton Palace Theatre.

Signature song: "I'm Sold Out," because it's our most unique song.

Minds Without Purpose.

Minds Without Purpose (4:20 p.m.)

School: Mansfield St. Peter's, Lexington

Music: Pop/punk

Members: Ben Stimens, 18, rhythm guitar and vocals; Matt Kennedy, 17, lead guitar and vocals; Trevor Utter, 17, bass; Zach Stephens, 16, drums.

Edge: We believe we'll have an edge in the competition because we have catchy songs and always put on a great show.

Signature song: "Anthem of a Generation"

Winter Brave.

The Winter Brave (4:40 p.m.)

School: Upper St. Clair (Pittsburgh)

Music: Rock, alternative and classic rock

Members: Jake Scarpino, 16, lead guitar and lead vocals; Sam Scarpino, 16, drums and backing vocals; Chris Beaulieu, 16, bass.

Edge: We are a three-piece band that has been playing together for over three years. Playing together that long has given us a certain chemistry.

Signature song: "Gemini." It was one of the first songs we wrote, and the catchy chorus allows everyone to enjoy it and be able to sing along with it.

Stefani Reeder.

Stefani Reeder (5 p.m.)

School: Streetsboro, Medina

Music: Acoustic, pop, rock

Members: Stefani Reeder, rhythm guitar, lead vocals; Brian Poston, lead guitar; Kyle Tresch, percussion; Justin Packwood, bass.

Edge: Rhythm and music MUST add emphasis to any message the song is trying to get through to an audience. Also, I mainly play an acoustic Taylor, which is different because I have a couple songs more on the "rock" side rather than typical acoustic music.

Signature song: Mine right now would be "Songbird," since it is currently the only recording I have.

Theresa VopatESD.

ESD (5:25 p.m.)

School: Padua, St. Albert the Great, Brecksville-Broadview Heights

Music: Classic/hard rock

Members: Tim Vopat, 18, lead guitar; Ricky Dudas, 18, rhythm guitar; Patrick Vopat, 9, bass; Adrian Vopat, 18, drums.

Edge: We don't need an edge in the contest. We're just going to come out and play rock 'n' roll.

Signature song: Come on down to the Rock Off and see for yourself.

Sole Prerogative.

Sole Prerogative (5:45 p.m.)

School: Chagrin Falls

Music: Alternative rock

Members: Brian Breitsch, 18, guitar, piano, vocals; Nathan Breitsch, 18, bass, vocals; Evan Breitsch, 18, drums; Michael Mahoney, 18, guitar.

Edge: Our band's classical training gives us an edge in the competition. Outside of Sole Prerogative, each member has played a classical instrument for about eight years (Brian, viola; Nathan, cello; Evan, trumpet; Michael, violin). This formal musical background has given us a deeper understanding of chords, pitch, composition and group performance.

Signature song: "Still Waiting." It demonstrates most of the key elements of Sole Prerogative: diverse musical influences (some chords were inspired by Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring"), catchy bass lines and unique lyrics.

Trancemitter.

Trancemitter (6:05 p.m.)

School: Independence, Nordonia Middle

Music: Hard rock

Members: Zach Hutynan, guitar; Nikki Bandsuh, bass; Austin Latare, drums; Mike Abbadini, lead vocals; Skylar Keffer, lead guitar.

Edge: First, we have written over 20 originals and have released an album on our own label called "Hit the Ground Running" on iTunes and Rhapsody. We also have plenty of performance experience, appearing at [several locations].

Signature song: "Dreams." We dream of making it big, touring the world and living our dream (being in a rock band).

Lower 13.

Lower 13 (6:25 p.m.)

School: Parma

Music: Hard rock/metal

Members: Sean Balog, 18, bass, vocals; Patrick Capretta, 17, guitar, vocals; Eric Kruger, 18, drums.

Edge: We've been playing together for almost four years now. From the first practice we had together, we knew there was a certain chemistry between us. We're also best friends.

Signature song: "My Own Reflection." It was one of the first songs we released on our demo CD almost two years ago.

Lindsay DunkelNever Forget Tomorrow.

Never Forget Tomorrow (6:45 p.m.)

School: Lake Catholic, Riverside

Music: Pop/punk

Members: Lizzy Dregne, 13, vocals; Ellen Kriz, 17, keyboards; Katie Allen, 17, bass; Joey Skoch, 17, guitar; Evan Mitchell, 17, drums.

Edge: We have three girls in the band!!! The unique combination of female vocal and keyboards, with heavy drums, guitar and bass give the band a unique pop punk sound.

Signature song: The "La La La Song." It's a fast, fun song with a catchy hook.

The Crazed.

The Crazed (7:05 p.m.)

School: Aurora

Music: Pop punk

Members: Kyle Grandillo, drums; Sean Grandillo, guitar and vocals; Brian Kalinowski, bass; Cole Messner, lead guitar and vocals.

Edge: We have all been playing in various bands/projects for years and have a good mix. Our professionalism and entertainment value are No. 1.

Signature song: "Breathing Your Air" because it is fun to play and delivers a lot of energy.

Live NationMaddie Finn.

Maddie Finn (7:30 p.m.)

School: Streetsboro, Cloverleaf

Music: Alternative rock

Members: Brian Poston, 18, guitar; Justin Packwood, 18, bass; Kyle Tresch, 17, drums; Maddie Finn, 16, vocals and guitar.

Edge: A handful of bands have lead singers who are females, but most of them don't play an instrument at the same time. That along with our original songs and incredible musicians gives us a pretty good edge.

Signature song: Our signature song is a tune titled "Medicine," and it is basically the embodiment of our sound.

Live NationSaints and Poets.

Saints and Poets (7:50 p.m.)

School: Aurora, Twinsburg

Music: Indie rock

Members: Matt Ciani, guitar and vocals; Nico Ciani, drums; Will Myers, guitar; John Myers, bass; Ian Bojalad, keyboard.

Edge: We have been a band for quite a long time, and we have a lot of experience.

Signature song: "Mavis and the Boxties." I'm not entirely sure why.

Back for More.

Back for More (8:10 p.m.)

School: Columbia Station, Berea, St. Ignatius

Music: Funk rock

Members: Mitch Hengst, 17, lead vocals, rhythm guitar; Nikki Gibson, 17, lead guitar, backing vocals; Rory Mencin, 18, bass, backing vocals; Rocco Nunnari, 17, drums.

Edge: Honestly, we have no edge on the competition. We will do our best, playing the music we love with the single goal of stealing the audience.

Signature song: Each song in our set has a significant purpose, but if there was one for the listeners to remember, it would be "Help Is on the Way." It is original and powerful.

One Headlight Revolution.

One Headlight Revolution (8:30 p.m.)

School: Kirtland

Music: Ska/pop-punk/folk/hardcore

Members: Nick Pollice, 17, drums; John Chapel, 18, guitar; Jared Heimovitz, 18, vocals and trumpet; Joe Grman, 16, accordion.

Edge: Our stage presence, uniqueness and musical ability.

Signature song: I can't really give you an answer on that one. It's hard to categorize what would define "our sound."

Cheyne-Stokes.

Cheyne-Stokes (8:50 p.m.)

School: Cloverleaf and Streetsboro

Music: Rock/metal

Members: Josh Mewhinney, 18, vocals; Ray Flanagan, 17, lead guitar; Garrett Tresch, 15, bass; Kyle Tresch, 17, drums; and Brian Poston, 17, rhythm guitar.

Edge: This is our third year running in the competition, and we have had experience in the finals our first two years, last year receiving second. We have all been looking forward to the Rock Off this year and are excited to be onstage at the House of Blues again.

Signature song: This year, we hope to surprise a great deal of people with our song "In a Word." It is a very tight, intricate and expressive rock song that truly pushes our band to new limits as a whole.

Oh! The Humanity!

Oh! The Humanity! (9:10 p.m.)

School: Madison Comprehensive

Music: Pop/electronic

Members: Tyler Finn, keyboard, programming, vocals; Joe Corns, guitar.

Edge: I think that we will have a different sound than most of the bands because our style is different. We use a lot of programming and vocal processing.

Signature song: "Designated Dance Party." It just has a really catchy tune, and it gets people moving.