While many students their age are playing Rock Band, the video game, Alex Hawley, Collin McNellis (both seniors at Niwot High School) and John Demitro (a home-schooled senior who lives in Boulder) prefer the real thing. And these guys aren’t your typical high-school garage band.

First of all, they don’t play in a garage. Instead, they rehearse in a well-equipped studio in guitarist Hawley’s Niwot home. Second, their influences and idols are not the pop stars of today, but the legends of an earlier era in rock music. And finally, these guys actually know how to play.

BassLine was born in 2008 when Demitro found the MySpace page that Hawley and McNellis, friends from Niwot High, had put up of themselves jamming. Demitro liked what he saw and the three met up to play together. In May of that year, they officially formed BassLine.

Hawley, lead guitarist and backup vocalist, has been playing guitar for about five years. Mcnellis started banging on his uncle’s drum kit early on, but studied more seriously for the past four years.

Demitro, bass and lead vocals, is the most experienced musician in the group. He began playing piano when he was six years old, and studied voice as well. He took up the bass guitar to round out the power trio formation.

One of the things that drew the teens together was a shared a dissatisfaction with the state of contemporary rock music and a desire to get back to the blues-based rock and roll of an earlier generation.

Demitro said, “Our mission is to bring back good music,” and to do that they look to bands such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers as their musical influences.

After a short time rehearsing together, they started looking for places to perform. One of their first big gigs was the Take Off the Chill With Chili in Niwot dinner in February, 2009. Later that year, they opened for the Nacho Men at Nostalgia Day.

BassLine’s fame is growing beyond their hometown. In February of this year, they entered the Silver Creek Battle of the bands and won the award for best original music. In the “Best Instrumentalist” category, Demitro took first, and Hawley took third. In May, the group won the Thorntonfest Battle of the Bands.

No one is more surprised at their rapid success than they are. Said McNellis, “I didn’t expect us to get this good this fast.”

The band spent the summer writing and rehearsing songs for their debut album. When asked when they expected to release it, Hawley said they aren’t in a big hurry, preferring to take their time and get it right. They also have been performing at many different venues around the area, including the Buffalo Rose Room in Golden, the Larimer Lounge in Denver and Nissi’s in Lafayette.

Being a teen band definitely comes with its challenges. “People don’t always take us seriously as musicians; they see us as just another teen band, which is frustrating,” said
Hawley.

Their opportunities to play are limited as well. Bars are the traditional proving ground for up-and-coming bands, but many won’t even book BassLine because its members are under age. Even when they do get the gig, they have to be done and out of there by 9 p.m.

But don’t expect BassLine to be playing the bar scene for long. Said Hawley, “By the time we’re old enough to play at bars, I hope we’re not still playing in bars.”

You can catch BassLine at Nostalgia Day when they open for the Nacho Men. Find the group on Myspace at www.myspace.com/basslineofficial and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BassLineband.