Rocking for a cause

Two middle-school bands and other performers take the stage to raise money for the City of Hope. Bands are a throwback to classic rock ‘n’ roll.The heavy blues roots of classic rock are alive and thriving in Laguna Beach, as two middle-school-aged rock bands have turned a cold shoulder to contemporary sounds to embrace the legends of years gone by.

The bands, Epiphany and Jill’s Bedroom, are two five-member bands composed of 13-year-old Laguna Beach boys. The bands joined forces to raise money to help cure cancer in the second annual Help for Hope Concert.

Bringing back the shaggy hairdos and classic cover songs such as “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” the bands see their talent as a worthy fundraising vehicle.

The idea for the fundraiser was born last year during lunchtime discussions for potential charity projects for the bar mitzvahs of Alec Jaffe, Andrew Levin and Adam Selevan. Since all three of the concerts’ founders have relatives who have battled cancer, picking the charity was easy.

Now in its second year, the event has gone beyond serving the boys’ bar mitzvah requirements. And if you ask the three eighth graders if they can raise money to help cure cancer and become famous, the answer is a definite yes.

“We needed to do something for charity,” Levin said. “We thought at first we’d get a famous band, then realized we could do it ourselves.” .

Epiphany, which will be playing for the first time this year, consists of eighth-graders Alec Jaffe, Brett Linkletter, Brent Donenfield, Andrew Shapero, and Robbie Quellmalz.

The group’s drummer, Jaffe, compares the band’s sound to the rock band Aerosmith and 1980s-era metal bands. Cover songs from vintage rockers The Who, and a contemporary song from Jet, are also in the group’s arsenal of about 15 songs, Jaffe said.

Jaffe says Epiphany is one of two full-fledged rock bands at Thurston Middle school; the other is Jill’s Bedroom, which is comprised of his friends.

Jill’s Bedroom -- named after the site of the band’s first rehearsals in the bedroom of Levin’s sister -- consists of Levin, Selevan, Jake Johnson, Mike Rubel, and Tyler Macrae.

The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Steppenwolf are major inspirations, said Levin, the band’s frontman. “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” by Traffic, was the first song the group played when they formed a year and a half ago.

While many kids prefer rap, music from the 1960s and 70s is most appealing to the group, said Levin.

“The new stuff is too simple,” he said.

“It’s all just one beat; it all sounds the same,” Johnson added.

The band adds a new song to its repertoire after one of its members introduces it during rehearsals.

“Someone learns it first, then if we all like it and catch on, we do it,” bass player Tyler Macrae said.

In addition to cover songs, Jill’s Bedroom has composed two original pieces: “Listen” and “Tangled Up.” “Listen” was initially about French fries, but was transformed into a ballad about a girl, Levin said. The blues rhythm of “Listen,” featuring a punchy drumbeat and a crying sound from the guitarist’s “wa-wa” pedal, is fleshed out by keyboards and a humming bass line.

Both groups have made tremendous strides since forming, say the band members.

“When we look at ourselves on video from last year, we looked so small,” Levin said. “Adam [Selevan] is the most improved; he’s super good now.”

The concert lineup will include vocalist Brianna Krantz and a dance act by the Kalvin Latimer Dance Academy.

Krantz, 11, will perform the songs “Nothing,” from the musical “Chorus Line,” and “Colors of the Wind,” from the movie “Pocahontas.”

Having performed in last year’s show as a fifth-grader, Krantz is looking forward to inviting her new middle-school friends to this year’s performance. Singing since age 7, Krantz said, she has been influenced most by Aretha Franklin and Bette Midler.

“I was very social when I was little. I would sing at birthday parties, so my parents [gave me] vocal lessons,” she added.

Last year’s show sold out the Festival of Arts Forum Theater and brought in about $4,000.

Organizational duties for the upcoming concert have fallen largely on mothers Kathy Selevan and Pam Levin.

“This is win-win; the kids want to play, and it’s for a good cause,” said Pam Levin.

Mother Karen Jaffe, who introduced the kids to the City of Hope, is also proud of the effort.

“Last year part of the kids’ bar mitzvah money paid for the concert overhead,” she said.

Rob Meyers, the City of Hope’s associate vice president of development, said the proceeds from this year’s event will go toward patient care and cancer research.

“They’re a great group of kids; everything they do for us makes a difference,” Meyers said.

The second annual “Help for Hope Concert” will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Festival of the Arts Forum Theater, 650 Laguna Canyon Rd.

Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for adults. For more information, contact Kathy Selevan at (949) 497-3111.20060120itb7aunc(LA)Vocalist Andrew Levin, with his band, Jill’s Bedroom, sings an original song as they prepare for upcoming Help for Hope Concert. 20060120itb7a6ncDON LEACH / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Jill’s Bedroom bandmates, left to right, Mike Rubel, Adam Selevan, Jake Johnson, Tyler MacReal and Andrew Levin tune-up for Sunday’s benefit show.