Area youth rock band, Harwood Drive, opened to cheers, whistles and applause last weekend with their rendition of AC/DC’s ‘TNT.? They played at the Lake Orion Sports Bar on Saturday.
Nico McNeil of Oxford is the founding member and heads up the band on lead vocals and lead guitar. Nico is 13-years-old.
Austin Purdy plays the drums for Harwood Drive. He is from Lake Orion and is 13-years-old.
‘He’s the best drummer I’ve seen in a long time,? said Austin’s drum teacher, Jeff Johnson.
‘Some people just ‘get it,? and he gets it,? he said.
Lee Martin is the band’s newest addition. Lee is on rhythm guitar and vocals and is from Clarkston. He is 15-years-old.
The band was first featured in the Review in early Sept. and has since played six shows, including performances at Kalloway’s, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s pig roast and several private parties.
When asked what fans can expect from the band, the boys simply replied, ‘we rock.?
And they weren’t kidding. The three sound like they have been playing together a lot longer than since Sept.
As the evening wore on, their audience grew so large that even standing room was scarce. Jean Bielski, Lee’s grandma, was there to watch them perform.
‘I was watching them play at Nico’s house and it wasn’t as loud as this!? she said.
‘These kids are a ball of fire,? said Teo McNeil, Nico’s dad. Teo works hard behind the scenes for the band, doing sound checks and helping the boys set up the equipment.
Harwood Drive has six original songs, five of which they played on Saturday.
‘Me and Nico wrote one together,? said Austin. ‘Nico writes the rest.?
Another area band, Half Empty, opened for Harwood Drive.
‘We saw Half Empty on MySpace and asked if they wanted to play for us,? Nico said.
The bands complemented each other well with a shared classic rock style. Half Empty opened their set with an enthusiastic version of the Beatles? ‘Come Together.?
For more information about Harwood Drive, fans can visit their website at www.HarwoodDrive.com.