Teenage SoCal metalcore band, The Infinity Project, plays SLO’s Liquid Gravity on Nov. 10

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Well before the Jack Black movie School of Rock came out in 2003, The Paul Green School of Rock Music launched its inaugural location in Philadelphia in 1998. Today in the U.S., there are around 250 School of Rock franchises. The schools’ philosophy is that students learn faster playing in a group than with only solo lessons.

The Infinity Project is a band that formed at one of the School of Rock franchises, and though the four members are all still between 14- and 15-years-old, they’ve played iconic clubs like Whisky a Go Go, The Viper Room, and House of Blues Anaheim.

Currently a cover band playing tracks by Avenged Sevenfold, Green Day, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, My Chemical Romance, Nirvana, Tool, and many more, they recently wrote their first original, aptly titled “The First One.” I caught them a couple months ago at the Whisky, and they absolutely shredded.

“I’ve always loved music,” frontman Preston Haynes said. “It started with really liking movie soundtracks, especially Star Wars by John Williams. I would go through the films over and over trying to figure out the exact music cue for each character. My dad and stepmom signed me up for piano lessons to build on this obsession. The first song I learned was of course the ‘Imperial March,’ and I’ve just been getting more and more into music ever since.”

“Before I knew I wanted to make music, it always moved me. It affected me more than any other artform. I’d literally get goosebumps listening to songs. I still do. And with my family’s history in music, I just thought it sounded cool to do it more seriously than just jamming with friends,” said guitarist and bassist Boone Vienna, whose grandfather was rockabilly guitar great Larry Collins, who sadly passed last January.

“Performing music is a way that I can express how I’m feeling,” guitarist David Gomez said. “I’m normally a shy person who keeps everything to myself.”

“I’ve always had a passion for music and have been interested in percussion and various rhythms,” drummer Caleb Wood explained. “I want to write fun and interesting music that can inspire and influence others like some bands have for me.”

These teenagers balance school and their burgeoning music careers under the guidance of their very supportive parents.

“Most of the time, I have to get my schoolwork done before I dig into my music, so having that to look forward to helps motivate me to be focused,” Haynes noted. “I also like to try and connect my schoolwork to my music—for instance, connecting math and music theory. Right now, I am writing a song based on Lord of the Flies, a book I read for school.”

“How do I manage the balance?” Vienna responded. “I don’t. My parents say school comes first, so I try to get my homework out of the way as fast as possible, so I have time to work on music.”

How have more experienced bands treated them?

“My experience with older bands is that they’re always very supportive and help us during this process,” Gomez said. “They always said they’re proud of what we are doing and that we’re keeping rock alive!”

“Coming up from School of Rock was a great experience since they taught us rudimentary knowledge and skills of music and our instruments, but more importantly, they brought us closer as a band and showed us how to perform,” Wood added.

Yep, the kids are alright. You can catch them on Sunday, Nov. 10, at Liquid Gravity in SLO (2 to 5 p.m.).

Feminine Collective Showcase

Sonic Milk Studios (715 Main St., Cambria) hosts the Feminine Collective Showcase this Saturday, Nov. 9 (6:30 p.m.; all ages; a $10 to $15 donation is requested). Performers include Cate Armstrong, Ynana Rose, Azere Wilson, Cheyenne Destaine, Blythe Berg, and Gwenn Krossa.

“Natalie Haskins and I formed the group after connecting via Instagram in 2021,” Ynana Rose explained. “She had won the 2020 NTMA album of the year, and I was a fan. I saw from her posts that she gigged several times a week, and then saw that she also had a day job. I DM’d her one day, saying something like, ‘Wow, girl, you’re really busy!’ and asked her what she did to replenish herself. She said that no one had ever asked her that before. We bonded over the experience of being a woman in the local music scene and the level of exhaustion that many of us feel trying to do it all.”

The pair formed a kind of support system for local women in music. They reached out to every female perform they knew. The first meeting in 2022 had five attendees.

“We currently have over 80 people on the invitation list, and meetings range in size between 10 and 20,” Ynana Rose added. “We meet every one to two months and always structure the meetings around the concepts of replenishment, honesty, and support. When I started on the music scene in my late 30s, I looked around me for peers and saw almost no one. The Feminine Collective is really my work paying it backwards to what I needed then, as well as forwards for whoever needs it now.”

According to Cate Armstrong, they’re actively seeking new members: “Always! Anyone who is female identifying (including trans and non-binary folks) and in some way involved in the Central Coast music scene is welcome.”

For their Saturday showcase, each performer has a 20-minute slot.

Fremont Theater

Indie pop artist Jonny Pierce, performing under the name The Drums, brings his exploration of childhood trauma and its effects on adulthood on Friday, Nov. 8 (8 p.m.; all ages; $25 to $200 at prekindle.com), with Yungatita opening.

Iconic rock, blues, and country singer-songwriter John Hiatt plays on Saturday, Nov. 9 (8 p.m.; all ages; $49.50 to $84.50 at prekindle.com). In his more than four-decade career, he’s written hits for himself and other artists, most notably “Have a Little Faith in Me” and “Thing Called Love.” Love, loss, and redemption are common themes.

Numbskull and Good Medicine

Local folk, Americana, and root rock originals Moonshiner Collective plays on Friday, Nov. 8, in Club Car Bar (7 p.m.; all ages; $24.93 at goodmedicinepresents.com) with Chris Beland opening. Fronted by Dan Curcio, Moonshiner has a busload of hooky songs.

Hot off the release of their first new album in eight years, In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain, folk and indie pop band Blind Pilot plays on Wednesday, Nov. 13, in The Siren (7 p.m.; 21-or-older; $30.59 at goodmedicinepresents.com) with Molly Sarlé opening.

The Siren

Don’t forget old school SoCal punks T.S.O.L. play on Thursday, Nov. 7 (6:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.30 at tixr.com), with Since We Were Kids and Division 13 opening.

Influenced by classic rock, indie, Motown, hip-hop, folk, revival, psychedelic, garage, and arena rock, Stoplight Observations will deliver their genre mélange on Friday, Nov. 8 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20.60 at tixr.com), with Arms Akimbo and LOVR.

The Siren’s Gen X Rockfest features a Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters double tribute night with The Faithful and Faux Fighters on Saturday, Nov. 9 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.30 at tixr.com).

Maiden United will pay tribute to Iron Maiden on Thursday, Nov. 14 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com). Previous setlists have included tracks such as “Phantom of the Opera,” “Charlotte the Harlot,” “Wasted Years,” and “Children of the Damned.”

SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock

Pink Talking Fish—A Fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish plays on Thursday, Nov. 7 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.36 at ticketweb.com).

Alt-pop quintet Ripe plays on Friday, Nov. 8 (8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $29.78 at ticketweb.com). The band formed when its members were all students at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. They recently signed to Glassnote Records, releasing their new album Bright Blue. Hembree opens.

SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) present The Black Lips on Wednesday, Nov. 13 (8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.36 at ticketweb.com), with Pancho & The Wizards and Repeater opening. The Black Lips has an arty, weirdo, Southern-fried twang.

Mostly instrumental psyche-rock and stoner metal band Earthless plays on Thursday, Nov. 14 (8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $31.33 at ticketweb.com) with Sacri Monti opening.

The Seven Sisters Folklore Society

Tall Poppy String Band, an old-timey acoustic trio, plays the Historic Octagon Barn Center this Friday, Nov. 8 (6 p.m. jam followed by a 7 p.m. concert; all ages; $20 presale at eventbrite.com or $25 at the door). Featuring fiddler George Jackson, guitarist Morgan Harris, and banjoist Cameron DeWhitt, the trio draws “from the deep well of American string band music,” and “approaches tradition with playful curiosity,” according to their bio.

Guest review!

Editor’s note: New Times photographer Jayson Mellom and his son, Luke, attended the King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard show. You can see more of Jayson’s photos here.

As absurd and crazy as their band name appears to be, KGLW’s live shows are no different. With fans wearing wizard and bucket hats, the Australian, multi-genre septet rocked the Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Nov. 3.

Lead singer Stu Mackenzie took the stage with a crowd favorite guitar, The Flying Banana. This kicked off the show with their exploration into microtonal tuning. “Billabong Valley” featured Ambrose Kenny Smith taking an aisle walk over to the sound crew, performing its opening lyric, “outlaws on the run,” in spaghetti Western fashion.

From there, the band traded their microtonals for Stratocasters. “Hypertension” had the crowd on edge for 15 minutes of rock extravaganza. This is what the Gizzard does, jamming with endless buildups that could end any show.

Eventually, the stage crew pulled out the synth table, reminiscent of a relic of Star Wars. Stu put on sunglasses and a bucket hat. All the members gathered around the table to perform “Set.” Here came their improvisational skills when Joey Walker complemented computerized notes with a plucky guitar.

To end it, they once again swapped instruments, opting for thrash metal guitars. This is yet another genre to add to this already kaleidoscopic demonstration of what the band offers. The 8-minute “Motor Spirit” with a “Gaia” reprise full of loud chugging riffs concluded the concert.

KGLW played from nine of their 26 albums. Their music explore many genres, and their followers come from all walks of life. Paso Robles was no exception. The culture spoke through the music, giving a rocking memory none will forget, especially the 41 crowd surfers who fell gleefully over the barrier. Δ

—Luke Mellom

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.

KGLW

This article appears in Nov 7-17, 2024.