24/7

At the age of 17, Michael Petrash is a grandpa.

At least that's the St. Joseph High School senior's self-proclaimed role as the oldest member of the local rock band 24-7.

On a Thursday night in a quiet country neighborhood, the five-member, 11- to 17-year-old band could be found by following the sound of raging guitars up the stairs of Mario Vallejo's home.

"They're having a lot of fun with it," said Mario Vallejo, the band's manager and father of two band members. "Everything's positive. If they're going to do this, it's going to be a positive thing."

In the upstairs room set off by a beaded curtain and stuffed corner-to-corner with music equipment, Vallejo wore a pair of earplugs while the boys plucked and banged out new beats they hope to soon take to the studio.

Along with Michael, there's Mario Vallejo's sons, 11-year-old Matthew, the drummer and resident jokester of the group; his brother Nicholas, 14, voted the glue that keeps the band on track; then there's the lead singer and Vallejo cousin Josh Moya, a 16-year-old who just nodded and grinned when being termed the group's diva; and finally, Tyler Tatom - 17 and like the band's "adopted brother" they for some reason call Pedro.

Together, they make up the band 24-7, and together, the youngsters can bust out an ear-catching tune by any standards.

"Musically, these guys are way ahead of their ages," Vallejo said.

COMING TOGETHER

It was a talent Vallejo said he noticed when his sons were charged with performing at their grandfather's Christmas parties when they were just 3 and 5.

"We did that for a lot of years, and we were nervous for that," Nicholas remembered.

After excelling in the Austin School of Music, the Vallejo brothers teamed up with the rest of their crew, each of whom took his own path to music.

"We grew up with the music lifestyle all around us. I was playing the violin before bass," Michael said.

Tyler, on the other hand, was comparatively a late-comer to the game and said he's grateful to Vallejo for finding him guitar lessons.

"The whole reason I started playing guitar was because of these boys here," Tyler said.

PLAYING TOGETHER

Despite different schools, different friends, different busy schedules and a gaping age difference especially by teenage measures, each member of 24-7 said his favorite part of being in the band is just being able to play music with friends.

That perk even beat out attention from girls.

"We're all little kids at heart," Tyler said.

"Music just kind of unites us," Nicholas added.

And any sort of inhibition the boys may have initially had is an old tune compared to where they are now.

Besides local gigs, the band has played in several venues in Austin and even at the House of Blues in Houston.

"(The best part was) a lot of big bands played there before us," Josh said.

And soon, 24-7 would make a rocking attempt at what every big band needs: an original music video.

In an Austin alleyway, with impromptu props, the band recently recorded a video to their song, "Never Stop."

The professional video that captures the group's anything-but-camera-shy swagger has more than 50,500 views on YouTube.

STAYING TOGETHER

Currently, the band is working on creating more original tunes after being picked up by an artist representative who's shopping labels, Vallejo said.

"It's all talk right now. Nothing's etched in stone," Vallejo said. "There's interest now. They want to hear some more original material."

With the future unknown, band members stay busy putting just as much effort into their schoolwork and extracurricular activities as they do the music, Vallejo said.

"To me, music's a gift . Music has helped my boys in school, just the discipline of it," Vallejo said. "They're all very busy. These are all bright kids."

The band members are also making the most out of their time together, knowing they'll have to fill Michael's bass-playing role when he heads off to the United States Military Academy at West Point after graduation.

"Michael's a big part of the band. He'll always be a big part of the band," Vallejo said.

But even though big band stardom is on their radar, the boys said they were taught the importance of pursuing education.

"It's school first, and this is our reward," Josh said.

While constantly strumming their guitars or tapping their feet to an internal tune, the boys said at the very least, the experience of being in 24-7 has simply been fun.

"Music is going to be a big part of our lives, even if we don't become a big band," Matthew said.

With that, the band got back into position and played one more song before packing up to do homework.

It was "Never Stop."

"I'll never know if I never try; I'm living life too young to die," the chorus goes. "I'll never stop though it sometimes seems; I'll never stop 'til I reach my dream."


- Victoria Advocate

Today's edition of Youth Spin contained an interview by Zoe Cordes Selbin with the Victoria, TX band 24-7, who will be playing the upcoming Pachanga Festival on May 22nd. Tune in to Youth Spin again next week for a chance to win tix to the show! You also heard a vox collage by Annie, Mady and Zoe who spoke to communi...ty members about the BP oil spill in the Gulf. Thanks for listening! xo - Youth Spin Live Radio On 91.7 KOOP

The Austin School of Music is proud to include the following, or members of their families, in our local family of musicians, past and present:


Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis, Sara Hickman, Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan, Arc Angels), Chris Layton (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Arc Angels), Terri Bozzio, Doyle Bramhall, Hayes Carll, Bob Fonseca, Turk Pipkin, Willy Braun (Reckless Kelly), Trish Murphy, Micky Braun (Micky and the Motorcars), Nick Vallejo, Matt Vallejo, Bill Collings, Mike Young (Owner – Hula Hut, Chuy’s, Shady Grove), Tony Scalzo (Fastball), Floyd Domino (Asleep at the Wheel), Steve Hennig, Patrice Pike (Sister Seven), Gary Keller (Founder and Chairman of the Board - Keller Williams Realty International), Michael Murphy, Dale Dudley, Loris Lowe, George W. Bush, Lance Armstrong

- Austin School Of Music

One of the youngest bands in the Crossroads is practicing to perform with Los Lonely Boys on Saturday at Riverside Park.

All five members of the band, called 24-7, are between ages 10 and 16. They play anything from blues to rock.

During a rehearsal in band manager Mario Vallejo's attic, 24-7 started talking about what it would be like to share the stage with a famous band.

They're a little nervous. This is their big break.

"I'm pretty excited, but kind of nervous," said Nicolas Vallejo, the 12-year-old lead guitarist.

"I hope we don't mess up," said Josh Moya, the band's percussionist. He is 14.

"This is probably like the first big group I've ever met," said Sarah Rivas, 15, one of the band's singers.

"It's going to be a great, awesome experience," replied 16-year-old bass guitarist Michael Petrash as he smiled.

The group has been practicing together for about six months, which is how they got their name.

"We practice all the time," Vallejo said. "24-7, 365 days a year. It represents them good."

All five have been raised around music, and started performing at early ages. Matthew and Nicolas take lessons at the Austin School of Music.

In April, the Austin school awarded Nicolas with a signature Paul Reed Smith guitar through musician David Grissom, who has played with artists such as John Mellencamp, the Dixie Chicks and the Allman Brothers.

Sarah is in the process of writing her own music and will release a CD in early 2010.

"I want to be an artist," she said.

This summer, Sarah beat out more than 200 other contestants at Disney World's American Idol Experience.

"You have to pick songs. It's like a competition, and if you win you get a dream ticket," she said. " I got in it, and I won. All the people went crazy and were screaming my name. I had people taking pictures with me. It was cool."

This school year, band will also juggle their music with their extra-curricular activities. Nicolas will play football this year at Nazareth Academy; Michael is in the school mariachi and has a small vending machine business. Josh will play basketball and golf.

But among all their activities, making music is one of their favorites. The band's parents have been supportive, Vallejo said.

"Parent involvement is very important," he said. "I'm thankful we have a good group of kids. We work together. It seems like one of those things that's meant to be. Right now we just support them and see where it goes."

People in the audience will be able to tell 24-7 plays from the heart, Vallejo said.

"They're very passionate. They've been told that numerous times," he said. "That's what's going to separate them from people who just play music, and those who play from within. They all have a special gift. We're all real proud of them."


- Victoria Advocate

We jokingly wondered if the very first act of the day was annoyed that they were missing the Saturday morning cartoons. Victoria, Texas' 24-7 includes four very talented boys—three of them in their early teens, and the solid and talented drummer was about 11. They proved to be quite grown up with a bluesy funk style reminiscent of Los Lonely Boys. Looking at these boys (and their female guest vocalist with a voice of true soul) perform on the Pavilion Stage certainly took me back to an eighth-grade party in which the band got all the girls, except this band actually does have potential. Their set included a little bit country, a little bit Santana with a twist, and an instrumental “Low Rider,” which gives me hope in thinking not all boys are listening to Nickelback these days. 24-7 guitarrist Nikko Vallejo is a great talent, a pleasure to watch.

- Austin Vida