For five Aurora High School students, it’s not enough to be involved in various extracurricular activities and be top students. They had to start a band and be pretty good at what they do.
Aaron Cox, Marshall Basham, Josey Bodenhamer, Michael Parbury and Chase Brechbuhler make up Kindergarten Kasualties. You may ask how they came up with the band’s name. Well, the name hit them during freshmen English when the two words were right there in front of them.
“I thought it would be a good name,” Basham said.
Group members started in different bands during the junior high years, but they all joined together during their sophomore year.
Brechbuhler started out as baritone during the sixth grade in a band, but he always liked the bass, so he started playing bass on the side.
When Parbury asked if he wanted to join the band on bass, Brechbuhler jumped at the chance.
Basham said he started getting interested in playing the guitar after hearing his best friend’s brother and watching “School of Rock.”
“It really did it for me,” he said, adding he asked for lessons and received a guitar for Christmas that year.
Cox’s older brother played bass and he really wanted to do something like that but also be a little different, so he picked up the guitar. Cox said he taught himself how to play as a way to jam with Basham.
Parbury started on the drums at an early age. He said he would bang on buckets or whatever he could find. He went to summer band camps to help build his talent.
Bodenhamer’s road to being lead vocals is a bit unusual. He said that when he was about 10 years old, he was playing a wrestling video game. As he was swinging the controller to hit the character over the head, he was singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in an opera-style of voice. His mother overheard him and told him he should really go for choir because he was good.
“I’ve been going ever since,” Bodenhamer said.
These boys aren’t just your average garage band. They won Battle of the Bands last summer to gain recording time and are looking to perform more.
“We never really had motivation before that,” Parbury said.
Kindergarten Kasualties recorded its first CD with five songs on it -- “Nap Time,” “Make Believe,” “4-9-09,” “More Than Me,” and “Compete.”
Each song is written by the band. Cox has written several songs, but the each member contributes to finish the song.
“Sometimes I just think of stories in my head,” Cox said. With each member creating in a different style, no two songs are alike.
The boys like bands like Blink 182, All Time Low, Third Eye Blind, Creed and other bands, which is mostly the type of music they play. Brechbuhler and Bodenhamer also bring a country flare to the table, so some of their songs could venture to the country side.
The boys have dreams of being discovered in the future and having the opportunity to play for large crowds.
“For now, we will continue doing what all small bands do -- make some money while doing what we love,” Brechbuhler said.
Each great band has someone who pushes it and does what that person can do to promote the band. Kindergarten Kasualties has Michele Parbury. The boys agreed “she’s the greatest momanager.” She is considered to be the mother of the entire band.
Brechbuhler said if they need anything, Michele is there, and she always takes promotions one step further.
After a day of playing, Kindergarten Kasualties are still teenage boys who make time for Totino’s pizza. “It’s tradition,” the boys said.
The boys are heavily involved in school activities like sports, and choir, and all qualified for the National Honor Society.
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For five Aurora High School students, it’s not enough to be involved in various extracurricular activities and be top students. They had to start a band and be pretty good at what they do.
Aaron Cox, Marshall Basham, Josey Bodenhamer, Michael Parbury and Chase Brechbuhler make up Kindergarten Kasualties. You may ask how they came up with the band’s name. Well, the name hit them during freshmen English when the two words were right there in front of them.
“I thought it would be a good name,” Basham said.
Group members started in different bands during the junior high years, but they all joined together during their sophomore year.
Brechbuhler started out as baritone during the sixth grade in a band, but he always liked the bass, so he started playing bass on the side.
When Parbury asked if he wanted to join the band on bass, Brechbuhler jumped at the chance.
Basham said he started getting interested in playing the guitar after hearing his best friend’s brother and watching “School of Rock.”
“It really did it for me,” he said, adding he asked for lessons and received a guitar for Christmas that year.
Cox’s older brother played bass and he really wanted to do something like that but also be a little different, so he picked up the guitar. Cox said he taught himself how to play as a way to jam with Basham.
Parbury started on the drums at an early age. He said he would bang on buckets or whatever he could find. He went to summer band camps to help build his talent.
Bodenhamer’s road to being lead vocals is a bit unusual. He said that when he was about 10 years old, he was playing a wrestling video game. As he was swinging the controller to hit the character over the head, he was singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in an opera-style of voice. His mother overheard him and told him he should really go for choir because he was good.
“I’ve been going ever since,” Bodenhamer said.
These boys aren’t just your average garage band. They won Battle of the Bands last summer to gain recording time and are looking to perform more.
“We never really had motivation before that,” Parbury said.
Kindergarten Kasualties recorded its first CD with five songs on it -- “Nap Time,” “Make Believe,” “4-9-09,” “More Than Me,” and “Compete.”
Each song is written by the band. Cox has written several songs, but the each member contributes to finish the song.
“Sometimes I just think of stories in my head,” Cox said. With each member creating in a different style, no two songs are alike.
The boys like bands like Blink 182, All Time Low, Third Eye Blind, Creed and other bands, which is mostly the type of music they play. Brechbuhler and Bodenhamer also bring a country flare to the table, so some of their songs could venture to the country side.
The boys have dreams of being discovered in the future and having the opportunity to play for large crowds.
“For now, we will continue doing what all small bands do -- make some money while doing what we love,” Brechbuhler said.
Each great band has someone who pushes it and does what that person can do to promote the band. Kindergarten Kasualties has Michele Parbury. The boys agreed “she’s the greatest momanager.” She is considered to be the mother of the entire band.
Brechbuhler said if they need anything, Michele is there, and she always takes promotions one step further.
After a day of playing, Kindergarten Kasualties are still teenage boys who make time for Totino’s pizza. “It’s tradition,” the boys said.
The boys are heavily involved in school activities like sports, and choir, and all qualified for the National Honor Society.
