Born to rock: Local musicians --- ages 12 to 14 --- hitting all the right notes on TV show

By: GARY WARTH - Staff Writer | Monday, November 26, 2007 10:58 AM PST ∞

With fans screaming for more and marquee lights spelling out their name, Light of Doom would be the envy of any hard-working rock 'n' roll band that has paid its dues with years of blood, sweat and tears on the road.

But talent knows no age restrictions, and the road to success can be as surprising and mysterious as it is elusive. Light of Doom's members, by conventional logic, are too young and too inexperienced to suddenly be this well known.

Yet there they are, one of six bands left in a national competition that attracted more than 14,000 audition tapes. Ranging in age from 12 to 14, the five North County boys who make up Light of Doom have performed six times on the Fox Reality show "The Next Great American Band," and have not yet covered a song written in their lifetimes.

"The first show we did we were really nervous, but then we started getting more comfortable," said guitarist Dillon Cahill, 14, of Escondido.

Dillon's bandmates are singer Erik Griffin, 14, of San Marcos; drummer Mitchell Wafford, 12, of San Marcos; guitarist Daniel Futcher, 13, of Carlsbad; and bassist Lucas Carziani, 13, of Escondido.

Light of Doom had performed mostly before audiences composed of friends and family. But since its TV debut, subscriptions to the band's e-mail newsletter increased to 1,300, views of its MySpace page hit 192,000 and their MySpace friends list reached 5,800.

New fans who have seen them on the TV show have left glowing comments on Fox's Web site. "These guys were awesome," one wrote. "I can't believe how young they are."

"I just can't believe those 12- and 13-year-old rockers rocked that hard!" another wrote. "They were amazing! They were by far the best band on the show!"

The same fan also called them "adorable," which might not be the image the boys had in mind when playing their brand of head-banging rock.

Their age has counted against them with judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson, who has wondered whether their popularity is because of their talent or the novelty of their age. The band also has been admonished by judge Sheila E. to keep their shirts on, literally, until they are a few years older.

Birth of a band
Dillon's father, Mark Cahill, an Escondido resident and Sheriff's deputy stationed in Fallbrook, said his son got his first guitar about five years ago.

"His grandmother bought him a little three-quarter scale acoustic from Costco," he said. "He looked at me and said, 'Dad, I want to play electric guitar.'"

Some time later, Cahill went to Guitar Center in San Marcos and picked up a Strat Pack, which comes with a basic Fender Stratocaster, cable and small amplifier.

"In the five or so years he's been playing, I've maybe had to tell him to practice five times, if that," Cahill said about Dillon. "The kid walks around the house in his underwear with the guitar and just plays. I haven't had to push him at all."

While buying the guitar, Cahill asked for the name of a good guitar teacher, and the salesman recommended Adam Bruck of Experience Studios (EXPstudios.com) in Escondido. Bruck had several students and decided to fit some together into a band.

"It was around the time 'School of Rock' came out," said Bruck, "and I decided I wanted to do something different from that. I had this idea that they could be an actual, real, functioning band."

His first two bands had Dillon, Mitchell and Erik in one group and Daniel and Lucas in another band. Mitchell at the time was a guitarist, having picked up the instrument after seeing Dillon play in a concert at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad.

When a bassist left one of the bands, Bruck suggested Daniel and Lucas join the other three in one band.

"He added style: jackets and velvet shoes," Erik joked about Lucas' contribution to the band. As for Daniel, Erik said, he brought "shredding."

The new band had too many guitarists, though, and Bruck suggested Mitchell switch instruments.

"I just said, 'Get behind the drum kit and see if you can play, and he just started," Bruck said. "He was amazing. Within minutes, they were playing 'Lick it Up' by KISS."

Bruck wrote songs for the band, arranged covers and recorded an album with them. His studios rented Poinsettia Park in Carlsbad and set up a stage to showcase all of its musical students, but the real attraction at the show was Light of Doom.

"Right after they played, I went up to the parents and said, 'This is it. I just found out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life,'" Bruck said.

Show stoppers
"The Next Great American Band" tapes mid-week and airs at 8 p.m. Fridays in Los Angeles. In the 30 minutes before Tuesday's taping started, the audience was led through practice sessions on how to cheer, applaud and even how to boo.

Canned responses aside, however, enthusiasm for the bands is genuine. As the boys' picture appeared on a big screen over the stage, their friends, family and new fans erupted. When the band finally took the stage to play "Jumping Jack Flash," they were the first band of the night to get everybody on their feet.

It all can be a dizzying experience for a new band, especially one that was playing the Metaphor coffeehouse in Escondido not too long ago. Backstage, however, the boys are taking it all in stride. They have temporarily moved to Los Angeles for the duration of the show with three of the parents as chaperons. They also must be tutored during the week to keep up with their schoolwork.

"They're all exceptionally talented kids," Bruck said about them. "Plus, their personalities. They're so much fun. They're like my families. I love those kids so much."

While the TV audience may be amazed at the talent of such a young band, Bruck said he is not surprised they have made it this far.

"I have 100 percent confidence that the kids will not crumble under the pressure of being on the show," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if they go all the way."

Cahill said he still has moments when he can't believe his teenage son is playing in such a successful band.

"The main thing is, they're having fun," the proud dad said. "I don't know if they'll pay for college through it, but they're having a good time."

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at (760) 740-5410 or gwarth@nctimes.com.