UPDATE: Garage Band Rocks On, Does Homework

Listening to the band Northbrook Garage is deceiving.

The bluesy guitar riffs, dynamic bass lines and steady, driving drum beats layer beneath Elenna Sindler's soulful vocals to create a mature, full-fledged sound that band members describe as "garage rock 'n' blues with a slice of indie soul."

But drop in on a rehearsal and you might hear band members complaining about some decidedly younger concerns. While rehearsing Freda Payne's "Band of Gold," drummer Eric Doar tells his colleagues, "I was just cleaning my room for two hours. That stunk."

The musicians covering Payne's 1970 song are barely teenagers. But they've been gathering major recognition, from a recent shoutout in Paste magazine to a performance at the same concert as rapper Lupe Fiasco. (Referring to their cover of "She Ain't a Child No More," Paste wrote, "Watch Northbrook Garage's version...and just try not to smile.")

It all started with a fifth-grade talent show at Greenbriar Elementary School. Friends Sam Harkey (guitar) and Eric von Holst (bass) teamed up to share their musical passion and enter the competition. The following summer, the duo became a trio when they added childhood friend Doar. 

While in seventh grade at Northbrook Junior High last year, the three boys, now 13, were content to play as a threesome without a true lead singer. "Whenever we would suggest a singer to them, they would act like we weren't even in the room," said Sam's mother, Brooke Wilson. 

That changed at a school talent show last April. At the "Snaps and Snacks," the boys agreed on two things: the talent show had "a silly name," and that they had to have 11-year-old Elenna as their lead singer.

The musical tastes of the band's members—ranging from classic rock to jam bands to R&B and soul--lie in stark contrast to the music being marketed to today's preteens.

"I learned a lot of music from my parents," Doar said, with a nod toward the adults at a regular practice session. The other members agreed.

"I don't really love the music today," said Harkey. "I like older music. Well, not old, but before this era."

Even the band's name pays homage to another generation. Closed in 2008 after 165 years at Shermer and Meadow, Northbrook Garage was the oldest family-run auto shop in the United States. "When it closed down," Harkey said, "we thought it'd be great to use that as our name."

The band has covered songs ranging from Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" to Sharon Jones' "She Ain't a Child No More." The latter cover earned the band a mention on record label Daptone's Facebook page and a Twitter shoutout from Sharon Jones herself, in addition to the Paste mention.

Northbrook Garage recently performed at the Merle Reskin Theatre for NBA superstar Dwayne Wade's "Chicago Has Talent Showcase." The band played to a capacity crowd on the same stage as Wade and rapper Fiasco.

"They actually listened to our music," Doar said. "It was all encouraging, they didn't say anything bad."

The junior high band members have been enjoying the limelight that comes with being rock stars. "It's really cool to walk into school and see people wearing our shirts," Elenna said.

Added von Holst, "When you play those first notes on stage and the fans start cheering, that's when you really feel like a rock star."

Behind the scenes, the parents run the show, operating the band's website, uploading videos onto Facebook and YouTube, and helping to set up gigs. And during the shows, it is the parents, rather than their children, who feel butterflies.

"Watching them play feels great, but it's also nervous and emotional," said Brian Sindler, Elenna's father. "I think the parents are five times more nervous than the kids are."

Concerts take practice, and the band members say the music is their top priority, "right below school," according to Doar. Between loads of other after-school activities, like football and hockey, the band makes time to practice at least once a week.

 "You always have to sacrifice something if you really want it bad," Elenna said.

The band members fell silent, nodding in agreement with their singer's profound statement.

Then the boys started wrestling each other, snapping back to reality from rock stars to 13-year-olds. 

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