D.C. Kids Get the Lowdown in New York From Nickelodeon's Rockin' Band
Sunday, March 9, 2008
This was no ordinary field trip. When the kid rock-and-roll band RATED traveled from the District to New York recently, it wasn't to see the Statue of Liberty.
Instead, keyboardist Alexander Levy, 12; guitarist Edoardo Pisoni, 12; drummer Daniel Guimaraes, 12; and singer Rebecca Levy, 11, visited with the Naked Brothers Band and watched a taping of the Nickelodeon show.
The comedy, in its second season, is about two brothers and their famous rock band. It stars 13-year-old Nat Wolff and 10-year-old Alex Wolff, real-life brothers who actually do have a rock band.
The show is a family affair. It's written and directed by their mother, actress Polly Draper. Their TV dad is their real dad, musician Michael Wolff, also the show's musical supervisor. Nat plays keyboard, sings and writes songs; Alex drums.
Members of RATED interviewed the stars to learn how they do what they do. Here are some things that RATED band members, who have been together three years and who jam at Bach to Rock Music School in Bethesda, discovered:
¿ Nat can write a song in 15 minutes. Melodies pop into his head, he said, and ideas for lyrics come "from regular life." For example, "Taxi Cab": When you're walking around and you're late/The buses are packed/And the subways you hate/You need a taxi cab.
¿ Both boys are Beatles fanatics. Alex was inspired by drummer Ringo Starr: "I copied all his moves."
¿ The show, which often showcases guest stars (including Tony Hawk in the March 23 episode), is taped mostly over the summer so that the kids don't miss too much school. They also are tutored on the set.
¿ Alexandra Jean DiMeco, 15, who plays Rosalina, the band's bassist and only girl, can play at least half a dozen other instruments. Allie loves being in the band but said she sometimes wishes there was another girl around.
¿ The band's name comes from when the boys were little and emerged from a bath calling themselves "The Naked Brothers Band."
¿ Nat started a band when he was 4 or 5 with preschool friends.
¿ Nat is shy. Alex calls himself "wild and crazy." Asked if Alex bugs him, Nat joked: "Almost all the time!"
¿ Nat likes English class because he loves to read. He recently finished "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. Nat finds good books "entrancing."
¿ Alexandra loves to read, too. Her favorite book is "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury.
¿ Alex enjoys reading biographies of people such as Beatle Paul McCartney, but said he prefers another subject: recess.
-- Valerie Strauss
View all comments that have been posted about this article.