Home

Tied for Last already is learning the formula for keeping an audience's attention. Give them something they know, and then they'll be more open to something they've never heard before.

At the second annual Battle of the Bands, Tied for Last had the audience screaming, throwing items of clothing on stage and crowd surfing. Their performance earned them first place.

They played Green Day's "American Idiot" and lesser-known songs by Thrice and Blink 182. Then they kicked in with their original songs "Bus Stop" and "Winds."

Drummer Nate Lotz, 18, wrote the lyrics for "Bus Stop." It sounds like "an arrangement of sentences," but listen closer.

"The truth is I don't like a lot of people, but I keep my comments so vague that people don't know what I'm actually saying," Lotz said.

Their second original, "Winds," was written by guitar player Kellen Carrithers, 16.

"It's all about relationship problems put to a catchy tune," he said. The song ends with the line, "I know I was a fool, but he is such a tool."

For some in the band, this was their second time on the Battle of the Bands stage -- Nate Lotz and his brother Chris Lotz, 17, were in the band Alway in 2004.

The brothers have played music with guitar player Luke Hamilton for years and added Carrithers to their band this year when they realized what a good guitar player he was.

Their sound wasn't an intentional creation.

"It's just the natural blend of our talents," Hamilton said. The group practices in Lydia Kindred's basement.

Most of the band members have been playing for about three years.

"I walked into a music shop in Kansas City, where I used to live, and there was a drum set you could mess around on," Nate Lotz said. "I really liked it."

His brother, Chris, started playing the electric guitar about the same time, and the two learned to play music together in their family's garage.

Carrithers picked up his first guitar at a local pawnshop and listened to Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin while he learned how to play.

Hamilton found his guitar at a garage sale. Until then, he had been playing classical music and ragtime on the piano.

After winning the Battle of the Bands, Tied for Last plans to keep playing through the summer. As part of their prize package, they have a gig sometime this summer at Mahogany Ridge, and they plan to look for more chances to play on stage.

Nate Lotz and Hamilton, who are graduating seniors, plan to pursue music in college.

"We aren't just going to fade away," Nate said.