Winthrop University, The Johnsonian

Teen Siblings are alternative band in disguise
Local Charlotte band makes name for itself on national level
by: Amanda Wilson

Learning to live the college life is a large enough hurdle for some students. It involves washing one's own dirty dishes, cleaning one's own dirty clothes and responsibly settling arguments with a roommate. Is it any wonder college students don't get enough sleep.

But, before you start to think that students at college have a tough life, consider the lives of three (almost) ordinary teenagers: Justin, Nick, and Hannah Tosco, ages 17, 15, and 13, respectively. These siblings attend Vance High School in Charlotte, where all three of them manage to stay on the A/B honor roll and have earned MVP recognition in either basketball, soccer or both sports.

Oh, and they form the nationally recognized and award-winning band, justincase, which was scheduled to play in Tillman Auditorium Thursday, but has been postponed until October.

While one would think it would be hard to work so closely with one's siblings, the opposite is true for justincase.

"Music brings us closer together," Nick said.

Their album "upstart" is a prime example of the alternative rock music they like to play. Singer/guitarist Justin is responsible for writing the lyrics, which sound mature for a band made up of high school students, using "real-life experiences" as inspiration. Younger brother Nick plays drums and percussion and sister Hannah is in charge of keyboards and bass guitar.

justincase enjoys playing for audiences of all ages.

"We like playing for anybody who enjoys music," said Hannah.

And she doesn't feel pressured when performing in front of older audiences. It just means, "We get to surprise them," she said.

The Toscos know that after people hear their music, the inevitable comparisons to bands like Hanson become few. And, while audience members may understandably prejudge their music as teenage pop, they are pleasantly surprised when they band launches into the rock that has brought them much acclaim.

Just imagine juggling a normal schedule of classes, studying and hanging out with weekend performances and national contests, And if it's hard to conceive of the odds against winning such contests, read about how much these promising young teenagers have already earned.

They first performed publicly at a talent show in 1997. Since then, justincase have been awarded first place in the Honey Nut Cheerios/ Battle of the Bands.

justincase was also selected by Teen People and Warner Bros. Records as one of five finalists in their national songwriting contest, the "Five Live Search." They were chosen from more than 1500 contestants, and appeared in the September 1999 issue of Teen People magazine.

In addition, the band recently took home the grand prize in the "So, You Wanna Be A Rock Star?" contest sponsored by Beyond Words Publishing, Inc. They were chosed from 300 entries to appear in a book named "So, You Wanna Be A Rock Star?" This recognition led to bookstore appearances, television and radio interviews, and a spot on a compilation CD.

This local recognition led to justincase's performance on a side stage at the Blockbuster Pavilion's 1999 Journey/Foreigner concert. Event Director Matt Rogers was so impressed that they were asked to return for a September 1999 concert that featured the Goo Goo Dolls, Fastball, Everlast and Sugar Ray.

justincase were also featured at a KISS 95.1 concert with Destiny's Child and Christina Aguilera. The band narrowly missed a recent opportunity to open for pop sensation Britney Spears when an offer left by phone message was received a few hours too late to accept.

And while their new-found fame has taken them to interesting places and helped them meet interesting people, their favorite part of it all is still playing.

"It's what we love to do the most," said Hannah.

Their hobbies include playing sports and hanging out with friends, and they call themselves "movie buffs."

Can they see themselves playing music for the rest of their lives? Nick said, "Without a doubt."

Hannah said, "No question!"

And Justin said, "Yes- I love it."

The Toscos have quite a long life ahead of them and plenty of time to fulfill that dream. They are only kids, after all.