Main Stage Bands – Opera House Show

Don’t Tell Mom

Don’t Tell Mom is a young, classic rock band formed in 2013 after meeting at a music workshop. DTM’s band members consist of: Dean Cheney (11) vocals, guitar; Jack Homer (13) drums, backing vocals; and Jake Powers (13) bass, vocals, keys. Passionate about both music and performance, DTM’s high energy shows have garnered a lot of attention, including recent feature on CBS 5 News.

A typical performance will include songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, as well as a few original compositions. In addition to last year’s Rock the District, Don’t Tell Mom performed at the 2014 and 2015 Salt River Fields Food Truck Festival, the 2014 and 2015 Tempe Town Lake 4th of July Spectacular, Salt River Fields Halloween Spooktacular, The Bite of Arizona, Alice Cooperstown, Joe’s Grotto, Handlebar J’s, Club Red, Chop and Wok and The Rhythm Room. DTM is also proud to have performed for numerous charity and non-p rofitorganizations including The American Cancer Society, The YMCA, The American Heart Association and the Cave Creek Unified School District.

Grand Entrance

Representing Cave Creek and Paradise Valley’s best youth rock stars, Grand Entrance is comprised of four up-and-coming Valley musicians: Spencer Byrne- drums, Sophie Louis- guitar & lead vocals, Jake Powers- bass guitar, vocals and Ashleigh Wilking- guitar. Grand Entrance has have entertained audiences with their classic rock experience at local venues such as Cooperstown, The Wasted Grain and soon at Cave Creek’s Wicked Event. Check out more of Grand Entrance on Instagram -Grand.Entrance.Band or on Facebook- GrandAZEntrance.

Divided Minds

Divided Minds is a four-piece pop band formed in 2014. They have risen quickly in the music scene to open for such nationals as Blood On the Dance Floor, and have performed at major venues including Camelback Ranch Stadium, Tempe Marketplace and Desert Ridge Entertainment District.

This young and energetic group was the featured band at Grand Canyon University’s “Run to Fight” Children’s Cancer event and wrote the theme song titled “White Cell Rock” for Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s “Dancing Doctors” to perform for children fighting cancer. They have also performed at “Ignite Hope,” another main fundraising event for the hospital.

Divided Minds will be releasing their five-song EP, “Perception” in the Summer of 2015. Their singles, “Frightened,” and “Fine With It” were influenced by their teenage life experiences and show their pop punk with metalcore influences.

They are setting their tour in motion to promote this EP in late summer 2015.

Abby Walker Group

Transferring as a sophomore from Arizona School for the Arts, Abby Walker is a senior at Cactus Shadows. Abby has been singing ever since she was 3 years old. Since then, Abby has picked up the ukulele, guitar, mandolin, piano, standup bass and bass guitar. Abby began performing and taking lessons in 6th grade and fell in love with the art. She continues to nurture her musical gift by singing on her church’s worship team, serving as the music director of her youth group and performing the National Anthem at several events each year. Aside from music, Abby is a dedicated swimmer, a scuba enthusiast and spends time volunteering at organizations such as Chris Becker and Feed My Starving Children.

Rachel Dutcher is ready to rock the district this year after performing last year with singer Abby Walker. Singing and music have not only molded her life, but she also enjoys drawing with whatever free time is left after swim team and homework. Her passion for music has continued to grow over the years, and although she picks up the guitar once in a while, her favorite thing to do is daydream with her ukulele in hand. As a junior, Rachel anticipates performing with all of the talented artists involved in the show this year.

Sam Chappel began playing the drums seven years ago through the school band program. At first he was self taught, but a year and half later began taking lessons with Jim Zupancic. After years of lessons and continued practice, Sam filled in one Sunday on the worship team for his church, while their regular drummer was out. This experience drove him to continue to practice and improve his skills. After a while, Sam began playing more and more with his church worship team, until he was regularly switching off with their normal drummer. Now he is the regular drummer at Light of the Desert. Sam plays at multiple events each year at CSHS as well as local gigs, and this is his second time playing at Rock the District.

Caity Bonine & Rachel Dutcher

Caity Bonine is a junior at Cactus Shadows High School and she is passionately pursuing her love of music through singing and songwriting. Her musical influences include Mumford & Sons, Twenty One Pilots, Angus and Julia Stone, and Bon Iver. She began taking voice from Martha Lindsay-Glenn in 2011, along with practicing piano, guitar and her ukulele. Caity has been performing for the last several years and enjoys connecting with the audience during performances. Caity looks forward to gaining more experiences and opportunities in music and thanks Rock the District for all they do to support music and the arts in the Cave Creek School District and throughout our community.

Rachel Dutcher brings her captivating harmonies from the Abby Walker Group to accompany Caity as a duo. Passionate about the arts, in addition to singing, playing the ukulele and occasionally guitar, Rachel also enjoys drawing. Rachel enjoys adding her voice to those of her fellow performers and the Rock the District audience gets to reap the rewards!

Chance McLaughlin

A sophomore at Cactus Shadows, Chance is already a Rock the District veteran, having performed solo and as part of a group in the 2014 edition. While performing for only a few years, Chance commands the stage with the confidence singer and guitar player beyond his years. Able to do shine in rock and alternative genres, Chance is in his element playing contemporary country.

Dedicated to honing his craft, Chance spends his free time learning new material and perfecting songs. A polished performer, Chase loves to be in front of crowds and enjoys singing for people. Chance appears at local venues, farmers markets and talent shows.

Chance McLaughlin & Katelyn Reinhart

Joining Chance this year is fellow Cactus Shadows sophomore, Katelyn Reinhart. Katelyn’s gentle and beautiful harmonies are outstanding on their own and when paired with Chance are simply captivating. Katelyn has played piano since she was in 2nd grade, and has been singing her whole life.

A singer/songwriter at heart, Katelyn loves to write in addition to sharing her voice with audiences. Katelyn likes to listen to rock and alternative music, but also listens to some classical music as well.

Pseudo Sincere

Pseudo Sincere is a Phoenix, AZ based rock band formed in 2015. They met out of a common love of music, as their members also participate at School of Rock AZ East Valley. The Pseudo Sincere lineup is drummer is 12 year old Tiger Bunch, Kyle Kelleher and Gianni Jinks on guitar, Antonio Marchica on bass, and Gage Petersen on vocals. Kyle, Gianni, Antonio, and Gage are all 17 years old. Their hard-charging sound comes from a wide variety of influences, ranging from Guns n’ Roses to Blink 182.

Sunlaand

Sunlaand is an Alternative band from Cave Creek, AZ that formed in October of 2015 and making their debut at 2015 Rock the District. Members of the band include sophomores Michael Chmura (bass/backup vocals), Sara Windom (guitar/lead vocals), and junior Ryan Jarick (drums). Though they all attend different music schools (Stages, School of Rock and Desert Ridge Music Academy) they all attend the same high school, Cactus Shadows. Though they play Alternative songs, the band has a variety of musical taste including Wavves, FIDLAR, St. Vincent, Dream Theater and Joyce Manor.

Bobbi Kerr

Bobbi Kerr began guitar lessons at the age of 8 and incorporated singing into her music at the age of 11. She is now 17 and has played at a wide variety of venues including Buffalo Chip, Hard Rock Café, Harold’s, Arizona Women’s Expo, Arizona State Fair and several charity events. Bobbi has been an active member of Chicks With Picks for 6 years and performs frequently with the organization.

Bobbi’s dream of traveling to Nashville came true in June when she attended the CMA Festival. Bobbi’s goal of becoming a country music artist and working in the music industry is no longer a dream…it’s a life goal. She plans on attending ASU next fall, majoring in Music at the Herberger Institute. Musical artists that Bobbi counts as influences include Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Hunter Hayes, Brad Paisley and country music as a whole. Bobbi is excited about her future and loves to share her passion for music.

Mia Gilling and Kate Rosenbaum

Mia Gilling and Kate Rosenbaum, sophomores at Cactus Shadows High School, have been singing together for three years. This is their third year performing in Rock the District. With a rich, harmony-filled acoustic sound, the pair sings frequently at local coffee shops, farmers markets, and various community events.

Both Kate and Mia come from musical families and have been involved in music their whole lives. Kate receives vocal instruction from Martha Lindsay Glenn, and Mia studies guitar and ukulele with Frank Grossi. Stating The Head and the Heart, Angus and Julia Stone, and The Paper Kites as influences, Mia and Kate are excited to continue pursuing music together and thank you for supporting CCUEF.

To hear more from Kate and Mia, catch them playing live every Saturday at Saddlecreek Coffee Company on Tatum and Dynamite, or check out their Soundcloud for original music at soundcloud.com/kateandmia.

Big Spill

Big Spill is a band with members ranging in age from 10 to 13. Big Spill are Trinity Ananyeva on vocals, Dylan Conger and Tanner Hochberg on guitar, Parker Cornelius on keyboard, Nick Conger on drums and Cameron Bertolet, a RTD veteran (formerly with Grounded) on bass. They have been playing together at Kirk’s Studio for the Performing Arts for a year and a half and have performed at private parties and studio events.

Halle Ata-Abadi Group

Now a freshman at Cactus Shadows, RTD veteran Halle Ata-Abadi returns to Rock the District fronting the Halle Ata-Abadi Group. With a powerful voice and commanding stage presence, Halle puts her on spin on contemporary and classic pop. Rounding out the group are Jared Grady, Lucas Aiken, and Grady Byrne.

When not fronting her group or working as a soloist, Halle has a packed agenda. As a pre-IB student, Halle tries hard to find balance between school work, piano and voice practice, Tae Kwon Do, family and friends.

Blue Violet

Blue Violet is an all-girl, alternative-rock group from Scottsdale, Arizona, made up of Raven Padgett (16), Veronica Fedri (14), Radhika Khosla (15), and Katie Gibbs (17).

Blue Violet’s guitarist Veronica and drummer Radhika formed the band in December of 2014. Soon bassist Katie joined the band and brought in long time friend Raven for vocals. Blue Violet’s influences include Panic! at the Disco, The Strokes, Twenty One Pilots, and Cage the Elephant. All members of Blue Violet are immersed in their music and have a keen ear for sound. While Blue Violet has been together for only a short period of time, their bond has allowed them to become better at the songs they play, and develop close friendships.

Acoustic Show Performers – Stagecoach Pass Stage

Mia Brito

Sonoran Trails 8th grader, Mia Brito, makes her RTD debut in the 2015 Acoustic Show on the Stagecoach Pass Stage. At 13 years old, Mia has been singing as long as she can remember, and formally since joining the Desert Sun Academy Chorus in 4th grade. Mia studies voice and piano at the Desert Ridge Music Academy, and would like to eventually master the guitar as well. In addition to her musical abilities, Mia is a stage performer, having appeared in several plays. Mia cites her mother as key to her success by juggling a challenging schedule to shuttle Mia to and from auditions. Mia also credits her best friend, Jessica Huffman, for her constant support and encouragement.

Danielle Quenzler

Danielle Quenzler brings her unique and crowd-pleasing style to the Rock the District Acoustic Show. Now a freshman at Cactus Shadows, Danielle had a busy year of performances while wrapping her tenure at Sonoran Trails Middle School. She performed at the STMS talent show, the annual Teacher’s Awards Ceremony, and the Coolwater Christian Church Easter performance.

In addition to singing, snowboarding, playing volleyball, and practicing Spanish and French, Danielle has played the piano for five years and performed in the Annual Phoenix Piano Ensemble. Danielle feels fortunate to work with Martha Lindsay-Glenn and Kevin Glenn, who helped her improve and train her voice as their student.

Laleh Vahedian

Laleh Vahedian is an aspiring guitarist, singer, and songwriter. A senior at Pinnacle High School, Laleh has been taking guitar with Nick Jensen at Strum University for the past three years.

Playing and singing in her church band for over a year, Laleh loves music and spends much of her free time writing and learning new songs. She hopes to continue pursuing music for as long as possible and is extremely thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this year’s Rock The District.

Ashley Walker

A fresh face on the local music scene, Sonoran Trails 7th grader Ashley Walker hits the Stagecoach Pass Stage to introduce herself to the Rock the District audience. Ashley is accompanied by RTD veteran Kate Rosenbaum. Ashley has always enjoyed singing, but to date her only arena has been Horseshoe Trails choir.

Ashley started singing lessons two months ago and recently finished a turn as Ka in a stage rendition of The Jungle Book. When not working on her music, Ashley plays softball on the Falcons 12U club team.

Caity Bonine

Sydney Claire Collins and Sean Collins

Sydney Claire Collins is returns for her 4th year at the CCUEF’s Rock the District. Sydney performed in 2012 and 2013 as a soloist, and in 2014 with theKards.

This year Sydney is performing as a soloist accompanied by her brother Sean Collins of the band Divided Minds. Sydney is a senior at Arizona School for the Arts, and is a 4th generation native of Arizona. She continues to perform Wednesday nights at Rhythm and Wine in Scottsdale for her 3rd year now, and you can also see her every other Friday and Saturday night at Bootleggers Modern American Smokehouse at their Phoenix and Scottsdale locations.

Sydney spends her time performing, volunteering, and hanging out with her friends. Sydney has been a weekly dedicated volunteer at Foothills Animal Rescue for 3-1/2 years, and has a sincere passion for helping animals in need. Sydney would like to thank CCUEF for all of the opportunities they have given her, and wishes them continued success, as this will be her last year performing at Rock the District before she goes to college in 2016.

Allie Holt & Sierra Fluegel

Cactus Shadows sophomores Sierra Fluegel and Allie Holt have sung together since they were in the Sonoran Trails Middle School Choir and have performed duets together. They now bring the beautiful blending of their voices to the Rock the District Acoustic Show.

Allie is an RTD veteran who has been singing all her life and has played the guitar for 3 years. Sierra has been singing since elementary school in talent shows and she sang the National Anthem at her 8th grade graduation.

When not singing and playing the guitar, Allie’s hobbies include baking and theatre. Sierra loves to play soccer and travel! The pair looks forward to performing together more in the future!

Alex Hummel and Emma Pusateri

Alex Hummel is a junior at Cactus Shadows High School and has been singing since she can remember. Emma Pusateri is a sophomore and also attends Cactus Shadows. She has been playing guitar for about 7 years.

Believe it or not, Emma and Alex met the day of the auditions through a mutual friend who mentioned they would sound good together. They got together and whipped up a couple songs about 3 hours before the auditions. The mutual friend proved prescient, because when Emma and Alex blend their voices, the fit is beyond natural. Alex and Emma are now good friends and look forward to performing together at different venues!

Cristina Jo

Cristina Jo is a 14 year old freshman at Cactus Shadows High School and has been a part of Rock the District for two years now. She taught herself how to play guitar a year ago so she could accompany herself while she performs her original songs.

Cristina finds most of her inspiration from Taylor Swift because of her meaningful lyrics, however she also finds inspiration from other artists as well, including Halsey, Demi Lovato, and Ed Sheeran. Cristina is recording a demo this year and has her sites set on an increased slate of local performances in an effort events to broaden her exposure and opportunities.

Lauren Bizzell

Lauren Bizzell returns to Rock the District’s Acoustic Show after last year’s debut. Her passion for music realized at a very young age, Lauren has been influenced by the music that filled her home during her earliest years. “I love a lot of the music my mom always listened to and sang to me when I was really little — 80s and 90s divas like Whitney, Celine, Mariah, Martina, Shania, Trisha and Faith,” Lauren explains. And although she loves many different types of music, Lauren’s vocals lean more toward the country music she hears most often at home.

Lauren has performed in numerous talent shows and events. A sophomore at Cactus Shadows, she takes guitar class and is a member of the choir. Lauren is also a member of the Ignite Worship Team Band at church. This summer, she was instrumental in organizing, hosting and also performing at several open mic events at a local coffee house. Lauren enjoys spending time with family and friends, attending high school ministry, and volunteering… but mostly, she loves singing and playing music.