Clear Lake garage band gets a big break via internet
A garage band from Clear Lake turned into overnight rock gods after a video of their very first performance went viral.
The June 2 performance at the high school graduation party for drummer Caeden Breneman, 18, was the first time Nick and the Groove had performed live, said Andie Connors, mother of 16-year-old Nick, the lead singer.
During their set, the band performed a cover of Heart’s “Barracuda.” A video of their rendition has since been viewed more than 339,000 times on YouTube. The video was plucked out of obscurity and posted on Reddit’s r/videos forum, where it reached the site’s front page.
“It was completely unexpected. It was our first gig and we didn’t even have a name for the band,” Nick Connors said.
“I was shocked at how good we sounded together.”
Nick and the Groove formed at the end of May and prior to the graduation party, they had only practiced three times, Andie Connors said. The five band members met through School of Rock Clear Lake, a music school.
The other band members are Erich Niekamp, 18, on guitar; Raine McClane, 16, on keyboard and backup vocals; and Emily Klang, 15, on bass and backup vocals.
“None of us parents had heard them perform as a group up until that point, so we were all shocked at how fantastic they sounded for a first performance,” Andie Connors said.
The band has since played gigs at Capone’s Oven and Bar and The West End: A Public House in Houston and Wildcatter Saloon in Katy.
They have lined up five more gigs in September thanks to the success of their video.