Young rockers hit it big with ode to Steelers

By KATHRYN SHERANKO Eagle Staff Writer

January 31, 2009 Last Updated: January 31, 2009 11:49 AM Community

The Pop Rocks are, from left, keyboardist Sara Santa, 11, of Slippery Rock; bass player Connor McCandless, 11, of Harmony; drummer Drew Santa, 14, of Slippery Rock; singer Courtney Brown, 12, of Slippery Rock; guitarist Elijah Davis, 12, of Harmony; and electric violinist Elektra Davis, 11, of Harmony.

Clad in Steelers apparel, a group of six 11- to 14-year-olds is performing a parody of Pat Benetar's "Heartbreaker" to cheer the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game Jan. 18.

"Everyone else is doing it, and we have a band here," said Duane Davis, owner of the Davis School of Guitar Performance in Lancaster Township.

Davis is the father of two members of the band, The Pop Rocks, which has become a YouTube sensation with its anthem for Steeler Nation in the weeks leading up to Super Bowl XLIII. So far, the video has been viewed more than 350,000 times.

"We just adapted ("Heartbreaker") to have some fun," Davis said. "It's a good song and they play it with conviction."

With all of its members from the Seneca Valley or Slippery Rock school districts, the band is a product of Davis's Summer Rock Shop, during which more than 300 student musicians created 10 bands that performed throughout the summer.

<table width="300" height="275" border="0" align="right" valign="top" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><embed src="/assets/mov/BE63897131.MOV" width="320" height="250" autostart="true" loop="false" ></embed></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/" target="_blank">Requires Quicktime Media Player </a> Video by Brandon Gerthoffer<td></tr></table>Some groups played to crowds at Horse Trading Days in Zelienople, the Regatta at Lake Arthur and the Strand Theater Initiative's Northern Nightmares Halloween event, Davis said.The majority ended their tenure with the rock shop concert in early September.The Pop Rocks and a few other groups proved to Davis they had what it took to keep going."I hear kids say all the time, 'We're putting a band together,' but I see it very rarely where they're actually good," Davis said."It's not for everybody, and not all the bands play at this level," he said. "That's why I kept The Pop Rocks — they work hard."So hard that the band garnered the attention of a Pittsburgh radio station, which invited The Pop Rocks to perform the tune at a Steelers pep rally last weekend.Invitations keep coming, Davis said, including one from Steelers fan club Steel City Mafia to perform at a pep rally in Tampa, Fla., prior to the Super Bowl kickoff."That would be cool," said Elijah Davis, 12, The Pop Rocks' guitarist."We wanted to do a Steelers song because the Steelers are in the playoffs and they had one more game until the Super Bowl," he said. "We're all big fans."Violinist Elektra Davis, 11 said "Heartbreaker" has become one of her favorite songs.Elektra has watched herself in the video about 10 times with her friends, who support her, she said."People tell me it gets stuck in their heads," she said.Drummer Drew Santa, 14, called "Heartbreaker" a promotion for both the Steelers and The Pop Rocks."Hopefully it will be a motivation for the Steelers to win but it's also a way to get our band out there," he said.

The video's 350,000 views were "surprisingly high" to Drew, who performs alongside keyboardist Sara, 11, his sister."I think that its really cool that they're all really good friends," said Drew and Sara's mother, Christine."It's a nice venue for them. They have a lot of fun with it," she said.When the video first appeared online, Christine Santa e-mailed the link to everyone she knew, as did Kim Brown, mother of singer Courtney Brown, 12."I'm excited for the kids, I think its great for them," Kim Brown said.Courtney is not new to the microphone, having sung during church services, for weddings and at school talent shows."As long as the band is together, she'll be there," Kim Brown said.Connor McCandless, 11, has been playing bass guitar for about 18 months.Playing concerts and meeting new people are the best parts of being in The Pop Rocks, he said."I think its really amazing how far we've gone," he said.The Pop Rocks put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears to be successful but band practice is a balance of work and play, Davis said."It takes a lot of work and a lot of team effort, and they're all friends and they hang out," he said. "It's a family, you know?"

"Heartbreakers, the Pittsburgh Steelers"Our defense is a tidal waveSpilling over your headDrowning you in black and goldThe colors you should dreadGot the right kind of playersTo deliver LeBeau's strategyThe invincible winnersPittsburgh Steelers will always beWe're the Steel CurtainYou'll be hurtin'That's for certainDon't you mess with Steeler D(repeat)Parker will set the field on fireRunning outta controlBen thows the ball to Hines WardAnd it crosses the goalGot a red hot offenseAnd the number one defense in the leagueThe invincible winnerPittsburgh Steelers will always beWe're the HeartbreakersRing TakersShame makersDon't you mess with Steeler D(repeat + to Tampa it will be)We're the Steel CurtainYou'll be hurtin'That's for certainDon't you mess with Steeler DWe're the HeartbreakersRing TakersShame makersDon't you mess with Steeler D

WHAT: The Pop Rocks' "Heartbreaker" available for downloadWHERE: www.myspace.com/thepoprockssixCOST: $1.50; proceeds benefit the UMPC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Free Care Fund

WHAT: The Pop Rocks perform at NorthBridge Community ChurchWHEN: 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., SundayWHERE: Church meets at Haine Middle School, 1516 Haine School Road, Cranberry TownshipCOST: None, open to the public