At the end of last year, fans of the group Spank the Monkey crowded into the Youngsville bar Route 92 waiting for the band to begin, when they were taken aback by the opening act. A group of young teens jumped on the stage and amazed the audience, belting out songs from an era before they were even thought of, like they’d lived the times themselves. What would have been even more surprising to the audience, had they known, was that the group was not even six months into performing.

It was Acadiana’s newest classic rock cover teen band Grounded, collectively comprised of Holden Hebert, 15, from New Iberia (drums), Charlie Dronet,16, from Lafayette (bass guitar and backup vocals), Cade Roland, 17, from Lafayette (keyboard), Jaida Istre, 16, from Abbeville (lead vocals), and, new to the band, guitarist, Dylan Broussard, 14, from Rayne (guitar).

The group is a product of students from the Acadiana School of the Arts (now School of Rock) in Lafayette, offering students music lessons and performance resources – with locations around the world. It’s there, in 2017, that Holden and Jaida, both 13 at the time, met and soon “had big ideas of becoming a rock band.”

In April of 2018, Charlie came along, followed by Cade and they were well on their way. By the summer of 2019,

the group was musically united and worked hard until someone allowed them on stage to perform.

Only a year into playing, Grounded’s members are making their mark at venues like The Grouse Room, Route 92, Cajun Bowl, and at large events that include the Sugarcane Festival, Rayne Frog Festival, Lafayette’s Snowball Festival – and Festival International.

From all evidence, they have done their homework in recreating the sounds of the iconic bands that they say have inspired them: Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Journey and Rush. Their renditions of Journey’s “Love Will Find You,” Toto’s “Love Isn’t Always on Time,” and their intro riff for The Beatles’ “Come Together” all get crowds going and allow the band’s members to highlight each of their distinct talents.

While School of Rock prepared the teens for their stage debuts, band members say it was quite a different feeling the first few times they actually performed in public. “Everyone’s eyes are on you, but once you focus on playing rather than the people, it gets better,” says Holden. One of the first gigs for him and Jaida was at Festival International, albeit on one of the smaller stages, but nevertheless Jaida says she was “terrified.” Charlie, on the other hand, remembers his first performance in front of a small crowd at an auditorium “wasn’t so bad.”

Sure, there were a few snafus in the beginning, like the time they were playing at The Grouse Room and didn’t realize the keyboard wasn’t connected to the amp. And another instance when a guitar string broke before a solo act and Cade mistakenly picked up Spank the Monkey’s guitar, which was left on stage.

Some surprises were better: “I didn’t expect people to come up to us after the shows,” Cade says. “Being stopped and told that I sounded good was a total surprise,” adds Jaida.

For Charlie, the eye-opener was the challenge of getting bookings. “I didn’t expect how hard it would be to find gigs,” he amazes.

The bookings, along with the management of the band’s Facebook page, are thankfully left up to a few of the Grounded parents, all of whom the band says are fully supportive and attend all performances.

With bookings on hold right now, the band has been refining their sound, rehearsing three to four hours on Sundays.

Most of the members have plans for college -with music as a major for at least one – and careers, but all seem to agree that playing will always be a part of their lives.

For now, the goals are to become better known and play larger venues and events – hopefully some outside of the state. “Like Nashville, maybe,” says Cade.

While Grounded is playing around us in Acadiana, keep an ear out for this band. If they continue to rock steady, we should see their exposure propel.

Meet Grounded People

Holden Hebert has been drumming for six years, becoming accomplished on snare and tenor drum, marimba and timpani. The last two years, he’s marched quads on the drumline for the Pride of Cajunland Band at New Iberia Senior High. He is ranked the 7th best percussionist among District Honor Bands.

Jaida Istre has a powerful, broad vocal range, coming from performing on stage for over six years, which suits the band’s rock style. She is a vocalist in the music ministry program at Vermilion Catholic High. Interestingly, Jaida is also the student athletic trainer for the VC Football Team and a member of the powerlifting and tracks teams.

Charlie Dronet has been playing bass since he was 11 years old. He is a member of the St. Thomas More Jazz Band and music ministry and plays trombone for the school’s marching band. He also plays bass in the rock band 4PLY.

Cade Roland plays multiple key instruments including the piano, organ, synth and keytar and is also “dabbling” with the talk box and harmonica. Recently, he was chosen as a member of the School of Rock Allstars that is selected from young musicians from across the country. A student of Early College Academy, he is a member of Beta Club, National Honor Society and Phi Theta Kappa.

Dylan Broussard is the youngest and newest member of the band – so new that he wasn’t available for the interview. Still, his resume, at such a young age, is impressive: playing guitar since he was 10 and a five-year student of the School of Rock. Dylan will be an upcoming freshman at Comeaux High School and already has been accepted into both of the school’s Performing Arts Academy and talented program.