They walked the same hallways, sat in the same desks and ate in the same cafeteria. Now they share the same stage.
Two local original bands involving members from Rancocas Valley Regional High School shared the limelight on Friday as they competed for the Best Breakout Philly Artist Award at Six Flags-Great Adventure.
The contest, a production of MTV2, selected three finalists from 153 applicants from the Philadelphia area to take part in the final showdown in front of more than 7,000 audience members on Friday at Six Flags. In the end, it was the Mount Holly-based DaCav5 edging out their fellow schoolmates Rushmore and Philadelphia-based Atlantic Avenue for the honor of winning a Video Music Award.
Each band was allowed three songs during a 12-minute set to try to earn the adoration of fans and judges.
"I'm getting a Moon Man," said 2003 Rancocas Valley graduate Michael Pericoloso, referring to the MTV award depicting an astronaut traditionally given to winners of the Video Music Awards. "How many people can say they got a Moon Man?"
Pericoloso, who goes by the name "Mikey P," fellow Rancocas Valley graduate Michael Henriquez, who goes by Mike-eee, and their three band mates B-Roc, Ben Official, and Krysten will be announced as winners of the Best Breakout Philly Artist at the VMA's and a clip of their performance will be able to be viewed on Comcast On Demand. Updates for DaCav5 can be found at its official site at www.myspace.com/dacav5.
Pericoloso said he believed the band's unique style and fan support helped them vault to top.
"The best way to describe our style is really that we don't have a genre," he said with a laugh. "Yeah, we do some hip-hop and some rap but we mix it all up. We have five different people with five different ideas and put it all together to make a sound."
Fans and friendly rival bands compare DaCav5's style to the Los Angeles hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas. DaCav5 is working on recording its fifth album.
"It's great to be compared to BEP because they took every genre and blended it together and that's what we try to do," Pericoloso said.
Rushmore, which falls into more of the punk rock genre, has an even bigger Rancocas Valley flavor. Four of the five members including Travis Coffin, Jason Fox, Jordan Gershowitz and Derek Williams are from Rancocas Valley and drummer Mark Miller is from Philadelphia.
Although Rushmore didn't take the top spot at Six Flags on Friday, the band has been using shows of this caliber to catapult to elite status.
"It was a thrill getting to play in front of so many people," said Gershowitz. "The fans gave us a great reaction. Although we would have loved to have won, it was just great to be part of that. This summer has really been a launching point for us."
Coffin said he enjoyed the excitement of playing a different venue with a large gathering.
"I'm not going to say I didn't have butterflies," Coffin said. "But we were able to go out there and play a great show and that's what counts."
Shortly after packing up their gear at Six Flags, Rushmore began an 11-hour drive to Fort Wayne, Ind. to play their next show with Good Charlotte, Metro Station and Cobra Starship, whose song "Good Girls Go Bad" is nominated for Best Pop Video at the upcoming VMA's.
Rushmore also earned a spot on the Vans Warped Tour and is working out a deal to sell their albums at Hot Topic clothing stores. Rushmore won mtvU's Battle of the Bands last August and opened up for the Plain White T's in front of thousands of screaming fans.
Gershowitz said the band plans to play some local venues in the near future as it focuses on distributing its CD's. Updates can be found on the band's official website at www.myspace.com/rushmorerocks.
After the heated competition, members from both DaCav5 and Rushmore acknowledged the sprouting of great original music from the Mount Holly area.
"It's great," Coffin said. "The best thing between the two bands is that there is no backstage hostility. Everyone gets along. DaCav5 is a great act and I tell you, the Black Eyed Peas have their work cut out for them."
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