Alicia Wagner Calzada | 210SA Contributor Lea Garcia fronts Oridium. The band is completed by Garon Garcia (guitar), Aaron Garcia (bass) and Jonathan Rodriguez (drums).

THEY ARE: Oridium

THE SOUND: Progressive melodic rock. “I always say Tool meets Metallica meets Evanescence,” lead singer Lea Garcia said.

THE MEMBERS: Lea Garcia, lead vocals; Aaron Garcia, guitar, backup vocals; Garon Garcia, bass; Jonathan Rodriguez, drums

THE BACKGROUND: “It's like a family thing,” Lea said of the band. Aaron and Garon are fraternal twins, and Lea is their younger sister. Rodriguez isn't related to the Garcias, but his identical twin brother, Jason, is Lea's longtime boyfriend. Whew. The Garcias' parents also are involved, attending every show and letting the band practice in their house. They even went with Oridium on their recent West Coast tour. “Oh, yeah, they could base a sitcom on our lives,” Lea said. So the band did the next best thing: It has released two videos on YouTube of the band in the recording studio, playing, dancing and goofing off, and plan to release more.

WHERE TO SEE THEM: Oridium will play Sam's Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., on Saturday, Sept. 15.

THE WEB: myspace.com/oridium13; find a link to the band's YouTube videos at oridium.net

THE 210 TAKE: Oridium is just beginning to hit its stride, although Aaron and Garon Garcia, who turn 29 on Sept. 13, formed the band about nine years ago. Rodriguez, now 26, joined them about three years ago. Lea Garcia, now 24, joined the band as the drummer when she was 17, but a bout of tendonitis forced her to switch to vocals. That's a good thing because her powerful alto is probably Oridium's strongest asset. The band played the legendary Whisky a Go-Go in Hollywood in August and are scheduled for another gig there in October; their first full-length album is set to be released in the spring. Watch out for the upcoming single “Frivolous,” about a girl who triumphs over a guy who treats her badly. And if you're wondering — the band’s name is a twist on the element iridium, one of the harder metals. “We're kind of science buffs,” Garon said.

Jessica Belasco | 210SA contributor