J. Michael Short | Freelancer

THEY ARE: Verisimilitude, a teen rock band featuring Cody Stubblefield, 18, and A.J. Turner, 17, on guitar; Feliza Salazar, 15, on drums; Dakota Appelbaum, 14, on bass; and Zach Appelbaum, 11, on vocals and guitar. A.J., Dakota and Zach are brothers.

THE SOUND: Hard rock

THE WEB: myspace.com/verisimilitude5

ALBUM: Verisimilitude has a demo CD and music on MySpace. Among band members' favorite tunes is “Look at You Now.” “It's about how people can get so lost in drugs, and they don't do anything for you,” Zach said.

THE BACKGROUND: The band got its start last year when it began playing at local bars and clubs. A.J., Dakota and Zach's mother, Virginia Gonzales, soon put a stop to the bar-hopping, but earlier this year, Verisimilitude found a new stage at First Friday through a family friend. They've been playing outside the Law Offices of Stewart and McLane on South Alamo Street ever since. The band espouses a pro-soldier but anti-war view in several of its songs and also does some covers. All five band members taught themselves to play their instruments. “All of our music is pretty much rock or alternative,” Dakota says. “It's funky,” Cody adds.

INFLUENCES: AC/DC, Rage Against the Machine

THEIR WORDS: “We're just really dedicated and tenacious,” Cody says. “Our music is a lot of fun.”

CURRENTLY: Verisimilitude, which means “the appearance of being true or real,” is writing more songs and planning a CD and a tour around Texas in hopes of eventually hitting it big. They say a lot of their gigs come from people noticing them at First Friday. Though they'd like to use a professional recording studio, their songs must be recorded at home because of cost constraints. Zach records his vocals in the bathroom where sound quality is best.

WHERE TO SEE THEM: Each First Friday outside the Law Offices of Stewart and McLane at 1110 S. Alamo St. They're also playing during a battle of the bands at Jack's Patio Bar and Grill at 2950 Thousand Oaks Drive on Jan. 13.

THE 210 TAKE: You won't find brooding, depressed rockers here. Verisimilitude has attitude, but is full of straight-A students who are peppy and entertaining onstage. Keep an eye on pint-sized 11-year-old Zach, who tumbles across the stage like a pinwheel.

Moises Mendoza | 210SA Contributor