Check out that 'Posterboy'

When Tyler, 17, and Clint Cornfield, 18, were in the fourth and fifth grades, the brothers attended their first concert ever: Huey Lewis and the News. What they could not have imagined at the time is that years later they would be the opening act for Huey Lewis at a Live Nation show in Concord. But the brothers did just that last month after their band, Posterboy, took first place in the High School Battle of the Bands held at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord. The grand prize was playing the opening act for a Pavilion show, as well as 24 hours of recording time at Expressions College for Digital Arts in Emeryville, $100 cash and $100 for the Foothill High School Music Program.

"What a feeling," Clint said. "It was so exciting!"

The Foothill High School siblings (Clint recently graduated and Tyler will be a senior), who refer to each other as best friends, taught themselves guitar at a young age and have been performing at Coffee Beans & Bistro in Pleasanton, where they can be seen on occasional Friday nights. Others may have seen them at the Unity Skateshop in Livermore, The Loft in San Ramon, the Bay Area Music Club at Foothill High School, or most recently at the Amador Theater and the Alameda County Fair.

Although the brothers are making a name for themselves with their current band, this isn't their first stab at the music scene. Tyler, an avid music writer, singer, guitar, piano and percussions player, started his first band in 2001. Called Special No Body, this pop punk band was made up of Tyler, Clint on the bass and a close friend on the drums. Special No Body stayed together for four years. Later, after getting together with a drummer from Foothill, both Tyler and Clint formed a new band called The Willits Malicia. This progressive pop punk band lasted only a year, breaking up when the drummer moved away. It was at this point that both Tyler and Clint decided to move on their own and begin their new quest. They bought a computer and started recording acoustics. This became the sound of Posterboy, which they classify as an acoustic rock band. In June of 2005, Posterboy was not only formed, but launched its first 7-song CD entitled "Everything That Makes You Wonder" and sold more than 50 copies.

But the real thrill arrived for the Cornfield brothers on May 17 when they entered Posterboy in the High School Battle of the Bands. After paying an entry fee of $50 and sending in a media packet, Posterboy was chosen as one of the 20 bands from more than 100 entries to compete in the show. Ten bands performed on Friday and 10 performed on Saturday. With screaming fans in the audience, Posterboy was given 15 minutes to perform on Friday night and they played four of their original songs from their newest CD, "Sing It If You Know It," which was released in April. Posterboy was judged by 5-10 judges, which included a Sony Record representative, Tony Hicks of the Valley Times and the general manager of the Chronicle Pavilion. But, unlike the popular American Idol show where Paula, Simon and Randy give their two cents worth to each contestant, these judges kept quiet and watched each band perform, engaging in no interaction with the musicians after each performance. The Battle of the Bands judges had the responsibility of choosing five bands to perform for the grand finale on Saturday night. Of course, Posterboy was chosen to be in the final five, and eventually went on to win the first place title.

So what's on the horizon for Posterboy? Clint will be attending California State University, Monterey in the fall. He says that he will definitely be driving back for upcoming shows and practices. Tyler, who will be a senior at Foothill, is looking for fame, and fast.

"I want Posterboy to go on the Warped Tour and perform," he said. The Warped Tour is a touring music festival in which bands are chosen and travel throughout the United States performing at various venues. He hopes the band will gain larger fame by the end of the summer.

In the meantime, both Tyler and Clint, who work part-time at The Rose Hotel, are using their 24 hours of recording time and are currently working on a new CD, which is expected to be released late this summer. This soon-to-be 6-song CD will once again feature original music written by Tyler, including songs like, "Puerto Rico called--they want their dance moves back." Well Tyler and Clint, Pleasanton called and they are happy that they have your music here.

To find out about upcoming Posterboy shows, visit www.posterboy.com. CDs are available at Tower Records and online at www.towerrecords.com and http://cdbaby.com.