Many a great band has been started by an upstart group of youngsters with instruments and a make-shift practice space and the teens who form Secret Po-Po are hoping to follow in those footsteps – having already rocked out a few local stages.

The band consists of Matthew Witkowski (on vocals and guitar), Michael Mello (bass), Harry Dunkley (drums) and Matthew Ross (keyboards and bongos) – all of whom are only 16 years old.

"Ideally, we want to do this for the rest of our lives, you know," said Mr. Witkowski. "It would be great to be the next Rolling Stones and be trudging around on stage when we are 65 or so. That is what the goal is and we are starting to get to that stage where we have to make that choice, now we have to see where it goes."

Despite their young ages, the band members have all been playing a variety of instruments since they were under 10 years old – and they continue in lessons to hone their crafts.

They sing a mixture of genres, which range from Classic Rock to Reggae with a bit of Jazz and Hip Hop in the mix. Their repertoire includes songs by Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley, Dispatch, Jimi Hendrix, Eagles and the Steve Miller Band, among others.

Their popularity with local audiences has been growing steadily since they opened for the U2 tribute band, Elevation's concerts in March and last week they played at the finish of the End to End charity event.

Tonight the band will warm up the stage for the Bob Jovi tribute band Bed of Roses at Docksiders and tomorrow night they will again open for the overseas group at Barrs Bay Park. Both shows are being organised by 441 Productions for Mother's Day weekend and Ed Fox is also slated to perform.

The band came together originally, about two and a half years ago, as school mates with an interest in music. "Me, Matthew (Ross) and Michael all know each other because we all go to Saltus," Mr. Witkowski said. "The three of us decided that we wanted to start a band, so after inquiring at the drum institutes, we came into contact with Harry (who attends Warwick Academy)."

Rehearsal space was at first an issue. "I remember the first time we met, we were just playing down in his (Harry's) bedroom," Mr. Witkowski said.

Since that time however, Mr. Dunkley's parents have converted part of a barn they had into a studio for Secret Po Po.

The band drew its catchy name straight from the school experience.

"About two years ago we were in a GCSE History class, me and Matt (Witkowski), and we were talking about the Czars and all of that stuff," said Mr. Mello.

"We were also talking about Lenin's Secret Police and one kid shouted out, 'Secret Po Po' and at the same time we were trying to come up with a name and I thought that kind of works."

Aside from this weekend's concerts, they have a regular gig at Flanagan's Irish Pub and Restaurant and upcoming gigs for the Family Centre (May 15) and at Barrs Park for the Newport-Bermuda Yacht race (June 27).

The band practices four hours a week, usually on Sundays.

"Sometimes it is a bit of a struggle getting everything together, but we really value it, it is important to us, so we really try to get together as much as we can. It is a big part of our lives," Mr. Witkowski said.

The teens say they have managed to keep up their studies despite their ascending presence on the local music scene. And they have even managed to record a single and an album, due to follow in June, at Just Platinum Studios. "We have a single coming out and it is called 'Say What You Will' and that is going to be out this weekend and it will be available on You Tube, MySpace and in some stores," said Mr. Dunkley.

Their debut single shows that they are not a group of kids that lack social awareness.

"I do a soup run with the Salvation Army and we see a lot of homeless people out there and the song basically is about someone who is on the street, but doesn't really care," said Mr. Witkowski.

"They are happy, because they are on their own and they are not taking handouts. You hear stories about people who are on the streets, but that is their own choice.

"It seems like a funny thing to me that someone would do something like that, but that is what the song is about."

The members of Secret Po-Po are pleased with their success to date and thankful for all the support they have had from family, friends and teachers.

"It started off as a hobby and now it is more a job," Mr. Witkowski said.

Mr. Dunkley and Mr. Mello said as the gigs roll in, it feels like their efforts are paying off. "We are not very successful, but we are playing places," said Mr. Dunkley. "I mean it is a good feeling."

"It'll be a great thing to be able to do for your entire life," added Mr. Mello.

"When I look at the calendar and I just see all the Xs, I think 'well I'm pretty busy' and you start to think to yourself that maybe we can do something with this," said Mr. Ross.

But the reality of being young is that there are so many choices to be made and turns in the road ahead and the boys are aware of this.

"This summer will probably be our most important in our young history, because we're running out of time really when you think about it, because we are going to be in university in 2009 and Harry is going away," said Mr. Ross. "So this summer is going to be a good challenge for us."

It's a challenge they feel up to although the boys admit their recent success has yet to pay off on all fronts.

"We have a very loyal fan base but we don't have any groupies, yet, and yet is the key word," said Mr. Witkowski.

Limited tickets, $50 in advance, are available for tonight's performances of Secret Po Po and Bed of Roses at Docksiders from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets for tomorrow's performances at Barrs Bay Park, from 7 p.m. to midnight, are $50. Tickets are available at All Wrapped Up, the iStore and Goslings.