Childsplay: Never Too Young to Start

For every kid in the world who dreams of being in a band, hoping to one day bask in the limelight of an audience, only a tiny percentage of them manage to achieve that dream. And for those who actually do, how many can say they've released an EP, played at large public venues and been compared to the early Ramones – all by the time they're in Grade 8?

Jaden (age 14), William (age 14), Mishel (age 13) and Levin (age 12) of the budding Vancouver band Childsplay were just your average elementary school kids doing what they do best: snowboarding, playing hockey, hanging out with friends and of course, listening to lots and lots of music. Then, one day, they decided to take their passion for punk-rock music a step further. "I was really into music and bands like System of a Down and thought it would be the coolest thing to have a band," says Childsplay guitarist Jaden, who is entering Grade 9 this year at King George Secondary in Vancouver. He and his younger brother Levin called up friends William and Mishel, and Childsplay was born.

Although the band has only been together for ten months, they've already played at local venues like the Media Club and Tom Lee Music Hall. They have also released their debut EP, influenced by bands like The Ramones, Theory of a Deadman, Yellowcard and Guns N' Roses. Their album's message? "Have fun and enjoy your life. Don't take anything too seriously, except for videogames," jokes Levin, who is completing his last year of elementary school this year.

Learning the value of hard work, Childsplay's members have reaped the rewards of their determination as they reflect on their successes over the ten-month span. "I think that having our first CD was great and knowing that people really like our music is good to hear," muses lead singer Mishel. "I'm really proud for all that's happened to us." Jaden adds, "It's the greatest thing that other people like our music as much as we like playing it, because other bands that are much older are always telling us that we are lucky for starting out young and we're glad we did. This was our first year and we want to really push harder next year."

So how does Childsplay want to push forward? "Well, I see us playing at much larger venues and headlining some great shows," says Jaden. "We would like to make this our career, playing large venues and making money at this."

With their teenage lives just beginning and a record deal already in the works, a music career is certainly not childsplay for this Vancouver band.

Their space:
myspace.com/thechildsplay