Canton Band To Be Featured On E! TV Show 'Opening Act'

CANTON (WWJ) - A local pop band made up of teenagers from Canton will be in the national spotlight Monday night. TwentyForSeven will perform on the E! channel show "Opening Act."

WWJ's Sandra McNeill spoke to Guitarist Blake Hayes, who said the show's producer Nygel Lythgoe discovered the band online.

"We decided to start doing covers on YouTube and we never really thought anything would come from it," said Hayes. "And Nigel's talent scouting team came along and found us on there, and the show happened."

This talented group didn't even know they were being considered for this opportunity until the show's host came face to face with them. Once selected, TwentyForSeven members were whisked off to Hollywood for an intense week-long boot camp where they were groomed for the one-of-a-kind experience of opening for national headlining act Gym Class Heroes.

Hayes admits the experience was a little rough at first for all the band members, who are all under 20-years-old -- especially when the lead singer was heaped with criticism over his voice. Hayes said it was a case of nerves.

"That, and we couldn't really hear ourselves," said Hayes. "That kind of makes it a little more difficult."

Hayes can't reveal too much about the show, except that it all works out in the end.

The band, whose sound Hayes described as "a weird marriage of pop, punk and rock,"  has a single being released on Monday. Hayes hopes the band can go all the way to the top, but if it does, he swears the four young men who've known each other since the third grade won't become a group of big egos.

"We feel that today, people get too caught up in themselves," he said. "They're too egotistical at times...rather than 'I'm doing what I love and I want to share it with people. That's really what we want to do."

TwentyForSeven members include: Rajiv Dhall on vocals and guitar; Hayes on guitar and vocals; Matt Pastor on bass, keys and vocals; and Corey De Luca on drums. The Salem High School graduates starting performing together during their senior year and have been making music together ever since.

"We're just four best friends," he said. "At the end of the day, we're here to keep each other in check."

"Opening Act" airs Monday, July 16 at 10 p.m. on E! television. To learn more about TwentyForSeven, visit their Facebook page.