It's about 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning and Dave Bielunis, 17, is rising and shining like any normal high school senior. He's got the same things on his mind that many guys do his age do: the SAT's, college, a schedule that includes 3 AP classes, a part-time job at CVS, and, of course, getting chicks. But Dave stands out. There is a single aspect of his life that makes him different and special when compared to his peers.

That one thing is Frick. That's right, Frick: the pop punk band from the small town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts that consists of four high school seniors: Dave, the bassist, Sean, the drummer, and Mike and Jess both guitarists and vocalists. Making music that is greatly influenced by such bands as Blink 182, Green Day, and Less Than Jake, these boys have been together since freshman year. "We're really good friends," reflects Dave, "and we think that's the strongest point of our band." And strong they are, for they have accomplished much for their age: a demo tape in the summer of 1999, countless local shows, and finally, a 12-song album, released in late spring of 2000.

But like any successful group, the band has been through its ups and downs, including personal issues that have come close to putting the band in jeopardy, and some embarrassing moments. "There was one show we played sophomore year," Dave explains. "We played at our school lock-in; that's when all the sophomores stay overnight. But we were so horrible back then it took us an hour and a half to get all set up, and we didn't actually play until 3 in the morning, after the DJ stopped. We sucked so bad then nobody watched us." Times certainly have changed for Frick since that face-reddening moment, and since their first show ever, which took four years ago in the drummer's back yard. Public shows come casually to them now. For example, an annual show called 'Samble Fest,' in which the band plays for a large crowd on an island in the Connecticut River. The release of their first full-length album, 'Spicy Chicken,' deserves much credit for this small surge of popularity. The album, which earned its name from the band members' favorite school lunch, is the product of something the band has always wished to accomplish. "We always wanted to make a CD," says Dave, "and we found this place called Zing Recording Studios, in Westfield, from a couple of other bands in our school." Making the CD was anything but a simple process. Even with the help of their producer, Jim Fogarty, it took over twenty hours to record, and even involved one stay at Zing until one o'clock in the morning on a school night.

And so it happened that on April 12, 2000, Frick achieved its first major dream. Although the band works hard for everything it achieves, the members still have a tremendous amount of fun with what they do. Take band practices, for example. "Band practices are usually full of swearing, laughing, making fun of each other, and learning music," Dave elaborates. "We're pretty serious when we have new material to learn, but usually we just practice old songs, so we can fool around and do whatever we want with them." It's no surprise, therefore, that going crazy is a regular routine of Dave and his band mates. "We always do stupid things like driving around and videotaping things just for fun." The band is considering putting some of these videos onto their webpage, which is maintained by their drummer.

Although a prodigious amount of work goes into the band's success, it is anything but an unpleasant experience. When asked what his least favorite part of being in Frick is, Dave responds by saying, "I don't think there's anything bad about being in Frick. I love being in the band, I love my band members." Indeed, being in Frick has been quite a pleasant experience for all four members. It gives them an excuse to hang out and have fun, and people even think that they're cooler than normal, simply because they're in a band. "Everything about it is great," Dave says. "It's probably one of the best things that ever happened to me."

It's about midnight on Saturday, and Dave, exhausted, is flopping into his bed. He reflects on the day's events, including his early morning in school and the afternoon band practice. He's got the same thing on his mind that many people his age do: He better get to bed, because he has to go to work tomorrow morning.

Comming Soon ... Music in Longmeadow, a Review of Frick's new cd "Spicy Chicken"