R-JENERATION: Members of local rock band enjoying success

There are few 16-year-olds who can say they've played at the Vans Warped Tour, released their own EP and opened for national touring acts.

Cameron Beck happens to have done exactly that with his band Next Generation Rising, which consists of Beck on bass and vocals, drummer Jeremy Dahl on drums and guitarist-singer Ben Tsai.

The band appreciates music. Beck and Tsai are in the top guitar ensemble at Las Vegas Academy; Dahl plays drums in the top jazz band.

For the lunchtime interview in an English classroom at Las Vegas Academy, Beck and Tsai donned Beatles shirts; Dahl wore an Ahead percussion shirt.

With their collective talent, the band has come a long way quickly.

"About two years ago, I wanted to form a band who just played music for fun and it turned into something that got a lot bigger," says Beck, the only original member of the group.

Since its inception, NGR has gone through numerous lineup changes, but they feel that the current group is the best yet.

"When we play onstage, we're really tight and easily mesh together," Tsai says. "It's nice to be able to play in a band with your good friends."

It is clear that these three are indeed good friends, consistently throwing jabs and inside jokes at one another.

Dahl chimes in about a band ritual.

"We go to Burger King together every Friday after practice," he says.

Despite their lighthearted nature, the three work diligently.

"Our practices are fun and relaxed, but we definitely get serious work done," Tsai says.

When asked about the band's musical inspiration, they mention the likes of Blink 182, Green Day and The Raconteurs. Dahl describes the band's sound as punk-alternative with blues and ska influences.

"We like to mix it up, not keep it too cookie-cutter," he notes.

The band says that their favorite gigs so far include the release show for their "Obscurities" EP at the House of Blues last year and a Halloween show where Tsai donned a woman's pumpkin costume.

Within the next year, NGR plans to find a vocalist, perform shows out of state and release a full-length album.

However, the fate of the band after they finish high school remains unknown.

"It's a hard thing to think about," Cameron says. "We figure the more we think about the future the more we're going to miss out on enjoying it now."