Band of Southern Arizona brothers advance in Alice Cooper contest

The Velasquez brothers played their first public concert in 2010 in a park near their former Chandler home.

It was a benefit for victims of the Haiti earthquake and the boys, who had been toying around with music, decided to hold a little jam session.

For six hours that day, they played the same three songs and raised $50 to $100.

“We sent that money to Haiti,” said Alex, the now 22-year-old middle brother.

That first taste of performing before an audience, even if it was just people passing along in a city park, was the spark that led Alex, older brother Gabriel and baby brother Nico down a rock ‘n’ roll path.

Last month, the brothers, who have lived in San Manuel for six years and call themselves Beyond Your Reach, were among 300 bands and artists competing in Alice Cooper’s annual Proof is in the Pudding music competition in late September.

They made it past the first round and were among the 25-30 to move on to round two, held earlier this week. Band and soloist winners will advance to the semifinals being held in Goodyear in November.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

The finals will be held in Phoenix, and the winning band and soloist will get a cash prize and an opening slot for Cooper’s 2024 Christmas Pudding concert in Phoenix.

“I feel like we have a pretty good shot,” said 24-year-old Gabriel, the band’s lead guitar; Alex plays drums and is lead singer and Nico, 19, plays bass and sings backup.

The brothers write their own music, much of it leaning into 1980s rock circa Van Halen and Led Zeppelin, Gabriel said. They slip in a cover now and again, and their shows, including Biketober Fest on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Shooters, 3115 E. Prince Road, are high-energy affairs.

The brothers tell people their band is from Tucson — it’s easier than explaining they are from the small mining town an hour north of here. They have played a handful of local shows but mostly they play in the Phoenix area.

Alex said winning Proof is in the Pudding could be a game changer, one that Nico said could allow the brothers to take their music “as far as it can go.”

“I love to play music and I want it to be a career,” said Nico, who graduated last spring from San Manuel High School. “I think the fact that we love doing it is going to help in the long run.”

The Tucson band Znora won the 2023 Proof is in the Pudding. On Oct. 25, Znora will open for the legendary Southern rock band ZZ Top at Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.

Saturday’s Biketober Fest, sponsored by Old Pueblo Riders, is from 4-10 p.m. Admission is free, and proceeds from a 50/50 raffle will benefit the Arizona Schools for the Deaf and Blind. For more information, visit shooterstucson.com.