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HEATH ― Anyone walking by the driveway at the Lutzes’ house at the end of the cul-de-sac could hear Sunday‘s band practice loud and clear.

Jack Lutz, 17, of Heath, and his bandmates — Jaxson Tackett, 16, of Marion; Henry Byrne, 17, of Hilliard; and Alex Brannon, 18, of Newark — rocked out in the wood-paneled basement to an upbeat rock song called “Moron” that Byrne wrote. Together, they call themselves Aura.

The guys played with the confidence of a band that had been playing together for years ― a mighty feat for a group whose members have met in person only a few times.

Aura is different from most other high school rock bands in that none of its members go to the same school, or really knew each other before they started the band, said Lutz, a Heath High School junior.

“We all just met each other through music,” Lutz said.

Aura will play its first big show Saturday at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s High School Rock Off in Cleveland. The group will play in a preliminary competition against 37 other high school bands from across the country. The first-place band receives $1,000 in cash, and $250 is donated to the winner’s high school music program.

Lutz, who has played guitar for a decade, also plays in an alternative rock band with school friends called the Rapid Jags. In June, the Rapid Jags played a show at Columbus‘ Big Room Bar alongside Byrne’s solo act and Brannon‘s two-man group, the Reedy Weeps. The three became fast friends and promised to collaborate.

More: Heath students to play in competition at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Then in November, Lutz‘s group was asked to play at a benefit concert put on by Rock This Way, a classic-rock cover band from Licking County. There, he met Tackett and singer Davey McLandish. After the show, Tackett told Lutz that he wanted to write music together. They started texting that night about ideas, and Aura was born.

“We just thought, ‘Wow, this band would be really killer,’” Lutz said.

Although McLandish is Aura‘s official lead singer, he can‘t compete in the Rock Off because he graduated from high school in 2013, so Byrne will take over lead vocals, and Brannon will step in as the band’s bass player.

Tackett said Aura‘s sound is heavily inspired by ’70s bands such as Mötley Crüe, Queen and ABBA.

Lutz said they knew it would be a challenge to write music when they live miles apart (and lack driver‘s licenses or cars to get them anywhere.) Byrne said he had never met Tackett before their first practice.

But Lutz likens Aura‘s music-writing process to that of one of his favorite groups, The Postal Service.

The Postal Service is a collaboration between Death Cab for Cutie‘s Ben Gibbard and electronic artist Jimmy Tamborello. The duo worked on their album separately and sent CDs with music back and forth, adding melodies, lyrics and other instruments as they went.

The local bandmates spend hours texting song ideas to each other throughout the day (and sometimes during their classes), which Lutz said helps them make the most of their time together.

“One night I wrote a guitar riff and sent it out to everyone,” Lutz said. “Within 30 minutes, Jaxson had a drum line, Henry sent over a second guitar riff, and we did it all over text.”

And although it can be difficult sometimes to practice when the band members are all over central Ohio, all the guys said it‘s the dedication to music that keeps them going.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

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