Best Of CLE: Unexpected Rock Stars

While they may not be able to get into the club, Fake ID's teenaged rockers have the chops of any vet in town.

It’s not everyday you witness a band of 12- to 15-year-olds absolutely wail on Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”

Yet there’s Fake ID, chugging through the sinister heavy metal classic with style and skill to spare, cresting a wave of pummeling sound outside Crocker Park’s Nordstrom Rack. Yes, the cover act’s ages often precludes bars and clubs from their tour dates, but Fake ID’s easy poise and undeniable chops tend to draw a crowd wherever they plug in.

After meeting in a local School of Rock program, the current lineup of vocalist Norah Hyman, guitarist Ryan McKendry and drummer Ethan Ventresca began playing together, and soon netted gigs playing Led Zeppelin and Nirvana tracks at the Symposium, Stella’s Music Club, Ohio Bike Week and more.

Now, the band is working on refining their own sound, with a debut EP of original material due soon. “Judge us by our music,” says Ventresca, “not our age.” fakeidofficialband.com

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Celebrate with us at the Best of Cleveland Party Friday, Oct. 25 at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.