AUBURN - Once again Bloodapalooza rocked Auburn with its heavy metal sound and message of community support.

The event was intended to get teens interested in Red Cross blood drives, disaster relief, first aid and child care, providing scholarships to students at schools with frequent blood drives.

West Middle School students Emily Teller, 13; Kari Oram, 14; Katelyn Hesse, 14; and Makayla Hirsh, 15, all came to hear their friends in Strong Willed.

“I actually like their music,” Teller said.

Unfinished Business, a Syracuse band, opened the event with “Life Support,” a dedication to Adam Lepak, Weedsport graduate injured in a motorcycle accident last year. Chris Smith, guitar; song writer Michal Lepore, vocals; Tony Liberatore, drums; James Strandell, guitar; and Rob O'Conner, bass guitar, played “American Barcode,” Americans being told what to buy; “Rebuild,” rebuilding the music community; “World Without Us,” what the world would be like without people; and “Manual Override,” not letting society tell you what to believe.

Lepore said he has been writing on and off for years and had previously worked with Nobody Left Better and Rodeo Machine. He attends SUNY Oswego and plans to teach Earth Science. He also helped run the audio for all the groups. Liberatore, who wants to make movies, attends Onondaga Community College, and O'Conner goes to Bryant and Stratton. Strandell and Smith work full time.

Flood, with local vocalist Alan French, and Syracusans Mike Michella on bass guitar, Steve Peterson on drums, Kyle Howe on guitar, and Jake Hedges on guitar played a number of untitled heavy metal compositions by Hedges and French. They said they “jam” and Al puts words to the music and does the arrangements. The group was full of positive energy connecting to the bobbing heads and tapping feet in the audience

Ryan Coughlin, acoustic guitarist, was added to the lineup and played midway through the event. He has been recording and touring for eight years, since he was 14. His new CD “Make It Count,” debuts in April. A one-man band, he plays all instruments on his track in addition to the guitar. Ben Scala, owner of Greenstate Studios on Rockingham Road, produced his record and helped with drums.

Coughlin's guitar was accompanied by his pre-recorded backing track. “Emergency,” “Chasing Amy,” “Memory,” “Wishing on a Star” and “Forever were the original works he played.

White Picket Fence followed Coughlin, with Kelley Clancy on the guitar, Elise Miklich singing and writing lyrics, Garret Koaski on the drums, Logan Messina on guitar and Ryan Chapman on bass. They are all seniors in different Syracuse high schools.

Elise explained how she wrote each song performed.

“Dangerous Machine” was the result of a confrontation with another band. “July” came from hanging out one July and watching a film of Garret's grandmother's birthday. “Artwork Arms” was about Elise's friend in Honor Bright leaving to tour the country. “How to Build Character” dealt with breaking out to do something different.

The band practices after school and every weekend books shows and records. It is recording a new CD, “Clocks and Calendars” at Square Studio to be released in May or June.

Strong Willed's heavy metal quintet hails from Auburn. It includes Marcus Williams on guitar, Noah Rusinko on drums, Paul Regis on bass, and singer Sean O'Grady. All attend Auburn High School. They played original songs: “Voice” (pro-life), “Monument” (straight edge), “Escape,” “Gaea” (earth pollution and preservation), “Side by Side” (friends) and “Mind Reader” (real people).

“We started because we wanted to get our message out about pro-life and straight edge,” Williams said.

Bloodapalooza may also play in Moravia again, where it was met with crowds of enthusiastic teens last year. After last year's successes in various Cayuga County locations, with 170 music loving teens in attendance at the Auburn Public Theater, Friday night's paying crowd of 22 fell far short of that goal. The Friday event was more focused on Auburn, with the entry fee hiked to $10 and the location moved to The Falcons. A last-minute cancellation by headliner The Scarlet Ending due to a death in drummer Kyle Corcoran's family didn't help.

“Last year's focus was a little different,” Gary Mann, organizer of the event, sponsored by the Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross, said. “We were trying to get the whole region involved.” Mann, 27, is also emergency services director for the Chapter.

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net