Local guitarist, band stage summer assault

When Corning's Derek King is asked to write an essay on what he did this summer, he won't have to say he went to any concerts, because he and his band mates WERE the concert.

The 14-year-old six-string wunderkind plays lead guitar for X-Factor, a five-piece band with members ranging in age from 11 to 15-years-old.

No weekend garage band, X-Factor made the musical rounds this summer playing at events that included the Glenn County Fair in Orland, the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) 2008 Picnic Day celebration, and the California State Fair in Sacramento.

Along with King's frenetic finger work the band features Will Santana from Chico on bass, Jake Davis from Durham on drums, and vocals are shared between Melissa Camozzi from Paradise and Landon Britton from French Gulch.

Forget about sugar-coated pop ditties, X-Factor shreds with the best of the hard rock and heavy metal beast, with their set list being more in the Ozzy Osborne and Metallica vein, pulsing with the pure energy of youth.

Their musical chops have drawn high praise by event organizers who booked the band and advise others to do the same.

Sandy Pharn, entertainment director of the UC Davis 2008 Picnic Day, lavished praise on the fab five, gushing, "Their performance was incredible; I was absolutely amazed by their guitar skills." She added, "My assistant was also blown away by their performance and talent as he exclaimed, ‘They played
like gods. I say we have them back but on main stage.'"

While King and the rest of the band members get back into the routine of the school year, they can at least look back at a summer where they rocked NorCal and made a name for themselves and their musical abilities.

Craig Purcell may be contacted at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.