The Curly Fries is a rock cover band composed of six Claremont High School freshmen. The six musicians officially came together in the fall of 2024, when founder Massimo Salcido started the Rock Band Club at El Roble. Lead singer Dexter Estrada explained how the band was formed.
“Massimo brought us all together when he formed the club,” Estrada said. “From there, we began to practice every Wednesday. It was after we started getting good that Mr. Brown asked us to play at the Eighth Grade Party.”
Jeffery Brown, the El Roble music director, reached out to The Curly Fries about the possibility of them performing at the graduation party, and the band was excited to have landed their first gig. There, they blew the crowd away with songs like “All Star” by Smash Mouth and “Can’t Stop” by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Singer and drummer Alyssa Florio explained the band’s success.
“After the Eighth Grade Party, we made a bit of a name for ourselves,” Florio said. “Our second gig was at a house party, and we were scheduled to play at a wedding not long after.”
The band agrees that they are looking for more opportunities to play locally and expand their community. They hope to compete in a “Battle of the Bands”—a local musical competition between multiple bands—and perform at a school dance this year. “We’re open to new members, too,” Florio said. “Even if you don’t know an instrument yet. If you want to learn, we can teach you.”
Many of the members are in the CHS band program and have busy schedules outside of The Curly Fries. Michael Tristan, the saxophonist, runs track and cross country; Mickey Carrillo, the rhythm guitarist, skates in his free time; and Eli Moore, the bassist, is on the Speech and Debate team. Estrada is a basketball player, and Florio plays flag football and is a Girl Scout. When asked who their major musical inspirations were, they all answered, “The Beatles!” in unison. “They’ve influenced a lot of my guitar playing,” Estrada said.
Florio also added that alternative rock bands like Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead have heavily shaped the sound of The Curly Fries. “Buddy Rich, the most iconic jazz drummer, is definitely my number one role model in the industry,” Florio said.
The Curly Fries have all had their unique experiences with music and instruments. Tristan and Moore share their musical journeys. “I first considered playing the flute, but it never felt right,” Tristan said. “It was when I picked up the saxophone that I knew it was the instrument for me.”
Moore originally played piano from ages four to ten. Then, his piano teacher introduced him to the genres of jazz and funk, and he discovered the bass.
The six members want to shout out to Rick Melanson, Claremont Unified School District’s jazz director. “Mr. Melanson has always been the big inspiration,” Florio said. “He taught us so much!”
“If you want to do something in life, you just have to push through,” Estrada said. “We didn’t know we were going to be anything when we started. Then we got gigs, started playing, and we’re really growing. If you have a passion or an idea, run with it.”
