When he's not going to school, Anthony Kavouklis plays late night gigs, poses for CD photo shoots and rubs elbows with blues legends like Buddy Guy. This creates a balancing act for any adult, but Anthony is 12 years old.
Ever since his band 3rd Stone got together nearly two years ago, it has scored gigs opening for Robin Trower and Col. Bruce Hampton.
3rd Stone also took the stage Saturday at the Real Big Deal Music Festival. It was one of more than 60 bands to play in the two-day festival.
The band is made up of Anthony on guitar, Wester Joseph on guitar and vocals, Eli Collins on bass and Steve Holland on drums. The members describe their sound as "different" with an emphasis on reggae, blues and soul.
Anthony's bandmates are at least 15 years his senior, but he is no stranger to playing with people older than him. His first big performance was an impromptu guitar jam with Buddy Guy at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts about two years ago.
At every show, Guy does a song where he pulls a kid from the audience on stage and teaches him to play the guitar. Anthony had been this kid a year earlier at the House of Blues in Orlando, when he accidentally ran into Guy in a stairwell during the show.
"He was roaming around trying to hear better and see better," said his father, Pete Kavouklis. "Then all of a sudden, we see him on stage in his red Jimi Hendrix shirt."
Once again, Guy was drawn to Anthony, who was wearing the same Jimi Hendrix T-shirt as he had at their last encounter. Guy stepped down into the crowd, and went straight to Anthony and his family. His mother, Leigh, told Guy that Anthony could play on his own, so Guy invited him on stage to do just that.
Anthony blew the crowd away with a perfectly played "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix. He blew Guy away too.
"He just put down his guitar and let Anthony play," Pete Kavouklis said.
The crowd gave Anthony a standing ovation, and the band was born. Collins was in the crowd and heard Anthony play that night.
"That's the moment I decided I wanted him to be our guitar player," Collins said. "It brought a little tear to my eye to see him. He did real well. It's taken him until two years later to be able to play as good as he did that day."
The band met at Tim and Terry's Music and Cafe where they would often jam together. While some were reluctant to play with the young guitar whiz, Joseph, Collins and Holland gave him a chance.
Collins, 28, was born into music. His father played harmonica, and Collins followed in his footsteps starting to play at just six years old. By 14, he was already playing bass and performing in Auburn, Ala., at an Earth Day Festival.
Collins described his childhood as a hippie childhood. He lived without electricity for years and was born in a school bus in Opelika, Ala.
"I'm a naturalist," he said. "Living that way makes you appreciate things a bit more."
When he's not performing, Collins does work for Property Maintenance Services.
Holland, 27, was born and raised in Gainesville. He has been playing drums since he was six years old. He also plays guitar and bass.
"I can make sense out of pretty much anything," Holland said. "My dad and uncle were musicians, and I learned from them."
Joseph, 31, was 15 when he borrowed a friend's guitar. Before he knew it, he was hooked on the black 1968 Gibson Flying V with yellow polka dots.
"I remember thinking it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw," Joseph said.
At 17, he performed in front of a crowd for the first time with his band Buddha and the Blessed Child in his hometown of Naples, Fla. Joseph said performing is unlike anything else.
"They come in, and they're right in your face, and so like when you sweat, you sweat right on them. It's like they're looking right at you," Joseph said. "You get an immediate reaction, right away."
Joseph writes all of the music for 3rd Stone and even named the band. He originally started 3rd Stone as a Jimi Hendrix cover band, but what evolved became so much more.
Next month 3rd Stone will begin recording at Full Sail University, a top recording studio and entertainment school in Orlando. They were given the opportunity after a prominent sound technician Mike McCullough took an interest in the band.
"We are really excited about recording," Pete Kavouklis said. "We want 3rd Stone to become a real serious band."
3rd Stone will be playing Nov. 1 at the Micanopy Fall Harvest Festival and Nov. 8 at the Downtown Festival and Art Show. They also frequently play local venues such as Market Street and Tim and Terry's Music and Café.
