Matt says R&B and pop, but Nunzio describes it differently.
R&B with an edge, but I think any type of music has at least a little bit of pop,� Nunzio says. �So to sum it all up we are mainly R&B, even though the label makes us do a pop feel to it.�
They also perform other artist�s songs because their audience knows those songs.
�They�re familiar with them, and, in a sense, we gain respect from them,� says Matt. �In the beginning, it was only cover songs. But then we got into a recording studio and Cliff Downs wrote some material for us.�
Nunzio doesn�t mind singing other artist�s songs. �I love this career with all my heart and anything that will keep the wrap of the people, I like,� he says. �When we perform these cover songs and I see people singing along, there is not one person that I don�t see in the crowd, look into their eyes and see them happy for what we are doing.�
In spite of Next Page�s solid performances in Onslow County, members of the group say there have been some embarrassing moments along the way.
For example, one time Mike stepped on his microphone stand, causing the microphone to fly up and smack him in the jaw. Another time some middle school students started pulling on a cord attached to the control panel station.
�They kept pulling on it repeatedly, and I am standing nearby when the light stand starts to tip,� Nunzio says. �I start to run towards the light and I just happen to catch it within a few seconds with my body. After that, my body was aching because the light fell on me. If I had not caught it, it would have fallen to the ground and then there could have possibly been a fire.�
On another occasion, Nunzio says he fell off the bleachers and landed flat on his back, but he quickly got back up.
�I showed (the crowd) that I was okay with great enthusiasm, and some of the crowd was laughing and some were cheering,� he says. �I
Fans have already showered the group with attention. One fan baked a cake for Chris on his birthday. Another girl had t-shirts made in each of the band members� favorite colors with Next Page printed on the front and each of their names on the back.
�I had a girl bring me a cake, a shirt from Old Navy, a card and a blown-up picture of me for my birthday which was like two weeks away,� Nunzio says. �I literally wanted to marry that girl in like 15 years. I just thought that it was so sweet of her to do that for me.�
To bring them luck, they pray before every concert. After their concerts, they meet and greet the fans.
�We just like meeting them, I know that I do,� Travis says. �They are just like us. We are grounded also, and I want to see what they enjoy about us. It just makes them and us feel good at the same time.�
They�ve been excited about the crowds in Onslow County.
�We have had a few shows of 400 to 500 people,� Chris says. �It�s crazy, and we really were not expecting it.�
The message Next Page sends to the teens at their concerts has been loud and clear.
�When they introduced themselves at the concert they told their messages right away,� says Tina Yawn, a 14-year-old freshman at Swansboro High. �They said stuff like follow your dreams, never give up, don�t let anyone get in the way of your dreams, and don�t let your peers, family, or friends discourage you from those dreams that you want to pursue.�
�I think that the message that we are trying to send to people is to stay in school, don�t do drugs, and try to make something of what you learned in school,� Chris says. �Follow your dreams, never give up, and reach for the sky.�
Sunday, February 17, 2002