What is this? This is not your average high school band or a couple of boys looking for a little taste of stardom; this is chemistry. Chemistry that will make you forget that Louis Oswald (vocals & guitar) is just 17 years old and his brother Adam (drums & back-ground vocals) and best friend Tom Balbeirz (bass & vocals) are only 15. Their age does not matter when they are delivering their own raw, stripped down, pop-punk style that has been influenced by early Greenday, Blink 182 plus a little Fall Out Boy and New Found Glory. Songs like Younger and Jay are perfect examples of what you should expect from a band that Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls named one of the top high school bands in the area. The trio’s desire to compete in their high school’s talent show brought about the creation of What is This or WiT in January of 2011. Louis, Adam and Tom made such an impression on their school’s music director that he entered them into the Music is Art Battle of the Bands. Out of over two hundred submissions WiT became one of six bands invited to perform at the HSBC Arena. An honor that eventually got them a spot in the Niagara University High School Band Showcase. “WiT brought a fun atmosphere with its pop-punk style, shining when all three members sang together,” stated a Buffalo News review on the trio. Since then What is This has performed at the 2011 Buffalo Niagara Air Show, Music is Art Summer Festival at Canalside, Club Infinity, Xtreme Wheels, Yings Town Pub, Broadway Joes, Double D’s, Mooneys and MSM Mountstock where they won first prize in September of 2011. WiT made their second appearance at their high school’s talent show this year to win the award of Most Crowd Pleasing. “We love being on stage, we love playing music, it truly comes from our hearts,” stated lead singer and guitar player Louis Oswald. His brother Adam, a self taught drummer, quickly agreed, “When we are performing, I get so into it, the music just takes me over.” WiT’s success has given them the opportunity to work with the independent label, Buzz Records to record three of their original songs to be released through them. “We never expected any of this, it’s awesome,” exclaimed bass player and singer Tom Balbeirz. A release party is currently being planned where the boys will be performing a mix of their original songs and a few of their favorite inspirational covers from bands like The Offspring, Nirvana, Greenday and Blink 182. It was their chemistry that got them here and it will be their chemistry that will get you out up out of your seats to sing and dance along with the boys of What is This.