When music resonated down Main Street on May 10, one may not have expected those well-crafted songs to come from a group of teenagers. Yet the first annual Day on the Green on the front lawn of Los Gatos High School was driven entirely by youth bands.

On that sunny afternoon, faithful fans joined curious spectators in front of the school to watch the most promising high school bands from Leigh, St. Francis and Los Gatos. From the youthful pop punk of St. Francis band Out of Fiction to the rhythmic hip-hop of Los Gatos High School's Mic Dynamics, the concert featured a variety of musical styles that would have satisfied the most discerning music connoisseur.

The Genues opened the event, inviting fans to form a semicircle around them as they played intense hard rock interlaced with a saxophone and trumpet. Following this chaotic display, the Fine Print played a set of simple yet mature pop songs. Out of Fiction delivered well-crafted punk rock songs, and Mic Dynamics got the crowd moving with quick beats. Habenero played a unique brand of rock and roll tinged with reggae.

Debbie Lid, the parent advisor of Los Gatos High School's Friday Night Live, organized the Day on the Green to be "a day in the sun with fun and music."

Although it attracted mostly high school students, the concert was not exclusive to teenagers; the beautiful afternoon, good tunes and warm atmosphere attracted people of all ages. Children rode their bikes across the lawn and played with beach balls while parents soaked in the warm sunshine.

Lid expressed her concern about the lack of activities for teenagers. "There aren't really any other festivals or fairs that cater to just this age group," she said.

With the help of Grand Fanali Productions, a Bay Area booking company that works in conjunction with A Place for Teens at the Los Gatos Outhouse, Lid and students volunteers selected choice bands from a pool of contenders.

Months before the event, flyers decorated the hallways of Los Gatos High, calling for the best high school bands. As advertised, "Smashmouth's record label," Spunout Records, had a representative at the event, who Lid says she hopes will help the bands "find the next step in their music careers."

"It's nice to see the local community supporting the music we teenagers listen to," said John Collins, a high school senior taking classes at San José City College. "It's giving these bands the exposure they would normally have trouble finding."

Between bands, there was much to do. MCs Sally Stanton of Los Gatos High and Erica Janoff of Leigh entertained the crowd with jokes and a raffle, while teens looked at merchandise from Bay Area vendors. Los Gatos High junior Chiara Kramer joked, "I really enjoyed the booths, although being a teenager, I couldn't buy anything because I am perpetually broke!" referring to the tents around the perimeter of the lawn offering pizza, desserts, juice, jewelry, cosmetics, clothing and skateboards.

Proceeds of the Day on the Green went to CASA (Community Against Substance Abuse), A Place for Teens and the Passion in Music Scholarship Fund. At the event, each group provided information about its organization.

In the Passion in Music tent hung enlarged photographs of Eric Quesada, a member of Mic Dynamics who died last November following a drunken driving accident.

Los Gatos High School's special education teacher and football coach, Russ Leal, and his band, Extra Large, closed the event with their eclectic blend of funk, jazz and rock and roll.

Although the turnout was smaller than what the organizers had hoped for, Lid said,"everybody I've talked to seemed to be enjoying themselves, including the vendors, so I think it was a success."

Jackie Pimental, a Los Gatos High junior volunteering at the event, added, "We accomplished what we set out to do, which was to organize a day all about relaxing and having fun."