Teen making mark with bluegrass

With ragtag playing skills, earsplitting feedback and copycat costuming, most teenage bands seemingly exist solely to meet members of the opposite sex and annoy adults.

No one passed that information on to the mostly-teenage members of Driving Force, a six-person band that play at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts Wednesday night as part of its Emerging Artist Showcase.

The sole local member is Leah Needham, a junior at Southern High School, who plays a dobro, or resonator guitar.

"I started playing piano in second grade, the violin in third, percussion in fourth, the oboe in sixth, and in seventh grade I began playing...