Carson teens Rock ... the Vote

What do glam-goth boys ripping through a speed metal set, girls with chewed-up nails stuffed in the front pockets of black drainpipe jeans and state assembly members Bonnie Parnell and James Settlemeyer have on common?

On Saturday - everything.

Set in relative anonymity amongst the green garage doors of a South Carson storage facility, the not-quite-year-old "Warehouse," part church, part all-ages gathering spot for area teens, shook the walls in the mostly industrial row late into the evening.

Teens, taking a break in the Warehouse parking lot from the high-decibel counts inside, slammed energy drinks and called on more friends to check out the festivities.

The event, mixing bands from here to Sacramento, interspersed with messages from local politicians, gave Carson teens a chance to "be aware, register to vote and just have fun," said organizer Alejandra Melgarejo.

The 17-year-old Carson senior put together the "Rock the Vote" gathering for her senior project.

"I've basically been working on it since September," she said. "Yes, it's been a lot of work - I didn't realize how much. But when you plan an event like this you have to have 'Plan A' and then a couple back-up plans."

At the event's late-afternoon onset, more than 100 of the expected 500 teens showed up to give the festival - and its message to get out and vote - a shot.

"I come to every Warehouse show," said Katie Codey, 17, a senior at Carson High. "This is the only real thing to do around here.

"I'm really excited about how it's got a (voting) emphasis. It's really cool."

Codey said she's already registered to vote in the fall and "pretty much" decided who she's voting for. Others completed their voter registration forms at the Warehouse between sets Saturday.

Carson High senior Jenn Bowers took on registering classmates for her senior project.

So far, she's registered 150 to vote this fall, and before the day's first band was mid-set Saturday, she had four new registrants.

"It's been a good project," she said. "I've been sort of surprised at how many (students) have come up and said they want to register."

Bowers, 17, said she hoped she could register 100 new voters by the end of Saturday's gathering.

"I think it's possible," she said.

Warehouse co-founder Sarah Armstrong looked on appreciatively as Melgarejo emceed between bands and local politicians.

"When she approached us with this idea, it was like 'oh yeah - this is what we're all about,'" Armstrong said. "But, yeah - it's been a lot of work for her and she totally pulled it off."

Between short stints on stage, Melgarejo chatted up classmates, checked in on the voter registration booth, took furtive sips from her water bottle and generally looked pleased, if not a little relieved.

"Yeah, you never know how (an event) is going to turn out," she said. "Am I glad today is here? Yes. I've always been interested in politics, and this is the perfect year for it."

• Contact reporter Andrew Pridgen at apridgen@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.