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The story behind Simple Plan proves the next time you're rolling your eyes during the local high school talent show, you might want to pay better attention--you could be witnessing the early seeds of stardom. The latest punk sensation to come out of Canada, this band was in fact born from one of those modest teen talent showcases. Twenty-three year olds, Chuck Comeau and Pierre Bouvier are best friends who've been playing together since they were teens, with their first venture into music spawned by a suggestion from a teacher. "When I was in high school I was in the same class as Chuck and our French teacher told us we should start a band to play in the talent show," says Bouvier. "I had a guitar at my house and we borrowed the school drums to start learning to play instruments. We wrote two really sucky, really bad instrumental songs and played those at the talent show, then just kept on going and going."

Far from those freshman years, Bouvier and Comeau have come a long way. Soon after tinkering with the talent-show spotlight, the two found successes in their first official punk band Reset. The group opened for some of the scene's major players, such as Face to Face, Ten Foot Pole, Lagwagon, and a young Blink 182. Nearly a decade later, and joined by fellow high school pals Jeff Stinco on lead guitar, Sebastian Lefebvre also on guitar, and David Desrosiers on bass, the guys are reaping the rewards of Simple Plan's international recognition.

Friend and Blink singer Mark Hoppus makes a guest appearance on the groups debut, "No Pads, No Helmets..Just Balls." Their single, "I'm Just a Kid" has earned regular radio rotation, plus the video, featuring skateboard legend Tony Hawk, gained frequent MTV play. Plus the song's on the soundtrack to the teen comedy of the summer, "The New Guy." Not bad for a band's first time out. While the quintet can strike an infectious beat with bouncy melodies to keep the good times going, a sound they like to describe as "Fun Rock," they also address serious concerns the average kid transitioning into adulthood can relate to. "It's hard to grow up and find your place. I think that's what this record is about," Comeau suggests. "It's about all those little things, like trying to make your parents understand who you want to be and what you want to do, even if they don't like it. And that's tough to say to your parents. I think it's harder than ever to be a kid because you get so much pressure. We still feel that way even though we're a bit older than high schoolers. I think life is always about finding out who you are and who your real friends are."

Though Simple Plan may be gaining momentum with their catchy punk stylings and assimilation into the realm of rock that can get as fast paced as their riffs, there remains a basic motivation behind the madness. "We've got this 'simple plan' not to have crappy jobs," the down to earth drummer reveals matter-of-factly. "Sebastian used to be a janitor cleaning floors at our high school, Pierre used to be a cook in a chicken restaurant, and David used to flip burgers at McDonald's. I think we all had this plan not to do that and instead have a cool job like being in a band."

Luckily for these childhood buddies from Canada, that plan of action is giving them the chance to see the world. And, maybe someday soon, you could be giving them pointers out in the water. "We're big fans of girls who surf," said Comeau. "We haven't toured Hawaii or the West Coast yet, so we can't wait to go because we'll probably find more surfer girls at those shows, and they're the kind of girls we're looking for."