These Long Beach rockers were the stars at Bright Eye Beer Co.

Deez Guyzz, a Long Beach band, isn’t your typical musical group. Sure, they play instruments, perform at gigs and rock out, but that’s basically where the similarities end.

The band comprises young rock stars, in middle school and high school. Oh, and they frequently invite special guests, like Darryl McDaniels — a.k.a. DMC, the founding member of the rap group Run-DMC — to sit in.

Deez Guyzz played with DMC and some other special guests on Aug. 29, rocking the stage at Bright Eye Beer Co. for two hours. They welcomed Bakithi Kumalo, a renowned South African bass player who has recorded and performed with a number of legendary musicians, and another Long Beach group, Taylor Searing and Friends, to the stage with them.

Kumalo has played with Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Grateful Dead and others.

“Bakithi Kumalo did the bass. (My son) did drums for everyone,” Jeanine Sorensen, the mother of the band’s drummer, Lars Sorensen, said. “Taylor stepped in and sang a song. My daughter, Fiona, rapped a song with DMC, who sang about four songs. Quinn (Siegel), who’s in the band, played a song. So they all meshed together, and that was the point — different musicians all playing together that don’t normally play together.”

Deez Guyzz has five regular members: Bridie Birmingham, Alejandro Coronado, Siegel, Lars Sorensen and Paul Vivot. Fiona Sorensen makes an occasional guest appearance.

The money they raised at last week’s gig went to the Felix Organization, which was founded by McDaniels in 2006, and provides opportunities and new experiences to enrich the lives of children growing up in the foster care system. About 200 people filled the brewery, and donated about $1,300.

“The money that they would have gotten in tips or paid from Bright Eye was donated to the Felix Organization,” Jeanine Sorensen said.

“They were so happy to bring all the musicians together,” she added of the band. “Not just to be broadening their horizons with other musicians, which was nice, but also to be bringing the community together.”

The band was the creation of Ben Metzger, owner of Studio Noir in Long Beach, which offers music lessons to people of all ages. All of the band members were Metzger’s students at one time or another, and he arranged for them to learn to play together as well.

“I was exposed to Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys at a young age, and they were my favorite two hip--hop artists,” Metzger said. “Seeing them play with Darryl [McDaniels] is really exciting.”

The group plays regularly around the city, and has appeared at Bright Eye for years. While they haven’t yet finalized their next gig, Lars Sorensen and Vivot said they hope to have it scheduled soon.

“During Covid, we had a backyard party that I put together with Paul, the guitar player, and Lars, the drummer,” Metzger recalled. “At that backyard party, we finished and I said, ‘Give it up for deez guyzz,’ and that’s how the band name came out.”