You might not have heard of them yet, but the members of local teen band Azure Pilot are fixing to make a name for themselves.

And as their first CD is released this weekend, they’ll move another step closer to stardom.

Azure Pilot features 16-year-old Daniel Cunningham, from Lathrop, on bass; 15-year-old Jake Mitchell, from Turlock, on guitar; Mac Bunch, a 17-yea-old from Ripon, on guitar; 15-year-old Keelan Tobia, from Modesto, on drums; and Callie Camper, a 14-year-old from Tracy, performing vocals.

The band was brought together in September 2006 by Gordon Kennedy, a longtime music teacher at Janis Music in downtown Manteca. For the past 10 years, Kennedy has put students together to play in bands, always as an educational tool. But in this group, Kennedy, as producer, saw real potential.

The group collaborated with Kennedy to write songs and then worked with a professional to record a CD in Daniel’s home recording studio.

They’re young, but Kennedy says they’ve got what it takes.

“They’re the cream of the crop,” he said. “They’re all naturals.”

The group is diverse; each member has his or her own style and musical tastes. Jake, the guitarist, appreciates the acoustic sound of John Mayer, while drummer Keelan goes for big-name drummers like Dennis Chambers and JoJo Meyer. Singer Callie is inspired by Sting and hard-rockers like Flyleaf.

The group describes its genre as alternative-pop, with part of its distinct sound coming from Mac’s unique guitar skills — a textured, keyboard-like style.

“Each of us puts out our own influences, and it makes our sound,” Jake said.

This is an exciting time for Azure Pilot.

After months of rehearsals and recording sessions, they are releasing their first 10-track CD. They will close a show for the release party in Modesto with a 75-minute set — the third performance of their budding careers. They’ll even release their first single, “Let Me Hold the Door.”

The band hopes the CD, which deals with topics like relationships and loss, will lead to bigger and better things and summer gigs. For now, though, they are happy just to play together.

“We don’t care about becoming rock stars,” Callie said. “It’s just fun. If it happens, it happens.”

At a glance

WHAT: Azure Pilot CD release party

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Barking Dog Grill, 940 11th St., in Modesto

COST: $7