[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNfDy_5r7WU[/youtube]

They definitely look the part in their Converse All-Star shoes and plaid shirts. But the girls from local rock band We’re Not Dudes can actually play, too. “I think I’ve always been musical, and I’ve always wanted to sing,” says Alex Belland, the band’s 12-year-old lead vocalist and keyboard player, who lives in Preston Hollow and attends St. Rita Catholic School.

She started playing classical piano in second grade. After she enrolled at the Dallas School of Rock, she met the rest of the girls who would form We’re Not Dudes: Molly McNulty, 13, on lead guitar; Kaia Brown, 10, on bass; and Mahrly Murphy, 8, on drums. “I just thought it was really cool how we learned songs that we wanted to learn,” Alex says.

They all rehearse at School of Rock twice a week and perform shows at Dallas clubs such as The Prophet Bar and Jack’s Backyard. The band recently opened a Fort Worth show for singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe, a local favorite who has been receiving critical acclaim. “It was so cool,” Alex says. “She was so nice to us.”

The girls typically play cover tunes from their favorite bands such as Journey, Jane’s Addiction and The Ting Tings. Molly, who attends Christ the King School, wrote some of the band’s first original song, “Someday You’ll Thank Me for This”.

“It’s about an experience that some of us have had,” she says. “In School of Rock, they teach you to write about experiences rather than fairy tales.”

The girls plan to take the band as far as possible while still maintaining good grades in school. In addition to her music, Alex also plays lacrosse and volleyball at St. Rita.

“I always find time to practice and have fun with Mahrly, Molly and Kaia.”

• Check out more of the band and School of Rock at Mahrly’s Youtube channel.