What often makes the difference for a band struggling to "make it," is a little help from some well-connected friends. For Catchpenny, based in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, those friends were many and were quite helpful.

The rock quintet's debut disc is called "Chance for a Lifetime" and band members -- Singer/guitarists Zach and Christian Schauf, bassist John Anderson, guitarist/keyboardist Eric Raum and drummer Jeff Wick -- hope it will provide the chance of a lifetime.

The disc was recorded at Minneapolis' Winterland Studios with Michael Bland, a former drummer for Prince, and included guest appearances by ex-Prince keyboardist Tommy Barbarella and John Fields, a bassist who has worked with Switchfoot and Mandy Moore.

"Recording 'Chance for a Lifetime' was our first experience in a professional studio, and the experience was beyond our imagination, with results equally exciting," says Wick. "We practically lived in the studio. One night we played a three-hour show, then went right back into the studio at 3 a.m. and worked all morning."

The band was lucky to have such a professional experience on its first shot in the studio. And Catchpenny appreciates that experience.

"Working with Michael Bland was incredible," says Wick. "The guy has perfect rhythm and perfect pitch; he refused to use the computer to "fix" mistakes. If a note was not perfectly on key or if it was slightly off the beat, it was done over. It would have been so easy for him to ask the engineer to tweak it on the computer, but he wanted purity in our sound."

And what is that sound? It's a thundering, melodic rock sound that should have "modern rock" stations across the country clamoring for more. A good indication can be gleaned from Wick's list of the band's musical touchstones.

"We all have slightly different tastes," he says. "Influences come from Train, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Led-Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Matthews Band, Black Crowes, Sister Hazel. There are excellent facets to each of these bands that we take bits and pieces from."

But, the band also has a taste for jangly pop, it would seem. Paul Solem of The Rembrandts, the pop band best known for its song "I'll Be There For You," which served as the theme song to TV's "Friends," offered up a pair of unreleased tunes for Catchpenny to record.

"Without the influence of these seasoned musicians, the disc would not have been quite as full sounding," says Wick. "In the end, we are extremely satisfied. A few of us had reservations about a couple tracks, but like any music lover knows, sometimes the songs you don't like at first, become your favorites after a few plays."

Now that the disc is finished, Catchpenny has some plans for it. Some of those goals are typical of any aspiring band.

"We are focusing on playing as often as we can," Wick says. "There is nothing that beats good old live performances of our original music to get our name out on the street. The album has been getting great reviews and is selling beyond expectations at our shows and online. It has made it in the hands of fans from California all the way to Eastern Europe."

Another goal is a little less typical and definitely should serve as inspiration for other musicians.

"We are also working with CureDuchenne," says Wick. "The title track was actually written for them. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is found in one in 3,500 boys. Since it is not very common, big drug companies don't invest in a cure. Because of that, an amazing person named Paul Miller out of California started CureDuchenne after finding out his only son was diagnosed with the disease. We've played a few shows in L.A. for them and plan on making a bigger, better trip out there in the first part of 2005."

If you want to see Catchpenny live, you can do so at Rooter's in Waukesha on Friday, Feb. 25. Visit the band on the Web at catchpennyband.com.