When Aaron Norcross Jr. first steps up to the mic, it might be easy to dismiss him as a kid. After all, he just turned 16 and he’s at least 30 years younger than his two bandmates. Then Norcross’s fingers start to speed up and down the fret of his electric guitar, he lets out a throaty wail and you know you’re not listening to just any high school musician.

Norcross was first enraptured by the guitar when he went to a Pete Townsend concert with his dad, Aaron Norcross Sr.

“From there, I knew I had to be a musician,” said Norcross, a sophomore at Old Rochester Regional High School and Marion resident.

He started taking guitar lessons at age 7. That same year Norcross formed his first band, The Dukes of Gravity. The rock and roll group started playing gigs at bars and other venues throughout the area.

Before Norcross’s voice had even changed, he was on to his second band, Aaron Norcross Jr. and the Old Dogs. The group reflects Norcross’s changing tastes, from pure rock and roll to blues and rockabilly.

Guitar teacher Neal Vitullo, of Young Neal and the Vipers, helped Norcross develop an authentic sound.

“Ever since then, I’ve played pretty much nothing but blues and rockabilly,” said Norcross, who cited Stevie Ray Vaughan, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Cochran among his favorite musicians.

With The Old Dogs, Norcross performed across the South Coast and Rhode Island, playing in some places he wouldn’t even be able to get into without a valid ID. (Norcross’s dad usually accompanies his son.)

Last year the band played 100 shows, sometimes three in one weekend.

Watch Norcross play one song, and it’s obvious why he and The Old Dogs are so popular.

Like his favorite musicians, Norcross goes for it on stage.

“When you see all these great blues players, it’s not technical. They just close their eyes and play,” he said.

Norcross’s artistry is more than pure imitation – it’s the product of intense enjoyment and thousands of hours of practice.

Almost every day after school, Norcross spends one-and-a-half to two hours playing on one of his 15 guitars. He also takes both guitar and voice lessons.

It also helps to have two experienced musicians in his band. Being the youngest member of the group by several decades has kept Norcross humble.

“The bass player has forty-five plus years of experience, the drummer thirty-five plus years of drumming experience,” he said. “I’m able to play with musicians that are double my age, and they have more playing experience than I’ve been alive.”

Bassist Dave Cardoza has been one of Norcross's mentors and has played with him on and off since the The Dukes of Gravity.

"He's the hardest working kid I know," said Cardoza. "I have no doubt that the kid is going to go really far. He’s got a great personality and he can play like the dickens."

As he has worked with Norcross over the years, Cardoza has encouraged him to keep a level head and to develop business savvy.

"I've often told him a successful musician has a guitar case in one hand and a brief case in the other hand," Cardoza said. "He’s been doing that. It’s amazing to me, but he is like a sponge for everything we try to teach him."

Cardoza also admires Norcross's ethic as he shoots for a career in music.

"In an age of 'American Idol' where so many people are just looking for that instant short cut, it’s a pleasure to see somebody who is doing it the old school way," he said.

With a much deeper voice, eight years of on-stage experience and his first recorded single, Norcross has a clear plan for his music.

“My main goal before the end of this year is to play all six New England States,” he said.

Getting his driver’s license in the fall will help with that, though Norcross said his dad and mom, Tina, are always supportive of his music and attend as many shows as they can.

Norcross also wants to begin playing larger venues. He knows all the experience he’s had so far will help him out, “if I ever make it.”

“The huge advantage I have over everybody right now is from me starting at such a young age, getting all the stage experience and exposure that I’ve gotten,” said Norcross. “That really elevates my game when it comes to playing big arenas.”

If he stays on this trajectory, Norcross definitely has a future in music. Now all he needs is a license.