The Rare Occasions, a band with deep Barrington roots, competes Friday, March 15, in the annual 95.5 WBRU Rock Hunt semi-finals, which kicks off this weekend.

The band is one of three groups with Barrington ties in the 11-band competition; the other two are Torn Shorts and The Mighty Good Boys, according to the Barrington Times.

The competition on Friday takes place at JR’s Bourbon St. Rock House in Cranston – a venue that is 21 and older. That puts Rare Occasions at a disadvantage because their college-age friends can’t attend, according to the band.

The band is made up of Brian McLaughlin and Luke Imbusch of Barrington and two other band mates from Tufts University and Berklee School of Music, where Brian and Luke go to college, respectively. Brian plays the keyboard and rhythm guitar and is the group’s lead singer; Luke is the drummer.

Click here to see their website and plenty of other photos.

Rare Occasions plays Friday at 9 pm; the other two groups won’t play until next Friday at Fete in Providence. See the complete story in the Times.