On Wednesday, Sept. 17, sibling band SM6 took the stage in the Natali Performance Center for a free concert open to all students. The show started at 9 p.m., following an opening DJ set at 8 p.m. featuring the band’s lead singer, Isabel. After the performance, students were invited to attend a meet-and-greet with the band.
SM6, formerly named Summer Monkeys, is a band made up of six siblings: George, Isabel, Adam, Eliana, and Jack Jones. The family has a notably large age gap between their youngest and oldest member, with George being 26 and Jack only 17. The Joneses explained that this fact has not been the cause of any considerable issue in terms of running the band.
“Nothing substantial.” George shared, “There’s a case of disagreements, but that’s with anything. Trivial sibling things, you know.”
“But it’s nothing like really big, screaming at each other. We wouldn’t survive the long car rides if that was the case,” Adam said, alluding to the long distances the band travels together for performances.
“Yeah, we wouldn’t still be playing 10 years in,” Emily added.
Originally from Illinois, the band made their break in 2020 following a viral video posted to their TikTok account of the “Don’t Flinch Challenge,” which amassed a current total of 15.9 million views. The siblings continue to hold a strong online presence alongside their musical success with near-daily posts on TikTok and Instagram, garnering a loyal fanbase.
The band had an almost overnight rise to fame, and it came with some adjustments. The band commented on the unexpected yet amazing experience of managing a newfound stardom.
“… was kind of shocking because it happened all so fast,” George claimed.
Adjusting to being recognized and having an established fanbase was another new factor for them to face.
“It was just a number on the phone, so it didn’t really mean anything until, like, we would go out in public and then people would say ‘Oh, you’re that band.’ Well, at the time, it was ‘Oh, you’re the don’t flinch challenge!’” Emily explained.
“It’s nice to go to venues and actually play to people.” Adam shared about how the new attention brought a new liveliness to their performances. He said, “Before we would play shows, and it would be five people.”
“We’d be playing to the baristas. The people who had to be there.” Emily added.
After creating a prominent internet stardom, the family was able to continue pursuing their main goal of performing as a band, only now with a bigger fanbase. In recent years, SM6 has released many notable pieces of music, such as their 2023 album “Rom Com,” 2022 single “Panic,” and 2025 cover of the Wheatus song “Teenage Dirtbag.” With 38.7 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, SM6 has certainly made a name for itself in the world of music.
Isabel went into the creative process behind their hit single ‘Panic,’ stating it was a personal anthem to her that was put together in one night.
“I just wanted to write something that I felt like a lot of people go through, and just something I personally went through a lot with social media,” she said.
The idea of the song was based around a panic room and the feeling that everything is coming down all at once.
Upon arriving on the California Campus, the members of SM6 gave the Blaze statue outside of Herron Hall a good-luck high five, then promptly took the Performance Center by storm.
In just their hour-long set, SM6 stole the hearts and sole attention of all students in attendance. Their high-energy show and interactions with the audience kept students captivated.
The band put out a remarkable performance, including both their own music and covers of well-known songs. They incorporated original songs such as “Panic,” “Oddity,” and “What About Her,” as well as covers of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers and “What I Like About You” by The Romantics, along with more into their setlist.
Each member of the band’s love for the music and performing truly showed throughout the set, creating a space where fans were able to dance, jump, and sing along.
SM6 had great reviews of California Campus, expressing an appreciation for it as a venue.
When asked what the band’s favorite venue to perform is, Adam said, “Well, I’m really liking this campus so far. We played, I think, four colleges so far. But this is like a really nice campus that’s very pretty, and it’s got a great sound system.”
The Performance Center’s sound system for the set was provided and set up by PennWest California’s own Audio Engineering and Producers (AEP) club.
SM6 had moments of connection with the audience that made the performance engaging. The band had the whole Performance Center sing an early happy birthday to both band member Jack and a member of the audience.
To end the night, SM6 recorded a video with students, using the chant “Cal Who? Cal U!”
The members of SM6 shared some exclusive information on an upcoming project. Emily and Isabel exclaimed that the band is soon to release a new song titled “Replaced.” Fans can look forward to a slow song, contrasting their usual lively, alternative-rock genre.
To learn more about the band, visit the SM6 website and follow them on TikTok @sm6band.
