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The dream teens: Jonas Brothers

Before the Jonas Brothers sold out arenas, starred in a hit cable movie and dropped blockbuster CDs, they took babysitting classes to get close to their crushes.

By Jeffrey Ressner

The White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., this spring was overflowing with celebrities: Pam Anderson, Martha Stewart, even the president of the United States. But, surprisingly, the loudest shrieks greeted a singing trio from Wyckoff, N.J., called the Jonas Brothers.

"JoBros," whose third CD, "A Little Bit Longer," dropped Aug. 12, are the new Dream Teens. "Tiger Beat" sings their praises, as does "Rolling Stone," which played up their image as "emo heartthrobs." The Jonas tribe is signed to Disney's Hollywood Records and also enjoys a multimillion-dollar touring deal with Live Nation. Says guitarist/drummer Nick, 15, of the Disney link: "You'd think we'd say we're friends with all the "High School Musical" kids and people who are on Disney shows -- but we really are!"

Like other boy bands, their songs are not poetic tapestries that stir the soul. "We write about what's relevant to who we are and what's real to us: either a relationship we went through, someone we like now or touring," explains Joe, the 19-year-old lead vocalist. When asked to describe their sound, the response is equally simplistic: They create a "rock feel, overlaid with pop vocals."

Nothing complicated, though they also cite Elvis Costello (who certainly qualifies as a complex composer and a critical darling) as an inspiration, and give props to Jefferson Starship, Prince and The Beatles. "There's a lot of music we listened to growing up," Joe says. "Our parents liked the Bee Gees."

Curly-haired lead guitarist Kevin, at 20, the oldest of the bunch, would seem to be the first to break out of the teeny-bopper mold. He loves John Mayer, but he also admires the longevity of U2. "[Music] is not something we're just doing for the time being," he says. "Hopefully we'll still be doing it when we're much older."

This afternoon, the three siblings slip into a Burbank, Calif., restaurant with the stealthy moves of intelligence agents and take a seat at a reserved booth in the back. Garbed immaculately (thank stylist Michelle Tomaszewski) and polite to a fault (it helps that their father was a Pentecostal minister), the newest pop-rock stars are ready to eat their favorite chicken sandwiches and get down to business.

The restaurant staff is buzzing; the older waitresses realize these guys are supposed to be famous. (Maybe it's the 300-pound bodyguard.) But there aren't any tween diners to give away their identity with loud yelps.

It wasn't always this way. Before signing with Disney in December 2006, the Jonases had a deal with Columbia Records and were treated rather shabbily. Realizing their talented new discovery, Disney groomed them via Radio Disney's 42 stations and cable TV's Disney Channel. In return, the boys endure a rigorous schedule and appear in much slick G-rated cable fare, including the made-for-TV hit musical, "Camp Rock," which drew about 9 million viewers when it premiered on the Disney Channel in June. Next year sees a new show, "J.O.N.A.S.," and a 3-D concert film.

In addition, they keep as squeaky-clean as can be. Each brother wears a plain-looking "purity ring" and vouches for the virtues of virginity. And instead of bragging about any tattoos or piercings, Joe chirps that he's a certified New Jersey babysitter: "We liked these two girls a lot -- and the only way we could hang out with them on Saturdays was that they had to go to this babysitting course, so we just went with them."

Babysitting? Well, it's good to know if this music thing doesn't work out, the brothers have another career to fall back on.