The band has one response to anyone who would question their cred: "Don't judge us until you see us live," says Riker. "Music came before everything: we were a band way before [Ross] was ever on a TV show, or I was ever on a TV show, music was always the first thing. Once people see the live show, it's like, 'OK, cool.' I wouldn't say we have to prove it that much, but I can see why it would come up every once in a while."

The band - which also features brother Rocky on guitar, sister Rydel on keyboards and Ellington Ratliff on drums - have a strong pop-punk sound, which is understandable, given their early influences. "Fall Out Boy was the biggest influence for me and Rocky, right off the bat," Riker says. "Rocky showed me a video and I said, 'That's the coolest thing I've ever seen.'"

"Actually it was a 'Beat It' cover by Fall Out Boy," Rocky recalls. "I was actually the first in our family to pick up the guitar in our family. I remember saying, 'Dude, this is dope! We gotta do this!'"

In 2007 the Lynch clan moved to L.A., and soon after they started the band with their sister and friend Ratliff (he goes by his last name, which is where they get R5). By 2009 they'd released their debut EP and by 2012, they'd signed to Hollywood Records.
In a hip-hop and EDM saturated marketplace, though, is there room for a traditional band like R5? They're pretty optimistic: "I actually think there's a lot of diversity starting to grow in top 40 radio. Like Lorde - she's very electronic, it's really different. Then there's Pharrell, he has a very organic production to his songs. Then there's Paramore, they're a rock band with guitars high up in the mix."