The year was 2000. Y2K came and went, and a group of four childhood best friends had something more important to worry about: middle school. But that summer, they found a way to briefly escape the future. In a Santa Rosa, California, guest room turned studio, they imagined they were the Spice Girls and transformed into X-Cetra, a pop group they dreamed up.
Ayden Mayeri, Jessica Hall, and Janet Washburn were 11 going on 12 at the time. Rounding out their quartet was Janet’s younger sister, Mary, who was two and a half years younger but a crucial part of the group. Janet and Mary’s mom, Robin O’Brien, and their stepdad, Don Campau, had always filled their home with music. O’Brien was a musician herself and had been part of…
