They “rock against homelessness.” They rock for U.S. soldiers in Iraq. And now, they are rocking to help save one man’s life in need of a heart transplant. Brothers Riley and Casey Macek, the heart and soul behind the four-piece rock band Holes and Hearts, are using music to empower… and they are barely teenagers.

At 13 and 15 respectively, the duo has already released their first album and has collected various honors and awards. The first song they wrote, “I Am Not Afraid,” is featured on the Summer 2008 Troop Compilation CD sent to Iraq. They are the official spokesband for Rock Against Homelessness, an L.A.-based charity organization that uses music to spread awareness about homelessness and encourage the community to do their part to combat it. The boys have even jammed at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Brian Johnson’s (AC/DC) Music Therapy Room at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

“It was so wild,” Casey recalled. “We just saw AC/DC in a sold out concert the night before at The St Pete Times Forum and the next morning we are in a small room jamming with him. It was amazing and so unreal!!!”

But the Maceks’ latest endeavor – helping save one man’s life in need of a heart transplant – is not only heroic, it’s familiar. Riley and Casey have dedicated live performances and even a track from their self-titled album to help fund the critical heart transplant Sean Semon needs to stay alive. With a hole in his own heart, Riley has already survived two open-heart surgeries and continues to regularly see cardiologists about his condition.

After hearing Semon’s story, Riley and Casey felt compelled to get involved. So I got involved and asked the boys some questions to help share their own story:

Holes and Hearts is heavily involved in raising funds to help pay for a life-saving heart transplant for Sean Semon. Please describe how the band is involved with this cause.

RILEY: We are involved by helping to raise money and awareness for Sean’s situation. We are giving the proceeds of the sale of our song “Just A Broken Heart“ to Sean’s Heart Transplant Fund… We also put together a successful Benefit Concert and Celebrity Auction in Las Vegas. We were overwhelmed with the generosity of celebrities like Carrot Top and Joan Rivers, rock stars like The Scorpions and Dokken and Playboy Playmates and so many more that helped us with donated items.

Click here to watch the ABC News feature.

What inspired Holes and Hearts to get involved in the campaign to save Semon’s life?

CASEY: A health insurance company refused to pay for a heart transplant, which was what Sean needs to have his life saved. He was supposed to be covered by his insurance and because of the fine print he is not. My grandmother, who also has a heart condition, cardiomyopathy, heard about Sean’s story and told us about it. My brother Riley immediately wanted to help because he has a heart condition and he related to some of the same feelings that Sean was probably going though.

Do you feel any of your music directly relates to the struggle Semon is facing?

RILEY: Yes, absolutely. I feel our song “Just A Broken Heart” relates directly to what Sean is going though. When we wrote this song it was taken from some of my own experiences with my heart condition issues and what I knew my family had gone through with me. It may sound like a sad song to people when they first hear it, but to me, it’s a message of hope… that when someone gets bad news, whether it’s about their heart or health or whatever, that it’s not the end. It could be “Just A Broken Heart” and there are ways to fix things now that before may not have been possible. My favorite lyric in that song is “through a child’s eye’s there’s got to be a way,” and I believe that strongly!

Is the promotion of heart health something the band is considering to commit to as a long-term cause?
RILEY: I think its something that we will always be involved with as a band just because of my own personal experiences, so yes.

CASEY:  But with that said, we have been and are also involved in other charities too, if we think it’s a good cause then we do everything we can to lend our rock ’n’ roll spirit to it. One of the first shows we ever played was a Hurricane Katrina Benefit Concert in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We have played Charity Shows for the American Cancer Society, World Hunger Relief Concert, Aids Day Walks, Humane Society Festival, All Children’s Hospital Grand Opening and more. One of my favorite gigs ever, and not many people know that we did this, is when Riley and I used to go every Thursday to Shriner’s Hospital in Tampa and play acoustic cover songs to the kids that were staying there. We would bring a ukulele, guitars, slide whistles, harmonicas and have a good time with these kids that had a very difficult future ahead of them, many of them were missing limbs or were disfigured in some way. They would rock with us and have a great time. Honestly, I know I’m only 15, but it changed me… I saw first hand the power of music.

Holes and Hearts has been nominated as an “ARTIST ON THE VERGE TOP 100” for 2011 by the New Music Seminar held in LA during Grammy’s Week. What does this honor mean for you?

CASEY: We are honored and excited that people are interested in our music and what we are doing… This came as a big surprise to us and it was cool to find out we were nominated without submitting anything…very cool!

What is the ultimate message you wish to share through your music?

RILEY: The ultimate message I would like to share through my music is to never take what you have for granted. Instead, take what you have and make it better. If you have talent in music or sports or whatever you do, don’t throw it away by doing stupid things. Take that talent and make it better and better until it is great and then do great things with it!

CASEY: I think it’s important to stand up for what you believe in and follow your dreams, set goals and accomplish them. I believe that one voice, one thought, one song can change the world… and maybe, just maybe, it might be my song?

The Macek brothers will be performing with Stuart Casson on bass and Justin Sandler on drums at The Circus Circus Casino in Las Vegas Feb. 26. They plan on releasing their second album this fall.