Twice daily the garage at the Sosa home fills with the sounds of Latin rock, as six sisters, age 5 to 13, rehearse their routines for their next gig.

Calling themselves the "Sosa Girls," they rehearse Santana tunes like "Oye Como Va," "Black Magic Woman" and some newly added pop-rock additions, including "Walk Like an Egyptian" by the Bangles and the chorus of "We Are Family."

The last song means more to the girls than many know.

The Sosa Girls, all sisters, were first separated in 2001 when their mother, an epileptic, could no longer care for them. Fresno County Child Protective Services split them up, putting them in foster homes in Fresno, Visalia and Hanford.

The sisters only got to see each other during one-hour visits, usually in fast food restaurants.

In 2001, twin sisters, Lena and Samantha arrived in the home of Luis and Maria Sosa as foster children. After the Sosas found out the girls had four other sisters that were still in foster homes, they began trying to bring the rest of the sisters into their home. Over a period of five years, they were able to eventually bring all the sisters together.

Now, all are together under one roof, at the Sosa's Hanford home. The Sosas adopted the six sisters on Dec. 12, 2006. Since coming back together, they've put together their own band.

Each sister plays an instrument, from the youngest, Heaven, 5, on congas, to the oldest, Jennifer, 13, on bass guitar.

Among the sisters, are two sets of twins - Lena and Samantha, 10, and Priscilla and Ruby, 8. Lena is the lead singer of the band, and her twin, Samantha, plays the keyboard. Priscilla plays guitar while her twin, Ruby, plays the drums.

Lena said she wanted to play after she saw her adoptive father playing.

"We saw our dad playing and practicing," Lena said. "So we got caught up in that. We thought it would be cool so we started a band."

They started practicing on the instruments for 15 to 30 minutes a day, then once they became more experienced, they were playing for three hours at a time, Sosa said.

Sosa, a Latin recording artist, began thinking about having the girls perform in public once he saw how good they were.

"I play for a lot of famous rock musicians and I know how difficult the material is, and these girls learned the hardest song on my album," he said. "After that, I figured they can do anything."

With the help of a Sacramento entertainment agency, the girls began getting gigs. Already they've performed at Adventure Park, wedding receptions, Visalia Oaks Cinco De Mayo celebration, a halftime show at Selland Arena in Fresno and the San Joaquin County Fair in Stockton. This summer they have plans to play at the Battle of the Bands in Hanford, and the state fair in Sacramento.

Jennifer said her all-time goal is to perform on "S‡bado Gigante," one of the most watched entertainment programs on Spanish-language television.

The girls, who sing in Spanish and English, are getting used to performing in public, but a few of them, like Priscilla, are still a little shy in front of large crowds.

"I get scared when there's a lot of people looking at me," Priscilla said.

Her older sister, Lena, however, assured her it gets easier.

"Once you start playing you get used to it, it's not that big of a deal," Lena said.

Sosa said he tells the girls to just have fun with it.

"I'm hoping the girls just have fun and where it takes us, it takes us," he said. "We won't hold our breath."

In the meantime, the girls have been adjusting well to their new lives.

"I'm so proud of them," said Maria Sosa, the girls' adoptive mother. "I know in a way they felt bad because they lost their mom, but in a way they were really happy to be adopted by us," she said. "They're doing really good in school, and they really take care of each other."

When they're not playing or doing schoolwork, the girls like to play computer games, practice dance routines and watch favorite TV shows like "Hannah Montana," "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent."

Luis Sosa said it's great to watch the girls get reacquainted.

"Just watching them, these girls missed each other so much ... and now you see them together, every moment, even when one of them is crying, you get to have those times, and before they never had that," he said.

"It's great to be in the same house, just being with them," Lena said about her sisters.

The girls are working on an album, which is expected to be released in December, before Christmas.

For more info on the Sosa Girls, visit their Web site at www.sosamusic.com

The reporter can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3052

(July 7, 2007)