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Ned
Devine's Audition Night - April 25th, 2004 Some musical events are meant to happen only once in a lifetime. Ned Devines' open mic-night, on the other hand, happens once a month, taking the brightest young stars of Northern Virginia's budding pop scene and giving them fifteen minutes to compete for fame, approval of their peers, and a shot at a full gig at the Fairfax hotspot. Sometime in the summer of 2003, a young Wonderjack teethed on a late slot on the Ned Devines stage, a three-song set immortalized in the cover-shot of the Wonderjack web site. A small crowd of 30-40 mostly high-school age patrons witnessed the event, and the feedback was generally positive, the kind of reaction a young band needs to motivate it to improve. Though no full gig was offered, we left Ned Devines with the kind of momentum of which you need healthy doses to keep rehearsing, keep improving each week, after week, after week. Since then, the band has bounced around the Washington D.C. area, expanding its repertoire and tuning the Wonderjack live show into the show stopping force it is today. Audiences from Philadelphia to Charlottesville have experienced the Wonderjack effect, and the reactions have been increasingly positive. Some weeks ago, it became obvious that it was time to return to Ned Devines, to play an improved three or four-song set and seek to reclaim the full gig that had eluded us the previous year. We loaded up the Wondervan and arrived at the Fairfax Ned Devines at around five o' clock on Sunday, April 25th. with our guitars and amps hidden discreetly underneath the table of a standard restaurant booth, we waited patiently for the esteemed "signup list" as other bands walked in the door, their intentions undoubtedly the same. Some bands came in wearing their music on their sleeves, sporting the long hair and leather pants of a metal band from Pennsylvania, or the gold chains and insignia shirts of D.C.'s fabled "Los Pimpos". When the sheet finally came around to Wonderjack, we were able to fit ourselves in a 9:30 PM slot in the middle of nearly ten other bands. It became increasingly apparent that as we improved in the twelve months since our last Ned Devines appearance, the caliber of bands at Ned Devines had been raised in kind. For the next two and a half hours Wonderjack held court in its cramped restaurant booth, shmoozing with other bands and getting a taste of the bands we were up against. "Los Pimpos" had been together for four months and had already toured what seemed like the entire eastern seaboard. Other bands played continuous, polished twenty minute sets of 80s metal without any of the rust that usually accompanies amateur groups. This was hardly an open-mic night, but rather a showcase of sorts for some pretty accomplished acts. When it was our time to shine, Wonderjack set up the stage as a solo acoustic guitarist performed his own set, each party taking care not to accidentally injure or trip onto the other. As I ran into the bathroom to wash my hands, a bartender grabbed my shoulder from behind. "You guys need to go on stage, now!" I guess hygine would have to wait. It was time to rock. Wonderjack took the stage of Ned Devines and disappeared under the lights while a crowd of 70-80 looked on, with nary a dedicated Wonderjack fan among them. The voice of sound technician Erika Espinoza came over us, walking us through our sound check at rapid-fire speed. "Bass vocal, sing something!" I awkwardly deliver a verse out of "Dear Whomever." "Good enough! Now lead guitar...." And then it's time. Randy lays into the snare to signify the opening of "Blinded" and the assault is on. Wonderjack's setlist, long agonized and polished to a sheen, is pushed into the shredder as Randy confuses his cues and drives the band into "Wrecking Ball." No matter, the songs rocks, and the applause is louder than that from the last tune. Craig delivers the inaugural performance of "Follow Me." More applause. Then, to finish it up, we perform a spirited, aggressive take of "Dear Whomever" to pump up the crowd and provide punctuation to what's been one of our best shows in recent memory. The final chord lingers and pulses a bit longer than usual as the new crowd starts applauding, then cheering. The effect is almost surreal. We leave stage triumphantly with the sense Wonderjack was able to hold its own in a collection of more experienced bands. Our peers congratulate us, and we're genuinely flattered. The post-performance buzz is in the air, and Wonderjack is authoritatively reminded of the joys that can accompany being part of a solid musical group. Now it's two days later. Wonderjack went to Ned Devines hoping for the chance at a full time gig, and we're all just happy to have had the chance to perform, for other people and for ourselves. Will we get an offer at Ned Devines? Who knows? What is known is that we left Ned Devines with the kind of momentum of which you need healthy doses to keep rehearsing, keep improving each week, after week, after week. It's great to be in a band. Dan |
