Their reactions? Pure joy.
“I didn’t expect to win,” said Gabe Goodman, a sophomore, vocalist, and lead guitarist for the band. “There were bands that had better production and thousands of more votes!”
When junior Ben Garman, the band’s drummer, found out, ”I lit up,” he said, smiling at the memory.
As the day wore on, the news felt less like a dream. Phones kept buzzing with the good news, and the teens have been practicing since then to prepare for the performance.
To win, the band not only needed to draw in votes (and they did — 4,217 to be exact), but had to impress the anonymous judges. Together, the combined score ushered the local band into the national spotlight.
The four that make up the band: Goodman; Garman; Jack Duff, sophomore, bass and synthesizer player; and Max DiRado, freshman bassist, will pay for the own air fare to get to the California competition, where all expenses will then be paid.
The hope, besides listening to some great music from the other seven finalists, is to get feedback from music executives.
“Hopefully, there will be a lot of music industry reps around,” Duff said. Even if it doesn’t materialize into a record deal, the input from professionals would be incredibly helpful, he said.
“It’s also a great opportunity for exposure,” Goodman said. “I’m excited about the opportunity.”
MGM Grand Foxwoods at a Verizon sponsored showcase
If the band is selected at the finals round, the boys will move on to perform in Europe at the 2012 SchoolJam Germany finals in Frankfurt.
For now, the win is a giant leap from where the band was a year ago. With only three members at the time, Closer Than We Appear had won the Hingham-based South Shore Conservatory singer-songwriter competition.
Since then, they have added a drummer, are putting the final touches on their EP, and are looking at the prospect of performing in front of 90,000 people.
