On Sunday, Oct. 19, local band Throwing Wrenches performed at the Hard Rock Café in Washington, D.C. When the opening act, Neon Rain, was unable to perform, Throwing Wrenches took the stage early, at a little past 2 p.m.

Throwing Wrenches is composed of  WJ freshman Nick Morper, Magruder sophomore Ian Aleman, Montgomery Blair sophomore Shyaer Parvez and Quince Orchard junior Jacob Elder. Morper plays the drums, and Elder, Parvez and Aleman all play guitar; Parvez also sings and plays the piano. 

The band performed two sets with a brief break in between. Their sets were a mix of covers, such as MAGIC!’s “Rude” and John Mayer’s “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)”, and original songs, such as “Just Another Day” and “Claustrophobia”.

“A lot of the music we listen to really affects us, it influences the genre of our [songs], and as for what the song is actually about, it’s just usually about things we care about,” said Parvez.

At one point during their first set, the microphone turned off for a couple seconds before beginning to function again. Parvez, who was singing at the time, kept right on going. This demonstrated true professionalism that was also evident in each and every member of the band during their performance. As a cohesive group, Throwing Wrenches performed well, capturing and holding their audience’s attention. The acoustics inside the Hard Rock Cafe were not the best in town, so it was sometimes difficult to understand what the song lyrics were. However, as an audience member watching their performance, it was clear that they were working together as a team and that they were truly enjoying themselves while doing so.

The band got their start in February 2012, when Parvez and Elder formed a local alternative rock band along with Morper; Aleman joined soon afterwards. Parvez and Elder had played in a band together before, but eventually left.

“We [left] our previous band because we wanted…a really committed band,” said Elder.

Parvez added that they really wanted to play in a band where music was a priority for the other members.

“Music was…a passion for us that we just wanted other people to share that passion [with],” he said.

All of the members are considering the possibility of playing music as a professional career, and they are also all involved in the music departments at their respective high schools. They communicate via text message and practice at either the Bach to Rock music school in Gaithersburg, or Elder’s or Morper’s houses. Elder said that one of the best parts of being in a band is being able to perform for audiences and compose original music.

“If anyone from WJ wants to see us play live, we’re doing a show at the Electric Maid in Takoma Park Friday, November 21st. It’s an [all-ages] show and we’re opening for an amazing pop punk band from Baltimore. Or you can always check us out on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and YouTube,” said Morper.

The boys have played shows at the 9:30 Club, Fillmore Silver Spring, NBC4,Electric Maid in Takoma Park, and more. They’ve recorded a debut album, “Throwing Wrenches”, that is available on iTunes. Their band name is a reference to the 2004 movie Dodgeball. One thing is for sure: Throwing Wrenches is a band to keep an ear out for.

For more information on Throwing Wrenches, check out the band’s website or social media sites:

throwingwrenchesband.com

facebook.com/throwingwrenchesband

instagram.com/throwingwrenchesband

twitter.com/ThrowWrenchBand