PORT TOWNSEND — Playing in a rock ‘n’ roll band isn’t all glamor; it’s also about balancing musical tastes and personalities — if you want your band to stay and grow together, that is.
Which is why Band Lab, a group of six musicians ages 14 to 16 from Port Townsend, stands out.
The teens started their musical project nearly three years ago and have since developed into an ensemble cohesive enough to go into a professional studio to record an album.
‘Band Lab’ debut
Band Lab will celebrate the release of its debut CD, simply titled “Band Lab,” with a dance party at the Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona St., this Friday evening.
Admission is free for youths 16 and younger and $5 for older folks.
A portion of proceeds will help fund band members’ travel to Guatemala on a service trip in 2014, said Barb Trailer, the mother of Band Lab singer and keyboard player Hanna Trailer, 16.
Dancing, food, ‘fun’
During Friday’s concert from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., “there will be dancing and food, and it’ll be lots of fun, so come check it out,” added Odette Jennings, Band Lab’s electric violin-keyboard-bass player.
Hanna and Odette, along with drummer Rowan Halpin, singer-keyboard player Corbin Reimnitz, bassist Declan Goldenboggen and guitarist Shae Weinblatt Dey, are inviting more of their musician friends to join them for Friday’s concert.
Band Lab’s repertoire, reflected on the CD, ranges from Macklemore’s “Same Love” to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious” to the Black Keys’ “Tighten Up.”
There’s Motown, the Beatles and Radiohead in there, too, said Tim Halpin, mentor to the group.
Their progress has been “huge,” said Halpin, who is not only Rowan’s dad but also a musician well-known for bands such as The Better Half.
“In this town, there’s a lot of individual talent,” Halpin added, but it can be a challenge to bring personalities together into a sum bigger than the parts.
‘All over the board’
The band practices in Barb Trailer’s home studio, but when it came to recording the CD, the sextet went to Cartwheel Records, Pete Lack’s Port Townsend studio.
The result is a record that’s “all over the board,” in a good way, Halpin said.
“What’s been really neat,” Trailer added, “is that the kids with widely different musical tastes have come together, and they’ve grown through that.”
“Being in the band has helped me . . . learn to share my ideas,” Odette said.
“It has also helped me become more comfortable performing on stage.”
Said Halpin: “I’m extremely proud of everything they’ve accomplished.”
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
