By Gretchen Wing
Special to the Weekly
When Super Wide Groove kicks off its Get Funky Dance Party Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Lopez Center, the audience will witness something extraordinary: all band members in one place. The musicians will especially enjoy that experience.
Most large bands have trouble organizing rehearsals around individual schedules, but the 11-person Super Wide Groove takes this challenge a step further. One of its core members, keyboardist Beth Geever, lives in New Hampshire. After rehearsing on Lopez for the month of May, she disappeared back east, returning only at the end of August. Guest saxophonist Mark Doelman, from Spokane, appears just two days before the concert. Most bands operate as drummer Todd Goldsmith describes his previous experience: “If someone was missing we just wouldn’t practice.” That model can’t work for Super Wide Groove’s far-flung members – so what does?
Not Skype. “Skype rehearsals don’t work – there’s a time lag,” Geever laughs. “We tried it for about 30 seconds.” But Groovers have adopted other work-arounds. They listen to lots of recordings, distinguishing the parts. The key, says Goldsmith, “is to leave the space for that person’s part and not fill it up when they’re absent.” Band founder and guitarist Bill Johnson adds, “We rehearse counting measures where Mark’s and Beth’s solos would be. It’s good training.”
Groovers use words like “family” and “team” to describe themselves, and they feel absences deeply. Vocalist Nick Teague says of missing members, “There’s a hole, not only in the music, but from the personal energy they bring to the mix.” Focusing on subsections of each number helps fill that hole. Sometimes Johnson gets together with just the core vocalists – Kenny Ferrugiaro, Nick and Susie Teague – to tighten harmonies, and learn dance moves by watching old Temptations footage.
And of course the musicians work separately. Alone in New Hampshire, says Geever, “I just keep practicing the same 38 songs, over and over.” But despite the difficulty, bass player Colin Doherty finds benefits in solo practice. “It’s a great opportunity to focus on your part without relying on the other instruments. It’s challenging, but it allows for fine-tuning.”
The results of this patchwork rehearsal style are startling. After almost three months away, Geever says, “I was amazed at how, at our first rehearsal, we all just clicked.” Now in its fourth year, Super Wide Groove feels more like a family than ever. Vocalist Dylan Weber adds his own energy to the core band, transforming from Farmers Market “Barefoot Busker” to “Soul Man,” and Jaime Cordova augments the groove with his percussion talents. Says Nick Teague, “The more we get to know each other, the tighter the whole experience becomes, and when new folks come on board it’s all fresh and the energy begins all over again.”
This year’s “new folks” is singer Mehgan Herold, arrived from Ohio to be a ranger at Spencer Spit. An experienced rock ‘n’ roller, Herold was “blown away by how incredibly skilled each member is…ALL OF THEM.” Meanwhile, Herold’s “blockbuster voice” and stage presence, according to other Groovers, amplify both their sound and their excitement. That energy, whether from new talent or the return of veterans, transcends the satisfaction of solid performance. As Herold says, “Since everyone is so professional, it allows for more fun dancing and grooving at practice.” Colin Doherty sums up the band’s feelings: “With all that patience and trust we can create something magical.”
Super Wide Groove’s set this year includes Motown hit “Get Ready” – exactly what Nick Teague recommends: “Folks should dust off their dancing shoes and start stretching now to get ready for a night of Groovin’.” Tickets are available at Paper, Scissors; Lopez Bookshop; or Lopezcenter.org.
