Staff Writer

 

Look out, ASL club, because a better “sounding” rival has arrived!

The Acoustic Society is a relatively new club at school that was recently founded by juniorWayne Ireland, who plays acoustic guitar.

When asked why he wanted to start the club this winter, Wayne said, “I think I was really into [musician] Jim Croce at the time, and I noticed we didn’t really play any acoustic instruments in Rock Ensemble, and I wanted to start a club where you could cover a song acoustically.”

The origins of the Acoustic Society have been nearly two years in the making.  “... I taught Wayne [Ancient Civilization] when he was a freshman in Trailer 1, and I have an old, charming acoustic guitar in Trailer 1 named Bessy Lou. Wayne would often end class by picking up the guitar and playing,” said history teacherMr. Laughead, who is the faculty advisor of the Acoustic Society.

“That same year, I assisted him in the talent show by playing bass on a song he really wanted to play (“Everlong” by Foo Fighters). So we have a little bit of a musical history together. Anyway, fast-forward to 2018, and Wayne wanted to start an acoustic guitar club and he asked me to help.”

The Acoustic Society meets every Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. in Trailer 1 with Mr. Laughead, who plays acoustic guitar. Other members of the club include seniorsRyan Hughes (acoustic bass guitar)and Alex Nunn (acoustic mandolin), sophomore Kinsey Koch (clarinet), and freshman Jack Richardson (acoustic guitar).

According to Wayne, most of the songs played in the Acoustic Society, such as “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel, are older. However, they are also working on “Carousel” by Blink 182, which is a relatively newer tune.

Kinsey said that she is happy to have the opportunity to jam with the Acoustic Society. “I enjoy playing with a small ‘band’ like this,” she said, “but it is tricky being the only clarinet player in the group because I have to play a note higher than written [on the sheet] for music to sound good with guitars,” Kinsey explained.

The Acoustic Society started off slowly because they only meet once a week, but they are now moving at a steady pace. Ryan is hoping that the Woodlynde community will be able to hear their music in the talent show this spring.