Though the band carries his name, Jay Walker wasn’t initially sure he wanted to be part of Jay Walker and the Misdemeanors. The band, then consisting of Michael Reynolds (guitar), Iaan Reynolds (bass), and Brendan Troy (drums), was looking for a singer and Jay was looking to do anything but sing. Still, Jay figured he’d give the group a try—and loved it.

JWatM has moved up from high school proms and graduation parties to performing at more popular venues including the Dinkytowner and the Varsity Theater. Part of their rise to success can be credited to radio play by local DJ JP the Radioslave, but it largely rests in the band’s energy and passion for their music. Originally inspired largely by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the band now cites Kings of Leon as one of their major influences. They describe their own music as continually morphing, but mainly “alt-rock with a dash of soul.” Less precisely, it’s groovy rock—hard to dance to but good for grooving!

Fans aren’t the only ones grooving to the music. All four members of the band, now with Jeff Fitzpatrick as their new drummer, fly through practice sessions with uncontrollable smiles. The Reynolds brothers rock out as their fingers fly over the frets, Jay starts conducting with his hands throughout each song, and Jeff just looks giddy to be drumming in the band.

The practices are highly intense and chaotic. Self-described as having ADD, the band segues seamlessly from rehearsing songs, to jam sessions, to guitar and drum solos. “Here’s a snippet,” Jay says, leaning forward conspiratorially. He and Iaan are sitting patiently as Michael and Jeff play their hearts out. Before Jay can finish, Iaan jumps in. “Michael is always doing solos because he’s really good.”

“And Jeff’s like Michael,” Jay finishes. “Me and Iaan hold the fort down.” He gestures at the other two. “They have no idea what we’re talking about.” And they don’t—both are lost in their music. Eventually the four get back on track and begin to work on developing a melody for a new song, but the cohesion holds for mere moments. Instead of a new melody, Iaan starts creating a rap about Little Red Riding Hood and Michael breaks into another guitar solo.

“See, ADD.”

After waiting for Michael to stop playing, Jay throws a stress ball and hits the switch on Michael’s amp. Michael, who’s already holding his own stress ball, tries to grab the second but Jay beats him to it. “It’s like Lance Armstrong. You only need one,” Jay tells him. They decide to finish the song the next day.

The band proudly states that it doesn’t just have one voice but four. “Iaan and I have a definite voice in what we play,” Michael says. “The bass drives everything and the guitar makes it sound beautiful,” Iaan pipes in. Michael thanks him and it’s easy to see the deep connection that holds the band together though half are still back in high school.

If they hadn’t stayed together, all agree their lives would suffer. “We didn’t play near as many shows last year as we did the year before and it was depressing. The band is my outlet for my extroversion and my creativity and if it weren’t there I’d go crazy,” Jay says.

“If it weren’t there, I’d have no self-confidence. Being in a band, it doesn’t matter that I was never good at a sport in my life, because I’m in a band,” Iaan adds.

“Also, we’d have no women in our lives.” Michael grins as he says this. His words are hard to believe, as they come from a talented guitarist/lyricist, who is also pre-med at the U and works as a model.

The high-on-life sensation of performing is another perk. “It’s so fun! It’s electric and you can feel the energy—it’s like an electric storm.” Jay’s eyes come alive when he says this, giving a sense of the energy he speaks of.

For Iaan, the best is “the beginning of the show when I overexert myself. I just go nuts. Like after Serenade, I always think to myself that there’s no way I’m going to make it through the show playing like this. And then I do.” Serenade is “probably the song I like the most and everyone hates.”

“My sister likes it,” Jeff argues.

“Does your sister like Akon?” Jeff nods and the band cackles.

At the next practice session, the group makes progress on the melody of the new song. It’s not easy, as the practice runs in typical ADD format. Jay begins by announcing they are going to write a new melody. Instead, Iaan starts playing Islands in the Sun by Weezer.

“Can we please make a new melody?” Jay begs. Iaan argues that they need Michael first, but Jay insists. By the time Michael arrives, they have developed a wordless melody. Now complete with all four members, the band does the first raw version of the song.

“That’s tight,” Michael says when they finish. Though Michael was referring to the new piece, his words describe the band as a whole. Not only do their free flowing practice sessions churn out an incredible array of music, but they interact as a tightly knit group. Throughout the sessions they perpetually finish each others’ thoughts and break into harmony without any apparent cues. Though Jeff’s still learning both the songs and the history of the band, he’s an enthusiastic participant.

It’s 7:15 and Jeff is supposed to go celebrate his birthday. He tells everyone he’s leaving, but fifteen minutes later he’s still drumming as the band finishes another spontaneous jam session. “I’m glad I stayed for that,” he says as he really does head out the door. “I don’t want to leave.”

Eventually other things—food, debate, other friends—pull the four out of the little cave they practice in, but the band is always their waiting for them. The group is an unusual union of a varsity basketball player, high school philosopher, pre-med sophomore, and an enterprising business student, but their shared passion for music is beautiful.

Tags: Dinkytown