Severna Park Talent Featured In Band Called The Wayward Locals

“Just imagine cords everywhere, cables and a big hunk of furniture that we moved into a corner to make room,” said guitarist Nate Stanley of The Wayward Locals’ basement practice space.

The band’s approach to practice is similar to its approach to everything else: spontaneous. The Wayward Locals, a teenage jazz/rock band, formed about a year and a half ago and has been playing gigs ever since. The band is made up of all high school students; guitarist/vocalist Nate Stanley and drummer Ezra Geissler attend Broadneck High School, and bassist Warren Louie attends Severna Park High School. Keyboardist/vocalist Jackson Trapp is a Broadneck graduate and is currently studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Stanley and Trapp met in elementary school and later connected with Geissler and Louie while in All-County Jazz Band. The four shared a passion for jazz music, which started it all.

The Wayward Locals’ first gig was a Christmas show where they played cover songs at a family friend’s house. They rehearsed for about a week and a half for that first show, practicing every day for a few hours. Now, almost a year later, The Wayward Locals are writing original music. Influenced by Steely Dan and Frank Zappa, Trapp and Stanley have been writing much of the material in their lineup but have added to their set-list during rehearsal with Louie and Geissler.

Although it can be difficult during the school year, the players make both music and school priorities. After their first few gigs, the members became more comfortable playing onstage. Today, they find that they don’t rehearse as often but Stanley believes, “There’s a good bit of spontaneity that's just kinda there. As much as it would be cool to have a completely planned show, it’s a lot more fun to just go up there and go for it.”

The band is on hiatus as Trapp attends Berklee, but the musicians continue to book shows to play when he returns home for break. The bandmates find that promoting their shows is one of the most important aspects of playing their lineup. They use social media to get the word out as well as creating flyers and telling their friends and family. The band counts solely on Geissler to schedule most of their gigs; previously they have performed at the Metropolitan Kitchen & Lounge in Annapolis and The Sidebar in Baltimore. As they continue their music in the future, members of The Wayward Locals hope to record original songs to upload to music streaming services. The band members also plan to continue with music, eventually working in the professional music field. The Wayward Locals’ next gig will be an all-ages show on December 28 at the Metropolitan Kitchen & Lounge.