On February 13, The Jade Image, a student band at WCHS, played its first concert at Grace Brethren Powell. Here, the group preformed original songs written by the band members, and various worship songs.The Jade Image consists of seniors, including Josh Howard (lead vocals and piano), Nathan Wicker (drums), Jordan Doherty (bass), Gabe Botkin (vocals) and Jared Larson (lead electric guitar).
There was an air of nervous excitement as everyone gathered by the stage to watch the band perform for the first time. There were complementary drinks and various band merchandise including the band’s first EP ( a taste of the bands songs and sound) Crimson Rain.
The show started out with a video of what the band was doing before the show with a count down leading up to their walking out onto the stage and performing their first song.
During the show, the band interacted with the audience (made up of high school and middle school students) by bringing a random audience member onto the stage for a singing competition between Gabe and whoever the lucky person was.
The band, which started out as part of WCHS’s worship band, morphed into The Jade Image, and, due to Howard’s internship, received studio time.
When asked what one of the best things about their first performance was, Howard said “Being on stage and looking out into the crowd and seeing everyone there to support us. Over 200 people came out.”
Throughout the night, the band had an air of professionalism and organization; and they seemed to know their way around the stage. Junior Andrew Kistler said “The band sounded good and it was really cool to see kids from school performing original songs.”This reporter attended the concert and enjoyed it; but a word of advice: start on time, not a half hour later. The video was cute, but was it absolutely necessary? Remember: the band is in its beginning stages; save the “rock star diva” vibe for future shows.
The Jade Image definitely has stage presence and catchy songs. Students of WCHS should keep their ears open for upcoming shows, of which Howard assures us that there will be more.
