White Noise, a Wellesley High School band formed 30 years ago, is readying for its now annual one-night-only gig next month at the Italo American Education Club in Wellesley. The family-friendly concert, which doubles as something of a mini-reunion, is slated for Saturday, Aug. 22 at 7pm at the club (80 Oak St., in Wellesley), with a $5 cover charge at the door.
Among the band’s members: Wellesley Middle School English and social studies teacher David Nichols, who says the band plays classic rock and sometimes more recent material including Sublime’s “What I Got” (and there’s a threat to work in a Taylor Swift tune). Nichols plays the bass and is a 1989 WHS grad.
Other members include Parker Ramsey – guitar and lead vocals (Class of 1989). Currently a speech and language pathologist for a school system on Long Island; David Perkinson – guitar (Class of 1989). Currently teaches English at Quincy College; Jim Picariello – keyboards (Class of 1989) Currently works as a technology specialist at Maine Maritime Academy; Sean Casler – drums (Natick High School – Class of 1987) . Works in the computer field in western Mass. Ramsey, Perkinson and Nichols play in other bands during the year as well.
This marks the third straight year the band has reunited, and because several members live out of state, they only practice 3 times a year. “We literally had to dust off our instruments and some cases do some significant relearning,” Nichols said about the group getting back together.
The band isn’t just reforming for its own sake either. They’re raising money for Pan-Mass Challenge team Live, Laugh, Love. This is a group of current and former WMS teachers who have raised over $200,000 dollars since 2007. “We were able to contribute, with matching funds, $1,600 from our show last summer,” Nichols says.
One thing that hasn’t changed for the band over the years is its name: “It’s a pretty dumb name,” Nichols says. “It’s what happens when 14 year olds make a band name and then you’re stuck with it. Our original intention with the name was supposed to be mocking our sound. We covered up a lot of flaws with distortion and we thought that we sounded like the white noise that played on the televisions when the networks turned off. (A sound our current children never hear).”
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