Members of the Grayson Sanders Band set up for their performance on Friday, February 8. PHOTO/Michael Tsai ’10

The Grayson Sanders Band performed on the SAC stage on February 8th, from 8:00 PM -10:15 PM, to an excited and enthusiastic audience. Gray Sanders, the band’s lead singer and piano player, graduated from Choate in 2006 and returned to play for longtime friends and Choate students. Other members of the band include Dan Tirer, guitar; Jay Goodman, bass; and Alex Beckmann, drums.

Numerous members of the senior class came to the concert to see Sanders again and watch the performance. One memorable moment was when the band dedicated a song to current Student Council President, Jin Ha ’08. The song was a revamped version of one that Sanders’ Choate band, M.E.M., played in the Chapel basement two years ago. When asked why he dedicated the song to Ha, Sanders replied, “My senior year, Jin was a sophomore and I was in a band called M.E.M., and we played the song, ‘I Just Can’t Bring Myself To Get Over This.’ [Jin] used to come to me and tell me it was his alarm clock setting, and he used to wake up to the song every day. So at our last show of the year, kind of our Last Hurrah at the school, Jin was there and it was a great experience.” After his song, Ha got up on the stage and shook Sanders’ hand in front of the cheering crowd.

The band’s visit to Choate was especially rewarding for Sanders. He said, “I haven’t been back in a while, and I really wanted to show the guys where I came from.” When asked if he would perform at Choate again, Gray replied, “Absolutely.”

Choate students were very impressed with the band and actively demonstrated their excitement throughout the performance. “We’re very happy with the turnout; it was a great night,” said Sanders. When asked if the audience seemed to enjoy the show, the band members said, “Yes, they clapped and made noises—they were clapping with two hands!”

The audience was even more enthusiastic about the concert. “It was awesome!” exclaimed Teddy Link ’11. Angelica Calabrese ’10 said, “They were absolutely incredible.” The performance was described by Erica Lin ’10 as “refreshingly unique with a wonderful mélange of lyrics and guitar solos and funky keyboard chords.” Even Ms. Oppegaard gushed, “I was happy to see Gray again…he’s doing all these wonderful things.”

In addition to the song “I Just Can’t Bring Myself To Get Over This,” the band played a new favorite, “Leave It Up To Me.” During the concert, Sanders announced that his band will participate in “Battle of the Bands” in New York City. Tickets to the event were available for purchase during the performance.

As the band was preparing to leave, Choate students screamed “Encore!” and the musicians got up to play a final song. Students who were already enthralled by the music were ecstatic when they received free CDs from the band. This prompted students to request autographed CDs and pictures with the band. Michael Tsai ’10 commented, “I enjoyed their performance. Choate should definitely get them to come back again and play sometime.”

Sanders’ sister, Aubrey Sanders ’08, was also pleased with the performance. “I really haven’t seen a Choate crowd react to a performer at the SAC like that before,” she said.

To learn more about the Grayson Sanders Band or to suggest a new name for the musical group, visit www.graysonsandersband.com.