The three members of The Waiting List are like those really cool roommates you once had, the ones who may have left dirty socks buried in the couch cushions or forgot to tell you that the juice in the fridge is actually a biology experiment, but who were nevertheless always there to offer sincere advice and a voice of reason when times were rough.

On February 23, The Waiting List left all pretenses behind and brought with them to Davey's Uptown a genuine rock 'n' roll performance. For the duration of the show, I felt like I was hanging out in a garage with some close friends, drinking Kool-Aid, and smoking cigarettes while a late-night jam session was taking place.

There were no drawn-out guitar solos, no fifteen minute drum and bass interludes, and no lackluster stories to try and convince the audience that they were witnessing the coolest indie kids of all time during some rare live performance. They seemed relaxed; they seemed to be in high spirits, and they passed that feeling on to the audience.

The show began with a solo performance by Jenny Carr, the lead vocalist, guitarist, and founder of The Waiting List. Carr performed six songs including a cover of Jonathan Rice's "I Wouldn't Miss it For the World." Those who have witnessed one of her solo performances know that she can cause the Earth to shake with nothing but a hollow box, six strings, two stomping feet, and a voice that whispers and howls.

Carr's lyrics and the accessibility of the music, combined with a lot of humorous interaction with the audience, was refreshing after seeing so many bands that take themselves way too seriously.

The Waiting List

Throughout the set, Carr's internal dialogue seemed to accidentally escape her. She rolled her eyes; she dropped her head back; she screamed and seemed always aware of what was going on in the audience, how the audience was responding to the music, and whether or not everyone was enjoying themselves.

When her voice and her acoustic guitar alone failed to muster the amount of atmosphere and raw power that she would have liked, she simply stepped to the mic and said to the audience, "Now imagine a huge build-up with strings and guitars!"

After the solo set, drummer Matthew Heinrich and bassist Mike Valverde joined Carr onstage. As Heinrich and Valverde tuned their instruments, Carr traded her acoustic guitar for an electric, and some of her lonesome vulnerability seemed to melt away, giving rise to a more confident rock and roll front-woman.

Although the Waiting List has changed members a few times over the past year, they seem incredibly excited about their current lineup — as they should be. Valverde emerged as the new bass player less than eight weeks ago, but musically speaking, it sounds like he's been with the group for much longer than that.

Valverde is somewhat of a musical guru and a self-proclaimed geek. After taking a hiatus from live performance after the breakup of his former band, Raising Grey, he's reemerged upon the scene to help The Waiting List gain the widespread acclaim that they deserve. Concerning Valverde's musical approach, Carr said, "Mike plays in odd time signatures... Often, we're not playing the same thing at all, but it works."

Carr's statement is indisputable — the addition of Valverde definitely works. His bass lines, combined with Heinrich's ever-steady, technical approach to timekeeping, help to nail down the arrangements. Picture ten-inch spikes and a sledgehammer.

Several of Carr's songs seemed to be about lost love and relationships; however, she explained to me that this is not the case. "Life in and of itself is a love affair. What sounds like a song about a person...it is actually a personification of life itself," she said.

When trying to decipher influences, it seems that there are few boundaries for The Waiting List. Some of their songs sound like stripped-down, raw versions of Pretty Girls Make Graves (http://prettygirlsmakegraves.com/). Hints of Regina Spektor (http://reginaspektor.com/) are also apparent, and Carr says that Jenny Lewis's music, and especially her lyrics, have had a profound influence on her writing.

Also, there's good news for musicians who are looking for a band and who are interested in The Waiting List. "We're still looking for a second guitar player or maybe a xylophone player... something weird like that," Carr said.

Adding at least one more element to their live performance is just what this band needs to consummate their sound. Now that they've established a solid and very rockin' foundation, they need something that will further set them apart from run-of-the-mill local acts. Even the addition of a couple background vocalists playing simple percussive parts with tambourines and hand-claps would add that extra boost to their already solid live performance.

Besides looking for another instrumentalist, the next step for The Waiting List, according to Carr, will be to decide where to record their first full-length album. Right now they are trying to come up with the money necessary to cover studio expenses, and they are also looking to play more out-of-town gigs. Their next live performance in Kansas City is scheduled for April 13 at the Beaumont Club with Anvil Chorus, Redline Chemistry, 21 Reasons, and Fairbanks.

To find out more about The Waiting List, visit www.myspace.com/thewaitinglist.

For samples of Jenny Carr's solo material, check out: www.myspace.com/jennycarrandthewaitinglist

Copyright 2007 Metropolitan Community College