Kevin Kennedy and Jay Losee rocking out at Old Angler’s Inn. Photo Contributed
It’s not unusual to spot Potomac’s South Glen Band unloading their amps, drums, keyboard and other instruments at Old Angler’s Inn on MacArthur Boulevard. The band of locals — a couple of attorneys, a judge, a urologist, two investment advisors, an investment banker and a real estate developer — is setting up for its monthly gig. They play all kinds of music, but like to focus on classic rock tunes including “Stop Baby, What’s That Sound,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Kansas City” — just a few of the familiar sing-along songs that encourage the audience to jump to their feet for non-stop dancing.
The South Glen Band, named for the Potomac road of the same name, was founded six years ago by Kevin Kennedy, attorney at Schulman Rogers. Kennedy had been playing the guitar since college, loved to sing — and always wanted to perform with a band.
“I was talking with my friend Mark Reges who owns Old Angler’s Inn (OAI). He felt that OAI needed some live music — so I decided to see if I could pull together a group of musicians, since performing with a band has always been on my bucket list,” Kennedy said. “I gathered some acquaintances who were also musicians and we started practicing in my home on South Glen (hence the name). We decided it was the most fun we had ever had — and after lots of practicing, we were fortunate to book some gigs. Besides playing at OAI, we also play at Branded 72 in Rockville, Bar Louie and the Barking Dog in Bethesda.”
“We love having South Glen Band perform at OAI, said Reges. “They are a local group that has its origins at the Inn about five years ago. They have quickly developed a following and each time they perform they always draw a great group of our neighbors and friends.”
Regular members of the South Glen Band are urologist Dr. Jay Losee, who plays bass guitar and is also a vocalist, real estate finance advisor Andy Weiss who plays rhythm guitar, investment advisor Tommy Scanlan who plays lead guitar, Judge John Moffett who plays the drums and new home sales representative Annie Devine-Sickmen who sings lead and harmony vocals. Attorney Frank Carmel handles key boards at larger gigs. Other regular subs include investment advisor Charlie Hudson on drums and vocals and Lane Hornfeck of Shulman Rogers on harmonies and lead vocals.
“It is really interesting,” said Kennedy. “I put the word out about forming a band, and I immediately got four or five responses. It seems that many professionals are really interested in exploring their creative bent. Practicing together is a lot of fun — and when we perform the song and our audience responds positively, it is really exhilarating. We all love performing and it rounds out our lives in so many ways.”
He continued, “We play a lot of private parties that were donated as silent auction items, and also at Montgomery County Bar Association events. We competed in the Battle of the Barristers and came in second. We also played at the 9:30 Club in the “Law Rocks” competition. We played under the name ‘The Fine Print’ and we won that contest.”
The band performs monthly at Old Angler’s Inn in Potomac. In the winter, they often pack the restaurant with their regular followers. “It’s wonderful to see the life that the band brings,” said Ken Touloumes of Potomac. “Old Angler’s Inn is an outstanding local restaurant with consistently great food — but this turns a dinner into a full evening with dancing and live music.” At OAI, they sometimes play downstairs next to the fireplace and in the summer, they perform once a month in the area in back of OAI. “We always draw a crowd playing outside. It’s very casual and comfortable.” said Kennedy.
Reges is pleased with customer response: “We believe having live music at the Inn adds to our patron’s experience. During the winter months, having South Glen Band play after dinner hours in the downstairs bar area brings a whole new experience for our neighbors. Also, on Monday nights we have ‘Live Jazz Night’ with a fantastic duo .We are finding that Monday nights are becoming one of our more popular nights because of the live music experience. “
South Glen Band will be performing on Jan. 16 at Rockville’s Branded 72 and on Jan. 22 at Old Angler’s Inn. “We are very interested in adding new venues and gaining more exposure,” said Kennedy. For more information about booking the band, email Elenakennedy@aol.com.