Meddies Electrify Mt. Ararat Middle School
Reminds us that yes, little kids like Meddies too.
It was an unassuming day in Topsham, Maine on March 3rd, 2006. The sun was shining, and the cold coastal winds of Midcoast Maine were at full force. But at around 12:45 PM, as the students of Mt. Ararat Middle school were being ushered into the Orion Performing Arts Center, a group of college men in blue blazers were already preparing to put on a show for the school that would not soon be forgotten.
After moving past some technical problems with the microphones, the Meddies silenced the buzzing audience with their opening song, "All For You." Soloist Kevin Wilcox quickly drew in the audience as he walked out into the aisles and sang directly to various audience members. After the applause and whistles died down, the Meddies followed up with their oldest song, "Mood Indigo," showing their versatility in vocal styles. The audience of middle schoolers and teachers was kept on the edge of their seats and the Meddies brought out "Rebecca" by the Pat McGee Band, "Drive My Car" by the Beatles, "Never There" by Cake, and "Seven Bridges Road" by The Eagles. Older standards such as "Men" and "Beautiful Doll" were also interjected to illustrate that, although the Meddies love to rock your socks off, they also like to go back to their roots and demonstrate their classic barbershop blend.
Luke Wilson '06 thought it fitting to tell the assembly that they should feel free to get up and dance when they felt moved to do so, but no one got up until the Meddies closed the concert with "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. Partway through the song, a young lady started clapping in the audience, which soon amassed to the entire auditorium clapping on the beats. The enter audience was on their feet before the song was half over, and the Meddies did their best to sing over the ecstatic noise of the audience. As the song concluded, the all-male a capella group was met with extraordinary applause and hollers from every the entire audience.
As the buzz in the auditorium dwindled, the buzz out in the halls increased where the Meddies had lined up. As the students returned to class, many Meddies were signing autographs. Junior member and heart throb Jon Ludwig even signed a young girl's cheek. Several students raised their hands for high five's, and it quickly became acknowledged as a craze after one boy shouted, "I got them all!"
After the performance, the assistant principle of the school, Don Baker, talked with the Meddies, and was very thankful for their presence that afternoon. He extended his hopes that the Meddies would come back and work with the chorus members of the school. Barbara Larsen, the chorus director at Mt. Ararat Middle School, came up to thank the Meddies for sharing their music with the school. "It's great for these kids to see how much fun singing can be, especially because you are all men." Mrs. Larsen continued to say that it was hard to get boys to join the chorus because they don't think it's a cool thing to do. The Meddies left Mt. Ararat Middle School with smiles on their faces knowing that they had yet another positive impact on the community.