By Beatrice Beutel
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
After two and a half hours of various musicians performing their 20-minute sets in an epic battle of the bands, The Tapples finally took the stage. They opened with an original song, “Streets in the Evening,” which immediately had the audience bouncing to the beat; the catchy melody, laced with sophisticated harmonies, stood out as one of the most uniquely written pieces of the entire night.
What made this band in particular so special? The youngest band member is only 13 years old.
Ranging from 13 to 17 in age, The Tapples’ band members all come from Needham. Age, however, is a deceptive trait to judge by, as The Tapples have been honing their craft as a group for multiple years. Their submission to the New England Music Awards’ Last Band Standing competition was an exciting development in the band’s career, as they got the chance to play amongst several adult groups, and in front of high-level music industry professionals. The recognition alone is something to be proud of. Before their performance, The Tapples commented that they were “really thankful to be [t]here,” and that “it [was] an honor to be on the same stage” as all of the other bands.
After a fantastic opening number, The Tapples continued with three more original songs titled “Slowly Slips Away,” “Stuck in Our Own Ways,” and “Aftermath.” It is rare that a band has three great vocalists, but Riley Zakarian, Sam Doff, and Avery Zakarian all took their turns as lead singer while simultaneously playing guitar. Daniel King and Liam King, on bass and drums, respectively, provided a solid rock-and-roll foundation. The Beatles were a clear musical influence, particularly with “Stuck in Our Own Ways,” but The Tapples did not fall into a single musical genre, with songs reminiscent of Green Day (“Aftermath”) and Blink-182 (“Streets in the Evening”). They ended their set with a perfect cover of “Get Back” by The Beatles.
The Tapples’ talent did not go unrecognized as they received a massive round of applause as they left the stage. One of the judges commented that they had some of the most intelligent harmonies of the night, and all of the judges were extremely impressed. While another band ended up winning this round, The Tapples should nonetheless be very proud.
With that much talent and such great songwriting already on display, the future is bound to be bright.
