This is probably the most important night in their musical lives, but you wouldn’t know it from talking to any of the five members of The Speaks. The local rock band is about to headline a Friday night set at the 9:30 Club, one of the most prestigious music venues in Washington, but they seem strangely relaxed. They shift seamlessly between a serious analysis of their identities as musicians to joking about drummer Johnnie Abelende’s desire to one day appear on MTV Cribs.
“None of us are nervous,” the band’s spiky-haired, tattooed lead singer, Raf Toledo, said in a backstage interview just hours before the band is set to take the stage. “We’ve gotten over that.”
Although the band originated six years ago, when Toledo, Abelende and bassist Jerry Delino began jamming together (guitarists Sieg Fuster and Archie Dela Cruz joined about two years ago), it has only been in the past year and a half that The Speaks have created major waves in the D.C. music world and beyond. They beat out hundreds of regional bands to win the 2004 “D.C. 101 Last Band Standing” competition and recently signed a production and distribution deal with Warner Music in Asia for their album, Life’s a Joke.
For the time being, the band members have to hold onto their day jobs in order to pay the bills. Toledo, Fuster and Delino work in technology, Dela Cruz in banking and Abelende is a mechanic. But they hope that will soon change.
“A year from now we’d love to be playing music for a living,” Toledo says. “To be able to pursue music as a full time gig would be a dream come true.”
Although they would much rather talk about their music, The Speaks do not shy away from discussing one of the more noticeable qualities of the band: they are all Asian-American.
“People didn’t really give us a chance at first, and then as soon as we start playing, man, it’s like every preconceived notion about, you know, Asians in music is wiped out,” Toledo says. “Right now we’ve found it’s actually working in our favor because it sets us apart from everyone else.”
After three opening acts finish their sets, The Speaks finally take the stage a half hour before midnight. Eager fans have mostly filled the balcony and the large floor in front of the stage. That’s a pretty impressive turnout for a local band, considering the 9:30 Club is a venue that regularly books top national acts.
From the first note, the band’s biggest strength is clear-it’s all about their energy. Many in the crowd sing along with every lyric, and the lead singer hams them up. Toledo is a natural front man, who crisscrosses the stage Mick Jagger-style, with microphone in hand and beads of sweat pouring down his face. His stature is small, but his voice is deep and penetrating, strikingly reminiscent of Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.
“I get that comparison all the time,” Toledo says. “To me it’s a compliment … he was one of my heroes back in the day.”
The Speaks perform a set replete with punchy, melodic originals, with one slow ballad thrown in the middle for good measure. The band’s stage presence compliments its heavy sound. Toledo’s stage banter is near-constant and often vulgar. At one point, Toledo invites female audience members to come up on stage and dance to one of the band’s numbers. What The Speaks may lack in musical subtlety, they make up for in intensity.
Dela Cruz ends the set by taking a stage dive into the crowd, and the young fans explode with delight. Toledo urges the crowd to support all of the other bands who shared the stage with them. As the lights come on, many fans file out of the building but others stick around to congratulate and mingle with the band members, who are all making the rounds on the main floor, a gesture of appreciation from the band to its fans that is rarely seen at a venue as prestigious as the 9:30 Club.
The Speaks have big things on their radar screen, but they are also aware of what they’ve already accomplished.
“What I like about being in the band lately too is that we’ve played with some national acts,” Abelende says. “Seeing those guys and being able to share the stage with Switchfoot, Chevelle and Jimmy Eat World, that’s just a dream.”
On February 25, The Speaks will headline Jaxx Concert Hall in Fairfax, VA, sharing the bill with Midnite Roger, a band comprised of Georgetown University students and recent alumni.
