On Friday Sept. 20, I found myself far more satisfied to find out that Mike’s Bakery is a band here at Wheaton, rather than an actual bakery. Upon walking into the Den, I stumbled into a line of students hoping the $100 open tab would cover their food and drinks. The place quickly filled up as seats were taken and the counter lined with people. Band members Jordan Wolfe ’15, Ryan Lloyd ’15, and Jeff Horn ’15 were busy setting up their equipment as people were mingling with their free food and drinks, while other folks chose to wait outside for the show to start. This year, Mike’s Bakery plans on performing as much as they can throughout the semester.
Joining Mike’s Bakery was guest band, Philly’s Black Brick. Once in contact with Black Brick, Wolfe said, “After some emails back and forth, we decided that the Lyon’s Den would be the perfect venue for the band.” Once Mike’s Bakery began to play, everyone gathered to the stage to watch and listen. The first song started with a bang. When everyone was enjoying the music, the band asked the crowd to gather exactly two inches closer to the stage. That bit of encouragement from Mike’s Bakery loosened up the crowd, getting them excited for the next band to take the stage.
After the announcement was made for Black Brick, they set up their gear quickly, and the second show commenced. The band asked how long to play for and the crowd responded with, “however long you want.” Once the show ended, most of the crowd dispersed. Some people decided to stay after and chat with the members of Black Brick. Jimmy, guitarist and lead vocalist of Black Brick said, “We had fun doing the show here because Wheaton reminds us a lot of where we went to school.” All three members, Jimmy, Jack, and Nathan, went to Oberlin College in Ohio, where they began playing music together. Wheaton was one stop on their Northeast Tour, as they were in Burlington, Vt. earlier that day. The tour concludes in two and a half weeks, after which they plan to return to Philadelphia. As the band was loading their equipment into their car, several people stuck around the Den to relax after the eventful and fulfilling performances from both groups.