The chant gets louder “LPT, LPT, LPT.” As the lights dim, the rush of excitement takes over.
Last Perfect Thing takes the stage to a sold out crowd of fans, friends and family, as headliners at New Jersey’s Stone Pony.
Despite the fact that club local, Bruce Springsteen is not in the audience, it doesn’t change the aura of the legendary rock haven. The “house that Bruce built” is now feeling like home to another Jersey band. Last Perfect Thing is basking in the spotlight with their opening song, “Take Me Away.”
Greg Wilkens and Mike Smith are the original members of the group. Drummer, Chris Donofrio, joined next followed by lead guitarist, Jeff Teeter. Greg says it’s been worth the wait to get this foursome together. They grew up in neighboring towns. All played in various bands during high school. Eventually, it all came together. Endless hours of writing and rehearsing have paid off, but these four know it’s just the beginning. Their day jobs range from theater crew to wine seller. Mike even teaches music for a living. He laughs, “It’s ironic, isn’t it? I make a living with music. What I really love to do is play in the band. But I don’t make any money doing that yet.” That illusive ‘yet’ is within reach.
The audience continues to cry out for more. Greg, center stage, steps to the microphone, Mike, sings along, in perfect harmony. No, really. These guys aren’t your typical rock band. Their blend of rock, punk and pop holds the key to their universal appeal. Along with guitars, keyboards and drums, they’ve added an element of sound that is often missing; that extra dimension in vocals that makes their sound complete. The crowd sings back, rocking, swaying, and bouncing to the beat. You can tell that Last Perfect Thing gets it. More importantly, you can see their fans get it too.
Midway through their set, Greg invites some members of another local band on stage. As they regroup, a hush comes over the crowd. Although LPT prides itself on its original work, their covers are just as good. This one is a stunner. The group on stage breaks into a rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” that blows the crowd away. Without question, Last Perfect Thing lives up to the expectations of a headlining band.
When the night ends, the Cinderella effect wears off pretty quickly, and it’s back to the grindstone. The group has secured a producer, and is currently cranking out a new CD. And they’re keeping hours only a driven, hungry, struggling band could maintain. Jeff says a day in the life of LPT is pretty typical of any working band: work, rehearse, sleep; work, rehearse, sleep.
In their few spare moments, the band still finds time to keep up with their Web site on myspace.com and their new venture, http://www.lastperfectthing.com/. In the long run, this band of twenty-somethings knows it’s all worth it. Last Perfect Thing is ready to travel down that long road to success.