In a customized, couch-lined studio over a three-car garage — obviously, not your average garage band setting — far-from-ordinary Toxic Spouse has meshed mature musicians to synchronize its sound and hone its harmonies to reach the showdown round in the Battle of the Bands event sponsored by Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte. The finals will be held Saturday, Nov. 19, and the local group is counting on community support to push it to the top of the 12-band Tremont pyramid and, possibly, on to bigger stages.
The band — featuring a pharmaceutical firm representative, a home builder, a dance instructor, two doctors and an assortment of other professionals, some with vast music backgrounds and others enjoying the exploration of a newly discovered passion — earned a spot in the finals by wowing judges in the preliminary round with a collection of original songs and renditions of well-known favorites. In addition to the music, the story of the band's formation will also turn some heads.
Debbie Lauder, Dan Mahoney and Rodney Graham — the latter a candidate for the Davidson Town Board of Commissioners — all parents with professional careers, live near the end of North Faulkner Way. A few years ago, music was added to the traditional multi-family gatherings at the end of the street, and the next door neighbors discovered a connection extending beyond the proximity of their houses.
Another Old Davidson resident heard one of their impromptu, dead-end jam sessions and came on board as drummer soon after. A friend heard Toxic Spouse at a birthday party performance and suggested an acquaintance — a doctor from Mooresville — would make a good bassist for the band. And the beat goes on.
Now, Toxic Spouse has a six-member core, with several other talented neighbors in the mix when business and family obligations prevent regulars from making a gig, and a spacious first-class rehearsal studio above Mahoney's garage.
A self-professed guitar nut, Mahoney admits to jumping in with both feet when the spirit moves him, and Toxic Spouse's lead guitarist has transformed the over-the-garage space into a well-equipped practice facility.
"You know, I brought in a few guitars and then all this other musical equipment just appeared," Mahoney says with a smile, acknowledging his all-or-nothing attitude in terms of commitment to the band.
The commitment required from all the band members, and the subsequent household adjustments made necessary by the demands placed on part-time musicians, led to the good-humored, but nevertheless hitting-close-to-home name for the band. "It applies from each perspective, depending on which side you're on," lead singer Lauder says with a grin.
"Our spouses look at it like we're the ones who have disrupted things," Mahoney adds, with a sneaky grin, "and obviously we see things a little different."
But the family support, and the family connections, play a big role for Toxic Spouse. In fact, a front yard spat between Lauder's and Mahoney's young sons triggered the idea for one of the group's original songs.
"The boys are good friends, but they had a fight over something," Mahoney recalls. "Debbie and I were out there and we both knew sometimes boys are just boys, and just a few minutes later they were playing again and everything was fine. I told her I wasn't worried about them having a neighborhood fight as long as they realize that, once they're out of the neighborhood, they need to look after each other.
"The next day," he adds, "Debbie came over with the words to "I Got Your Back" and we started on the music."
Those kind of family-based stories help make Toxic Spouse a little unusual in the field of garage bands. Members practice and perform when other obligations allow and, in events usually stocked with teens and college-age performers, a group of 40-somethings can face some obvious obstacles. But maturity and experience also carry some valuable advantages.
The group knows that at the mid-November Battle of the Bands, ticket sales and crowd support will play a factor in determining the outcome, and Toxic Spouse is hoping to secure a party bus to transport a large group of supporters. Area residents interested in obtaining tickets can do so by e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Ticket information, as well as details about booking arrangements for the band, can also be obtained by calling Lauder, 704-453-5592; Mahoney, 917-612-2543; keyboardist Graham, 704-239-1124; or bassist LuAnne Gatlin, 704-877-4796.
Other members of Toxic Spouse include Steve Gibbons, Matt Zimmerman, Amy Dolce and Rob Higgins.
Additional information about the Battle of the Bands at Tremont Music Hall, 400 West Tremont Avenue in Charlotte, is available at tremontmusichall.com or gorillamusic.com.
