West Florence senior Leggett hits right notes as musician

FLORENCE — Brice Leggett, an 18-year-old West Florence High School senior, is ending his senior year on a high note.

Leggett is one of four members who form the up-and-coming band What About Wednesday.

In one year, the band has become a local favorite playing shows at Creek Ratz, J. Michael’s Grill & Raw Bar and the Musical Depot in Florence. The band will also greet audiences with its “classic rock meets classical piano meets rudimentary reggae drumming meets funk bass” at Apple Annie’s Deli & Pub.

The band has even grabbed the attention of an independent label, Chamberlain Records.

Leggett, who is the bass guitarist and vocalist for What About Wednesday, not only gives his all on stage, but also as a music instructor at Musical Depot’s School of Music. In fact, all four members of What About Wednesday are instructors for the school.

Leggett, along with Andrew Wade, the lead guitarist; Tyler Rasberry, who plays drums; and keyboardist, Tyler Ham, all take the time to teach others the art of playing an instrument.

Scott Gilreath, owner of the Musical Depot, said Leggett is not only a great teacher but a great musician and vocalist.

“He’s really a great instructor,” Gilreath said. “He has a lot of enthusiasm.

Gilreath said Leggett, who teaches electric and bass guitar, is a talented player, writer and composer.

“All the kids that take lessons with him love him,” he said. “The biggest surprise about Brice ... is his phenomenal singing voice.”

Leggett had his first encounter with the guitar when he was in in the seventh grade and living in the small town of Folkston, Ga. He said he became interested in the instrument when his friends started playing.

His parents purchased an old guitar off eBay and Leggett said he eventually taught himself how to play.

“We didn’t have lessons because it was a really small town,” he said. “Once I started playing, I started to really love the guitar. I started playing it all the time.”

During Leggett’s sophomore year, the family moved to Florence.

Leggett would soon meet Wade, who was the guitarist of the band Last Call. Last Call’s original bass player left the group and Wade asked Leggett if he wanted to be the band’s new bass player.

Playing the bass was something new for Leggett, but he said he was up for the challenge.

The band’s original lead singer eventually left the band as the group transformed from a more reggae style of music to an alternative style.

The band formerly known as Last Call became What About Wednesday and Leggett became the singer and continued to play bass.

Leggett said the band’s choice of name was a random choice and a luck of the draw.

“We were sitting in Andrew’s room, took a magazine and closed our eyes,” Leggett said. “We flipped the pages and pointed at a word. The word was Wednesday.

“We kind of just thought , well, ‘What about Wednesday?’” he said. “It was kind of random. It just stuck.”

And the name did stick.

The band has played with such big-time musical acts as Last November and Sequoyah Prep School. It has recorded at least four original songs at 6+1 Studios in Florence and plans to record more in preparation for the trip to Los Angeles.

Leggett said it was great to be able to do something he loved, and regardless of whether the band becomes famous, he’ll still play music.

Leggett will attend Francis Marion University in the fall and major in criminal justice. He is the son of Bryan and Barbara Leggett.

What About Wednesday’s next show is at 8 p.m. Wednesday at J. Michael’s. For more information, visit the band’s Myspace page, http://www.myspace.com/whataboutwednesday4.

On the Web

West Florence High School, http://www.fsd1.org/westflorence

What About Wednesday, http://www.myspace.com/whataboutwednesday4

Musical Depot, http://www.musicaldepot.net