Skitch, How Did We Get Here?

Local band chosen to open for Plain White T’s

By Alex Kopish, Current Staff

Next Friday four students will be sitting in their math classes, but later that night they will be opening for a worldwide known band.

Boarder Line, a local band, will open for Plain White T’s on May 16, in the West Bend High Schools’ fieldhouse.  The concert is part of a fundraiser put on by the Athletes for Arts program, which is raising money for the new high school auditorium project.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to play our music at a large event, with a well-known band, for a good cause,” Joey Chevalier said.

Chevalier, a senior at East, plays bass for Boarder Line. West senior Addison Schultz is the drummer in the band. His younger brother, Parker Schultz, a freshman at West, plays the guitar, as does Peter Lawrence, a West senior.  Inspired by bands like Weezer, Green Day, and the Killers, Boarder Line’s music is rock/alternative.

“When the booking agent first asked us, we weren’t supposed to know who we were opening for, so I said no because I had tickets to Foster the People…then we found out it was the Plain White T’s and we had to say yes,” Addison said.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to play our music at a large event, for a good cause.”
– Joey Chevalier

Boarder Line once performed at Harley Days, a Port Washington festival, where they reached their largest audience yet, around 6,000 people. Opening for Plain White T’s promises a large crowd, too.

“It won’t be our largest audience, but it will still be a pretty big show.  There should be about 3,000 people there, it should be pretty sweet,” Peter said.

The members of Boarder Line and some chosen students from the high school music program will get the chance to talk with the members of Plain White T’s backstage.

“We’re all really excited about it,” Addison said. “We’ll play some originals and we might play some cover songs.”

Their most recent original song, “Let’s Forget,” started selling in February of last year. Others include “Nothing to Say,” “Darkness (The Way),” and “Look My Way.”  All of their songs can be found on iTunes for 99 cents each.  Audiences can follow the band on Twitter and Instagram @boarderlineband or like their Facebook page.

Tickets are on sale now for $25 at the high schools’ bookkeeper’s office, the downtown Westbury Bank, the Horicon Bank in West Bend, the Exclusive Company, and the school district office.

Proceeds from the tickets will go towards the Auditorium Transformation Project.  The West Bend Public Schools Foundation’s goal is to raise $3 million in order to turn the current auditorium into a first-class arts facility.  This renovation will support, celebrate, and enhance arts programming in the school district and community.

If you would like to make a donation or get involved, you can do so at wbpsfoundation.org.

Boarder Line started back in 2009 and since then they have played at many concerts and festivals, including one of the world’s largest music festivals, Summerfest.  Other big achievements include opening for Chasin’ Mason and selling four originals on iTunes.

“I’m hoping to gain from this experience a memory of a lifetime,” Joey said.

The band’s hope for the future is to “have fun, I don’t know what’s going to happen after graduation,” Addison said.

(Image: Boarder Line on stage at Schultz-a-palooza.  Photograph courtesy of Boarder Line.)