Plus Shipping and Handling: Teen Band Will Play at Wood Park

The at will come to a sonic lyrical ending Thursday when local teen band, Plus Shipping and Handling, jams for the crowd.

On a recent evening, the band, which has been together since last September, was back practicing at their twice-weekly, three-hour rehearsals, after a two-week hiatus. They’ve had the good fortune of playing around town and are continuing to make a name for themselves in the local music scene.

The group’s first big gig was last year’s Winter Fest at the . In the spring, the group was invited to play at the Cherry Hill Art Blooms Green Craft Show, and in July, wowed swimmers at Family Fun Day at Pomona Swim Club.

The bandmates are brothers Evan Fleming, 15, and Stephen Fleming, 17, of Cinnaminson, and friends Jack Meidel, 15, and RC Rossell, 15, both of Cherry Hill.

The boys were brought together through Facebook. Anne Marie Fleming, mom to Evan and Stephen, had gone to the with RC’s dad, Chuck Rossell, and had become friends on the site.

“We found out that our kids were really into the same kind of music,” says Anne Marie, “so we said, ‘We’ve got to get them together.’”

Stephen, the drummer, says the cover music the band riffs out is a little hard rock and alternative.

“We play Guns N’ Roses, Van Halen, Metallica,” says Stephen. “And we’ve been trying some Creedance Clearwater Revival.”

Evan, the lead vocalist, sings “Heaven” by Los Lonely Boys with an expressive and moody tone. The group mixes in a calypso-timed accent in the beginning of “When I Come Around” by Green Day, giving the familiar song a distinct sound.

The band will be featured in the September issue of South Jersey Magazine after the band’s video was posted on SouthJersey.com this summer in a talent contest. Fans cast votes online, and Plus Shipping and Handling won the under-18 top band category.

“We had so much support,” says RC, the band’s guitarist, who is thinking of pursuing music as a career. “People kept voting for us and really wanted us to win.”

The group shares a creative solidarity and pools resources to get the lyrics and sound in sync.

“Sometimes I can tell when we get a song right,” says Jack, the bassist and the quietest of the foursome—but described by his partners as the “ear” of the group.

Although the band is having their moment in the spotlight, these four guys are unpretentious and pleasant.  

“I think we like performing, and we have been able to get along,” says Evan, as he gives a warm smile. “And, it’s great hearing the applause.”

The band will also perform at the Erlton Swim Club in Cherry Hill at 1 p.m., Sept. 4, and at the Back to School Band Festival at Indian Acres Tree Farm in Medford starting at 1 p.m. on Sept. 10.

Check out more about the band on their Facebook page.