How does a band get a name like 7 Foot Midget? Did taking center stage make them cool like they wanted? And which of the members actually wore a cheerleader's uniform to a gig?

Nick Whalen, Nick Vincent, Jonn Losey. and Emo Jay all joined up to start what is today 7 Foot Midget. Jokingly, the whole squad agreed, "We started in June of 1997 because we thought it would make us cool... we were wrong." However, Whalen, Vincent, Losey and Jay must be cooler than they think, because as Whalen pointed out, "A lot of people amazingly show up at our shows." Past performances held at the Ozone, the Huntridge, Planet Plywood and various abodes had better than expected turn-outs.

Could it be the oxymoronic name that draws the audiences to see them? "We sort of had a name a long time ago," reveals Whalen, who's in charge of the band's lighting and special effects, "but when our drummer came from his band named 6 Foot Midget in California, we liked that title. So we grew a foot and that's where the name comes from."

Though 7 Foot Midget hasn't hit the big time yet, they know where they refuse to be, as a group, five or ten years from now. "We don't want to be like other bands who sold out and changed their style just to please everybody," stressed Whalen, using Offspring as an example. He added, "It's horrible. We won't sell out like those fools. We just want to be successful and still be around."

7 Foot's inspirations include Propagandhi, NOFX, Metallica, the Get-up Kids, Weezer, 51 Peg and yes, even the ever-talented sweet sounds of Barry Manilow. With only a handful of cover songs like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and "Hit Me Baby One More Time," the performers of 7 Foot Midget are known for their original tracks like "Heavy Metal Ballad (Jonn's Song)" and "Idiotic Patriotic."

Usually, when it comes to teens announcing to parents their intentions to start a band, most would think that there would be a serious conflict, but not so with 7 Foot Midget. Vincent, lead vocalist, guitarist, and dedicated flosser, admits his folks are very supportive and responded by saying, "Really, my dad is the one living it. He's more into it than we are sometimes."

If you want to know more about the group, then venture into cyberspace on the web at http://footmidget.jahl.org, or if you need some real entertainment to spice up a party, then contact 7 Foot Midget at sixfootdwarf@hotmail.com for further details.

Oh, and Nick Whalen was the band member who "accidentally" wore the cheerleader's uniform to a 1998 Halloween party.

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