Captain Lung: Breathing Blues Rock into Annual Competition

Captain Lung ... it sticks out, doesn't it?

Come Feb. 29, the trio of Morristown High School students hope not only will people remember their name, they'll have a hard time forgetting their performance when they participate in the fifth-annual Morristown's Got Talent.

Although the band–comprised of Morris Township residents Johannes Burger, 17, Andrew McNally, 16, and Morristown resident Travis Fielding, 17–carry with them a pride in Captain Lung, the name came to them for no specific reason.

"We just sat down and went into a semi-conscious state," said Travis, who plays the drums. "Pretty much anything came out of our heads."

What started as "Capital Lung" eventually morphed into the band they're now part of today. 

It sure beats the alternative, noted Andrew, the bassist. "We went through some pretty bad names," he said. 

Described by the friends and band mates as "indie rock with a large blues influence," Captain Lung will perform "Lonely Days," an original tune that has become a staple of their repetoire, having been carefully fine-tuned more than pretty much any of their other songs.

"We wanted to stand out and show what we can do," Travis said. "This is a big promotion for the band."

This isn't the first time at least two of the three members of Captain Lung have tried out for the annual event, the primary fundraiser for the Morris Educational Foundation. Both Travis and Johannes, friends since elementary school, have sought the stage of The Community Theatre since Morristown's Got Talent's inception, in one form or another.

Johannes described Andrew, who joined the band last year, as the missing piece to the puzzle.

"He's the sugar in our pie," Travis said.

Johannes said being selected to participate from the pool of nearly 100 that tried out for the event has been a great honor. "It's validation for what we do as musicians and songwriters," he said. 

If the trio does take the top prize of $1,000, they said it would mostly go toward a band fund. After all, it's the band that drives them to always improve.

"Music has a feeling not reproduceable in any other way," Travis said. "It's euphoric."

The fifth-annual Morristown's Got Talent will be held Feb. 29 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. For more information, check out our MGT 2012 guide.