123 Draw Will Not Compete in SchoolJam USA Finals

After a month of soliciting votes in an effort to be named the “Best Teen Band in the USA” and to win $5,000 for school music programs in Ocean City, 123 Draw fell short of the finals.

SchoolJam USA announced on Monday the eight finalist bands that will compete in California for the title.

In the contest, 117 bands nationwide were judged by a combination of a public vote in an online contest and by scores from a panel of industry experts. While 123 Draw's 2,552 votes exceeded the total of some finalists, they did not make the Top 8. 

Ocean City High School students Dean Howey, Ryan Walsh, Andy Wiggins and Will Wiggins created 123 DRAW in 2007, naming the band by the first letters of their first names. Since then, the band has been playing Sweet Sixteen parties, school events, Family Nights on the Boardwalk, First Night and other venues throughout Ocean City.

Howey and Andy Wiggins are now seniors at Ocean City High School. Ryan Walsh and Will Wiggins both attend William Paterson University, Walsh a freshman and Wiggins a sophomore.

123 Draw has a performance on New Years Eve at the Ocean City Primary school as part of the First Night celebrations. The band takes the experience to learn and they cannot wait to hear what the judges have to say on their music.

The band will perform in Ocean City during the Dec. 31 First Night celebration 7-10 p.m. at the . They plan on finishing an EP this winter.