Brett Smith-Daniels and his Endurance bandmates are nothing if not enterprising rock 'n' rollers.
Back in March, the local teen group - whose youngest member is still in middle school - scrambled together a last-minute audition for producers of the CBC-TV hit Dragons' Den, who had set up shop temporarily in a conference room at the Inn at Laurel Point.
Band members had little experience with such matters and were unsure of how to go about auditioning - let alone what to wear for such an occasion. "We tried to dress as businesslike as possible, even though our bass player didn't even know what a suit was," Smith-Daniels said. "He's more used to dressing in leather jackets and stuff."
The five teens from Victoria lugged their gear down to the hotel, not knowing what to expect. If anything, Smith-Daniels figured it would be a good opportunity to get some feedback on the music they had been making of late.
"We just jumped for joy," the 16 year-old singer-guitarist said. "We saw an opportunity, and thought we would go and see how it works."
Their audition went swimmingly, as it turns out. Two weeks later, CBC producers phoned Endurance to tell them they made the cut and were being given an audition in front of the five Dragons' Den judges. Next stop: Toronto.
Both the group and the show's producers would not reveal details, as per a strict confidentiality clause. But the facts are thus: Endurance will appear tonight on an all-student episode of Dragons' Den, hoping to secure an investment of $100,000 - the equivalent of a 25 per cent stake in their proposed record label, Endurance Records.
The show airs tonight at 8 p.m. on CBC.
Smith-Daniels, 16, is joined in the band by drummer Michael Tessier, 16, his Grade 11 classmate at Oak Bay high school. Bassist Trevor Kidd, 17, is in his final year at Mount Doug High School, while keyboardist Blake Smith-Daniels, 12, attends Monterey Middle School.
The Smith-Daniels brothers - natives of Southampton, England - moved to Victoria with their family eight years ago. Musically inclined, they formed their first group soon after.
Through their involvement with SOS Children's Villages charity, they were given an opportunity - when Brett and Blake were 13 and 8, respectively - to perform at Toronto's storied Massey Hall.
The current version of the group coalesced in January, three short months before their first Dragon's Den audition. It has been a whirlwind journey in the months since. They made their pitch to the judges in May, at the Toronto taping, with all their families on set.
The band awoke at 4 a.m. on the day of the taping, and were on set soon after, along with other student entrepreneurs from across the country. The experience was surreal, said Smith-Daniels.
"It's the weirdest feeling, because you're watching the Dragons come through, and you can see them on the monitors in the next room.
They are people you're used to seeing on TV, but now they are right in front of you."
Endurance had the good fortune of jamming with judge Kevin O'Leary, who played guitar with the group.
Deal or not, that's a moment Smith-Daniels will always remember.
"He was exceptional for someone who spends so much time on business," he said of O'Leary's guitar skills. "I was quite surprised. If he was a musician, there would be some work to be done there, but as a businessman, I didn't think he was that bad."
