Every so often on the TV show "Scrubs," an a capella group known as Ted's Band makes a cameo, singing a TV theme song or another quirky cover.
Ted's Band is a real quartet called The Blanks, who, when it's not taping for "Scrubs," sings cover songs and performs sketch comedy at clubs around the country. In 2004, the quartet released an album of covers and vignettes with actors from "Scrubs" called "Riding the Wave." Sunday, the band will be at Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis.
In interviews, band member Sam Lloyd, who plays the character Ted on "Scrubs," and fellow Blanks performer Philip McNiven have an off-the-cuff rapport and a dry sense of humor that blurs fact and fiction.
Usually, you see a capella groups and you see comedy groups, but you don't see too many acts that do both.
Philip McNiven: True. There's probably a good reason for that.
Sam Lloyd: We don't know what it is, but there must be one. Probably someone might get hurt. I think that's what usually happens when you combine them.
How do you decide what makes the show and what doesn't?
PM: Test marketing. …To be honest, every seat in the theater we go to is wired with electrodes. When the audience is enjoying it, we get instant feedback on our laptops which are hooked into our earpieces.
SL: If they don't, we are electrocuted.
PM: We get zapped like dogs that go beyond the perimeter of the electric fence. We had one problem one time when the signals were reversed and the audience was electrified. The reviews were great: 'It was electrifying.'
It's been about a year since Michael Jackson's death. Have you thought about doing any MJ covers?
PM: Way to bring us down there.
SL: Wait a minute. Michael Jackson died? I didn't know he died.
PM: Oh my gosh. … In a weird twist of fate, the girlfriend who I just broke up with was cooking for [Jackson's] concert rehearsals. She's a caterer, and she did all the cooking for a few months for Michael Jackson. She's cooked for a couple other celebrities, like Gary Coleman, which is weird.
SL: Oh man, she's never cooking for us.
PM: Why do you think I broke up with her?
How long have The Blanks been around? What year did it start?
SL: 1903, I think.
PM: Well, let's be honest. We're actually vampires. So it began in the 12th century. It's so weird how not only is "Glee" making a capella popular, but also the whole vampire craze, and we are at the focus of all that.
SL: We kind of started it, and everybody else gets credit for it.
PM: It's not often you see four a capella singing vampires.
You guys were booked to play the "Scrubs" cast Christmas party, right? What was that like?
SL: It was very informal. One of the writers had heard us sing before. He was a friend of mine. He asked us if we could sing and I said, 'Yeah.' Did we even have a microphone, Philip?
PM: I don't know. You were holding a bottle of scotch and my eyes were yellow with eggnog. I don't even know. … It was also under mistletoe, so it was a little bit awkward at the end. They made us kiss.
I would assume that 'Scrubs' has done wonders for The Blanks' career.
PM: We like to think we've done wonders for "Scrubs."
SL: If you think about it, where would "Scrubs" be without us? The first year, they were saying it could have gone either way, as far as whether or not it was going to come back. We appeared on the show, and that was it. The show was sold. We kind of think "Scrubs" was nothing without us.
PM: They owe us a lot, actually, and I just got a check for $3.85 for residuals, and I think that's bull.
SL: We should have a creator credit.
PM: And savior. Creator and savior.
SL: People might say, "Well, you knew three songs before 'Scrubs,' and if 'Scrubs' hadn't happened, you still would know three songs, and couldn't book a gig to save your life." Maybe that's true and maybe that's not true. We can't really be sure. It's totally hypothetical.
The Blanks perform 2 p.m. Sunday at Rams Head on Stage, 33 West St. in Annapolis. $23.50. Call 410-268-4545 or go to ramsheadonstage.com.