Old rockers ought to be scared. When I was a kid, there were only so many of us whose parents were even open to the thought of playing an electric instrument. Looking back on it, it’s amazing how we ever found each other to form bands in the first place. No Craigslist, no Facebook, no texting. I’m still not sure how we scheduled band practices in the 1990s. All that’s changed. These days, old rockers are the parents, and it seems like all the kids are rocking.
But it’s different … and better. At School of Rock, kids get music lessons and then are placed in groups to learn how to play together. That last bit is the greatest hit. Plenty of old-school kids who had lessons grew to be technically proficient, but floundered in the social atmosphere of a band. School of Rock gets kids playing together and performing onstage as part of the basic curriculum.
You won’t be surprised that Memphis fell pompodour over leather boots for the concept. Memphis’ chapter of the School of Rock took off like a pyrotechnics display, and, after one year, is ranked 10th in enrollment out of 120 schools worldwide. Thank ya very much.
You can hear the kids this weekend at the Young Avenue Deli in four performances over two days. “Pure Grunge” has pipsqueaks playing the songs from bands such as Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam, and starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday the 18th and at 6 p.m. on Sunday the 19th. “A Tribute to Led Zeppelin” is at 7 p.m. on Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. All shows are at the Young Avenue Deli. Admission is $10. Go raise a glass to progress and to never having to pull a phone number from the bottom of a flyer again.
School of Rock presents “Pure Grunge” and “A Tribute to Led Zeppelin” at the Young Avenue Deli on Saturday and Sunday, January 18th and 19th.
