Next show January 16th!

Don't forget that our next show is January 16th from 2-5pm at the Center for Southern Folklore featuring:

Gustafer Yellowgold all the way from Brooklyn!

Memphis's own Yazoo Shakes

and The Kindergarten Circus, the toast of Murfreesboro!

December 5th Recap

Our first try at having an indoor winter show was a rousing success!  I guess you people DO need something to do when it's cold out.

This show was at a very cool space on South Main, the old Jay Etkin gallery space.  Three levels of family-friendly pandemonium!

First up was Whose Army?  I am actually not saying that as if I am uncertain of their name.  I know their name, and they have a question mark at the end.  Reminds me of this bad cover band I was in in high school, called "Just Once?"  Except that Whose Army? freaking rocked.  Worlds above the crap I was playing at their age...

Next up was the southern power-pop goodness of The Bulletproof Vests.  These guys had a vaguely Weezer-ish vibe on some songs, with some Squeeze and Old 97s thrown in at times.  Great musicianship, and excellent songwriting.

Finally, the long-awaited RnR debut of Snowglobe, one of Memphis's finest.  Most of you Memphians know this band well, so no description is necessary.  Let's just say they're awesome.

We had our usual kid activities, like the sit-n-spins:

And cork-reindeer Christmas tree ornaments:

After the show, everyone walked out the door to watch the Downtown Christmas Parade, which was fun.  It was definitely one of our best shows yet.  This young lady gave it the thumbs up:

Thanks again to the Center City Commission for helping us put this one on.  Also thanks to our cool food sponsors for this show-- Majestic Grille, Kooky Canuck, and Bluefin.  (To all of you slow folks who didn't get any of the free food from these folks at the show-- wake up and move faster next time!)  And thanks as always to Central BBQ for the beer cups.

See the rest of my pics here.  And add your own RnR pics to our Flickr pool here.

We're continuing with our new indoor winter series on January 16th, featuring an awesome national act called Gustafer Yellowgold.  (These guys have opened for Wilco and Polyphonic Spree.  Kid-centric without being dorky.)  Check them out and see you then.  Happy Holidays everybody!

Dec. 5th Show!

Thanks to the Center City Commission for hooking us up with a great indoor spot right on the parade route. Park at Central Station, check out the special holiday edition of the Memphis Farmer's Market, then join us for an afternoon of awesome music! The parade will come by just as we're finishing up. $5 adults/kids free.

November 7th Recap

If we had bribed Mother Nature for specific weather conditions for this past Saturday's Rock-n-Romp, it wouldn't have been as perfect as what we had.  We again imposed upon the nice folks at the National Ornamental Metal Museum, which has become one of our favorite spots to rock.

First up was Sector Zero.  They woke everyone up with some raucous rocking.

Chick rock band extraordinaire The Hot Pink Paper Clips brought a nice following with them.  They continued our string of having a talented-teen band play a set at Romps.  These girls were clearly talented.  Much better than the crap that I used to play when I was that age...


Next up we had MouseRocket, featuring past board member, Robby Grant, and current board member, Alicja Trout. Our own Kate Crowder even joined in for a song. And it was cool to see Jonathan Kirkscey on the cello.


Isn't Robby Grant a badass?


In addition to the general running around and milk slurping, the kids kept themselves very busy hoola hooping, sit-n-spinning, dancing, and drawing with chalk. However, I think it was quite clear that the kids who convinced their parents to let them slide down the mounds out front had the best time listening to the music.


Our special guests, The Beale Street Flippers, came on for a brief, mind blowing interlude. I know at least a handful of kids who are going to take their gymnastics lessons more seriously now.


Our main problem on Saturday was trying to squeeze in too much awesome-ness. Star and Micey didn't start til almost 5pm and we had some hungry and tired kids who needed to get home. However, those who got to stay were sure glad they did.


Thanks to everyone who came out and made the RnR a blast. We hope to see you all on December 5th downtown on Main Street. More details coming soon!
See the rest of my pics here, and add your pics to our pool here.

November 7th at the Metal Museum

The show is from 2-5pm, not 3-6pm as previously promoted! Daylight savings is ending so we adjusted the time.

The museum is offering a special deal just for RNR families! Purchase a family membership for the price of an individual membership! November 7th only!

Bring a blanket or chair and a healthy snack to share!

Also please help us keep the grounds clean! We will be recycling when possible so look for specially marked bins.

And don't forget to thank our other sponsors, Yuletide Office Supply!

August 29th Recap

On Saturday we had near perfect weather, which was just the beginning of another near perfect Rock-n-Romp.

Friday afternoon we found out that 3 out of 4 of the Hot Pink Paperclips had fallen ill with the flu. Not sure what to do, I called my husband's boss. He had told me about his son's band, the Theoretical Monkeys, a few weeks prior. I decided to see if we might be able to book them last minute. The stars aligned and at 3:15pm, the most darling rockin group of high-school boys you've ever seen hit the stage.



And guess what? They were really talented! And confident! And did I mention darling rockin? I think it is safe to say that everyone was very impressed with the Theoretical Monkeys.

A special shout out to Charlie Trenthem for loaning us his sound equipment! We got a little spoiled at the Shell, so he definitely helped us achieve a much higher level of sound quality.

It didn't take long for the kids to make themselves at home. The Kerrs' playset was bustling, and there was a group of kids-in-the-know who spent a good deal of time in the front yard on the zip line, and even at the kindly neighbor's house on the trampoline. (At one point my five-year-old tracked me down and said he needed "his grown up" to come next door with him.)





Our second band, The Bare Wires, came all the way from San Francisco. They totally had the rock star look (and sound). I was especially impressed with the female drummer. (My husband was excited to buy a vinyl record of theirs and have everyone sign it.) They were a huge hit.



As the music continued, our balloon man showed up and dazzled the kids with his creations. (I was the recipient of a panda corsage.) I don't think the parents liked getting dragged into the balloon line, but it did offer a break from our ever growing beer line! (Don't worry, we'll have two taps at the next show.)





Last up we had the Apostles from Oxford. They were just as rockin' as everyone else. Their high energy performance was a great end to a great show.



You can see the rest of Chip Chockley's pictures here. And please add yours to our Flickr pool.



Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday! And thanks to our sponsors Yuletide Office Supply and Bilingual Tots!

We hope to see you all at our next show, November 7th, at the Metal Museum!

RnR August 29th!

To get details on the location you will need to join our facebook page or mailchimp list. Direct questions to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

Update!

Invites for the August 29th show (with the location) will be going out in the next week. We have some really great music lined up. The Bare Wires are coming all the way from San Francisco! And we have The Apostle T.K. from Oxford, MS. Finally, as a special treat, the Hot Pink Paper Clips, of Delta Girls Rock-n-Roll Camp fame, will start the show.

But wait! There's more! We have three more Rock-n-Romps in the works for you. Get out your calendars and mark these dates/locations (Note the time change for the winter shows.):

Ornamental Metal Museum
374 Metal Museum Drive
November 7th
3-6pm

The old Jay Etkin Gallery Space
409 S. Main Street
December 5th
2-5pm

The Center for Southern Folklore
119 S Main St # 106
January 16
2-5pm

July 11 Recap

I think it would be an understatement to say that the pre-show media blitz paid off. We filled the Shell up with families hailing from Midtown, downtown, Germantown, and even Nashville. In addition to rocking and romping, there was hoola hooping, splashing, juice box gorging, and lots of sweating! What we did not have was a drop of rain, which was just fine with me considering there had been threats of thunderstorms all day.



Robby Grant started the show with his solo version of Vending Machine. His son, Five, came on as promised and helped him out with a few songs. This totally blew the kids away--well, at least my kids who already consider Five to be the bee's knees.



Everyone was having a great time, except for maybe the people trapped in our mile long beer line!



Don't worry, the most awesome Corey Crowder went in search of a second tap. And little Bailey here helped the sun-dazed adults pump the beer as fast as possible.



The music barely started before the invasion of the Ice Cream Man. He had a line rivaling that of the Yeungling! Actually, by the end we had TWO Ice Cream Men profiting off of our large crowd. From what I hear, once was licensed to be in the park, and one was not. Yes, dueling Ice Cream Men!




Next up. was Scandaliz Vandalistz. They were a HUGE hit with the audience, both young and old.



Their shout out to fellow White Station students/alums elicited may whoops from the crowd.



One young songwriter in particular told her mom that she was inspired to start writing about "real stuff" after seeing them play!



The Vandalistz now hold the record for most CDs sold at a Rock-n-Romp.

Our final act was the Kenny Brown Band. They got everyone dancing and grooving.





All in all it was a near perfect show. Thanks so much for everyone who came out! And a special thanks to the Memphis Music Foundation, the Levitt Shell support staff, and the Rock-n-Romp board members who worked their asses off to make the show extra super awesome.

See the rest of Chip's pictures here and please add your own to our Flickr Pool.

Our next show is August 29th. You will need to join our mail list if you want to come! (See the mail chimp over there to the left. <---)

Rain or Shine

Looks like we might get a few sprinkles, but Chip has consulted the radar and says the thunderstorms won't ruin the Rock-n-Romp. So come enjoy the show--rain or shine--at the Shell 4-7pm.

Sneak Peek

Here's Robby Grant and his son, Five, on yesterday's Live at 9, promoting Saturday's Rock-n-Romp!

Saturday's Schedule

Looking forward to seeing everyone this Saturday! Here's the band order for those of you planning strategic nap times!

4pm
Robby Grant (look for Five Grant on drums!)

5pm
Scandalistz Vandalistz

6pm
Kenny Brown Band

See you July 11th at the Shell!

We'll have sprinklers, baby pools, tents, beer, and water to keep you cool! Bring a blanket/chair and a snack to share. Please remember to stop by the registration table and make your $5 donation! Adults must be accompanied by children. Thanks to the Memphis Music Foundation for partnering with us on this one! And thanks to the Shell for hosting!

July 11th Line-Up

The next Rock-n-Romp is just a few weeks away! Here's who you can look forward to seeing on July 11th from 4-7. (Note the time change due to the heat!):

The amazing Robby Grant (doing Electric Solo-Vending Machine):


Those crazy kids from Scandaliz Vandalistz:



And theKenny Brown Band, all the way from Mississippi!



Hope to see you there! Add your name to the mailchimp over there for your official invite.

Also if you have a pop up tent we can use at the show, please email memphisrocknromp@gmail.com and let us know!

June 6th Recap

Another beautiful day...another great Rock-n-Romp.

The Goodnight Loving came all the way from Wisconisn to Rock-n-Romp. (Before the show they hung out and played frisbee!) What a treat!



Lauren Rae Holterman, of the Rozelle Artists Guild, organized a couple of temporary mural projects for the kids. Paint + Kids = Super Happy Fun Times. A Junkyard volunteer brought some tees for the kids to wear so they didn't get (too much) paint on their clothes.




Other romping was in full swing.




Next up, Evil Wizard Eyes put the ROCK in Rock-n-Romp.



Some rompers accompanied them on our Junkyard Amadinda.



Next, Jeffrey James and the Haul came out to rock the yard. (This was their second Rock-n-Romp performance. The first was at our one and only rained out show that got moved indoors, so they were loving the near perfect weather.)




(Not sure how Chip managed to get a picture of Jeff Hulett NOT smiling--he's the smilingest guy in town!)

Meanwhile, Lauren Rae Holetrman and Derrick Dent of HolterDent Caricatures set up a caricature station, which was a hit for both parents and kids.




Then much to our delight, The Goodnight Loving came back for a second set (and to model their new RnR tees!).



Thanks again to the Junkyard for letting use their amazing yard; Lauren, Derrick and the other Rozelle volunteers for entertaining the kids; and everyone who showed up to support local music!

See you at the next show, July 11th!

Most of these pictures were taken by our very own Chip Chockley. You can see the rest of his pictures, some of mine, and add your own, in the Memphis Rock-n-Romp Flickr pool.