December 4th Recap

Wow, did we have fun or what? Saturday turned out to be a lovely sunny day, and we were thrilled to pack 500+ of our favorite people into the old Jay Etkin Gallery.

The kids helped us decorate the windows...




We set up a movie on the Mezzanine...



Had a craft station ready to go...




And we had lots of Central BBQ, snacks from Whole Foods, pizza from the Majestic Grille, and snacks from our guests. Best of all, we had the best trash/recycle system ever, thanks to Madeleine Edwards, who works with Project Green Fork. We still need to work on the reading skills of some of our trash producers, but we're getting there!



For the first time in a long while, we had a DJ on hand. DJ Lady Problems, who you may better know from the I Love Memphis Blog, kept us from having a single second of dead air.



At about 2:15 Gasoline Grace hit the stage. I had never heard them before, and was thrilled to discover that they were awesome!



They even had the toddlers on their feet ready to rock!



Next up, we had the much anticipated Luv Clowns. They were in full costume and character and really, really gave it 100%. It was just fantastic--for both parents and kids. I highly recommend getting a copy of their CD! (They'll be at the Brooks this Thursday at 6pm.)







We ended the day with some Woogie Board action, thanks to Cody Dickinson.



Had I known it was going to be so funky, I would have insisted on turning down the lights and installing a disco ball. We weren't prepared! If there was ever a moment for everyone to shake their things, this was it.

Cody also brought along some washboards for the kids to play with. They loved it!




Thanks to everyone who pitched in and made the show a success! A special thanks to those who stayed behind and helped us clean up 3+ hours of window decorating!



We've had a fantastic season and in true non-profit fashion, we have no profit. We are planning to start the 2011 season in March and expect it to be bigger and better than ever, but first we need some help from you, our loyal Rock-n-Rompers! We'd really rather not have to raise our suggested donation at the door if we can help it, so we're asking 111 of you (or more) to give $11 (or more) to the 2011 season fund. By clicking the PayPal button at the top right of this blog, you could have it done in less than a minute! Then we'll be prepared to move ahead and give you and yours another year of great, family-friendly music. 100% of our funds go directly into our shows.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Photos in this post by official Rock-n-Romp photographer, Chip Chockley. See the full set here. And add yours to our Flickr pool.

December 4th!

Alright folks, this is our last show of the season and it's going to ROCK! We have Cody Dickinson and his washboard, Gasoline Grace aAND this is the Luv Clowns' CD release show! Not to mention, this is an official pre-event for the Downtown Holiday Parade which will go right by the front door when the music is over. Want more? Kerry Crawford Trisler of I Love Memphis Blog fame will be DJing.

Per usual there will be free BBQ and snacks from Whole Foods and free beer for the adults. We will also have special activities for the kids.

Even though we are inside, please still bring a blanket or a chair, and a snack to share.

ADULTS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY CHILDREN.

2011 T-Shirt Contest

Each year we like to redo our logo and put it on several hundred t-shirts. In the past we have had the logo done by one of our board members or a board member's family member. For 2011 we thought it would be fun to open it up to our fans and local artists. We are looking for something fun and bold. (Below you can see a few of our past designs.) You can incorporate the words "Rock and Romp" in the design or we can add it in later.

To sweeten the pot we are offering a $200 prize for the winning design. In addition, the designer will get a season pass to Rock-n-Romp, two free tees, and the opportunity to showcase his/her work at one of our shows (if applicable).

We encourage artists, parents, and children to enter! Please send a jpeg image with the artist's name, age, etc. to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com by December 15th. We will choose the winner before Christmas. That means extra money to go shopping!

December 4th Rock-n-Romp

Alright folks, this is our last show of the season and it's going to ROCK! We have Cody Dickinson and his washboard, Gasoline Grace aAND this is the Luv Clowns' CD release show! Not to mention, this is an official pre-event for the Downtown Holiday Parade which will go right by the front door when the music is over. Want more? Kerry Crawford Trisler of I Love Memphis Blog fame will be DJing.

Per usual there will be free BBQ and snacks from Whole Foods and free beer for the adults. We will also have special activities for the kids.

Even though we are inside, please still bring a blanket or a chair, and a snack to share.

November 6th Recap

It was a chilly, but beautiful day at the Metal Museum.  The chill didn't seem to keep you guys, our loyal legion, from coming out for a really fun show.  The beautiful grounds of the Metal Museum always make for a fun and interesting place to romp.

First up was the indie guitar rock of Perfect Vessels.  (I'm doing a bad job describing here-- you could describe 80% of our bands as "indie guitar rock"-- but these guys had a unique and interesting sound.)  The Burks brothers and David Bell laid down a really appealing brand of post-psychedelic punk-pop.

Next up was Bake Sale.  These ladies brought a fun brand of contemplative garage rock which really went over well with our crowd.

Finally, and I really mean finally, we got Goner Records' Harlan T. Bobo to play his solo stuff at a RnR.  You guys might remember him from the awesome Luv Clowns performance a couple years ago, but he finally got around to bringing his critically acclaimed off-center pop to the RnR stage.  (Come see us in December for a Luv Clowns encore.)  The guy is a genius, and definitely one of Memphis's treasures.

The kids had fun running around the grounds (but NOT climbing on the sculptures), and the big hill across the street was a big hit.

So was our hairstyling station:

Thanks a lot to the Metal Museum for hosting us again.  And thanks a ton to our volunteers-- the RnR Board greatly appreciates your help in making the show run smoothly.  Thanks as always to our sponsors, Whole Foods and Central BBQ, for providing us with snacks, barbecue, and cups. Please support these two businesses, because they obviously really support us.  And thanks to all you loyal RnR'ers-- and all the new faces too-- for coming out to the show.

Check out the full slideshow of pics from this show here.  Feel free to add your pics to our Flickr pool here.  And if you see a pic of your beautiful child or your rockin' band and would like a print, drop me a line, or check out my photography website here. 

Seeya guys at the next show (indoors!) at the old Jay Etkin Gallery space on South Main December 4th , which will be immediately followed by the Downtown Christmas Parade going by the front door!  We'll put the lineup up here and on Facebook soon.

Nov. 6th Rock-n-Romp at the Metal Museum 2-5pm

We've got another awesome show featuring Harlan T. Bobo, The Perfect Vessels, and Bake Sale. As always we'll have free beer, Central BBQ, and snacks from Whole Foods. Adults are asked to donate $5 at the door; kids are free. Please bring a blanket or chair and a snack to share.

Help us keep the kids off of the Museum's various sculptures! Also, if your kids want to slide down the bluff, please accompany them across the (sometimes busy) street. Thanks!

September 25th Recap

We had PERFECT weather this past Saturday for the Rock-n-Romp at the Mid-South Maze. Such a refreshing change from the last two shows, which have been ridiculously hot. The Maze folks were wonderfully accommodating, and the venue ending up being perfectly suited for our thing.

Lots of our folks tried out the Maze, which was perplexing fun.  The kids also spent lots of time on the "jumping pillow"-- which was just about the coolest inflatable we'd ever seen. I got plenty of pics of the kids on the thing, but I wanted to share these two, of RnR board members Caleb Sweazy and Marvin Stockwell:

Hey, like we always say, RnR is for the adults just as much as it is for the kids!

First up was Holly Cole and the Memphis Dawls.  This newer incarnation of Holly's music was beautiful.

Next up was Cotton & Coal, which featured RnR's own Caleb Sweazy:

This little lady thought Caleb was a hottie.

Batting cleanup was Devil Train, with their sweet brand of gypsy jam bluegrass.  I definitely saw some fingers on fire.

After the show, the RnR Board got together for a group pic on the pillow (our first group shot since the very first show, 4 years ago!)  Thanks to the lovely and talented Sophorn McRae for shooting these.

 Thanks again to our sponsors, Whole Foods and Central BBQ, for providing us with snacks, barbecue, and cups. Their support continues to provide you folks with an amazing bang for your (five) bucks.  And thanks to all you loyal RnR'ers-- and all the new faces too-- for coming out to the show. Check out the full slideshow of pics from this show here.  Feel free to add your pics to our Flickr pool here.  And if you see a pic of your beautiful child or your rockin' band and would like a print, drop me a line, or check out my photography website here.  Seeya guys at the next show, November 6th at the Metal Museum!

September 25th Rock-n-Romp, 3-6pm

Come Rock-n-Romp with us at the Mid-South Maze on September 25th from 3-6pm. We'll have Devil Train, Cotton & Coal, and the Memphis Dawls playing. $5 Adults/kids free. Adults MUST be accompanied by children.

As always there will be free beer, Central BBQ and snacks from Whole Foods. Yeehaw!


The Mid-South Maze will give the following discounts: Maze admission-$4/adult and $2/kid, 5 and under free. The Jumping Pillow will be $2/person and you can jump all you want. Identify yourself as a Rock-n-Romper when paying and they will give them the appropriate discount.

The Maze takes about an hour, so we ask that you come early or stay late. The Jumping Pillow is adjacent to the bands, so kids can enjoy it during the show. (It is supervised.)

As always bring a blanket or a chair, a snack to share, and earplugs for the little ones. We look forward to seeing you!

For directions, click here.

August 21st Show Recap

It was another scorcher on Saturday for our show at the Levitt Shell.  We still had over 500 folks come out, which was awesome.  Thanks for the dedication, Rockers and Rompers!  It was amusing to see how much of the crowd congregated around the bits of shade on either side.

The past several shows we've included teen band.  The Doorknobs kicked this show off with a bang:

These guys were very talented, and brought a nice contingent of supporters to the show.

Next up was Speakerboxx.  Rock-n-Romp was rocked in a way it has never been rocked before.

Speakerboxx's frontman, Corey Sanders, left it all out on the stage.  Literally.  Dude totally collapsed in the back as soon as he walked off the stage.  Dedication.  I spent the next several minutes trying to find my face because it had been rocked off by their fierce mix of energetic rap and rock. Corey did this:

And everybody did this:

The next band, the Parkington Sisters from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, were lovely in every way. Their haunting mix of sophisticated folk, enchanting vocal harmonies, and gorgeous strings put a spell over us all.

Even though it was crazy hot, the kids managed to stay cool with all sorts of sprinklers and water slides:

A big thanks to the Levitt Shell for having us again. Also thanks to the Memphis Grizzlies for bringing their big inflatable slide, and to this show's special sponsor, the Memphis Music Foundation.  Check the MMF out-- they do great things for music in this city.  Thanks again to this season's other sponsors, Whole Foods and Central BBQ.  Also thanks again to our wonderful volunteers, who make life bearable for the RnR Board, and who make the shows run that much more smoothly.  Pshew, I'm all thanked out.

Oops, no I'm not.  Most of all, thanks to YOU folks for coming out.  We're always flattered by the support we get.  See you guys in September 25th for a cooooooooooler show at the Mid-South Maze!

Check out the full slideshow of pics from this show here.  Feel free to add your pics to our Flickr pool here.  And if you see a pic of your beautiful child or your rockin' band and would like a print, drop me a line, or check out my photography website here.