September 24th Recap

On Saturday we woke up to amazing sunshine and perfect temperatures. Clouds began to gather around 1:00pm and we had a minute of panic, but after a ten minute sprinkling we were back to sunshine and happiness.

Our show was at the Mid-South Maze which I think we can all agree, totally rocks. (My only complaint is that it isn't in Midtown!) While everyone loves the maze itself, it is the jumping pillow that holds the rock-n-rompers attention.

First up were the Vignettes-- a newish band composed of two totally rockin' women.

I loved them and was totally reminded of Sleater-Kinney.

It didn't take them long to win over a hoard of new fans, with this cutie pie clearly sliding into #1 Fan status.

While the Vignettes played, the non-dancing rompers descended upon the Grizzlies inflatables in droves.

A few of us watched in disbelief, and then horror, and then relief as they slowly deflated with a pack of kids inside. No one was hurt, but a handful were shook up. (Another handful was shouting, "Do it again!") Seems there was an issue with overloading the generators. To solve it, the Grizz had to keep one permanently deflated, but the remaining slide still provided hours of fun.

Speaking of generators, YoLo totally saved the day on Saturday. Not only did they give out free yogurt, they helped us power up the stage! Turns out our new, improved set up was a teeny tiny bit too far away from the Maze's power source.

Had it not been for YoLo's generator, I don't think we could have handled having Pezz on stage! Despite the sound issues, they still completely and 100% rocked our faces off.

It was really fun to see our emcee and hardworking board member, Marvin Stockwell, get to show us his rock star side. And check out RnR regular, Graham Burks, on drums!

Pezz clearly had some fans in the crowd too!

Also in case you missed it, all babies are now required to wear awesome hats to Rock-n-Romp.

Speaking of hats, Chip Googe, of Punching Nicholas, put on his solo hat for Saturday's show after the band's lead singer suddenly lost his voice and was unable to play. We really appreciate him stepping up.

Despite the various hiccups that occurred during Saturday's show, I saw plenty of smiles.

A HUGE thank you to our host, the Mid-South Maze, our generous sponsors--Central BBQ, YoLo, Whole Foods, and the Trolley Stop Market, our top notch volunteers, and our fun loving participants for a great afternoon! We hope to see you all at the Levitt Shell on November 5th from 2-5pm. The Wuvbirds, Arma Secreta, and the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band will be performing.

To view all of the pictures by Chip Chockley, our staff photographer, click here. Add yours to our Flickr pool here.

September 24th at the Mid-South Maze, 3-6pm

Come Rock-n-Romp with us at the Mid-South Maze on September 24th from 3-6pm. We'll have Pezz, Punching Nicholas, and the Vignettes 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. PLUS we will have delicious free pizza from the Trolley Stop Market and yogurt compliments of YoLo. (Please be considerate of others when partaking of the free food. We do run out!)



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 you 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 28th Show Recap

It's funny, due to scheduling stuff, we found out a while back that this show would have to be on a Sunday-- not Saturday, as every other show has been for six seasons. At a RnR board meeting, we all wondered if you guys would show up on a Sunday.

Uh, you did.  As in, the biggest turnout we've ever had.

Minglewood Hall turned out to be a fun venue for us-- lots of room, and a really nice stage for the bands.  We had Indie Memphis along for this show.  In between bands, they showed some of the best short films from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, which the kids really loved.

First up was Side Street Steppers.  These guys showcased their old-timey folk/roots music to the delight of many kids who had never heard their style before.

Next up was Dandelion and the Raindrops, which is the product of Music for Aardvarks mastermind Joe Murphy. We don't feature "kid music" very often, but when we do, we like to it be cool enough to appeal to adults too.  These guys did just that.  Lots of booty shakin'.

Finally, we returned to our rock roots with El Dorado and the Ruckus, who brought the house down. To you folks who left early-- you missed quite a show by those guys.

We also had the kind folks from Grace St. Luke's out to lead the kids in a bunch of cool crafts.

And, we had the cool Yolo truck parked outside, handing out free and delicious yogurt.

Thanks once again to the awesome Central BBQ folks.  Your delicious 'cue always makes Rock-n-Romp a good place to be.  (And happy birthday to barbecue heiress Charlotte, who celebrated her 6th birthday with us at the RnR!)  Also thanks to Whole Foods for keeping us stocked with tasty snacks.

Check out the full slideshow of pics from this show by RnR photographer Chip Chockley by clicking here.

Seeya guys on September 24th at the Midsouth Maze.  Should be a fun show-- last year we all had a blast there.

Sunday, August 28th Rock-n-Romp 2-5pm

It's our first ever Sunday Rock-n-Romp! We'll be nice and cool inside Minglewood Hall. In addition to our usual three bands, free beer & Central BBQ, we will have free YoLo and 75 minutes of the best short films from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival thanks to Indie Memphis. Grace St. Luke's will also be leading a craft station. Awesome right? The cost is still just $5 for adults and children are free. Adults MUST be accompanied by children. Tell your friends!

Rock-n-Romp Camp Recap

Last week we hosted our first ever Rock-n-Romp Camp at Rhodes College in conjunction with the Mike Curb Institute at Rhodes.



We had 45 children, I mean future rock stars, in grades K-5.



Our instructors were primarily local musicians, and we had a number of junior staffers who are interested in music.



In the mornings, the children attended music classes and in the afternoon they had band practice. The music lessons were given in age groups, but the children self-selected their bands. (Official band photos and bios here.)



Sprinkled throughout the day we had games, demos, performances, crafts, and free play. It was awesome.



By far, the most exciting part of the week was the showcase on Friday night in the Lynx Lair on campus. Each of the eight bands performed a song in front of family and friends.

The Toygers did a mashup of two songs that they changed the words to. They even had a rap in the middle.



The Fantastic Girls performed an original song, aptly called Fantastic Girls.



The Get It Girls were very serious about rocking.



The Skull made sure to take it all in.



Running Wild acted as though they performed every weekend. They were naturals.



The Zombifiers were ridiculously cool.




Most of the Storm Snakes performed shirtless, which was awesome.



The Ghost Hunters were completely stylin.



I think it is pretty safe to say that camp was a total success. We really hope to do it again next year!

Thank you to all of the people who helped make camp a reality! A super special shout out to John Bass of the Mike Curb Institute and our incredible directors Kate Crowder and Warren Oster.

And thank you to Chip Chockley for taking such pretty pictures. See the full set here.

Who We Are

2011 board members include Stacey Greenberg, Chip Chockley, Marvin Stockwell, Kate & Corey Crowder, Caleb Sweazy, Launa Morris, and Aimee Lewis.

May 21st Recap

After several days of fretting about rain and making backup indoor plans, Ma Nature busted out with a gorgeous day for a Rock-n-Romp. Fisher Gardens at Rhodes College was a wonderful venue for us-- a big built-in stage, lots of space, lots of shade, lots of grass.

First up was Lila-- an awesome jazz combo fronted by the inimitable Lila Hood on electric violin.



Lila brought along her class of string students to do a couple numbers too, which was fun:



Next up was Billy Worley and the Candy Company, generating a whole lotta rock from just two dudes:

Awesome taste in headgear and facial hair on those guys. Their candy tosses from the stage were really popular.

Last up was The City Champs, who impressed everyone with solid jazzy grooves. These guys are incredible musicians, but they play with all kinds of tasteful restraint.





We had Jamie Harmon and his slick Amurica photo booth, which was a big hit with kids and adults alike.  We crammed the whole RnR board into that thing for a pic-- we'll share that on the blog soon.

The good folks from Grace-Saint Luke's School sponsored this show, and set up a cool craft table for the kids, including big murals and face painting. Check out their awesome summer camp options here.

BIG thanks again to the awesome folks at Central BBQ-- the rockers and rompers were a happier group because of their delicious 'cue. Also thanks to Whole Foods, who keeps us supplied with healthy snacks for the kids.

Thanks a bunch to Rhodes for having us, and especially thanks to the Rhodes security guards.  I don't have photographic evidence of it, but those guys generously provided fun bathroom runs on golf carts to kids and parents alike.  (Speaking of Rhodes, they're also hosting our first annual Rock-n-Romp Camp in July.  We've just opened up 5 more spots, so move quickly, rompers!  Click the link for the application.)

Can I just take a sec to immodestly toot the RnR horn?  All that stuff I described above-- three bands, the photo booth, the barbecue, the healthy snacks, the arts and crafts, and of course the BEER?  It's all included in the $5 donation you give when you show up.  No extra costs for any of that.  A bargain, right? It's all thanks to our awesome sponsors and other folks who contribute to RnR throughout the year, the cool bands who come entertain us, and most of all, YOU folks who show up regularly.

Check out the full slideshow of pics by Rock-n-Romp photographer Chip Chockley by clicking here. And feel free to add your own pics to our Flickr pool here.

We've learned our lesson in the past, and are taking off the hottest months this year. Next show will be August 28th at Minglewood Hall. Seeya then!

May 21st Rock-n-Romp

Join us on May 21st from 3-6pm for an afternoon of rocking and romping. We'll have The City Champs, Candy Company (with Billie Worley), and Lila Hood.

Please enter the campus through the third gate near the gym parking lot on University. The guard will instruct you to drive around to the parking lot near Burrow and Buckman Hall. From there it is a short walk to Fisher Garden where we'll be set up.

As always we will have Central BBQ, snacks from Whole Foods and beer for the adults. Please bring a blanket, a chair, and a SNACK to SHARE.

Rhodes has plenty of shade and grass for the kids to run around on. Air-conditioned restrooms are available in Buckman Hall.

Grace-St. Luke's & Grace-St. Luke's Parents Day Out will be spearheading a kids' craft, Jamie Harmon is bringing his Amurica photo booth, and the Hooper Troopers will be in attendance with lots of hoops for everyone.

Everything is FREE with the $5 donation requested of adults only. Adults must be accompanied by children.

We look forward to seeing you!

Camp!

Hopefully you've all heard about this already, but this summer we're holding our first ever Rock-n-Romp camp! Here are a few details: It will be July 18-22 at Rhodes College in Hassell Hall. It will be from 8:30am to 5:30pm M-F, plus there will be a showcase Friday night in the Lynx Lair. The camp is open to boys and girls in K-5. The cost for the week is $200. Kids will be asked to bring a sack lunch, but we will provide snacks.

Spots are filling up fast! Click here for the camper application.  (Sorry, you have to print and fill it out by hand, this isn't a fillable .pdf.)  Get it in soon, before we're all full!

We also still need a few music instructors and teen camp counselors-- click here for the instructor/counselor application.

April 9th Mud Island Show Recap

The weather was just perfect for our first show of the 2011 season-- warm, but breezy.  The folks at Mud Island celebrated their opening day by hosting hordes of us Rock-n-Rompers.  As we found out last year, Mud Island is really a great place to have a RnR-- there's the hill, which is great for cardboard sledding:

There's the "Gulf of Mexico" with fountains:

... and lots of room for everyone to spread out, including ample shade.

Brad Pounders, a fixture on the Memphis music scene for years, was up first.  He serenaded on keyboards, and also rocked out on guitar, along with his friend Mike.  He also showed a wonderful sense of fashion.

Next up was Kruxe, who wowed the crowd with high energy punk psychedelia.  Somehow they managed to sound retro and futuristic at the same time.

The closers were well worth the wait-- Good Luck Dark Star was an interesting mix of power pop, with echoes of Big Star and ELO.

The good folks from Grace-Saint Luke's School sponsored this show, and set up a cool craft table for the kids, where they made their own musical instruments.  Check out their awesome summer camp options here.

BIG thanks to the awesome folks at Central BBQ-- we can't thank them enough for making RnR a much better event these past few years.  Sorry to the folks who didn't get there in time to get some of their awesome barbecue-- we were a bit overwhelmed by the turnout for this show!  (Ditto for the beer drinkers.)  Remedy that by going to see them at one of their restaurants on Central and Summer.

Also thanks again to Whole Foods, who keeps us supplied with healthy snacks for the kids.

And most of all, thanks to YOU for coming out.  It was our biggest turnout ever, and also the most fun we've ever had.

Check out the full slideshow of pics by Rock-n-Romp photographer Chip Chockley by clicking here.  And feel free to add your own pics to our Flickr pool here.

Next show is May 21st at Rhodes College.  Seeya then!