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.

June 6th Line-up

Watch your email for the official invite with location!

3pm Evil Wizard Eyes (Memphis)

4pm The Goodnight Loving (Milwaukee, WI)

5pm Jeffrey James and the Haul (Memphis)

David Brookings Video

Ok I am no Craig Brewer, but I did my best to capture some of Saturday's magic. Here's a peek at David Brookings' song about his daughter, McKinley.

Season 4 Dates

This is just a reminder about our upcoming shows. Please note that we have changed the July date from the 18th to 11th. It looks like this show will be at the Shell! Woot! We will probably start a little later due to the heat. If you have a festival type tent, please let us know. We want to keep the bands and the babies as cool as possible.

Also we are still looking for Sit & Spins, so let us know if you have one to donate or have one (or more) you can bring.

We'll be announcing the June 6th bands and the location soon!

Mark Your Calendar!

June 6
July 11
August 29
November 7
December 12

April 25th Recap

In January when we started planning the 2009 season, we were vacillating between having the first show the weekend of the 18th and the 25th. We definitely chose the right weekend. What a beautiful day we had!

And what an awesome yard! It was hard to believe we were in Midtown, but we were. Thanks so much to the Cowles for opening up their backyard to nearly 500 Rock-n-Rompers! Erin & Bernard went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect for the show. Best of all, they never stopped smiling! So the next time you see these two be sure and tell them how much they rock.


I also want to thank Holly for making us this beautiful table cloth!


And Caleb Sweazy for making us this "Junkyard Amadinda" to replace our battered Banging Wall.


The "Sit-n-Spin Farm" didn't quite turn out like I had planned. Our Rock-n-Romper who owns six of them came down with pneumonia and couldn't attend. We only had four and as you can see, the kids had other uses for them! Maybe we can get it going at the next show. (Bring yours in June! Or let me know if you have one to donate and I'll pick it up!)


Alright, now for the music. First up, we had David Brookings. He provided a lovely start to the show with his smooth vocals. (I took a video of him singing a song about his daughter, but am having technical difficulties!)


By the time David was done playing we had quite a showing!


King Louie and Loose Diamonds played next. We were a little short on shade Saturday, so we really appreciated these guys braving the rays for us!



The last band was Unstoppable Juggernaut. It took them a little while to get set up and we ran out of beer, so I'm afraid about half of our crowd missed out on what was one of the best parts of the day.

Apparently kids love math rock. It was really fun to watch them spontaneously start shaking their booties and flailing their arms about once the music got going. It was unlike anything they'd ever heard before!


The highlight of the day for me was when these three little girls took the mic and sang a song they wrote about Rock-n-Romp. My stupid camera was out of memory space so I couldn't get a video, which breaks my heart, because this was an incredible moment. These girls made all of the hard work and long hours that go into Rock-n-Romp totally worth it. Thanks, girls!


(I hope they're signed up for the Delta Girls Rock-n-Roll Camp!)

Stay tuned for details on our next show, which is going to be June 6th! (I apologize to all of the people who joined the list right before the show and got very short emails with the address--you'll get a real invite next time, I promise!)

If you took photos, please add them to our Flickr pool!

Time to Rock-n-Romp!

Add your name to the mail chimp and we will let you know the location!

April 25th Line Up

The lovely and talented Alicja Trout, one of RnR's newest board members, has finalized the line up for the April 25th show. Her method for this year is going to be to have one out of town band, one local band, and a local solo act. So you can all look forward to an incredible season of great local music as well as the thrill of hearing new bands!

For April 25th we have:

David Brookings
Unstoppable Juggernaut

and...

King Louie and Loose Diamonds (with Jack O, Harlan T. Bobo, and Adam W)!

Be sure and sign up through the Mail Chimp over there if you want to receive an email with the location of the show (as well as other news from RnR)!

Save the Date

The 2009 schedule has arrived! Due in part to your feedback, we have scheduled six shows for this year, two of which will be held indoors. All outdoor shows will be from 3-6pm. (The indoor shows will probably be a bit shorter.)

More details on the first show to come...

Mark your calendars!

April 25
June 6
July 11
August 29
November 7
December 12

YouTubey

So my Google Alerts are a little slow...but I just came across a video from our last RnR. It's Harlan T. Bobo and the Luv Clowns singing "We're here for the kids."

Obviously, the sun setting kind of killed the visual, but the audio is fun. (Thanks to Gregg...er, I mean Taterhead...for uploading it!)

Auction for Anna

Goner Records owner (and Rock-n-Romp DJ) Zac Ives' little girl, Anna, has been undergoing treatment for cancer during the past two years. She's been through quite a lot, but she's been a trooper and unimaginably strong, charming everyone who has met her with unwavering cheer. Anna has been through her second surgery and is undergoing radiation treatment, which will mean the whole family will be staying 8 weeks in Boston.

Goner Records is auctioning off items to help offset their expenses. Please take a moment and check it out here. There are some great items! The auction ends Monday, Feb 2 at 8pm. (You can also make a donation rather than bid on an item if you prefer.)

And don't forget the Anna Ives Vs Cancer Benefit Concert Thursday, January 29 at the Hi Tone with Harlan T Bobo, John Paul Keith & 145s, and Jack Oblivian & The Tearjerkers. Short Sets, rotating all night!

Looking for a T-shirt?

We have 18 shirts left from last season that we'd like to sell. Wendy has volunteered to deliver them to anyone in the I-40 loop. If you would like yours mailed, just add an extra dollar for postage. Each shirt is $10 and they are made from 100% organic cotton. We have green and blue, but with so few left, you may not be able to get your first choice.

The following sizes are available:

2T
4T
Youth XS
Adult L
Adult XL

If you would like one (or more) please paypal us or send an email to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com for other (non-paypal) arrangements. Paypal users please specify your size in the comments and give us your address.

Survey Results

Thanks to everyone who filled out our survey! You can view the results by clicking here. (The password is "Rock.")

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the results here, or via email: memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

The RnR board will be meeting in January to discuss the 2009 season. We will carefully consider all of your input! Thanks again!

A Few Things...

Hi Everyone!

Just want to point out a few things that are new here. First off, you can now add yourself to our mailing list by filling in the Mail Chimp box to your left. (If you are already on the list, you can also update your profile. We highly recommend this since we don't have full names for a lot of our peeps.)

Second, we created an Opinion Survey and would love it if you'd take a few minutes to share your thoughts. Click here to take survey! We'll share the results once they are in!

Finally, we added a donate button up there on the top left for those of you who would like to help us ensure that the 2009 season is as rockin' as ever. Unfortunately we are not a 501(c)3, so you can't get a tax break, but you can rest assured that 100% of your donation will go towards putting on future shows. We've been operating on a shoestring budget for three years, and we're proud of what we've done, but it would be nice to not be sweating before every show wondering if we're going to cover our costs! It's also important to us to keep Rock-n-Romp affordable to everyone, so we want to avoid raising the "$5 suggested donation" in the future. Every little bit helps, so please make a donation!

Thanks in advance for your support of Rock-n-Romp!

November 1st Recap-o-rama

Saturday was our last show of the 2008 season and if I do say so myself, it was badass. It was the first time that we skipped sign-ins and just had people read a disclaimer, so I can't tell you how many people were actually at the Metal Museum, but it definitely looked like our largest crowd ever.

The Metal Museum was a really awesome venue and I want to thank the Ferrymans for hosting us. It was great having the Mississippi as a backdrop and the kids loved having so much space to run around in...and sculptures to climb on!



First up, we had the Nellie Olesons. They came dressed to the nines and had the best face paint I have ever seen. They played old-time country music mixed with some 70s and 80s covers and were very rockin. Two of the Nellies are former teachers and one is also a parent/RnR regular. I thought they did a really nice of job of trying to involve the kids.



The Barbaras always put on a good show and Saturday was no exception. They definitely got the kids' and parents' attention. Bennett Foster, who was singing lead, was super high energy and I think the kids could really relate to him!



The True Sons of Thunder were a little more hardcore than the Nellies and the Barbaras, so we had to break out the earplugs. They came to rock, and rock they did.



There was at least one romper, however, who wasn't deterred by the volume.



Harlan T. Bobo and the Luv Clowns definitely stole the show.



We've probably never had an act geared so much towards the kids, and I think they really enjoyed it. (However, there was definitely a "I'm too cool for clowns and puppets" contingency!) To me, the best part about the Luv Clowns was that it was fun for the adults too. (Although I'm sure there were some parents who wanted to see plain ol' Harlan.) I especially liked the way they ended the show with Bob Dylan's "Everybody must get stoned" but with the lyrics "Everybody must have kids."



As an organizer of RnR I couldn't help feeling awfully proud of what we've accomplished.



Three years ago, eight parents banded together to produce a kid-friendly outdoor concert series for rockin' parents who didn't get a chance to see live music very often. We relied on the musicians to play for free, people to open up their houses and yards, and for guests to spread the word.

We've had 15 shows at 12 different locations and had 34 bands/DJs play to hundreds of Memphis families. The price has always been a very reasonable $5 per adult and since our second season we have been able to pay all of the bands as well as provide our hosts with a $50 restaurant gift card.

Thanks to everyone who has helped make Memphis Rock-n-Romp such a smashing success! We'll be sending out a survey soon to get your feedback and ideas for 2009!

To see more pictures from the show(s), visit our Flickr Pool. If you took pictures, please add them!)

Saturday's Line Up:

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Metal Museum!

Here's the line-up:

2:15 pm: Nellie Olsens
3:15 pm: The Barbaras
4:15 pm: True Sons of Thunder
5:15 pm: The Luv Clowns featuring Harlan T. Bobo

Don't forget to bring a blanket/chair and snacks to share. We'll provide the beer, sidewalk chalk, and awesome music. Costumes welcome.

Adults $5 donation; kids free.

Rock-n-Romp at your own risk!

November 1st Line-Up

Our final show of the season is fast approaching and we are SO excited!

We've got a great line-up:

The Nellie Olesons
True Sons of Thunder
Harlan T. Bobo
The Barbaras

Because we have four bands this time and it is our last show, we will be rocking and romping from 2-6pm.

And if having four awesome bands wasn't exciting enough, we will be holding the show on the grounds of the National Ornamental Metal Museum!

So mark your calendars for November 1st and stay tuned for more details.

To add your name to our official invite list, send an email to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

Sept. 27th Recap

I'm still a bit stunned by how perfectly the show went on Saturday. We had incredible weather, the best backyard in town, three amazing bands, and a huge turnout of rockin' parents and rompin' kids.



Two Way Radio, eight members strong, kicked off the show:







Garrison Starr who drove all the way from Nashville just for us played second. (These photos were taken prior to 30 kids rushing the stage to "help" her play a few songs!)



The Bluff City Backsliders finished the show. Mike Graber, who you probably know from Facebook, came up from Oxford to play.





We really appreciate everyone who made Saturday such a wonderful day. If you took pictures, please add them to our Flickr pool.

Mark your calendars for the last show of the season, November 1st! Bands and location to be announced soon.

September 27th Show

Email invitations (no more Evites!) with show location going out soon! To get on the list email memphisrocknromp@gmail.com

Rock-N-Romp Recap

We totally lucked out with the weather and had an awesome show on Saturday! Thanks to the Phillips for offering up their amazing yard; Chasing Squirrels, Dan Montgomery, and Ultra Cats for the rockin' tunes; and to everyone (big & small) who came out to support Memphis music.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Mark your calendars for our upcoming shows: September 27th and November 1st! As always, to get on our evite list, email us at memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

Rocking On Outside

The rain seems to be disappearing as it gets to us, so today's Rock n Romp will held outside after all, at original location on your evite. A couple of raindrops can't stop us! Seeya there.

Rain Plan

We aren't too happy about today's forecast, and are busy coming up with a plan. We will let you know by 1:00pm whether we'll be romping outside as scheduled or at our backup location, the Hi-Tone.

Stay tuned!

New Tees

Don't forget to bring a little extra cash to the show this Saturday if you wanna get your hands on one of our new rockin' tees! Adult & kid sizes available. 100% of the proceeds go to producing future Rock-n-Romps and paying our awesome musicians.

June 28th Show

We've confirmed the following bands for our June 28th show!

Chasing Squirrels
Dan Montgomery
The Ultra Cats

The show will be from 3-6pm at a house near the U of M. Evites will be going out in the next few days. To get on the list, send an email to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

Date Change!

Sorry to do this to you, but we've had to change the June 7th Rock-n-Romp to June 28th. Please mark your calendars accordingly!

Remaining 2008 Dates:

June 28

September 27

November 1

April 12th Recap

Saturday we kicked off our third season of at the Tidwells' house. They just happened to have the most perfect amphitheater-like yard ever. We lucked out with warm weather for most of the day and had a massive crowd of 200+ people.

The Flying Monkeys, The Harmony Brothers, and Dragoon were all awesome in their own way. The Flying Monkeys appeared to be having so much fun, I thought we might have to drag them from the stage! (I mean that in a nice way!)

Jeff Hulett, of The Harmony Brothers, has played two other Rock-n-Romps with two different bands, both of which got rained on. He was very excited to finally have the full-on sunny day experience of Rock-n-Romp.

Those of you who left a little early really missed out on the fun that was Dragoon! The lead singer, an elementary school teacher by day, really got the kids going!

Speaking of, why did people start leaving around 5:00pm? Was it getting too cold? Was it time for dinner? Was Dragoon too loud? Let us know! We pushed our start time back an hour to accommodate the nappers, but we don't want to lose people just when things are getting lively!

Here are some photos from staff photographer Chip Chockley:


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

April 12th Show!

Evites with show location going out soon! To get on the list email memphisrocknromp@gmail.com

Awesome poster art by Flannery Harper

2008 News

Hello fellow Rock-n-Rompers,

Just wanted to let you know that the 2008 season is fast approaching! We are currently looking for hosts in the Midtown area with decent-sized, child-friendly yards.

Hosting is easy and FUN! The Rock-n-Romp board will handle all of the set-up and clean-up, prepare your neighbors by distributing fliers, contact the local police department to let them know what's going on, and rent a Port-a-Potty if necessary.

The host family will receive a gift certificate for dinner at a Midtown restaurant, each member of the host family will receive a free Rock-n-Romp t-shirt of their choosing, and everyone will think you totally rock!

Shows are scheduled for the following dates:
(The new show time will be from 3-6pm to accommodate the nappers!)

April 12

June 28

September 27

November 1

In case of rain, shows will be relocated to the Hi-Tone.

Please let us know right away if you are interested in hosting...or if your band wants to play...or if there is a band that you really want to see play at RnR. (And while we're at it, let us know if you are interested in joining the board for the 2009 season!)

Thanks!
The Rock-n-Romp Board

Fun Holiday Tunes

Vending Machine, headed by Rock-n-Romp's very own Robby Grant, has four original holiday tunes available for downloading on the Vending Machine blog.

Robby created the tunes with his family and friends and they ROCK. I especially love Wot is Nog w/Shelby Bryant. The tunes will only be up through December, so check them out now!

Oct 27th Recap

Ok, I know there was a lot going on Saturday, but I have to say that if you missed the Rock-n-Romp, you should be SAD.

Oh
My
God
It was AWESOME!



The kids were all dressed up and busy rocking out, painting Junkyard boxes, tattooing themselves, and having a wild time as usual. The parents were enjoying some much needed sunshine, cold beer, and incredible music. The Butlers' had the yard all Halloweened up, and Colin kept everyone entertained with his multiple costumes.



Rae Ray was up first and immediately drew the kids in with a tale of underwater love between a shark and an octopus. (I won't ruin the ending for you!)



The next thing I knew, a pint-sized Dorothy was on stage playing backup kazoo. And best of all, the parents who had realized we didn't have any ear plugs to pass out, collectively made a sign of relief. The volume was just perfect.

Next up was the oh so smooth and easy on the eyes, Arma Secreta.



I had never had a chance to hear them play live and was once again amazed by Robby's ability to book kick ass bands again and again. They were a little louder than Rae Ray but still very "oops I forgot my earplugs" friendly.

And now for the really good part...which definitely required ear plugs and/or desensitized ear drums!!

When I first imagined Rock-n-Romp, The Subteens were on stage doing their rendition of the Ramones' Blitzkrieg Bop. Everyone said it would never happen, but on Saturday it did.

With one exception.

I always figured my two monkeys would be up front rocking out, but instead, one was feverish and passed out next to me while the other was being joyfully rolled around the yard in a cardboard box by the skinniest Spider-man I ever saw.

But you know what? It was still freaking too good to be true. Those dudes can rock!!



Look at Mark!



Terrance and Bubba started the season off with The River City Tanlines, ended it with the Subteens, and said they'd happily play again with whatever band they have going at the time. I can hardly wait for next season!

Speaking of, email us or comment here and let us know what bands you want to hear, where you want to hear them, and at what time! We're thinking of going 3-6pm next year and we're kicking around some ideas to take Rock-n-Romp to the next level. So, let us hear from you!

Thanks to everyone for making the second season of Rock-n-Romp even more rockin-n-rompin than the first!


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Oct 27th

Cover art by Max Dixon. Design by Kelli Smith.

October 27th Line-Up

We will wrap up the second season of Rock-n-Romp on Saturday, October 27th from 2-5pm at the Butlers'. Dress the kids in their Halloween costumes, pack a healthy snack to share, and come enjoy an afternoon of amazing music.

The line-up includes:

Arma Secreta
Rae-Ray

and...

The Subteens!!!

Evites will be going out shortly. If you are not already on the guest list, please send an email to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

September Recap

Wow, we TOTALLY lucked out on the weather Saturday. After rain all day Thursday and Friday and a dismal forecast, I thought for sure we'd be romping at the Strings & Things! Instead we had several hours of sunshine and light in which to take over the Murphys' lovely backyard.

However, once I stopped worrying about the weather, I started worrying about our attendance. At 2:00pm we only had a spattering of regulars setting up their blankets and filling their beer cups. Everyone else stayed calm, and by 3:00pm we had our usual mob of music lovers. (Is 2:00pm too close to nap time? Should we start at 3:00pm?)



The Junkyard gang came with lots of materials for making instruments and, best of all, paint! The kids loved it and kept quite busy.



(Look for the Junkyard gang at Cooper Young this weekend. They are having the kids build a city out of boxes!)

Caleb Sweazy, a recent Memphis transplant and Rock-n-Romp poster dad, took the "stage" first. All those late nappers missed out!



The Arch Rivals were up next and confessed that this was the largest audience they'd ever played for!



(I found them totally charming until Quinn called me "Mam" later in the afternoon!!!)

Last but not least, we had Those Darlins from Murfreesboro. They are an old time country band specializing in Carter family songs. They are also the women responsible for bringing The Southern Girls Rock-n-Roll Camp to Memphis. It was really awesome to see them, especially now that they are all living in the same house and coordinating their outfits!



Beautiful weather, awesome music, activities for the kids, free beer...what more could anyone ask for? Kool-aid pickles? Well, we had those too.

Stayed tuned for the October line up!

See more RnR pictures here.

See you September 8th!

Poster art by Flannery Harper, age 11

September 8th Line Up

This just in!

The September 8th Rock-n-Romp line up has been confirmed! Get out your dancing shoes and your ear plugs! (Actually, this may be the first ever Rock-n-Romp that doesn’t require ear plugs!)

Come hear local dad, Caleb Sweazy, Murfreesboro’s Those Darlins, and local band The Arch Rivals.

Evites will be going out the week of August 27th. If you are not already on the guestlist, please email memphisrocknromp@gmail.com and we will add you!