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!

April 9th Rock-n-Romp at Mud Island 2-5pm

We'll be in the grove by the concession stand and fountains on the south end of the Island. Put the kids in their bathing suits, bring your blankets and lawn chairs, a snack to share, and prepare yourselves for a great afternoon of music!

Brad Pounders will play first, followed by Kruxe and then Good Luck Darkstar will bring it home.

Parking on the north end of the Island is free (enter from Harbor Town). Give yourself 15-20 minutes to get to the south end. Feel free to use strollers, wagons, bikes, etc. to facilitate getting the little ones to the show.

If your kids want to play in the fountains, please keep an eye on them. There is no lifeguard on duty. We will have volunteers keeping an eye out, but parents are responsible for their children.

As always we will have free Central BBQ, snacks from Whole Foods, and beer for the adults. We ask that each adult donate $5. Kids are free.

Our new American Apparel t-shirts will be on sale for $15.

Pre-Season Fundraiser at Escape Alley Sundry

On Saturday we had our pre-season fundraiser at Escape Alley Sundry. Knowing that March can go either way--fake Spring or freezing cold--we were happy to be indoors. However, we had hoped to be able to take advantage of the outdoor areas if the weather was nice. (It wasn't.)


(photo by Stacey Greenberg)

The bad weather didn't stop many of the kids from hula hooping, running around and exploring the alley.



(These two photos by Allen Elliote.)

Inside, we had a really nice set up. Families actually got to get the "club" experience. (With some sit-n-spins thrown in.) We love you, Escape Alley! (They do plenty of family friendly shows year round, so check them out on Facebook!)



Nykkoa Morris, who many of you remember from her stint with the Hot Pink Paperclips, started us off. She played a dozen original songs, two of which were written in French! I think it's pretty clear that she's the most awesome fifteen-year-old in town.

Here's a clip of her singing Viva la Memphis, one of my favorites.



As Nykkoa got everyone warmed up, families continued piling in. We were so thrilled that the weather didn't stop people from coming out.

Central Barbeque is sponsoring us again this season, so we had lots of yummy Q for everyone to enjoy. (They also helped us get a couple of kegs of Ghost River beer for our fans to enjoy.)



We tested out our self-serve idea and it seemed to go over well.



Our second band was the Rind Stars. They were a lot of fun and really impressed everyone with their cool vocal harmonies and tight jams.



It did get a little loud inside, but the bands were really cool about adjusting the volume when necessary. It was also nice to see that some of our youngest fans come prepared to rock!



Our final band was Richard James and the Special Riders. Everybody loved their brand of infectious punk-rockabilly.



It was a really amazing afternoon of music and fun. We were so glad to kickoff the season this way. Thank you to everyone who came out! And an extra big thank you to those who bought t-shirts and/or gave a little extra money. We really appreciate it!

We have plenty of shirts left--including pink ones for our rockin' girls--and a few tank tops for our rockin' moms. Get yours April 9th at Mud Island.



Speaking of our next show, mark your calendars for our entire 2011 season! Please note that times vary and we have one Sunday show!

April 9 at Mud Island 2-5pm

May 21 at Rhodes College (Fisher Gardens) 3-6pm

August 28 (SUNDAY) at Minglewood Hall 2-5pm

September 24 at Bridges 3-6pm

November 5 at Levitt Shell 2-5pm

December 3 at the old Jay Etkin Gallery on S. Main 2-5pm

Posters will be posted here for each show, we will send an email to everyone on our Mail Chimp over there, and we will create events on Facebook. Stay with us!

And for those of you looking for something fun this summer, we'll be putting together the first ever Rock-n-Romp Camp at Rhodes College, July 18-22. It's for kids in K-5. Stay tuned for details!

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