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!

July 21st Recap

The third Rock n Romp of the second season was by far our biggest turnout yet! Good thing we had the obscenely large backyard of the Kerrs for this show-- thanks so much to our gracious hosts Terry and Elaine. (This was also RnR's first excursion out of Midtown-- that wasn't so bad, was it?)

The weather was uncharacteristically great for July-- low humidity and a light breeze. We had a water play area, the good ol' banging wall, homemade tattoos, and Lisa from Junkyard Memphis doing crafty cool stuff with the kids.

Pezz kicked off the show, rocking in ways that RnR has never been rocked.



Ill Ease, straight off the road from Chicago, re-defined the concept of crowd involvement:




And finally, Papa Top's West Coast Turnaround both rocked and romped it:



Thanks to all three bands, and thanks to everyone who came out. Seeya in September!

July 21st Line-up

To be added to the guestlist send an email to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

Kidzapalooza

The second annual Kidzapalooza is in Chicago August 3, 4, and 5. Someone please go and tell us all about it!

The Line Up
Paul Green School of Rock All Stars
Perry Farrell and Peter DiStefano
G Love
The Hipwaders
The Sippy Cups
Peter Himmelman
The Candy Band
Wee Hairy Beasties
The Q Brothers
The Blisters
Rock For Kids Jam Band
Alvin Ailey Dance Camp
John Yost's Rhythm Revolution
..and some more main stage very special guests!!!

Activities
Paul Green's School of Rock workshops
Dance workshops with the Brickheadz and Chicago School of Dance
Hip Hop Workshop with the Q Brothers and the Inferno Mobile Recording Studio
Remo Drum Circle with facilitator John Yost
Rock & Roll Hairdooz
Small Paul Screen Printing
Photoshootz
Gibson G-Pod
Gibson Little Baldwins
Playstation Gaming
Arts at Play
...and much more!

June 9th Recap

Despite some rain on Thursday (or was it Friday?), we ended up with beautiful weather for the second Rock-n-Romp of the season. The show was hosted by Wendy Sumner and Kalki Winter, who you may or may not know from the Midtown Artist Market. They graciously opened up their gorgeous backyard to about 150 parents and kids.



As if great weather and a great yard weren't enough, we had two incredible bands and an awesome DJ.

The Warble was first up and they really got the show off to a great start. They were unlike any band I've ever heard--totally original. They were responsible for the whimsical Rock-n-Romp poster design and were just as creative with their lyrics.



The kids were quite taken with them. The boy on the right cracked me up. He had a perplexed look on his face, but every few seconds, he'd bend his knees and dance along with the music.



When not listening to the music, the kids kept busy with the usual tattoo offerings, bubbles, and the ever popular banging wall.





It seemed like we had a wave of folks come around 3:15pm (due to naptime maybe?), which was great, but they all missed out on the magic that was The Warble!

Next up was Giant Bear, "the world’s only five-piece Orchestral Funkabilly band," who just got national distribution for their latest CD. After one song, I could see why. They were absolutely top notch.

Jeff White, who plays guitar & banjo, and does vocals, had his son nearby to accompany him on the "bubble guitar."



The kids (and parents) really responded to Giant Bear, and I was happy to see some real live dancing going on.









What can I say...Rock-n-Romp just keeps getting better and better. Stay tuned for details on our July 21st show, which is guaranteed to be our biggest show yet!

For more pictures, check out our Flickr set.

To get on the RnR guestlist or send feedback, please email memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

June 9th Show

To get on the guestlist, please email memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

April 28th Recap

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The second season of Memphis Rock-n-Romp got off to a great start thanks to Vending Machine. (Fronted by Rock-n-Romp co-founder, Robby Grant).

Kelly Anderson, who is bringing the Southern Girls Rock-n-Roll Camp to Memphis this Summer, was on hand to sign up girls ages 10-18.

Kate Crowder, our April Rock-n-Romp host, is not only the lead singer of Two Way Radio, but a teacher and kid craft genius. She set up a station for all the rompers to make safari shakers to play along with the bands.

As always the banging wall was set up for rompers to bang at will.

Rompers could also be seen driving through the yard on one of many toy cars. (Oliver Crowder, our youngest host, wins the RnR Sharing Award for so freely giving of his toys.)

Plenty of tattoos were also available to keep the kids happy.

There were lots of new faces.

DJ Colin Butler rocked the yard for awhile with his eclectic mix of music and then the River City Tanlines took the stage. Having never had the chance to see them live, I was thrilled.

I was happy to see that some people took our "bring earplugs" advice seriously. However, some people found the hard rock to be quite soothing. When the music was over, there was plenty of time for the kids to play rock star while the parents chatted and finished off the keg of Abita.

Hope to see you at our next show June 9th featuring The Warble and Giant Bear!

April 28th Show

Schedule:
DJ Colin Butler - (2-5pm when bands aren't playing)
Vending Machine - 230pm
River City Tanlines - 4pm


To get on the guest list, email memhisrocknromp@gmail.com. You will be sent an evite with the address for the show.

Southern Girls Rock-n-Roll Camp coming to Memphis!

Kelley Anderson, the founder of the Southern Girls Rock-n-Roll camp in Murfreesboro, is holding one in Memphis this summer. If you want to volunteer or know any young girls interested in music, please contact her or visit the Southern Girls Rock-n-Roll Camp website to download volunteer forms. (Men and women are encouraged to volunteer!)

To give you a quick overview: SGRRC offers girls age 10-17 instruction in guitar, drums, bass, keys, vocals, and electronic music as well as workshops in DIY arts & crafts, zine making, photography and songwriting. The camp is being held at the Gibson Guitar Factory in downtown Memphis and the dates are June 18 - 23. The coolest part about camp is that the girls get to form a band, rehearse each day with a volunteer band "manager" and then at the end of the week perform a song. The final showcase is going to be on the roof of the Gibson Guitar Factory in true Beatles fashion. More info on the camp is available at www.sgrrc.org.

Contact:
Kelley Anderson (sgrrc05@gmail.com)
Founder, SGRRC
(615) 849-8140
www.sgrrc.org

Line up for April 28th

This just in...the line up for the first Rock-n-Romp show on April 28th!

DJ Colin Butler
The River City Tanlines
Vending Machine

To get on the guestlist, please send an email to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com. Evites with the location will be going out the first week of April.

2007 Season

The Rock-n-Romp crew is hard at work planning five shows for this year. We are currently looking for hosts and bands who are interested in playing. Please contact us at memphisrocknromp@gmail.com if you are interested.

In the meantime, go ahead and mark your calendar for the following dates!

April 28
June 9
July 21
September 8
October 27

October 28th Recap

Despite the rain aaaaaaaaaaaaallll day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, it was sunny and on the warm side of cool Saturday. Over 150 people (big and small) gathered in the Trenthem's lush backyard to enjoy an afternoon of music, crafts, conversation, healthy snacks, and beer on tap. The kids came out full force in their costumes and took over the haunted playhouse, painted gourds and pumpkins, climbed trees, and did their best to destroy the new, improved banging wall.





The Wallendas put the rock in the romp...



Dr. Dave Evans, joined on stage by his very talented three-year-old grandson, gave the under ten set their first taste of old time blues.



Zack, the ducky half of Unknown Pleasures DJs, spun some fun tunes between bands...



And before we knew it, it was last call. Chess Club closed the show with a Pop Noir bang.



We can hardly wait for next Spring to start romping again. We hope to have more shows and more bands next year. Please let us know if you are in a band and want to play, if you have a big yard and want to host, what bands you'd like to see, and what kind of beer you like! Leave a comment here, or email us at memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

For more pictures, visit our Flickr page.

And for a special treat, check out a You Tube video of Rock-n-Romp founder, Debbie Lee, at the DC Halloween show.

Looks like good weather...

October 28th Show

The October 28th show is the last one this year. If you haven't made it to one of our super-fun shows, this is your last chance!

Let the kids dress up, bring a *healthy* snack to share, and enjoy some great music!

Here's the line up:

The Wallendas - 2:15pm
Dr. David Evans - 3:15pm (solo)
Chess Club - 4:15pm

Unknown Pleasures DJs - all the quiet parts in between.

Evites/emails will be going out the week of October 9th. To add your name to the list email memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

September 23 Recap

Planning outdoor events is stressful, especially in a place like Memphis where you never know what the weather will do. With the foreboding weather and the uncertainty of whether it would last, we found ourselves in almost the same exact position we were in on June 17th. But this time, we had a plan.

After staring out the window, checking the radar, and stressing for almost 36 hours, we decided 15 minutes prior to the start time to move the show indoors. We were incredibly lucky that our beloved board member and Sept 23 hostess, Wendy Trenthem, not only knows, but is related to, people in high places. Her dad, who happens to be part owner of the Strings & Things building, graciously offered to let us hold the show in the atrium should the weather turn bad. (Even though we rocked and romped for a bit despite the rain on June 17th, this time we really wanted to be able to do a full blown show regardless of the weather.)

Up until the very last second, I was arguing for holding the show outdoors. I just refused to accept the fact that the rain was coming. Wendy and her husband had spent months cleaning up their backyard (they even built a deck!) and I could just picture it full of sundrenched kids armed with slide whistles. I couldn't let go of the dream.

Chip, who had been studying the radar all morning, finally said to me, "The radar doesn't lie. It isn't magic; It's science." I was really disappointed that it was raining on my parade two times in a row, but my disappointment quickly dissipated once I walked into Strings & Things. It was big and airy, clean, free, covered, and all ours for the day. Moments after we started rearranging tables, rain started pounding on the roof. It was exactly 2:00pm.

By 2:30pm, we had everything cleared out and baby-proofed. Families started trickling in, and Jeffrey James and the Haul took the stage. The kids started gravitating to the instruments...and the tattoos...and all of the other fun stuff we had around.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Before we knew it, there were 45 families in attendance, and kids were happily running all over the place. Unfortunately we couldn't serve beer at S&T, but it didn't seem to affect the mood at all thanks to Two Way Radio (Formerly known as Walkie Talkie and briefly as Side Walk Talk.) They had hula hoops...fancy instruments...and even a llama! (Their CD is titled "Residential Llama)

By the time Cory Branan was set to go on, the kids were amped up beyond belief. I saw him sweating a bit and he told one of the RnR organizers that he "hadn't been this nervous since David Letterman." (Or something like that.) But clearly the kids quickly accepted Cory as one of their own, and banded around him for the duration.

It was the perfect ending to a perfect (except for the weather!) day. We were all thrilled.

Mark your calendars for October 28th. It will be our last show of the season. We hope to have the bands finalized this week. Stay tuned for more details.