April 24th Rock-n-Romp at the Dixon

Bring a blanket or chair, and a snack to share. Entry into the Dixon will be free, ditto on parking, but we do ask that each adult make a donation of $5 to help support future shows. We'll have free beer, free Central BBQ, and free treats from Whole Foods as well. We'll also have new t-shirts for sale ($10) with our awesome new robot logo!

For more info on the bands, click the links below the poster.


Glorie
Hope Clayburn
The Motions

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January 16th Recap

I think it's pretty safe to say that our second indoor show ever was a smashing success. How nice to have rain in the forecast and not have to worry about it! The staff at the Center for Southern Folklore was really nice and they went out of their way to make sure we felt right at home. With a bar, huge bathrooms, all the tables and chairs we could dream of, and an actual mop and trash guy, we felt absolutely spoiled!

We had no trouble keeping our rompy vibe despite being inside.



Our special guests, the Slomski Brothers, got things started with their modern vaudeville routine. I loved the suits, the fact that their mic stand had cup holders, and the cool sound of that crazy drum. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of these guys in the future.




Next up, we had the Kindergarten Circus, who came from Murfreesboro to play. They were all in their late teens, and this was one of their first live shows. They were awesome and really rocked it.





Once the Circus ended, the Slomski Brothers did another short set. Gustafer Yellowgold was up next and before we could even try and get all the kids settled in front of the stage, we noticed they were all already settled there waiting for Gustafer to get started. It was both awesome and freaky. I think Gustafer's visual aids drew them in.



Morgan Taylor, the man behind Gustafer, did a great job engaging the kids, who were absolutely riveted for his entire 45 minute set.



It was such a treat to have Morgan, his awesome wife, Rachel, and their adorable son, Harvey, in attendance. How awesome is it that a young family gets to make a living making good music? And go on tour?



The Yazoo Shakes closed out the Romp with their high energy performance. I loved seeing three women in one band, playing horns and strings. They were super fun.





And check this out--the kids stuck their heads under the quilt curtain in order to get a better look at the drummer!



When all the music stopped and the 500+ people who came to rock said goodbye, the hardworking, all volunteer staff of Memphis Rock-n-Romp stayed another 45 minutes to clean up. We asked people to recycle their Central BBQ cups, which they did a great job of, but we unexpectedly had a lot of bottles and cans too, which ended up in the trash. Check out our commitment to recycling! Sadly, this isn't an uncommon scene after the show--us digging through the trash. Hopefully next year we can devise a better system.



A final thank you to everyone who made this show so incredible! We could not have done it without the enthusiastic support of the Center City Commission and the generous donations from Central BBQ, The Hunt Phelan, Whole Foods, Bluefin, and The Rendezvous. And an extra special thank you to all of our volunteers!

Allen Elliotte was our substitute photographer and is responsible for all of the lovely photos you see here. View the whole set here. Add yours to our Rock-n-Romp Memphis Flickr pool.

We have a really exciting 2010 season coming up, so stay tuned for details. Our first show will be April 24th at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens. Mark your calendars!

Countdown to show time!

We hope that you are as excited about Saturday's show as we are! Check out the great article on Gustafer Yellowgold in today's GoMemphis: Musician's sketches lead to goldmine of fun. Gustafer goes on at 3pm. The Kindergarten Circus, the toast of Murfreesboro, will start the show and Memphis's own Yazoo Shakes will close us down at 4pm.

Admission is a $5 suggested donation for adults; kids are free.

Bring a blanket or chair and a snack to share.

We'll have ear plugs!

Beer is free for adults.

Discounted parking is available at the 100 Peabody Place Garage for $1. (The Center for Southern Folklore will validate parking passes.)

Also, the The Majestic Grille, which is just a few doors down from the show, has created a special kids' menu just for us, so stop by for dinner!

Kids have a choice of the following, plus drink, for $5.50:

Grilled Cheese & Fries
Pasta with Butter & Parsley or Red Sauce
PB&J (grilled with strawberry jelly) & Fries
Plain Cheese Pizza (standard Flatbread size)
Majestic Kid's Burger & Fries

Also, starting at 5pm, they have a 'pre-theatre menu' which is a delicious three course fixe prix meal for $24.95. The regular menu is also available.

Next show January 16th!

Don't forget that our next show is January 16th from 2-5pm at the Center for Southern Folklore featuring:

Gustafer Yellowgold all the way from Brooklyn!

Memphis's own Yazoo Shakes

and The Kindergarten Circus, the toast of Murfreesboro!

December 5th Recap

Our first try at having an indoor winter show was a rousing success!  I guess you people DO need something to do when it's cold out.

This show was at a very cool space on South Main, the old Jay Etkin gallery space.  Three levels of family-friendly pandemonium!

First up was Whose Army?  I am actually not saying that as if I am uncertain of their name.  I know their name, and they have a question mark at the end.  Reminds me of this bad cover band I was in in high school, called "Just Once?"  Except that Whose Army? freaking rocked.  Worlds above the crap I was playing at their age...

Next up was the southern power-pop goodness of The Bulletproof Vests.  These guys had a vaguely Weezer-ish vibe on some songs, with some Squeeze and Old 97s thrown in at times.  Great musicianship, and excellent songwriting.

Finally, the long-awaited RnR debut of Snowglobe, one of Memphis's finest.  Most of you Memphians know this band well, so no description is necessary.  Let's just say they're awesome.

We had our usual kid activities, like the sit-n-spins:

And cork-reindeer Christmas tree ornaments:

After the show, everyone walked out the door to watch the Downtown Christmas Parade, which was fun.  It was definitely one of our best shows yet.  This young lady gave it the thumbs up:

Thanks again to the Center City Commission for helping us put this one on.  Also thanks to our cool food sponsors for this show-- Majestic Grille, Kooky Canuck, and Bluefin.  (To all of you slow folks who didn't get any of the free food from these folks at the show-- wake up and move faster next time!)  And thanks as always to Central BBQ for the beer cups.

See the rest of my pics here.  And add your own RnR pics to our Flickr pool here.

We're continuing with our new indoor winter series on January 16th, featuring an awesome national act called Gustafer Yellowgold.  (These guys have opened for Wilco and Polyphonic Spree.  Kid-centric without being dorky.)  Check them out and see you then.  Happy Holidays everybody!

Dec. 5th Show!

Thanks to the Center City Commission for hooking us up with a great indoor spot right on the parade route. Park at Central Station, check out the special holiday edition of the Memphis Farmer's Market, then join us for an afternoon of awesome music! The parade will come by just as we're finishing up. $5 adults/kids free.

November 7th Recap

If we had bribed Mother Nature for specific weather conditions for this past Saturday's Rock-n-Romp, it wouldn't have been as perfect as what we had.  We again imposed upon the nice folks at the National Ornamental Metal Museum, which has become one of our favorite spots to rock.

First up was Sector Zero.  They woke everyone up with some raucous rocking.

Chick rock band extraordinaire The Hot Pink Paper Clips brought a nice following with them.  They continued our string of having a talented-teen band play a set at Romps.  These girls were clearly talented.  Much better than the crap that I used to play when I was that age...


Next up we had MouseRocket, featuring past board member, Robby Grant, and current board member, Alicja Trout. Our own Kate Crowder even joined in for a song. And it was cool to see Jonathan Kirkscey on the cello.


Isn't Robby Grant a badass?


In addition to the general running around and milk slurping, the kids kept themselves very busy hoola hooping, sit-n-spinning, dancing, and drawing with chalk. However, I think it was quite clear that the kids who convinced their parents to let them slide down the mounds out front had the best time listening to the music.


Our special guests, The Beale Street Flippers, came on for a brief, mind blowing interlude. I know at least a handful of kids who are going to take their gymnastics lessons more seriously now.


Our main problem on Saturday was trying to squeeze in too much awesome-ness. Star and Micey didn't start til almost 5pm and we had some hungry and tired kids who needed to get home. However, those who got to stay were sure glad they did.


Thanks to everyone who came out and made the RnR a blast. We hope to see you all on December 5th downtown on Main Street. More details coming soon!
See the rest of my pics here, and add your pics to our pool here.

November 7th at the Metal Museum

The show is from 2-5pm, not 3-6pm as previously promoted! Daylight savings is ending so we adjusted the time.

The museum is offering a special deal just for RNR families! Purchase a family membership for the price of an individual membership! November 7th only!

Bring a blanket or chair and a healthy snack to share!

Also please help us keep the grounds clean! We will be recycling when possible so look for specially marked bins.

And don't forget to thank our other sponsors, Yuletide Office Supply!

August 29th Recap

On Saturday we had near perfect weather, which was just the beginning of another near perfect Rock-n-Romp.

Friday afternoon we found out that 3 out of 4 of the Hot Pink Paperclips had fallen ill with the flu. Not sure what to do, I called my husband's boss. He had told me about his son's band, the Theoretical Monkeys, a few weeks prior. I decided to see if we might be able to book them last minute. The stars aligned and at 3:15pm, the most darling rockin group of high-school boys you've ever seen hit the stage.



And guess what? They were really talented! And confident! And did I mention darling rockin? I think it is safe to say that everyone was very impressed with the Theoretical Monkeys.

A special shout out to Charlie Trenthem for loaning us his sound equipment! We got a little spoiled at the Shell, so he definitely helped us achieve a much higher level of sound quality.

It didn't take long for the kids to make themselves at home. The Kerrs' playset was bustling, and there was a group of kids-in-the-know who spent a good deal of time in the front yard on the zip line, and even at the kindly neighbor's house on the trampoline. (At one point my five-year-old tracked me down and said he needed "his grown up" to come next door with him.)





Our second band, The Bare Wires, came all the way from San Francisco. They totally had the rock star look (and sound). I was especially impressed with the female drummer. (My husband was excited to buy a vinyl record of theirs and have everyone sign it.) They were a huge hit.



As the music continued, our balloon man showed up and dazzled the kids with his creations. (I was the recipient of a panda corsage.) I don't think the parents liked getting dragged into the balloon line, but it did offer a break from our ever growing beer line! (Don't worry, we'll have two taps at the next show.)





Last up we had the Apostles from Oxford. They were just as rockin' as everyone else. Their high energy performance was a great end to a great show.



You can see the rest of Chip Chockley's pictures here. And please add yours to our Flickr pool.



Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday! And thanks to our sponsors Yuletide Office Supply and Bilingual Tots!

We hope to see you all at our next show, November 7th, at the Metal Museum!

RnR August 29th!

To get details on the location you will need to join our facebook page or mailchimp list. Direct questions to memphisrocknromp@gmail.com.

Update!

Invites for the August 29th show (with the location) will be going out in the next week. We have some really great music lined up. The Bare Wires are coming all the way from San Francisco! And we have The Apostle T.K. from Oxford, MS. Finally, as a special treat, the Hot Pink Paper Clips, of Delta Girls Rock-n-Roll Camp fame, will start the show.

But wait! There's more! We have three more Rock-n-Romps in the works for you. Get out your calendars and mark these dates/locations (Note the time change for the winter shows.):

Ornamental Metal Museum
374 Metal Museum Drive
November 7th
3-6pm

The old Jay Etkin Gallery Space
409 S. Main Street
December 5th
2-5pm

The Center for Southern Folklore
119 S Main St # 106
January 16
2-5pm

July 11 Recap

I think it would be an understatement to say that the pre-show media blitz paid off. We filled the Shell up with families hailing from Midtown, downtown, Germantown, and even Nashville. In addition to rocking and romping, there was hoola hooping, splashing, juice box gorging, and lots of sweating! What we did not have was a drop of rain, which was just fine with me considering there had been threats of thunderstorms all day.



Robby Grant started the show with his solo version of Vending Machine. His son, Five, came on as promised and helped him out with a few songs. This totally blew the kids away--well, at least my kids who already consider Five to be the bee's knees.



Everyone was having a great time, except for maybe the people trapped in our mile long beer line!



Don't worry, the most awesome Corey Crowder went in search of a second tap. And little Bailey here helped the sun-dazed adults pump the beer as fast as possible.



The music barely started before the invasion of the Ice Cream Man. He had a line rivaling that of the Yeungling! Actually, by the end we had TWO Ice Cream Men profiting off of our large crowd. From what I hear, once was licensed to be in the park, and one was not. Yes, dueling Ice Cream Men!




Next up. was Scandaliz Vandalistz. They were a HUGE hit with the audience, both young and old.



Their shout out to fellow White Station students/alums elicited may whoops from the crowd.



One young songwriter in particular told her mom that she was inspired to start writing about "real stuff" after seeing them play!



The Vandalistz now hold the record for most CDs sold at a Rock-n-Romp.

Our final act was the Kenny Brown Band. They got everyone dancing and grooving.





All in all it was a near perfect show. Thanks so much for everyone who came out! And a special thanks to the Memphis Music Foundation, the Levitt Shell support staff, and the Rock-n-Romp board members who worked their asses off to make the show extra super awesome.

See the rest of Chip's pictures here and please add your own to our Flickr Pool.

Our next show is August 29th. You will need to join our mail list if you want to come! (See the mail chimp over there to the left. <---)