Live From The Garage II
What a night! A crazy set up and organization, three awesome bands (plus the teachers) and close to 150 people made this show an incredible experience for me. It was the culmination of three months of planning and hard work and I couldn't have done it without the help and hard work of some very special people: Marla, Dave, Daniel, Wendy, Cara, Tasha, Doug, Alina, Jay, Allan, Sharon, Wayne and Margaux. THANK YOU!!! It was so amazing for me to see our students up there on stage playing so well and having such a great time. All the bands sounded awesome. The night started with The Soundwiches, who kicked things off with a bang and had a whole bunch of people instantly on their feet dancing. They played a tight set of Ska originals. Then Strikes Twelve performed. Marla and I have been working with this band since October and we were definitely a little nervous for them. It was there debut and we really wanted it to go well for them. It was all up to them. I was right next to them backstage the entire set and what I saw and heard blew me away. To say that they rose to the occasion is an understatement! All the hard work payed off. They played so well. They were tight and they had a great time on stage. The audience ate it up. I was very proud of them. (Press play on the mp3 player to the right to hear the demo recording of their original song "Sorry".) Velvet Goldmine played third. They have been together for a little while and have performed several times and it showed. They really impressed a lot of people with their musicianship (myself included) and their tight funky set. They had some great grooves and arrangements. Lastly, the teachers got up and played a short set for the dedicated few who stuck around. Marla, Dave and I laid down the grooves while Sharon Brooks and her back up singer Wayne Tennant rocked the place! We played a short four song set comprised of two of Sharon's originals and two covers. I had a blast. Then, in a blink of an eye, it was over. Here are some photos Daniel and Doug took. Thank you to all the people, especially parents, who came to support these young bands. I know how much it meant to them. So now it's time for the holidays and some much needed rest. See you all in 2007, when the planning and preparation will begin for Live From The Garage III...
