RockOn Announces Guest Artists for 2012
Rock On is pleased to announce the exquisite musicians who will be joining us as Guest Artists for Rock On Workshop 2012.
All guest artists will teach master classes, coach bands, and participate in Rock On’s ‘Concert at Noon’ series in July at Berkshire Community College.
The concerts are free and open to the public.
Pat PattisonAn internationally renowned professor of songwriting whose former students at Berklee College of Music include John Mayer and Gillian Welch. |
Steve AdelsonOne of jazz music’s finest Chapman stick players. |
Frank BellucciFrank is an outstanding performer, educator, and clinician endorsed by Sabian Cymbals, DW Drums, Vic Firth Drumsticks, and Evans Drum Heads. |
Barry GoudreauReturning this year, Barry Goudreau, the former guitarist with the band Boston. |
RockOn announces Music Video and Photography Workshop for 2012
A separate program for teens and young adults, Music Video Production and Photography is being offered as a general course outside the Rock-On Workshop. While Rock-On focuses on developing young musicians, this program hones in on other related disciplines in the arts and does not require the students to be musicians.
Music Video Production and Photography will be offered July 16-27, the same dates and time as Rock-On Workshop, so that the RO bands can be the subjects of the videos. For this reason, the video students and camera crews cannot be current RockOn students.
The video workshop, with instructor Lee Everett of Fine Line Multimedia, will cover the use of three different types of video capture devices, including smart phones, digital still cameras and professional three chip video cameras. Everett, whose expertise includes video, music production and still photography, has a world of experience. His credits include video work for ABC News, Boston Symphony Orchestra, CBS News, The MacNeil-Lehrer Report, PBS, Phillips/Polygram Records, Berkshire Performing Arts Center, Berkshire Theater Festival, Jacobs Pillow, The Colonial Theater, Tanglewood, World-Wide Television News (WTN), London, and many other organizations.
The focus is on recording live musical performance in conjunction with the ‘Rock-On Workshop’. We will also create images that tell a story or deliver a message which can include still photographs and B-roll video for use in music videos. It will start with concept, storyboarding, camera techniques, positioning and settings and end with a review of editing options including iMovie and Final Cut Pro. In conjunction with the video workshop, a Performance Still Photography segment will be included. This segment will deal with the use of digital SLR cameras and fast lenses where participants will learn about camera handling, composition, metering and appropriate camera settings for stage work to best capture the action and emotion of a performance.
In conjunction, Keith Forman will be taping segments for Rock-On’s New Voices documentary this season. Keith has already shot one segment featuring Christine Bile, a young singer-songwriter.
Register today!!!
For more information contact Mary Talmi @ RockOn – 413-499-1733
Music this Week + Rock News: a new teen sensation
Local Scene
Justin Allen and The Raft at The Garage
Thurs. March 22 @ 9pm
A little reggae, soul, funk and motown. Pat Mack, Dan Esko and Zack Cross with the Raft, a great band from Northampton.
Divinitress at Rumpy’s Friday March 23… NO COVER Lenox, MA
Satellite Shine at The Lion’s Den Saturday, March 24 at 9:00pm Stockbridge, MA
Rock NEWS - Teen Sensation 1-D
A new band to watch on the teen circuit, One Direction is a boy band that’s been soaring on the charts in Europe, and is now hitting the US. The album’s introductory single, “What Makes You Beautiful,” landed at No. 28 on the charts, beating out Adele. A sensation? appears to be. One Direction surfaced in 2010 on the British X-Factor. They are now poised for a US tour which was kicked off by a Today Show appearance. Are they cute? well, yeah! Check out 1-D and their upcoming tour schedule here.
Let RO know what your band is up to … we’ll get the word out. rockon01201@gmail.com
First Guest Artist announced for 2012 Season
ROCK ON is EXCITED to announce our 1st guest artist for this years noon mini concerts. Steve Adelson, a master of the Chapman Stick. If you’ve never heard this instrument it will blow your mind!
Steve has performed all over the world to sold out audiences! Save the date JULY 18th at noon at BCC campus. Then followed by a full concert that evening with other talented guest artists. For more info email us at rockonworkshop@gmail.com or call 499-1733.
YOU MUST SEE THIS AMAZING ARTIST!!
RockOn 2012 Season – New Workshops & Guest Artists
In its 10th year of offering music education and training, RockOn’s Young Musician’s Workshop will be offered July 16 – July 27 at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Mass. The 45 minute workshop sessions led by top area musicians and guest artists include…
Basic Keyboard with Instructor Ben Kohn
Basic Recording - Bands with original material will have the opportunity to record their songs during the workshop.
Stage Performance and Audition Techniques How to perform for a live audienceas well as techniques for auditioning for any gig. Instructor Jeff Link and other Rock On! faculty members.
Simple Sight Reading Led by Instructor Charlie Tokarz, students will learn the basics of reading music with emphasis on rhythmic concepts and basic melodic ideas.
Song Writing All bands attending must sign up for this workshop. It will teach skills for writing original music in various styles, analysis of popular songs and what makes them work, simple harmonic concepts, and lyric writing. This is taught by Rock On! faculty and guest artists.
! A special topic featured in this workshop is Copyrighting Your Original Music/Getting It Heard, during which students will learn the “nuts and bolts” of how to get their music copyrighted and licensed, and how and who to send it to.
Advanced Workshops
The newly developed classes—Contemporary Harmonic Concepts and Introduction to MIDI Recording Technology—will support each other in helping to create fresh, new music composed by students with their final compositions recorded to CD. These new classes will be taught by Rock On! faculty member Jeff Link.
Contemporary Harmonic Concepts will be held from 10 am to 10:45 am. This workshop will focus on harmonic concepts used in popular music, such as rock, fusion, and jazz.
Introduction to MIDI Recording Technology will held from 11 am to 11:45 am, and will be using Cake Walk’s Producer Version of Sonar—Sonar is used by professional composers worldwide to create music for gaming, video, films, and apps using both MIDI and Waveforms.
More Info and how to Register
RockOn 2012 Workshops and Advanced Classes- Register now
Register now for RockOn 2012 July 16 – 27 @ BCC
RO News..Music TONIGHT, Guitar Jam IV, Travis Tritt, Dave Matthews
Dana Welts – Acoustic Solo Show
Thursday at 8:00pm @ The Lions Den Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge
The Garage: The Citizens & Friends Celebrate Jack Kerouac…
Thursday, March 8, 2012 @ 9:00PM
$5 Cover @ The Garage
ARTIST WEBSITE
Travis Tritt with Special Guest Lindsey Highlander
Saturday March 10 8pm @The Colonial Theatre
Tickets: A: $ 75 B: $65 C: $40
Travis Tritt has a string of platinum albums and Top Ten singles, including five numbero ne hits, “Help Me Hold On,” “Can I Trust You With My Heart,” “Foolish Pride,” “Anymore” and “Best of Intentions.” He is currently traveling the country on his solo-acoustic tour, giving audiences an intimate musical experience, and telling stories in a rare and personal atmosphere.
Upcoming : Eagle Announces “Guitar Jam IV”
This year, instead of being chosen by organizers from The Eagle, the performers will be picked via Facebook. Vote for your Favorites or nominate your band.
All local bands are eligible this year. To qualify as local, bands must have at least one member who currently lives in the Berkshires or who used to live in the Berkshires. Also, bands don’t need to feature a guitar player — they just need to have one.
There will be two rounds in the selection process:
In the first round — starting this week through April 7 — supporters of Berkshires bands will be asked to vote for their favorites through email or snail mail. – One vote per person, please. To nominate your favorite band, email dgentile@berkshireeagle.com or send regular mail to Derek Gentile, The Berkshire Eagle, 75 S. Church St., Pittsfield MA 01201.
On April 8, The Eagle will reveal the top 10 vote-getters, and music fans then will be asked to vote again, this time on Facebook. The voting there will end April 28, and the top four bands will earn the right to perform at the Colonial on May 19.
More details, including which Facebook page to access for voting, will be announced in the April 8 story. Concert tickets will go on sale the following day and will be $15 and $25.
This oughtta be good!! Go to Berkshireeagle.com for more info.
Tickets on Sale March 9 for the Dave Matthews Band !!
Coming Jun 8 & 9 to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center
On Sale Fri, 3/9 starting at 10am !!!!
Dave Matthews Band
The All-American Rejects … Kids In The Street
The All-American Rejects formed while members Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler were still in high school. In 2000, before they even graduated, they had released a demo. By 2003, they hit the mainstream with the release of their first studio album The All-American Rejects. The album, which included the hit single “Swing, Swing” (one of my favorites) went platinum. Their second album, Move Along (2005), featured three hits; “It Ends Tonight“, “Dirty Little Secret” and “Move Along“, which were in top fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The next album went Gold and propelled the band to the Australian and British charts with ”Gives You Hell“.
The All-American Rejects, who hail from Oklahoma, literally grew up in rock ‘n roll, and hit the big time quick. But as their latest album, Kids on the Street, will attest, they managed to survive the temptations that led many young stars into addiction and self-destruction.
“A lot of this record is just Polaroids, going through this downward spiral of moving to Los Angeles and getting lost in a little bit of excess and this lifestyle that can easily be bought into,” says Tyson Ritter in a recent Rolling Stone interview.
American Songwriter quotes Ritter as saying that he sees the album as a baptismal journey, about finding himself sick with superficiality and clearing out the dust that had accumulated within him. The record’s first single, “Beekeeper’s Daughter,” is a reflection upon toxic relationships he experienced as a “lost kid” in Los Angeles. “I started to get insensitive to the opposite sex. I’d met a couple terrible people who I felt disposable to, and I felt I should return the favor.”
The Rejects are now on tour supporting the new album and will be at Pearl Street in Northampton on April 22nd.
RockOn this week; Auditions .. Jazz .. Art Decade .. Berkshire Rocks!
This Friday at 6:00pm
Reminder – Young singers, musicians, poets, dancers, actors, and others invited to audition at 6pm on Friday, February 10th, or Wednesday, February 15th, also at 6pm.
Lichtenstein Center For The Arts – 28 Renne Avenue, Pittsfield, MA 01201
Also Friday from 6:30pm until 12:00am ….
RockOn’s Dan Broad on bass with The Moja Players, led by virtuoso trumpeter Rob Fisch with Heather Fisch on vocals. An evening of old time jazz and classics and a Swing worshop at Club Helsinki’s grand ballroom.
Intermediate workshop w/ Ellie Hanus-6:45-8:15 – Free Beginner lesson-8:30-9
Music-9-midnight !! Workshop and dance-$25 – Dance Only-$15 – Workshop only-$12
Sunday ………
Open Mic Songwriter Showcase with Dana Welts
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 1:00pm
216 Elm St – Pittsfield, MA
FEATURED THIS WEEK
News from ART DECADE – The making of the ‘Western Sunrise’ video.
Ben Talmi of Art Decade formed his first band in 2003 while in 8th grade, with Ben on guitar and vocals, Channel released its first EP “Perpetual Motion” in 2003. The band’s second release, “Inch Deep Oceans”. Three songs from that album, the title song “Inch Deep Oceans”, “Havoc”, and “The March” were submitted for the 49th Grammy Awards in 2006. Channel toured Canada and the East coast to promote “Inch Deep Oceans” and were featured live on air and received airplay on college radio stations including Carnegie Mellon, Case-Western, Brock University, and on Yellowbeat Radio in Japan.
Channel’s next release “Androgyny Is In” was recorded at Looking Glass Studios with producer Mario McNulty (Bowie, Morrissey, Iggy Pop.) In 2008, “Androgyny Is In” was again submitted for the 2008 Grammy Awards. “Androgyny Is In” garnered the attention of the late LeRoi Moore of the Dave Matthews Band which led to the newly named Art Decade recording “Innocence/Experience” at Dave Matthew’s own Haunted Hollow Studio in Charlottesville, Virginia. “Innocence/Experience” was released in June 2008.
In 2008, Binod Singh Jr of Toronto, ON joined Art Decade on bass and vocals, and Chad Montermini of Olympia, WA on drums and vocals. Art Decade then recorded and released their latest EP, “Royalty” on September 9th, 2009. Since “Royalty,” Art Decade has been playing several shows in Boston and gaining fanbases heavily in New England as well as other areas of the USA. The band is currently working with a full string quartet to help improve the bands live sound.
Art Decade just completed their debut full length album, “Western Sunrise” with Producer Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra, Favorite Gentleman Recordings).
Next Week….
 Featuring: Distant Shock, The Wrong Inspiration, A Fate Forgotten and A Voice From Below. Proceeds to benefit WRHS band and the advancement of local music.Friday, February 17, 20126:00 - 9:30pm Dalton CRA - |
RO – Special Birthday Edition ALICE COOPER and DAVID CARRON
Alice Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier on February 4, 1948. He is a pioneer of theatrical shock metal with a macabre stage show designed to shock. Cooper is credited with being the artist who “first introduced horror imagery to rock’n'roll, and whose stagecraft and showmanship have permanently transformed the genre”.
Orginally, Alice Cooper was the name of the of the band. It was Furnier on vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton, lead guitarist, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar and drummer Neal Smith. In 2011, the original Alice Cooper band was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
The Alice Cooper band rocked the seventies with songs still popular today, like the 1971 hit “I’m Eighteen” from the album Love It to Death, and “School’s Out” released in 1972. The band reached their commercial peak with the 1973 album Billion Dollar Babies. Furnier went on with his solo career adopting the band’s name, Alice Cooper, as his own name.
In the 80’s Alice switched gears, keeping up with changing music styles with “Flush the Fashion”, produced by Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker. It had a New Wave musical sound that challenged fans and yielded the US Top 40 hit “(We’re All) Clones”. That song was written by Pittsfield’s own David Carron.
David Maurice Carron was born, to Pat Reid and Mike Carron of Pittsfield, Massachusetts on February 5, 1949. David began to sing at the age of three, singing was second nature; it was his gift.
In 1964, David formed his first rock band, The Marksmen with David Carron, lead vocals and rhythm guitar, David Grover, lead guitar and harmony, Rick Fetridge on Bass, and Mark Knight on drums. The Marksmen were a very popular local band in the Berkshires. In 1966 they recorded “Roses are Red” and “Cause I’m Sure” written by Joe Torre. The Marksmen played The Lighthouse and clubs throughout the Northeast.
In the 70′s, David joined Mick Valenti to form the band The Quarry. With David Carron’s rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Mike Fury playing lead, Dan Velika on bass and Mick Valenti on drums, this band played clubs from New York to Boston. Managed by Barry Hollister, they played The Filmore East and West, The Electric Circus, Electric Factory in Philadelphia and then on to become the house band on the free stage at “Woodstock“. The Quarry went on to the Texas International Pop Festival performing on the main stage with Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix.
Later, David Carron and David Grover formed Shenandoah with Terry Hall and Dan Velika. They toured New England and began recording at Shaggy Dog Studios in Stockbridge, MA. Arlo Guthrie heard them play at an outdoor concert and asked them to back him up on the road. They began to tour with Arlo in 1974. In November 1976, David left the group and began solo work.
At this time, he reunited with his teenage love, Wendy Barrier. During the early 70’s Wendy, a clothing designer, had met Minnie Riperton, and the two became very close. Later when David and Wendy travelled to LA, they spent a month with Minnie. Being Minnie’s guest in Beverly Hills would gift them with experiences and a roll of good fortune that smiled on them until David’s untimely death in 1985.
While in California, David was introduced to John Weider of the Animals who had written the hits “Sky Pilot”, “San Franciscan Nights” and “When I Was Young”. The two clicked immediately and began jamming. Soon they began collaborating and songwriting. John Weider was a also classical violinist, and together with Carron, made some great recordings. Their demo, sent to Ron Stone of Lookout Management, received a favorable response. They put the band Galaxy together to perform their music live. Galaxy later became Gulliver. Gulliver was signed to Columbia records to make their first album on Columbia’s new spin off label Outlook records with Elliot Roberts, manager of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Petty and others.
John Baruck became their manager and the band recorded “Ridin the Wind” at Larabee Studios. The album was completed in June and on July 10th Ken Perry did a test pressing at Capitol Records. It was released in January of 1978 and by Februray it was ‘Pick of the Week’ in Record World. That March, it was in Billboard’s Southwest Breakout. By April, “The Wonder of it All” was chosen as the single off the album and in May the tour of the Southwest began. Gulliver was received very well.
David disbanded Gulliver in August of 1979 to stay home with family and write music. Through the connections with Minnie Riperton, Wendy’s clothing designs had become very popular in the rock world. When she brought clothes backstage to show Kiki Dee, she met Davey Johnstone. He loved the clothes as well and made an appointment to visit her home. There he met David Carron and the two and began jamming in the garage. Davey & David enjoyed much playing together and even recorded two songs at Dee Murray’s studio in the Hollywood Hills. In November, Steve Scorfina, previously of Pavlov’s Dog, and Tommy Nickerson joined together with David to record songs in the garage. “Clones, We’re all ” was one of those songs. Davey heard David play Clones on the floor in Wendy and David’s living room Sherman Oaks CA. At this time, Davey was playing guitar with Alice Cooper on his “Flush the Fashion” album. He took the song to Alice and Alice flipped over it, so did Roy Thomas Baker. Alice chose Clones to be the single off the album.
David agreed to let Alice do the song. “Clones” was picked as the Cashbox single and upon release, it came in with a bullet at 17 in Billboard Magazine.
Alice Cooper performing CLONES, live. ”NO MORE MR. NICE GUY TOUR” at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ (August 21, 2011).
The tour continues into 2012. Alice Tour Dates.
During the 80′s David Carron began solo work, song writing, and recording. He joined a group called Hip Pocket which soon changed some band members became Blindate. They played clubs in New England including Martha’s Vinyard, New York, and at the first Artabout in Berkshire County. During this time on the East Coast, David accepted his first major role in Jesus Christ Superstar at The Berkshire Public Theater in Pittsfield, under the direction of Frank Bessell. This production was performed at The Egg in Albany on Easter Sunday. It was a very special show and David was a natural as Jesus, a gentle, spiritual man.
In 1982, Blindate began writing and recording songs. David did some songwriting with John Zarvis who played lead guitar. Ray Tart played bass and Jimmy Harte played drums and added high background vocals. What a nice blend of musicians, music and friends. Blindate went on to record videos, play at Trax in NYC, branch out to perform in Boston, Nantucket, Long Island and all over the Northeast. In 1983 David recorded his first manufactured video “Morning Light”. David teamed up with long time friend Lee Everett and Rick Fetridge and worked long hours in Lee’s studio to create the footage for the next video. “Long nights, but full of laughter and fun.”
In 1984, David co-wrote a song with Jay Fruet called “Something Happens”. They recorded it at Derek Studios with Greg Steele and took video footage of the live recording for the next video. Jay and David also collaborated together on “Don’t Hold On”.
David remained writing and singing solo for the next year.
A year later, in 1985, David Carron died after suffering a brain aneurysm . It was a phenominal loss to friends and the music world. In 2005, Wendy Carron staged a memorial concert featuring members of Shenandoah, David Grover and Terry Hall, and Rick Fetridge of the Marksmen. Blindate with original members John Zarvis, Jimmy Harte, and Paul Zarvis brought down the house with their performance of Clones featuring Jimmy Harte on vocals.
Some of the areas most talented musicians, including Robbie Baier, Michael Haynes, Bobby Sweet and Adam Rothberg, PIMP, Hypnology, and others, all influenced by David Carron, performed his songs in tribute.
The outdoor stage Fueled by RockON, featured The Channel, now Art Decade as well as Hydraulic Sandwich, whose punked out version of Clones lashed out with energy.
Listen
Clones was also recorded and performed by Smashing Pumpkins who featured it on their album Rarities and B-Sides.
