Valley Forge Middle School

I’m a little leery of RockRoots gigs these days, concerned with recent health issues and impending operation next week. But a single gig seemed to be something I can handle. It was no problem and quite enjoyable.

We were booked for a mid-morning assembly for 300 6th graders at Valley Forge Middle School in Wayne, PA, a mere hour’s drive from home. I got there with an hour to spare and the custodian brought down a cart and it was an easy load in. We were all set and ready to go at 10:30.

I was told by the gentleman checking IDs at the front that VFMS had quite a few music students in the building, and, as it proved during the show, the audience was quite hip to exploring our music and history with us. Music in the schools makes a big, big difference!

Sixth graders are a great age to play for, especially in the middle school range, and these kids (and teachers) were glad to be there. The show went smoothly, the lads playing well and my conversations/patter with the audience was loose and fun. The kids were cool, and started to get up and dance as we went along. Teachers were smiling (I mentioned that sixth grade teachers were so much looser that eight grade teachers…). And, by the end, the auditorium was jumping. The PTA mom was quite happy with the show. And I was glad that the band nailed it again. Such pros.

I got back home a little after noon with some Chinese takeout in hand, and only a little the worse for the wear.  A good day on the road.

Tuckerton ES

This was a long haul, and I had my reservations about dragging the lads down the shore for this one. It turned out to be worth the trip. We were in Tuckerton ES about 2 plus hours from home, but I’m not too concerned with my time on the road these days. Still, I left home about 5:45 for a 9:30 and 10:30 set of assemblies.

I got into to town early enough to go take a brief glimpse of some shoreline smells and vistas. Gulls….. I got back to the school to check in and the staff were most accommodating. We set up on the gym floor. Kevin and Nick hit some traffic but the school was flexible enough for us to start ~ 15 minutes late.

The first show was for the little kids (K-3) and it moved quickly with kids up and dancing right away – a good sign. I decided to pare down the edu-speak and keep it moving. Kevin commented that that was a good thing. We played a fairly short set.

The second set was for the older kids (4-6) and they were really responsive as well. A small boy in the front row was up and dancing right away – and he was busting moves like you wouldn’t believe and gathered a lot of attention from his class mates. It was very cool that the teachers let the kids react the way they did. Remarkable, but indicative of a small town elementary school. As we finished out the set with Rock and Roll Music, I invited that kid and his friend to come up and dance in front of the band. It was the perfect way to end the show. Sometimes I surprise myself with my instincts.

I got back home around 2 pm, so it was a very long day on the road with two shows thrown in. Still, it was a good gig; the school loved the show and the band gets paid.

RockRoots had two NE Philly gigs this week, and there’s no direct route to these interesting neighborhoods. Our Wednesday afternoon gig was at Our Lady of Port Jefferson, in a fairly tightly-packed neighborhood. We were lucky to find some parking to unload out front, but latter gained access from the walled parking lot near the stage exit. Whew.

We loaded in and set up on the stage for the ~300 K – 8th graders. The kids were polite, though the 6th, 7th and 8th graders were a bit remote, no dancing or getting out of the chairs. One bright spot was a special needs 8th grade boy who surprised us all early in the show when he demonstrated the Irish jig. Not too shabby, neither.

The principal / nun was quite glad to have us, and we benefitted from an opening prayer. Perhaps she though we would need it. As usual, we played well, cleaning up the small stuff after our long sabbatical. The kindergarteners were great dancers, and the music teacher came up afterwards and thanked us for the show, as we thanked her for dedication to spread music in several school communities in North Philly. Not an easy job.

The ride home reminded me of our early RR gigs in Philly – afternoon traffic on the Schuylkill!

Friday’s gig was another NE Philly school Holy Innocents with a slightly smaller audience of 150 4 – 8th graders. This neighborhood was a little more spread out: I could see lots of sky today. And we were able to load in from near the stage. (We have to plan our escapes very carefully) This was held in a big gym, and since the group was smaller, we like to eschew the stage and play on floor with the kids.

The kids were mostly Latino in this neighborhood, and had taken in a Roots of Latin Music assembly the week before. Thus, the older kids were polite but a little removed. That’s why we have Kevin…. our secret ingredient.

The trip back was a tad more arduous – Friday afternoon, of course, I was pretty whipped when I got back to Fourth Street. Still, it’s great to be out there with RockRoots.

This turned out to be a remarkable gig at Coopertown ES in Bryn Mawr, PA this morning. It was good for me, for a change, not to worry about my part in the show. The post-Covid cobwebs have been, for the most part, banished and the show and my confidence  is back in good shape. Travel was easy and Kevin called and said he’d be late. No problem.

As I headed into the school with my guitar and mandolin, one mom in a drop-off lane commented that I might be pissing off a lot of people. What? As we struck up a conversation, she was referring to the tragic incident in a school in Texas the day before. I finally connected that my carrying a black case into a school was disconcerting to some parents. We straighten that out with a little humor, but, apparently (pun intended), the concern was in the air. And, we helped a little bit with the show. More, later.

The principal introduced us, saying that this was the first assembly in three years, and for many of the kids in the house it was their first ever (the 1st and 2nd and some of the 3rd grades weren’t in school), so that was interesting. Assemblies were the best part of going to school for most of us, I think.

Two shows with about 225 K – 5th students each, but the grades were mixed around so we had to aim for the middle ground. No kiddie show. The kids were great, a wonderful 5th grade girl nailed the Irish Jig, the Peanut Butter do-wop groups rose to the occasion and were delightfully giggly, zany and being kids. Everyone got up and danced.

The teachers and the PTA liaison loved it. One teacher said that she has I Like Peanut Butter and will play it for her kids in class. Again, deep roots. But the general feeling was that RockRoots provided a tremendous relief for the whole school on such a grey emotional day. YANJ got this message from the school:

“We all very much enjoyed RockRoots yesterday!  The show could not have come at a more perfect time for the students and teachers after such sadness in the news from Texas. It was so good for all of our hearts to see the kids laughing, dancing and singing.  The joy was palpable. Thank you!”

We’re making a difference sometimes when we don’t even know it.

This is the third RockRoots in Catholic schools this spring, and it’s good to back in the saddle again. Mother of Providence School is in Warrington, PA, not far from our school gig on Wednesday and about an hour and a quarter down the Blue Route (476) into the burbs outside Philly. We set up again in the gym on an increasingly hot Friday afternoon.

I’m finally feeling secure and confident in my handling of the show, with two gigs under my belt with lessons learned. This was a full house of about 270 K – 8th graders and teachers.

Early on in the show when we do the Folk Dance segment, I always ask if someone takes Irish step dancing and, often, especially in catholic schools, some one steps up, so to speak. After some prodding, an eighth grade red-headed girl was volunteered by her teacher and she really delivered to the delight of the whole school. When this happens, the entire audience hops on our side.

When we do Blue Suede Shoes, I pick on the teachers to get up and “Go, Cat, Go”, another way to prod the audience and have the teachers loosen up for the kids. Once the teachers are up, we get the kids to get up too, and it’s the first actively dance moment for the entire group. I noticed two men who didn’t initially get up, so, as I’ll often do, stop the show and spotlight the teachers who aren’t participating. Invariably, the teachers do it, to the delight of the students. This time, one gentleman, immaculately dressed refused to join in and leaned on him to no avail. As I found out after the show, he was the major donor for this assembly. Again, I amaze myself with my ability to amplify my ignorance.

We rolled through the show today, with kids and teachers up and dancing for the last ten minutes – Beatles, Disco and Rock and Roll Music. As we packed up, several teachers came up and thanked us for the show.

As I drove home in Friday afternoon traffic, I was walloped with several torrential downpours and by the time I eventually landed on Fourth Street, I was whipped. As much as I love the travel, the whole process makes for a long and exhausting day.

I figured one thing I’ve missed, though, with the long commutes to gigs, is the chance to take in a whole album of music. Today, in spite of the traffic and weather, I was able to fully digest a new album from my friend Geoff Bartley and unpack some beautiful moments in his new CD Eyes on the Road (an apt title if ever there was one for this trip). He made the hassle all worth while.

St. Mary Magdalene School in Media, PA

We headed to Media, PA for a doubleheader at St. Mary Magdalene School on Wednesday afternoon. Only an hour plus drive from home, I got there early enough, set up the PA in the gym and waited for the lads. We were ready to go for the 1:15 start. We were scheduled with only a 5 minute turn over so we discussed that we should run a tight 45 minute show, something that Kevin wants all the time. (He will occasionally give me a “keep it moving” poke during one of my introductions. Noted.

I did some homework to help me recall what the show was like pre-pandemic and found our disco section. We decided to put that in, extend the dancing from the previous Beatles set, and head for the ending. It worked well and I even recalled the call-and-response during the second show. I only drew one blank with my cue for Good Golly Miss Molly, as the band was looking at me while I was looking at them. Anyway, I recovered quickly…. I’m still thinking too much.

The first show was for 130 6th – 8th graders and, per usual for a catholic school, polite though reserved. The teachers were similar but enjoyed the show. The second show for 3rd – 5th grades was predictably more spirited and responsive with lots of dancing at the end.

The band played well and the boys put up with a slightly scattered set list. Thankfully, after two years in hibernation, the show is gelling again. Personally, I’ve been worried that I have lost the total recall of the show that was the case three years ago. Yes, some of it is due to my age – I don’t have the muscle mental memory I once had, but we stumble through and put on a great assembly. Again, teachers love it (the music teachers thanked us at the end of the second show) and the kids left the gym charged up, yelling “Kevin! Kevin!” like old times. Wayne and Nick get some shouts, too. Good for their egos, too. I have to settle for the smiles and chuckles from the teachers during the show.

We’re headed back this way for a Friday afternoon show at another Catholic school nearby.

We headed down the Turnpike to Levittown for a Wednesday morning assemble, near Bristol, Pa, hometown of my folks. I got there early, introduced myself to the principal (dressed in full beard as Joel Embiid!!) and set up in the gym. As the band arrived, we had a chance to go over The Snippets – the short medley of regional R&R styles, and that proved to be beneficial.

I really didn’t review the show like I should have, relying on muscle memory, and, for the most part, I did okay. I did misplace the Elvis section, putting the Do Wop first. Our Peanut Butter section is a riot with four kids coming up, giving them red shades, and the crowd loving it, including the older kids (7th / 8th graders) responding to one of their own on stage.

We finished with All Around The Kitchen with the entire gym up and dancing. I always ask several teachers to come up at the very end, and one teacher (who I noticed dancing in the back during the show) came up and demonstrated The Bristol Stomp (only three miles away). She nailed it!!!.

The principal lauded the show after the kids left, claiming that he had played drums in bands a long time ago. The Stomp teacher came back in and said we were the best assembly ever. It’s nice to hear that, and important for the rest of the band to hear, too. RockRoots is pretty special.

These RockRoots gigs are far and few between and were once my main source of income. We’d often play three times a week, especially in the second half of the school year. Things have dropped off precipitously since the 2008 financial collapse. I also haven’t pursued the booking, letting YANJ take the lead.

We returned to Clinton Middle School, a mere 40 minutes away in western NJ. We’ve been here regularly and the staff and teachers are always glad to have us. 450 6th, 7th, 8th graders – a tough age to play for, in general, but can be quite excitable. I’m always somewhat insecure in my abilities to capture their attention and drive the show home. Thankfully, I have great sidemen who play strong so that the kids have no chance but see a good band. That counts for a lot.

The kids were great and, since we had a very tight window to do the show, we take it on to play a crisp show. I have to deliver the script and do what I can not over talk. I did better than I expected, with a small bump (the lads where there with the cue). The secret is to not stop and let the muscle memory take over. (With fewer shows, I don’t have the confidence that I use to have.)

Again, the staff was quite gracious and, as we were rolling out our equipment among the exiting students, several kids thanked us for the show. We seldom get to hear this feedback from the kids, and soothed some of the angst I feel when I’m playing for this age group.

I didn’t spend 3 hours on the road for a Jersey gig on a Friday afternoon. That’s nice.

RockRoots wrapped up our annual Catholic Schools Week with two afternoon sets at Cardinal Foley School in Havertown, northwest of Philly near the Main Line. We’ve played here before and we welcomed by Howard, the custodian. I got there early so I had a chance to chat with him and it was great.

Howard

It seems Howard, a black man about my age, said he played drums back in the day – with Lawrence Welk in Chicago  (there’s a story…), as well as many pro gigs in Atlantic City. This guy was no slouch. We talked about his situation in this school, the only male teacher (he’s picked up some classes in shop, etc.) among 47 women. We talked about working with kids and being real / in the present with the students, trying to loosen up the teachers along the way. He introduced jump rope to the school, finding out no one knows about it. One teacher said, “I’ll Google it.” missing the whole point of active learning. Howard could do The Double Dutch! and did it for the kids. I gave him my Playground CD that has jump rope rhymes all over it. What a great connection before the gig even happened. Howard walks the walk. (He’s taking up piano…)

We had two sets for K-5 for about 225 kids and then a 6-8 for about 115 kids (and teachers). Both went very nicely with the usual catholic school respect for us as artists. The older kids are always the toughest (due to our obscure repertoire, for them) but they warmed up and we got several thanks from individuals as they left the gym – always quite surprising! This band really has my back, especially when I have to wrassle with the intros. I used to do them several times a week, but we’re down to several times a semester so I’m never totally confident until I’m in the flow – muscle-memory takes over.

I held my own with the speechifying with a minor glitch during the last RockRoots Rap, where I play Da Fool, doing an old white-guy rapper. It has come to this, my friends. It’s then I really know if they appreciate our sense of humor. Today, they were most forgiving.

It was a great day out on the road. I am out of shape for a double, so back to the gym. But the energy of the band and the kids made the second one easier.

Howard, doing his thang.

Howard sat in the back for most of the first set and I could see he was taking it all in. Great. It made my day. Eventually, he came up and helped out the kids with My Girl. What a fine gentleman to share a Thursday afternoon with. Thanks, Howard.

Back to Bethlehem for tonight’s Dave’s Night Out!