bamboonews

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10.01.10

trip to mecca

a road trip to cleveland and the rock and roll hall of fame.

i grew up near cleveland, played gigs and recorded in cleveland, saw the beatles and hendrix in cleveland....getting to go there for this with a few friends was priceless.

photos: ken weigand and larry lane

the hall has a policy of no cameras beyond the lobby. there was some cool stuff hanging around.

they had a theme going of famous cars used in videos or movies.

larry...had a stealthy small camera he carried all day and he got some shots i couldn't get...i had to bag check my gear so i was super happy he kept snapping away.

it's a beautiful building.

this was part of a pink floyd exibit...the wall.

i want to say something about larry and paul and a few others out there.....major props to you working to add a camera into your creative option beyond music. i am..a rank amature as a photography dude. i do..however...understand compostion...although i don't often achieve it in a shot......but larry has an "eye" for this stuff. it's all relative...but i do dig the way larry, mike, and paul "see" things. keep it up dudes...and to my younger students....don't be too totally narcasistic and point that camera at something and think about it for just a moment.

a super shot larry got that says it all about the struggle of the 60s.

this was the entry area on the bottom floor.

the exhibits change a few times a year. through those doors is a really enlightening tour of rock and roll history.

one place i could use my camera was in the lower lobby where they featured a few rides.

bon jovi donated his personal ride.

zz tops famous ride.

a famous car from a famous movie depicting an era that may or may not have been real.

anyway...the stuff i couldn't shoot is worth the trip to cleveland....the history is cool and the experience well worth the drive.

ashleigh, abby,

and carly

i sat for 15 minutes trying to think of what to say about this photo...nothing worked...but the image and the smiles and the moment say it all.

we did a showcase featuring the music of taylor swift

 

and these 3 kicked it off. yeehaa!

 

photos: paul cooper

they covered taylor swifts

"you belong with me"

abby davis has been such a strong performer for a couple of years that it was easy to let her start off the show and she shared the stage with ashleigh and carly and the did this cold with no rehearsal.

nailed it....click the image to see/hear it on youtube.

remember to go for the 720p resolution feature at the lower right hand corner of the video screen.

i wasn't anywhere nearly as confident to be on stage and sing/play at the age of these girls..ash will be 8 soon and abby and carly are both 9.

jennifer eustace starts on her big dream.

she is a super fan of taylors and got to perform "the other side of the door".

 

click on the image to view the video...watch it at 720dp.

she was a brand new student of mine who seemed to know every song by heart. the showcase was meant for her and she knocked it out of the park with her voice, her cool, and that sparkly dress.

she was nervous but crushed the tune and had taylor in mind the whole time.

rachel smith was also a featured singer.

mckenna fellows did some guitar duty and sang.

deb kiserow was the other vocalist that brought her rich voice to the day.

new to the stage and handling the guitar parts for now...

we played a dozen taylor swift tunes and told taylor swift stories.....

jennifer was joined by

abby schull and they traded verses and made it look easy.

abby davis has some impressive talent and might just be the next taylor swift.

alexander nicoll was one cool and brave dude to hang with all these girls. he's smart....he sees the upside....and he's about to start singing. let's see..good lookin guy, nice guy, plays guitar and sings....i'd say he's really got it figured out.

face it.....taylor swift motivated all these girls to sing and play and instrument.....

if they do what she did...start writing early..keep the faith..work at your dream...it's hard not to succeed.

click here for a link to all the videos we got that day.

the video was taken by dave bultman....thanks dave.

allison burnett ...in blue..

..carried the rhythm part.

just keep playing.....write about your life....like a auditory diary....

keep smiling and keep a good and happy vibe.

everyone brought their a game and smile.

so....taylor.....wherever you are...these girls love you and your music.....

don't let them down. don't pull a britney or a lindsey on them. give them someone to really idolize not just as teens but as young women all learning how to act/do/be.

everyone seemed to enjoy this wide open taylor swift sleep-over kinda show where it was all about everyone kinda sitting in jammin away to their favorite taylor songs. the moms in the room seemed to know/mouth every word.. thanks to the briggs family for providing water and sodas and cookies for the show. also thanks to marsh woodwinds and everyone who turned out to show support for a bunch of amazing young talent.

caleb preti

.....new kid on the block.

so............this dude might just be my next big thing. brain like a bear trap, comes in each week ready to move forward and shows the work ethic all the time.

 

not a bad lookin dude either....

caleb might be 9 or 10

a really good guy who loves his mama...shows respect to everyone....

has a coolness that shows a little in these photos.

he's not ready to start singing just yet.....but this one will rock the house someday.

caleb preti.....write that name down....watch this guy over the next few years and maybe beyond that.

.

jennifer eustace

new student but an old soul.

she sparkles...shines. she's one student i will never have to rag on about practice time. she has dozens of tunes she already sings and only needs some growth time to get that guitar up to speed.

move over taylor swift...

here comes jennifer.

nic valdespino

singer.

and super cool guy.

nic is new but seems fearless about crooning.

 

he's doing some maroon 5, jason maraz, and jack johnson material.

ally smith cranks out some new songs.

she dropped in to play me a few new songs and fill me in on her teenage life and times.

ally has a long history of performing at the shows and did one this summer.

this girl can make you cry with her vocals.

she auditioned for american idol this past summer...

even though she didn't make it in...she learned a lot from the experience and they lost out on a winner.

so..stay up on her music right here at bamboo music. ally smith...money in the bank.

she lives it.....she's a straight a student...excells at cross country...is a killer vocalist....aspiring model and actress.

erica has ties to all corners of the globe and travels every summer.

and yes.....she has the all knowing..super cool big brain and one awesome handpainted guitar to inspire her, me, you.

she has a real soft spot for ballads but does have a strong assertive side she can tap into.....

she'll be performing at an up and coming showcase and will show off her voice, guitar, and piano skills.

stay tuned for much more from mande.