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July 7, 2010
Interview with Angela Thomas
1. Let's start with a few basics -
where is the school located, how many kids are touring for this
summer's show, and how many weeks of (camp?) are required before
kids are ready to hit the stage?
Our Portland School of Rock is located at
1440 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
We have 26 students participating in this
year's tour.
Our students rehearse year round in our
program performing in various shows. We select the hardest working
students and they perform in an Allstars tour every summer. They
get together a few days before the tour starts and have several
days of intensive rehearsals.
2. I take it that the program is for
younger kids. To them, most rock must be pretty new to them, even
though most of the music is probably older than the kids. What is
it about rock music that draws kids to your camp (instead of pop
or hip hop)?
Pop and Hip Hop are great... But Rock and
roll is way more fun to perform! There's nothing like playing a
show in front of a packed house, with screaming guitars running
through Marshall
stacks, booming bass, and thunderous drums. It is powerful stuff,
and other genres don't have nearly the same power in a live
setting.
3. I watched that video on your website
(the queen song) and I must say, these kids have practiced! I
mean, I can tell when people are playing their instruments - it's
refreshing not to see lip-synching. How many hrs. per day are
devoted to practice, and who are they learning from?
They practice a lot, usually a few hours a
day on their own and 3 hours a week (or more) in rehearsals. They
learn from our School
of Rock staff, who
are real rock musicians who are great at what they do, and have
tons of rock cred. Many of our staff are veterans of national
bands who have toured and released their own records.
4. What do the kids say they like best
about the camp - after all the hard work of touring is done for
the summer?
I'd say that the friendships that are
formed are the biggest take away for them. It's great to see the
community that is formed.
5. Do kids keep in touch after the
camp? Has anyone gone on to work in the music business (that you
know of)?
Yes, our students often travel to see
their fellow Allstars in other cities. We are a community that
spans the whole country.
Our students have performed with many
legendary artists including the following. Perry Ferrel (Jane's
Addiction), Frank Black (The Pixies), Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for
Cutie), Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Tom Morello (Rage Against the
Machine), and many others. Also, many of our graduates have gone
on to perform with artists, such as Adrian Belew (King Crimson)
and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
6. When I first heard of the School of
Rock event, I must admit, the movie "School
of Rock"
was the first thing I thought of. So, which came first, your camp,
or the movie?
We came first! We've been around since
1998 and have spent the past 12 years inspiring kids to rock on
stage, and in life.
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