So far 2007 has been a year full of change and opportunity. For starters we have moved our facility into the Telluride Mountain School in Lawson Hill. We saw the band Special Bus redefine what it meant to be a Rock and Roll Academy band, Emma, Megan, AJ and Charly going live on TV, a concert at the High School which, if we didn't cross it, we defined where the line between authority and rock and roll lies. Winning best of show at NAIS...Charly, Kevin, Mike, Dean, Cole, Randy - so much contribution, growth, passion and memories...
Through it all the kids just don't quit, dissapoint or slow down. We are all getting older and better as it turns out.
2006 was a big year here at the Rock and Roll Academy. In the spring semester we saw an all -
time high enrollment with 76 students forming 14 bands! The level of the music was stronger than
ever and resulted in a truly exceptional concert on May 20th, 2006. On the heels of that success
we had another busy and exciting Summer Rock School with over 90 students participating.
In the fall, we had to cut down to 63 students but still had 13 band rocking out at our
December 16th concert. That was a blast.
Big news in the fall as we opened our first School Within A School at the Telluride
Mountain School. A beautiful new facility looking very much like our location in the
Mountain Village, it has seen a lot of excitement already.
On other fronts, the Academy has brought on some new staff, coaches,
audio, video and computer personnel, who have made a big impact in our
ability to get the job done. We have also gotten our Multimedia Program
up and running and there are a lot of video cameras and Apple laptops
around here. We look forward to more excitement in 2007.
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 his Fall Semester the Rock and Roll Academy saw forty eight students form into ten bands. Some of the bands were starting out their second year and were already veterans of two sold-out shows and countless long rehearsals. Right away these bands kicked into high gear and set the tone for a strong semester musically.
Highlights had to include Ruby joining Random Antics at the last moment and then watching the band write their set the day of the show - and pulling it off. Or how about AJ singing Juke Box Hero in front of the screaming audience? Seven year old Scout ripping his denim jacket off and stage diving, shirtless, into the arms of his brother Sam.
The Garage Jam when a girl named Brittany came up and sang like a rock star, never to be heard from again. Pizza backstage, a definite Adult-Free Zone.
The bands: Let There Be Rock, Satori, Emma and the Bureaucrats, In Perfection, Shotgun Hotel, Crest, Bandex, Detour, The Elements and Random Antics.
And, yes, Julian can sing a twenty minute song freestyle.
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This past July 4th weekend several Academy bands had an opportunity to open up for the New Orleans Zydeco legend, Buckwheat Zydeco. In front of a crowd that swelled from 500 to 2,000 during the course of their set the Academy bands impressed the crowd with their music and fearless attitude. Highlights included a very weird but convincing version of "Hocus Pocus" and Jonathan Pashayan's take-no-prisoners attitude as he sang "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution". Also, Ryan Swain's nonchalance as he played through a bass rig so large that it shook the entire stage. Good job, fellas, did you notice Buckwheat's band checking you out?
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This May 7 the bands of the Rock and Roll Academy gave their Spring Concert in front of a full house of screaming fans, friends and parents. The event was held at the Sheridan Opera House in downtown Telluride, Colorado and featured nine bands ranging in age from eight to sixteen years old. The show, which was streamed live on the web, featured a multimedia presentation including slides, video and visual effects - all highlighting the energy and excitement of the bands.
This year's lineup included; Hurricane of Hell, The Electric Outlets, Shotgun Hotel, The People's Republic of Rock, The Worst, Rock Vogue, Limousine, Molotov Cocktail and Exodus. Forty-two young musicians played with confidence, skill and spirit and absolutely generated the energy of a full-blown rock concert. Highlights included a ten-year old singing "Another Brick In The Wall", Rock Vogue lighting up the house, and, at one point, when Mark called "dance party on the stage" about fifty kids flooding the stage and surrounding Exodus as they rocked out. How about The Worst writing the material for their set twenty minutes before they went onstage? Or that giant disco ball that kicked in during Limousine's version of Superfreak? Emma singing like a rock star, Sarah stepping up during her solo in "American Idiot", Hagan on his wah-wah pedal.
We hope to have some MP3 files of the show up very soon so check back soon.
" I'm in a band. with a gang."
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