BUSY SUMMER AHEAD...
Hey everyone! Can you believe it? Summer’s finally here! With all the
crappy weather we had been having, I doubted it would ever come. In
celebration of the warm summer rays (and 3 months off school) let’s kick off
the column this month with news of some hot summer concerts rolling into
Chicago this summer.
First is the one I’m most looking forward to – NSYNC and BBMak at
Soldiers Field. The Backstreet Boys come to Chicago on July 21. And on July
28th, teen country stars Billy Gilman and Jessica Andrews perform together at
the Star Plaza in Merrillville.
And don’t forget...The Wallflowers are there on July 7th. How cool is
that!?!?!
COOL FREEBIES...
Next month in these pages, we will be giving away 15 copies of new teen
pop star Mikaila’s début CD. She does the hit song, “So In Love With Two,”
which is presently being blasted all over the radio. We'll also have a
feature on her courtesy of pop music scribe, Brad White, who helps this weary
writer keep you up to date on all the latest teen acts.
ALL AGES SHOWS...
One thing I really want to talk about this month is the all-ages Friday
Night Bash being held once a month at the Lake County Fair Grounds. I went
to the May event and it was great! Four bands performed for that first show
– Static, Josh Holmes Band, Mr. Funnyman, and The Crawpuppies. In between
the band sets my dad and I did trivia contests and gave out tickets to see
The Wallflowers and Tesla at the Star Plaza. It was a good show and a great
night out. It was sooooo nice to have a place to go to rock ‘n’ roll for a
reasonable price.
The Friday Night Bash will be held once a month through September and each
month I will let you know the exact date of the next one and who is on the
bill. This month’s is on June 29 and the three bands set to perform are –
Bonfire (an AC/DC tribute), Mr. Funnyman (a Pink Floyd tribute), and The Same
Difference. The latter band is made up completely of Crown Point High
School students except for one member, Mike Malaski, who is a teacher as
CPHS. They do mix of cover and original pop/rock type stuff.
I hope everyone supports these Fairground shows, because it's about
time the teenagers of Lake County had somewhere to go that's fun and safe.
There are food venders and admission is only five bucks with a student ID.
We teens need to support this so that eventually, more all-ages shows start
happening and maybe we will even get a real club or center of our own one
day.
It may not open in time for us to enjoy it, but what about our younger
brothers and sisters? I would much rather have my little brother hanging out
playing video games at a youth center and catching a cool band in a place
where he will be safe and gave a good time, than hanging out in a parking lot
or wherever.
Everyone says our generation are a bunch of derelicts and slackers who
do nothing but loiter around. Maybe it’s because we have had nowhere to go.
Now we do, so let’s prove that we are not a bunch of loser kids only out to
cause trouble. Let’s show them that when they give us a place to go, that we
will support it.
Come on, let’s show them we are capable of gathering in big numbers and
having a good time without getting in trouble and that we can are worth the
effort.
Basically, what I am trying to say is come support these Friday Night
Bash events, support the bands and have a good time. Show your support for
yourself, for your siblings, and for the kids coming up behind us.
I’m not only addressing my peers, but the adult readers of this
publication. Get out there and jam with us. It’s your job also to support
these types of events, because without you, events such as the Friday Night
Bash will cease to exist. It will take a combined effort to keep shows like
this – where everyone can catch good local bands – happening.
I have one final plea regarding this subject. It’s to those of you who
could care less about your peers and helping to build something we can all
enjoy. Do us all a favor and stay far away. If you would come only to cause
trouble and act like jerks, then please don’t come.
It seems the momentum has already started with only one show at the
Fairgrounds behind us.
While at that first bash, my dad spoke with a couple of guys who are
trying to start up an all-ages concert hall. Their goal is to present
multi-band shows featuring local teen band every Friday and Saturday night.
The place is called, The Venue Entertainment Complex, and it’s located at
1705 LaPorte Avenue in Valparaiso, IN. Bands interested in booking shows or
music fans looking for more info about the shows they are planning, can call
(219) 548-1650 or e-mail questions to valpovenue@juno.com .
I know most of you will read this after it happens, but the first show is
scheduled for June 2 at 6 p.m. with a $5 cover charge. The bands performing
on the 150-sq. ft. stage that night will be – Me Not Caring, Lucky Devil
Maniacs, Star Patrol, Sound & Noise, Empty Hands and Bradley Report. We just
found out about this effort at press time this month. I’ll try to give you
earlier warnings about up-coming shows.
A FINAL THOUGHT...
In closing, I just want to take a little space here to wish my dad a
happy 42nd birthday!
Hey Dad... I hope you enjoy blasting Frank Zappa and Bob Dylan out of
that new CD player that Peter and I got you!
And a GREAT BIG thanks to my “Big Apple” buddy Katy for the NSYNC and
BBMak tickets! On that note, there’s really nothing left to say but – “Bye,
Bye, Bye!”