Auditions were held in February in six cities looking for the best guitar, bass, drum and keyboard players and, of course, vocalists who had the talent to play rock music - from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin and everything in between. The competition was plentiful and fierce. Rock talent turned out to audition in Kansas City MO, Detroit MI, Minneapolis/
23 young musicians, ages 12-18 years old, who are the future of America’s rock bands were selected. Since the auditions they have each been studying their respective parts and will all come together in Austin TX to rehearse together before hitting the road – just like the rock stars that inspire them.
“Don’t let their ages fool you,” warned the tour’s Music Director Rick Carney. “I’ve been in the music business 20 years and I wouldn’t put my reputation on the line for anything less than a first rate, heart pounding rock concert. These kids’ performance rivals anything people twice their age can deliver; I’d argue these young musicians bring even more!”
Music Director Rick Carney has toured the US many times as a musician himself. He’s play over 1000 shows with Jesus Christ Superfly, Gravy Boat and EMG. Rick received a four star review in Guitar World magazine and won the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Contest. In addition to performing, Rick has worked as a producer, recording engineer, booking agent and road manager.
The School of Rock Allstars Midwest Tour is geared towards families who love rock music. Kids as young as 8 and rockers as old 68 will enjoy this tribute to Rock Music. The tour begins July 17 in Frisco Texas then Kansas City, St. Paul, Minn., Chicago Ill., Detroit MI, Cleveland, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Oklahoma City and back to Austin, Texas for their final performance.
“This tour is a great test to see if you really want to be a professional musician,” said Nate Beck, a former School of Rock Music Tour musician now working in Los Angeles as a professional musician. “At the end of my tour I was like ‘Hell Yea I want to be a musician.’ Other kids got off the bus and said ‘That’s not what I thought it would be like. I love music but I don’t want to do that (tour) all my life.’ That’s part of what makes this program so great,” reflected Beck. “My friends who wanted to be a doctor in High School didn’t get to ‘test’ their profession before committing to it!”
