Rock-n-Romp Recap

I was so nervous about Saturday! I just really wanted things to go well. I always get a little antsy right before we get started. My friend Caleb said, "When has Rock-n-Romp not been awesome or gotten a good turn out?" Never. Never! But I can't help it, I stress up until the minute I get my first beer and people start rolling in the door.

Then I'm all smiles.



Satchel and Jiro are of course the bad Rock-n-Romp kids who bring their Nintendo DS to the show. We had a deal that they could play until the music started. (They do arrive two hours early with me.) Once their friends arrived, they behaved like normal little boys, running around and having a good time.



It wasn't long before we had about 500 people in attendance! I saw a lot of new faces as well as many of our regulars and my good friends. I think it's pretty safe to say that our second indoor show ever was a smashing success. How nice to have rain in the forecast and not have to worry about it! The staff at the Center for Southern Folklore was really nice and they went out of their way to make sure we felt right at home. With a bar, huge bathrooms, all the tables and chairs we could dream of, and an actual mop and trash guy, we felt absolutely spoiled!

We had no trouble keeping our rompy vibe despite being inside.



Our special guests, the Slomski Brothers, got things started with their modern vaudeville routine. I loved the suits, the fact that their mic stand had cup holders, and the cool sound of that crazy drum. A very unique act! (I got to see their full show later that night at the Cove. They are hilarious.) I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of these guys in the future.




Next up, we had the Kindergarten Circus, who came from Murfreesboro to play. They were all in their late teens, and this was one of their first live shows. They were awesome and really rocked it.





Once the Circus ended, the Slomski Brothers did another short set. Gustafer Yellowgold was up next and before we could even try and get all the kids settled in front of the stage, we noticed they were all already settled there waiting for Gustafer to get started. Yes, even Satchel and Jiro were happily seated and waiting with bated breath! (I even saw Satchel singing along!) It was both awesome and freaky. I think Gustafer's visual aids drew them in.



Morgan Taylor, the man behind Gustafer, did a great job engaging the kids (and adults!), who were absolutely riveted for his entire 45 minute set.




It was such a treat to have Morgan, his awesome wife, Rachel, and their adorable son, Harvey, in attendance. How awesome is it that a young family gets to make a living making good music? And go on tour?



I can't believe Rachel escaped getting her photo taken and that I didn't insist on getting a Team Oster/Team Gustafer photo! Warren later told me about their awesome touring van, which I didn't get to see. Oh well, they'll hopefully be back soon and I won't be shy about getting out the camera.

The Yazoo Shakes closed out the Romp with their high energy performance. I loved seeing three women in one band, playing horns and strings. They were super fun.





And check this out--the kids stuck their heads under the quilt curtain in order to get a better look at the drummer!



My kids found where we hid the DS and had a round of "let us show you how awesome we are at this game."



When all the music stopped and everyone said goodbye, the hardworking, all volunteer staff of Memphis Rock-n-Romp stayed another 45 minutes to clean up. We asked people to recycle their Central BBQ cups, which they did a great job of, but we unexpectedly had a lot of bottles and cans too, which ended up in the trash. Check out our commitment to recycling! Sadly, this isn't an uncommon scene after the show--us digging through the trash. Hopefully next year we can devise a better system.



A final thank you to everyone who made this show so incredible! We could not have done it without the enthusiastic support of the Center City Commission and the generous donations from Central BBQ, The Hunt Phelan, Whole Foods, Bluefin, and The Rendezvous. And an extra special thank you to all of our volunteers!

Allen Elliotte was our substitute photographer and is responsible for all of the lovely photos you see here. View the whole set here. Add yours to our Rock-n-Romp Memphis Flickr pool.

We have a really exciting 2010 season coming up, so stay tuned for details. Our first show will be April 24th at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens. Mark your calendars!