Today I covered the finale concert for a summer session of Rock Camp USA at Antone’s, a historic music venue in Austin. The camp is ran by the Austin School of Music as a way to encourage youngsters to play rock music together. During the two-week camp, the rockers are divided into bands. These bands pick a name, perform covers and record a demo tape in a recording studio. At the end of the session, they perform in front of parents, friends and family at Antone’s. I did an audio slideshow project on this using photos from this concert and a few that I took earlier in the week at the Austin School of Music.
![Rock Camp USA Goodnight Lane guitarist and singer Janel Duarte waves to the crowd after a song in her band's set during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp316.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA A young rocker from the group Teddy Bear Asylum performs during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp474.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA No Refund bassist Kyle Legg, right, adds some backing vocals to a song during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp051.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Explosion of the Minds members Ross Eide, left, and Dylan Hill relax in the green room before their set during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp092.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Ryan Brainard, guitarist with Goodnight Lane, rips into a solo during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp298.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Instructor John Branch tunes up a guitar for a member of the band Fat Boy and the Midnight Snackie in the green room before the bands set during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp332.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Roy Fenner, bassist with the band Fat Boy and the Midnight Snackie, waits with fellow band members in the green room before the bands set during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp334.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Marlon Sexton straightens his hat before heading out to play a set during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp355.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Hatin' on the Hair guitarist Mason Crowell, age 13, plays the guitar behind his back during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp448.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Julia Newhouse, singer for Left Cheek Sneak, belts out a song during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp493.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Explosions of the Minds guitarist Layla Gilliland performs during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp531.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Ryan Brainard, guitarist for Goodnight Lane, is seen reflected in a mirror over the bar as he performs during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp555.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Charlie Sexton helps get his son, Marlon, situated with a bass guitar before a set during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp399.jpg)
![Rock Camp USA Hatin' on the Hair singer Maddie Rogers, age 14, acts as though she's collapsed to the stage at the end of her band's set during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.](https://www.brosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jtbRockCamp608.jpg)
Fan of Rock and Roll says
I went to the concert and it was a really good time! There’s definitley some young talent out there to make Austin proud. The singers were pretty decent… we liked the one fronting Left Cheek Sneak, and the boy from Teddy Bear Asylum just to name a few. I hope the camp stays rock’in– it’s an asset to this cool city
Mary Cardwell says
Your photography was/is superb. You’ve got amazing talent and I wish you the best of luck. Your photos of our son, Mason and the group he was in, Hatin on the Hair, will be treasures for life. Thank you for preserving the memories.
rockermom says
@Fan of Rock and Roll: Teddy Bear Asylum’s lead singer was my fav too!!! He kept the audience on their feet!!
Dothefandango says
People keep asking me about this concert based on the photo! Thanks for doing this–we are already signed up for next year. Look forward to seeing you again along with the rockers we are certain to see on youtube soon! Can’t wait to see how much they have improved in a year.
James Brosher says
@Dothefandango: Thanks! I really wish I could make it to this year’s performances. Unfortunately I was an intern last summer and I have since moved to Wyoming. It was a great show, and thanks again for the access to do the story.
Biplab Poddar says
@Fan of Rock and Roll: Teddy Bear Asylum’s lead singers is awesome. I’m currently working on the f# minor nocturne! they’re beautiful pieces.
Don’t get me wrong, you have to be strong and confident to be successful in just about anything you do – but with music, there’s a deeper emotional component to your failures and successes. If you fail a chemistry test, it’s because you either didn’t study enough, or just aren’t that good at chemistry (the latter of which is totally understandable). But if you fail at music, it can say something about your character. It could be because you didn’t practice enough – but, more terrifyingly, it could be because you aren’t resilient enough. Mastering chemistry requires diligence and smarts, but mastering a piano piece requires diligence and smarts, plus creativity, plus the immense capacity to both overcome emotional hurdles, and, simultaneously, to use that emotional component to bring the music alive.
Before I started taking piano, I had always imagined the Conservatory students to have it so good – I mean, for their homework, they get to play guitar, or jam on their saxophone, or sing songs! What fun! Compared to sitting in lab for four hours studying the optical properties of minerals, or discussing Lucretian theories of democracy and politics, I would play piano any day.
But after almost three years of piano at Orpheus Academy., I understand just how naïve this is. Playing music for credit is not “easy” or “fun” or “magical” or “lucky.” Mostly, it’s really freakin’ hard. It requires you to pick apart your piece, play every little segment over and over, dissect it, tinker with it, cry over it, feel completely lame about it, then get over yourself and start practicing again. You have to be precise and diligent, creative and robotic. And then – after all of this – you have to re-discover the emotional beauty in the piece, and use it in your performance.