Five year’s ago, Pfabe’s Music’s Rock-N-Roll School program started with a single summer session hosted in a garage at the back of the store. It was a fitting location for a program that teaches young musicians how to play with other individuals to form a special, cohesive sound. Basically, it’s “How To Be A Band 101.” John Eicher, owner of Pfabe’s Music, 1484 Mentor Ave. in Painesville, said the shop expanded the program to run multiple sessions throughout the year at the urging of a few students’ parents. In the program, instructors cull together each band based on the students’ skill level. Depending on the session, the program lasts between eight and 10 weeks. “Basically what we do is take three guys that don’t know each other — or even more, I’ve had up to six in a group,” said Jonathan Bevridge, the Pfabe’s music instructor overseeing the Rock-N-Roll School program. “The whole goal is to take them out of the mind set that the performance is the most important thing in the world and to put them in the place where the process is the most important thing in the world.” The current lineup is a power trio of Anthony Lupica, 13, of Concord Township, on the drums; Adam Demeter, 16, of Mentor, on the bass; and Matt Sonday, 19, of Painesville Township, on the guitar. Having moved out of the garage at the back of Pfabe’s, the band practices in the rented-out lower level of a house next door to the music store. In the front room, Bevridge has the three young players running through songs and teaching how to communicate verbally and visually while playing. “And then, of course, it’s just a lot of fun,” Bevridge says of the program. He’s been teaching and performing since 2005 and has a bachelor’s degree in music performance and pursued his master’s degree in music at The Ohio State University. Bevridge also records and produces local and regional artists. Eicher said people making music, especially young people, isn’t something that ebbs and flows. Music is a constant, but the sounds may change from year to year. “We do see trends in terms of what music they play,” he said. “Today, you can’t sell electric guitars, but acoustic guitars sell well because that’s what’s being played.” Having that garage band ethos, one of Eicher’s favorite parts of the program, is when the younger generations are exposed to artists they haven’t heard before or when they hear how famous artists have evolved during their careers. “We introduce them to the older stuff. It’s always fun seeing a 12-year-old kid playing Pink Floyd on the guitar,” he said. “This summer we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Beatles playing the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.” At the end of the program, the store finds a venue for the band to perform a kind of on-stage final exam. That’s where Kelly Derrick, the music promoter at Local Tavern in Mentor, comes in. Derrick had stopped in at Pfabe’s to find someone to tune the restaurant’s piano and left with an open spot filled by the young band. “We have a stage manager, a full in-house PA system and a full drum kit, so they don’t have to bring anything,” Derrick said. “Now it’s time to rock and roll.” Being a musician himself, Derrick said when he heard about the program he knew he wanted to showcase the young talent. “This would be a cool venue for these kids. On Mondays we’ve got an open mic night, Fridays are more classic rock and Saturdays usually have a country artist,” he added. Eicher said he’s excited about Local Tavern, 9470 Mentor Ave., Mentor, because it has music roots, but is also appropriate for his young students. “It can be hard to find a venue. We want the kids to have that live experience, but we can’t have 14-year-olds playing in a bar,” he said. “This is nice because its a restaurant, and that’s where the stage is. We also play a lot at the Grove Church.” Pfabe’s Rock-N-Roll School band takes the stage at 9:30 p.m. May 17, at Local Tavern in Mentor. Headlining the night of free music is Granite, a ’90s cover ban playing the hits from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam and more.
Posted on: Fri, 16 May 2014 19:44:12 +0000
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