Our latest newsletter is here, packed with info on our upcoming Reggae & Rocksteady session, our Billy Joel show, summer camps, boot camps and swag. Read all about it: http://www.bird-sf.com/news-2012-0118.html
Summertime may seem like a long ways out, but we are already making plans for our best Bird Summer Camp to date. This year, we will again be making music videos to the tunes we learn and record here in our studio, with one BIG addition: a green screen! This screen, measuring nearly 10 feet x 10 feet, will allow us to go to any location that the campers can imagine. Forget about the Fog City Blues, no beach, street or planet will be off limits as we create our most imaginative and in-depth music videos to date. We are looking forward to where our campers take us and are excited to be whisked away starting in June. Weekly camps begin June 4 and run through August 31. Click here for more information regarding Early Bird & Group Discounts. Tip: book a group before March 15 to receive the lowest price.
Below: highlights from 2011!
Can't wait for the Summer to make a music video? Book Bird for your next party and we'll shoot, edit & present a music video over the course of an event-to-remember! Call us at 415.441.3551 for more details or click here for a sample party rental agreement.
"One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain."
-Bob Marley, Trenchtown Rock
As a kid, my musical tastes largely followed my father's inclinations, which alternated between the local classic rock station in Memphis and recordings of whichever barbershop quartet or chorus was hot on the SPEBSQSA* circuit at the moment. I have vivid memories of gazing in wonder at the colorful spaceship on the cover of Boston's self titled cassette tape as I pounced around the neighborhood with my high-tech, portable walkman in hand and the sounds of "Rock N Roll Band" & "Smokin" blaring much too loud for my mother's liking. I remember the first time I heard "Stairway to Heaven" at a sleepover in middle school, and whined that it was too slow and too boring, while my friend Ryan protested, "Wait, wait, it gets better!" Funny enough, I don't remember the first time I heard a reggae tune, but I do remember the feeling I had when I heard the first words of Bob Marley's "Trenchtown Rock" - "One good thing about music , when it hits, you feel no pain." I have always interpreted these words as: as long as you are listening to music, no troubles can harm you. Today, as I was writing these lyrics on our sandwich board to advertise for our upcoming session, another meaning struck me: that music has the rare privilege of being able to "hit" without causing any physical harm. Not only this, but music can be a driving force of healing in our lives as we let the sounds affect our environment and mood.
When discussing our next band session, we wanted to offer something that would complement the musical journey that our bands take throughout the school year. We also had the desire to provide challenges to the players outside the realms of the Beatles and Billy Joel (show on January 29!). The Reggae & Rocksteady style offers a spotlight for the bass and an opportunity for the drums, guitars and keyboards to work together to utilize the skank, or off-beat, rhythm that often comes naturally to beginning musicians. The vocalists have the opportunity to use harmonies and incorporate the wailing, soul-filled quality synonymous with reggae music.
Equally important, the ideas of this Jamaican genre revolve around the triumph of love and harmony. Born out of turbulent times, the lyrics in these songs are as relevant today as when they were first sung on the island country in the middle & late sixties. Whether I am listening to The Gaylads funky-pop tune "Joy in the Morning" or Bob Marley's politically charged "One Love," this roots music puts a bounce in my step and a smile on my face that I am excited to share, as we create musical memories that we hope will stick with our students for many years to come.
Thanks Sincerely,
Andy
The Reggae & Rocksteady session starts on January 30 & runs through a show on April 1.
Click here for more information about how you can sign up.
Click here for information about forming a band with a group of friends.
*The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America, Inc has since changed their title to the acronym-friendly Barbershop Harmony Society
We may be on winter break now (December 17-Jan 1), but there's a lot coming up in 2012 at Bird! Check out our latest newsletter for the scoop on the next session, summer camps, workshops, new offerings and some last-minute holiday shopping ideas.
Save the Date for December 6! Bird will open its doors at 7pm for parents, students, friends and guests to share stories and refreshments while viewing photos from the last session. Printed photos of each band will be available for purchase, and special guest Ezra Furman will play a set on the Bird stage downstairs. Be there or be square!!! Check out Ezra's video for "Take off Your Sunglasses" here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0HvpwTS1xc
With over 150 million albums sold in the course of a career entering into its 5th decade, Billy Joel is one of the world's most beloved entertainers. His accomplishments include inductions in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriter's Hall of Fame, as well as 6 Grammy Awards. We are happy to introduce the Piano Man to our students this session and are looking forward to selecting songs with them this week in preparation for our Winter Show on January 29. For more details or to sign up now, please visit bird-sf.com/session-joel.html.
On Saturday, we are hosting a reggae workshop celebrating the life and music of Bob Marley. This is a great opportunity for those who are interested in playing a new style of music in a group setting. The workshop will run from 1-4pm on Saturday afternoon, you can sign up here
On Sunday, three of our bands will be playing at the SF Kids Music Festival! Come check out Mysturbia, The Mifs & Sputnik strut their stuff on the stage at the Little Marina Green.
MYSTURBIA 1:00-1:30
The Mifs 1:30-2:00
Sputnik 3:30-4:00
Below: Mysturbia takes a break during Tech Week last Spring.
Bird bands opened the 2nd Annual Polk St Blues Festival on Saturday, September 24. Check out some highlights featuring The Mifs, Mysturbia, & Empty Seas.
Solo Artist Kif & the Bird's Adult Blues Band, The Sound Checks, were also featured:
Our fall newsletter is now in your inboxes and online. Highlights: new band offerings, fall session, workshops and where to catch Bird students performing live, including at the Polk Street Blues Festival tomorrow, Saturday 9/24. Bird bands will be on the Jackson Street Stage from 10-11:30am.
Our latest newsletter is packed with thank-yous and info about our summer camps, including next week's fabulous Glee Week. Check it out: http://www.bird-sf.com/news-2011-0615.html
Bird was featured on last night's "Eye on the Bay" show on Channel 5. Click here to see host Liam Mayclem's interview with Lane and some clips from student videos. (Bird segment starts at 7:19 on the video.)
The Castro Theatre welcomes the Mighty Uke Roadshow tomorrow, Sunday, September 26 at 3pm, featuring the award-winning Mighty Uke Movie, as well as live performances by Uni and Her Ukelele and Ukulele Dick plus special guests. Filmgoers are encouraged to bring their own ukes along to join in a Guinness record-breaking giant ukulele strum-along.
Want to learn to play or improve your ukulele skills? Our next Uke Clinic starts October 5 at Bird.
Bird bands will be playing at two upcoming music festivals here in the city:
Saturday, September 25 check out Mysturbia at the Kidaroo Music Festival at Little Marina Green.
Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26 Bird takes over the Union Street Stage at the Polk Street Blues Festival both days from 10:00-11:30am. Mysturbia will be playing here, too, along with fellow Bird stalwarts Sputnik, The Empty Seas, Phresh, The White Caps, and the Mifs, as well as a couple of solo acts and our adult band.
Should be a great weekend of Bird-driven entertainment. Hope you can catch some of the performances!
