by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
The fact that there was a teen rock ’n’ roll show at the downtown library was big news and a case of strange bedfellows. Nonetheless, the show was a noble effort to bring more teens into the library and provide a venue for teen rock bands to play for an audience. It was my first trip to this world-class library, and indeed, it is a grandiose architectural accomplishment. The citizens of Jacksonville can be proud of its main library, which offers much more than its impressive book collection. It has a number of conference rooms and a modern auditorium.
This Battle of the Bands was the 2nd annual event for teens ages 12 to 18, with 15 minutes allotted per band and a two song limit. The audience had a huge impact on judging the bands, holding 25% of the vote. First prize was 2 hours of free recording studio time at Jax Traxx Studio, while second prize was a guitar from Guitar Center. Third Prize was a roadie job with a big-time touring band. Just kidding. It was a $40 gift certificate from Inertia Records and Books. The judges were (no last names given) Zach, a local teen, Ben, a UNF student, and Eli, another local teen. It was a group with questionable credentials to be judging bands.
I was there for the last two bands, Last Call and 10 West. These lads and one girl came straight from their rehearsal garage. For most of the bands, it was probably their first concert gig. Given their age and lack of experience, their level of musicianship surprised me. The two bands I watched played classic rock, as opposed to screaming-angst alt-rock. They were wearing Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin t-shirts.
Last Call made a big mistake performing without their bassist and lead singer. The drummer’s sister took the stage in his place. I didn’t hear her voice at all during the entire two-song set. She probably never heard her own voice either, because there were no monitors on the stage. Their missing bassist chose to be somewhere else rather than performing an important gig, however, the guitarist played a mean Hendrix-style guitar and even got down on his knees to solo. The guitarist’s solos almost made up for the missing band member, but a cardinal rule of performing is this: never perform a gig without the whole band.
All the members of 10 West showed up, complete with two guitarists, a bassist, and drummer. Clearly, these lads had rehearsed for the show and were fairly tight. The lead singer even had a decent voice, but it was mixed way too low. The group had their act together, given their age and experience level. At least they all started and ended on the beat.
Years ago, playing baseball used to be the standard rite of passage for teenagers. Now, every suburb across the land is teeming with teenage rockers forming garage bands in their bedrooms, basements…or garages. These two groups of teen-rockers were playing with professional-grade instruments and amps, which means that mom and dad shelled out big bucks to equip their little darling rockers. “Oh, doesn’t he look cute in those aviator sunglasses,” I overheard some girl say. Yes, it’s good clean fun with rockers and adoring teenage girls who use any excuse to scream like banshees. That high-pitched level of screaming pierces the eardrums like steel spikes.
The downtown library offers other events for teenagers during the summer, such as Gaming Night every fourth Monday of each month. They are also having a Harry Potter Release Party at 9 am on Saturday July 21. The “You Never Know” Summer Reading Program will be held this summer with weekly prizes. And on August 13th, a Reading Marathon in the Teen Department will be held at 9:30 am. The winner gets a $50 Visa Gift Card.
Who said the library isn’t hip? Ours is happening, and it’s a great place for teenagers to read books, too.
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