Last month The Paul Green School of Rock hosted two WFMU benefits--one at Asbury Lanes and one at BB King's. Paul runs a network of rock music schools for the after-school junior high and high school crowd and he's been at it successfully for quite a while. Based out of Philly, he's constantly compelled to clue his kids in to the very best music he can dig up. That still doesn't explain why he offered to set up a couple of benefits for the station based on the two ipod-less hours he spent on the Jersey Turnpike tuning in my dumb show. The caveat for bagging the dough was that I had to come up with the songs that the kids should play. I figured that junior high school already sucks so bad that I couldn't make it much worse. So one cautionary night, me and Bingo the Chimp got out the dart board and about 75 songs were selected amid much confusion.
Both shows were inspired successes. Lots of fun and high school hoopla was had. It was like the last scene in Carrie but without all the blood. Asbury Lanes was a total nut-job blast and the spirit of Bracey "Lover's Curse" Everett's spirit was summarily summoned rock and roll style. BB King's brought special guests a-plenty: Bowie/Lennon guitar slinger Earl Slick, Dirtbombs shouter Mick Collins and bad seed Miriam Linna on drums.
Thanks to Jenn and Layney at Asbury Lanes (and Jeff Mulan and Ken Freedman for working the merch). Huge thanks to Irene Trudel for lugging equipment and spearheading the crack recording team of Scott Konzelman, Rob Christiansen and Glenn Luttman for the BB King's show. Extra special thanks to Mark Biondi, Tina Kerekes and especially Paul Green for setting up this whole thing up and also everyone who came out for these events. The biggest accolades of all go to the kids from Chatham, Cherry Hill, Philly, Monmouth County, Princeton, Bergen County, Wilmington, Port Washington and the School of Rock All-Stars: you totally rock and you roll now get back to homeroom because Mr. Downs has a surprise quiz after the frog dissection.
After the jump are a mess of videos and mp3s.
BB King's:
Introduction / Train Kept A-Rollin (Johnny Burnette Trio) - NYC School of Rock
The Girl That Radiates That Charm (Arthur Alexander) - NYC School of Rock
King of the Surf (Trashmen) - Princeton School of Rock
Trick or Treat (Otis Redding) - Princeton School of Rock
I Dig Girls (JJ Jackson) - Princeton School of Rock
Hey Hey Hey Hey (Johnny Winter) - Bergen County School of Rock
Love Me (The Phantom) - Bergen County School of Rock
Think (Royals) - Bergen County School of Rock
My Baby Likes to Boogaloo (Don Gardner) - Bergen County School of Rock
Camel Walk (Saxons) - Wilmington School of Rock
King Kong - (Big T Tyler) - Wilmington School of Rock
Roaches (Court Jesters) - Wilmington School of Rock
Fatback (Link Wray) - Wilmington School of Rock
Monkeys Uncle (Ray Sharpe) - Wilmington School of Rock
Break it All (Los Shakers) - Port Washington School of Rock
Roses are Red (Savages) - Port Washington School of Rock with Earl Slick on guitar
Mojo Hannah (Little Esther) - Port Washington School of Rock
Let Her Dance (Bobby Fuller) - Port Washington School of Rock
Dead (Poets) - NYC School of Rock
Uh Huh Huh (Dan Hosea) - School of Rock All-Stars
Tear it Up (Johnny Burnett Trio) - School of Rock All-Stars
12th Street Rag (Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West) - School of Rock All-Stars
Alabama Jubilee (Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West) - School of Rock All-Stars
Home in Your Heart (Solomon Burke) - School of Rock All-Stars
Does it Matter (Opals) - School of Rock All-Stars
Sweet Love (Rusty York) - School of Rock All-Stars
So Young (Students) - School of Rock All-Stars
Crawling Up a Hill (John Mayall) - School of Rock All-Stars
Rocking Out the Blues (Musical Linn Twins) - School of Rock All-Stars with Miriam Linna on drums
Lucy Leave (Pink Floyd) - School of Rock All-Stars
Anna (Falcons) - School of Rock All-Stars
Puppet On a String (Gino Washington) -School of Rock All-Stars
Get Off of My Back (Marvin L. Sims) - School of Rock All-Stars
Everytime I Hear That Mellow Saxophone (Roy Montrell) - School of Rock All-Stars with Mick Collins on vocals
Stormy Weather (Tommy Burke and The Counts) - School of Rock All-Stars
Cadillac (Bo Diddley) - School of Rock All-Stars
Polk Salad Annie (Elvis Presley) - School of Rock All-Stars
You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory (Johnny Thunders) - School of Rock All-Stars
If You Don't Think (Tammi Terrell) - School of Rock All-Stars
The Boo Boo Song (King Coleman) - School of Rock All-Stars
Teach Me How to Shimmy (Isley Brothers) - School of Rock All-Stars
Whatcha Gonna Do When the Dance is Over (Sunday Funnies) - School of Rock All-Stars
Asbury Lanes:
Putty in Your Hands (Shirelles) - Monmouth School of Rock
Ham and Eggs (Skip Manning) - Chatham School of Rock
I Hope I Please You (Barons) - Cherry Hill School of Rock
Lovers Curse (Bracey Everett) - Philadelphia School of Rock
...erm..."Polk Salad Annie" was Tony Joe White's meal ticket. Elvis' version was just a pale imitation...
Posted by: King Daevid MacKenzie | June 23, 2009 at 06:59 PM
You're missing the whole point, King Daevid Mackenzie.
Posted by: Debbie D | June 23, 2009 at 08:35 PM
Great songs!!
Posted by: Peter | June 24, 2009 at 01:22 AM
Wow, "Lucy Leave" is gnarly. Sounds like the next generation of WFMU DJ's may be well on their way. . .
Posted by: Fatherflot | June 24, 2009 at 11:57 PM
School of Rock is a great idea, and I really want to like these recordings, but all too often the kid singers do this vibrato-melisma thing that sounds like they're trying out for "American Idol" or whatever and it kind of ruins the whole thing. A shame, really.
Posted by: Goyim in the AM | June 25, 2009 at 02:53 AM
Did anyone catch "Tear it Up" from Asbury? Was so happy to see one of my favorite songs performed by someone who could have been Lux Interiors's reincarnation. (RIP) My friend had a kid at Chatham, but her song isn't here.
Posted by: Mia | June 27, 2009 at 02:46 PM
great covers guys! congratulations paul ; I wish all the school teachers teached such great songs
Posted by: mtwallet | July 06, 2009 at 07:51 AM
Doo-wop lives! "So Young" by the All-Starts should make Ronnie I smile down from heaven. Great song list, Dave; wish I could have been there.
Posted by: Country Paul | July 16, 2009 at 02:03 AM
Thanks Country Paul. "So Young" was one of the best numbers of the night. Happy to report that Ronnie Spector is still very much alive!
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