There’s something richly dynamic and impressive about teachers and students collaborating in a showcase of art. This happened repeatedly during Music Max’s two-year anniversary party/concert in Anderson River Park on Sunday.
As I mentioned in an advance for the event, the store (owned by Al and Shelley Mires) really has a commitment to students and the local music scene. I really enjoyed all the different styles and talents of the north state musicians who performed there. It really seemed like a big thrill for these young music students to get up and perform on the stage of the Gaia Amphitheater with their mentors.
The fusion jazz set that Al Mires, Rob McQueen, Cleveland Boney and Kenji Kato played was absolutely high-end tasty fabulous.
(From left) Cleveland Boney, Rob McQueen and Al Mires (Kenji Kato is on drums).
Marvin Allen, Tyler Mansfield, Wade Craver and Kato also ripped up a great set of Jeff Beck style blues. Carver was also in on a bass guitar funk tune that left the audience wanting more.
Boney (what a talent he is) backed up singer Holly Day for stellar version of “Summertime” (she also wowed the audience with an original tune and a Joni Mitchell cover).
Allen played electric and acoustic guitar, bass and keyboards in a number of different forums, including with his wife Marcie, an excellent rock/blues vocalist. He was joined by Myriad drummer Randy Miller (so excellent to see him out playing — he’s battled cancer for the past few years), bassist Alan Phillips and vocalist John Miller for a set of original progressive rock tunes and one Led Zeppelin tune “The Immigrant Song” (video clip below).
I didn’t see all the acts that took the stage, but the ones I did see all had something impressive to offer.
The first clip is 8-year-old drummer Claire Rodgers and her older sister Hope on guitar (with Marvin Allen on bass) playing the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” (My apologies to the musicians on the sound quality of my little camera. I think you can get a sense of how much “bigger” the sound was in real life.)
