This is my second in a series of blog posts about my experience at Rock by the Sea 2013…
On Friday, Rock by the Sea really kicks into full gear. For those who got in Thursday (or earlier) they tend to have plenty of time on Friday to hit up the pool, the beach, or find some other trouble since music doesn’t start up again until Friday evening. This is not only a great day for our attendees but also for the participating musicians who get to spend some time on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. While their job may be grueling traveling from place to place on a regular basis, this is a nice day for them to chill.
One of the bands, however, took a couple hours away from the beach to spend time with some of the beneficiaries of the festival. Just think – you drag a band to come all the way from Washington, D.C. to Panama City Beach, Florida. And then on a day with perfect beach weather, you ask them to get off the beach and go inside. But they were more than willing.
The band I’m referring to is Melodime. The place they went: the Anchorage Children’s Home, which is one of the charities for which Rock by the Sea raises funds. Anchorage provides a continuum of care for at-risk and abused and neglected children, youth and their families, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through screening, assessment, case management and counseling, basic shelter, and non-residential aftercare services.
Thanks to the support provided by Rock by the Sea, Anchorage created the “Rock & Role Model” program. Through this special project, artists have visited Anchorage Childrens Home to introduce them to guitars, how to string them and how to tune and play them. Guitars were provided by Music 4 More and new strings are being provided by Curt Mangan Strings. So, on the Friday of Rock by the Sea, Melodime took time out of their day to be with the kids at Anchorage, performing songs, telling them stories of why they were inspired to choose music as part of their life and career, and showed them how to play a few songs. During this trip to Florida, Melodime was also joined by singer/songwriter/guitarist Paul Pfau, who also joined his “temporary” band mates at Anchorage.
On Saturday, about a dozen of the kids from Anchorage also came over to the Rock by the Sea venue, Spinnaker Beach Club, during the day and listened to a few of the other bands, including The Hot Hearts, who also paused to sign some autographs and give away some music. Even though these kids have already gone through so much in their life, it was nice that Melodime and other artists at Rock by the Sea were able to allow them to enjoy some tunes and be inspired by what music and life have to offer. This is what this charity music festival is all about. Shoot, this is what life is about. Thanks again to all the musicians, volunteers, attendees, and sponsors for making this possible.
Stay tuned. I’ll give more updates from Rock by the Sea 2013 soon…
[…] Recently, I was given the opportunity to fill in as the lead guitarist for MELODIME on their southern tour this summer. On that trip we were lucky enough to spend a whole weekend on Panama City Beach in Florida for the Rock By The Sea Festival (RBTS). One of the most memorable tour moments was when we performed at the Anchorage Children’s Home for kids that have runaway from their families or been displaced for legal or other matters. I would try to put the experience into words, but thankfully RBTS board member Francisco Gonzalez posted a very well written blog about it here! […]
[…] favorite musicians and members of the Rock by the Sea family, Jackson Rohm, as well as about the role some of the talent at Rock by the Sea plays in helping the kids that this great organization […]