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• News
• Teacher Spotlight
• Student Spotlight
• Feature Article
• Upcoming Gigs
• Gear for Sale
• Musicians Wanted

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Know Anyone Who Wants to Rock?

Dear BandWorks Community,

The other day I was at the Oakland BandWorks studios and had a parent stop me in the hallway. She wanted to tell me that she was so grateful for our program, and that it had changed her son's life for the better in so many ways beyond just improving his guitar playing. I thanked her for sharing her story with me, and thought to myself, "this is why we created BandWorks." Over the years we have worked very hard to create a supportive environment for musicians young and old to play in a band. We want everyone, from beginners through advanced players, to have the highest quality experience in our program.

Do you know someone who might want to be in a band? With more players and more bands, we have more options for placing you or your child in a band that best fits your schedule and experience level. BandWorks is open to ALL instrumentalists and vocalists -- anyone who wants to rock! And if you or your child wants to form a BandWorks band with your friends, we can help you do that too. In certain circumstances we can also offer scholarships to those in financial need.

So if you want to tell a friend about BandWorks, send them to our website at www.bandworks.com or have them drop us a line at info@bandworks.com. Or you can simply forward this newsletter to them.

For the latest on BandWorks, check out our newsletter below. Note that the early registration deadline for the April session is coming up on 3/31/08.

Rock on!
Jeremy & Steve
BandWorks Co-Founders

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BANDWORKS NEWS

Summer Camp Filling Up -- Reserve Your Space Now!

BandWorks summer camps are quickly filling up at several locations. Sign up now to make sure you reserve your spots for the weeks you want! Summer camps are being offered in: Oakland, San Rafael, Livermore, San Carlos, Orinda, Fremont, Los Altos, San Ramon, San Jose, and Portland. Classes include Intro to Rock Band Instruments, CD Recording, Rock Jam, and the Music of... series. More Info...

Know Anyone in Portland? Portland BandWorks Now Offering Classes!

We are officially set up in Portland at Rock Around the Clock Studios, a brand new facility in downtown Portland. Adult and Kids' classes are being offered for the April session (registration deadline is 3/31/08) and for kids' summer camps. BandWorks is proud to welcome singer/songwriter Zack Orr as our new Director of Operations in Portland. Drop him a line at zack@bandworks.com if you know anybody up there for him to connect with. Please spread the word to your friends in Portland!

BandWorks Studios Now Available for Rent

BandWorks studios are now available for rent to responsible individuals or bands looking for a space to practice or rehearse. Our studios come fully equipped with a full complement of professional gear, including drums, PA, keyboard, and amps. Please contact us at info@bandworks.com to book a reservation and find out about rates.

BandWorks Partners with Phonic and Sabian
BandWorks is happy to announce new partnerships with Phonic sound reinforcement equipment and Sabian cymbals. Both companies are committed to supporting music education, and we are fortunate to count them among our sponsors. You can find out more about them at www.sabian.com and www.phonic.com.

Goodbye and Good Luck to Anne!
With deep gratitude, we say goodbye to Anne Damassa, who has worked in the office for the past two years. As many of you experienced first hand, Anne has offered outstanding customer service to BandWorks students and parents, and we have been very fortunate to benefit from her professionalism, integrity and commitment to the BandWorks community. We wish her the best of luck as she moves on to graduate school and New York City!

Important Dates

• February session concerts: Sunday, 4/6/08 & Tuesday, 4/8/08
• April session begins the week of 4/14/08
• April session early registration deadline: 3/31/08
• April session concerts: Sunday, 6/8/08 & Tuesday, 6/10/08

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TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

Andrew Griffin

To say that drummer Andrew Griffin comes from a musical family is a bit of an understatement. The youngest of twelve children, Andrew is one of ten siblings who are accomplished musicians, including one who plays in the Chicago Symphony. "Four or five of us have degrees in music, and two of us make a living at it. Being the youngest, I was surrounded by music growing up - my dad played trombone too. But unlike my classically trained siblings, I was into rock and roll. I was way into the Beatles by the time I was four years old." At ten Andrew attended a summer camp at a military academy in Indiana where he grew up, playing in the drum and bugle corps. "I started on tenor drum, then moved to snare. By thirteen I started playing drums in a rock band, and played in bands all through high school and college."

"Mostly I played music instead of doing my homework,” Andrew laughs. "In college I started to play clubs in Chicago, festivals, etc. Finally I started taking lessons. I had a very influential teacher in Chicago, who eventually encouraged me to go to Berklee School of Music in Boston for their diploma program. I got my undergrad degree in history from Valparaiso, moved to SF in 1998 and started working professionally."

After moving to the Bay Area, it took Andrew a while to find his niche. "At first I was in survival mode... somehow I got pigeonholed into playing in blues bands, so I did a lot of that. Then I started playing in some original bands, slowly working my way up the totem pole of drummers in the Bay Area, trying to get better gigs. I feel like I made a lot of good decisions about playing with people that helped me network with musicians and play with better players. Over time I found myself playing with more singer/songwriters, and that's kind of become my niche, without my necessarily intending that to be the case. I sort of stumbled into that role, though I find that I really like it. It's really fun to come up with parts to support songwriters and play on a bunch of records."

In addition to being an in-demand session drummer, Andrew also teaches private lessons at his East Bay Drummers Studio in Oakland. Teaching was part of his original plan when he moved to the Bay Area, and he has taught hundreds of drummers over the years. Andrew has also taught junior high band, kindergarten music classes, and grade school music. He started teaching BandWorks classes in 2004.

"I've learned a tremendous amount from teaching BandWorks. Number one is that it's gotta be fun, and that has to be the motivating factor. I didn't get into music to not have a good time, though I have been in situations where it wasn't fun. I really feel like BandWorks helped me learn that in a lot of ways. The best classes I've taught are the ones where everyone is really having fun. If it's not fun, we're doing something wrong. I think the more you teach, the more relaxed you become, and the more at ease you are with yourself, the better the kids learn and the more fun it is for them too."

In August 2006, Andrew was diagnosed with cancer. At the time, his wife Noreen was five months pregnant. After two surgeries and rounds of chemo, his outlook is good and his attitude remarkably positive. "You can have a life with cancer. It doesn't have to completely take the wind out of your sails. It's a brutal experience to go through, to be sure. But you can make a life around that. I am still playing quite a bit, and playing at a high level, even though I have very little time to practice. My physical body is compromised because of what I'm going through, but I am still playing and really enjoying it. Honestly, 2007 was the most productive year professionally for me yet. I played on a tour in Europe with the band Cake, and played on a bunch of recording sessions in between chemo sessions. You'd never know from listening that I was sick. It is often possible to keep doing what you want, what you're supposed to do, while going through it. It surprised me." Andrew and Noreen had a healthy, beautiful baby boy in January 2007 named Levi Gabriel Griffin.

His advice to other musicians? "I think there are really three reasons to take a gig: money, fun, and learning. Any gig you take should have at least two out of those three things going for it. You can take a gig that doesn't pay well, but if you learn and it's fun, it's totally worthwhile. You have to be smart as a musician, or you'll burn yourself out. Especially with a family, you have a finite amount of time, and you need to decide what your priorities are. You have to decide what you're willing to do to get where you want to go. Especially you younger musicians -- follow your heart. Do it because you love it. Sometimes we forget. That's the only thing that will truly sustain you in a career of music. You have to love it. If you don't, you'll quit your band after they sell a platinum record. You'll be miserable. If you truly love it, that's your compass. It's the fuel that feeds the engine. The only true motivation in life is love. With family, career, work, anything -- it has to be love. Otherwise your aspiration will eventually fall by the wayside."

On May 1, the Bay Area music community will be coming together at the Red Devil Lounge to host a major benefit concert for Andrew, who is currently battling cancer both physically and financially. Performing at the benefit will be Paul Manousos, Jesse DeNatale, Duff Ferguson, Victor Krummenacher, Jeff Rolka, and The Viv All-Stars, with proceeds going to help offset Griffin's ongoing medical expenses. Info below:

May 1, 2008 @ 8 pm
Red Devil Lounge
1695 Polk St.
SF, CA
$12, 21+ only

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Linda Spencer

Though she played classical piano for over 20 years, Linda Spencer didn't find her musical passion until she picked up the bass guitar six years ago. After she and her family attended Cazadero Family Camp one summer, Linda found herself with a fondness for a new instrument that would grow stronger the more she played it. After only two months of lessons with BandWorks Co-Founder Steve Gibson, Linda courageously signed up for her first BandWorks session. "I came in with almost no experience. It worked out well, actually, because BandWorks was structured so that I was put in a band with other musicians who were at the same level that I was. I think that's one of the beautiful things about BandWorks -- wherever you are in your progress, there's a band for you to play in."

Linda comes from a musical family. Her father played piano and drums, and her grandmother played piano and taught music as well. "I actually liked practicing when I was a kid. I still do. I love the bass so much, and being able to play it is just wonderful. I guess I felt like I had to choose between piano and bass more as a practical matter, since I only had so much time to practice. It is great if you have a lot of time to practice, but sometimes enthusiasm can count for a lot too," she laughs. "Funny enough, I just started playing some keyboard in my BandWorks band."

Now Linda has a musical family of her own. Her husband Bob plays keyboard, her son John plays drums, and her daughter Suzanne plays guitar. Each of them has participated in BandWorks numerous times. "Around the time I got into bass, John started getting into drums, and Suzanne into guitar. I think we all joined BandWorks that fall after our first time at Caz. Bob has been playing piano since middle school, so he had a big head start. He told me then that the house wasn't big enough for two keyboard players, so I guess that was more incentive for me to play bass," she laughs.

Linda appreciates the rare chance she's had to play with younger musicians, and particularly with her family. "One of the things that happened to me at Cazadero and at BandWorks was that I had an opportunity to play with people of all ages. I've gotten a chance to play with some very talented younger players, and it's been really great to play with them... Normally when your kids are teens you're listening to very different music, but we had this opportunity to make a connection, and we played together for a number of years. We never really had a formal band, but in preparation for Caz, we'd work up a couple of tunes together. We were never really a band, but we could be!"

One of the things Linda is most grateful for is that BandWorks gave her an opportunity to play some original music, which she found exciting. She also learned that playing music can be its own reward: "In some ways I think I've learned that it's not just about playing the songs you like -- at first I cared a lot about what tunes we played, but now I just care about getting more experience playing my instrument. I've learned to appreciate songs I never though I'd like, and get into genres I didn't think I'd get into. It's just so much fun!"

After playing in BandWorks for a number of years with mostly the same musicians, Linda's band, the Hip Replacements, decided to take a break and go out on their own. "We learned together and grew together and became more cohesive on our groove and musical tastes, and we decided we could do it on our own. So we did. We played every week and had a bunch of gigs. Now here we area a few years later, and we have several sets we can play, and even though we're not playing regularly anymore, we can just put it together for a gig no problem. And I would say 3/4 of the songs were ones we did in BandWorks." But Linda has again joined the BandWorks ranks this session. "After six years not working, I went back to work, and didn't really have time to play in a band on my own and put it all together. BandWorks offered the structure for me to jump back in without having to work out rehearsals, studio space, music, etc. Once you're on your own you appreciate how great BandWorks is, and how spoiled you are when you're in it."

Her advice to musicians starting out? "It's really helpful to take lessons. It's very helpful to have a teacher guide you through the process and give you advice. Also, sometimes it's easy to not spend enough time listening to the music itself, but I think that can be very important and helpful. Often we just want to get right into playing and we don't spend enough time listening. Oh, and one more thing -- try as soon as you can to play without the charts. My first BandWorks teacher suggested that and we kind of ignored him. But once you really learn the music, that's when the fun begins. When you don't have to look at the chart, you become so much more able to get into the music, and it's way more fun that way."

In addition to playing some mean bass and being a mom, Linda is a geologist, and has been working for over 20 years doing environmental work. She is also a die-hard skier.

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UPCOMING GIGS

Ari Chersky
Tuesday, 3/18/08
Ari Chersky Trio (www.myspace.com/aricherskymusic)
Cafe Trieste
2500 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Free! All Ages
www.caffetriesteberkeley.com
(510) 548-5198

Brett Boyd
Friday, 3/21/08
The Beautiful Losers (www.thebeautifullosers.net or www.myspace.com/thebeautifullosers)
Sweetwater Station (formerly Larkspur Theater Cafe), 8 pm
500 Magnolia
Larkspur, CA
$12, all ages
www.sweetwaterstation.net
For advance tickets and dinner reservations call
(415) 924-6107 Tuesdays & Wednesdays 1-7pm or visit ticketweb

Boris Burtin
Friday, 3/28/08
Code Name: Jonah (www.codenamejonah.com/)
Dana Street Roasting Company, 8 pm
744 W. Dana Street
Mountain View, CA
No cover, All Ages
www.danastreetroasting.com

Boris Burtin
Friday, 4/4/08
Code Name: Jonah (www.codenamejonah.com/)
Jupiter Brewery, 8 pm
2181 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, CA
No cover, 21+ only
www.jupiterbeer.com

Ari Chersky
Tuesday, 4/8/08
Ari Chersky Trio (www.myspace.com/aricherskymusic)
Jupiter, 8-11pm
2181 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, CA
Free! All Ages
www.jupiterbeer.com
(510) THE-ROCK

Boris Burtin
Friday, 4/11/08
Code Name: Jonah (www.codenamejonah.com/)
Grant and Green, 6:30 pm
1371 Grant Ave.
San Francisco, CA
21+ only
www.grantandgreen.com

Jeremy Steinkoler
Friday, 4/11/08
Kevin Beadles Band (www.kevinbeadlesband.com)
Beckett's, 10 pm
2271 Shattuck Ave./Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA
Free! 21+ only
www.beckettsirishpub.com
(510) 647-1790

Steve Gibson
Friday, 4/12/08
Jollly Gibsons (www.JollyGibsons.com)
Ashkenaz, 9 pm
1317 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, CA
$20-40 sliding scale. All ages
Part of a benefit for the environmental group Greenaction (http://www.greenaction.org); other artists include members of famed jam band New Monsoon, David Gans, and more.
(510) 525-5054

Ben Bernstein
Friday, 4/18/08
Ben Bernstein and Friends (http://benbernsteinmusic.com)
Americana Ho'down with: Culann's Hounds & Ben Bernstein and Friends
The Starry Plough, 8:30 pm
3101 Shattuck Ave
Berekeley, CA
$10, 21+ only
www.starryploughpub.com/history/
(510) 841-2082

Steve Gibson/Jeremy Steinkoler
Sunday, 4/27/08
Jolly Gibsons/Mo'Fone - and others
Northbrae Community Church, 4-7 pm
941 Alameda
Berkeley , CA
Sliding Scale admission - a benefit for Cazadero Family Camp
526-3805

Ari Chersky
Wednesday, 4/30/08
Matt Morrish Group (www.mattmorrish.com)
Bo's Barbecue, 6:30 -8:30 pm
3422 Mount Diablo Blvd.
Lafayette, CA
Free! All Ages
(925) 283-7133

Thursday, 5/1/08
Coconut Bangers' Ball - A Benefit for Andrew Griffin
Red Devil Lounge, 8 pm
1695 Polk St.
San Francisco, CA
$12, 21+ only

Ben Bernstein
Thursday, 5/20/08
Jerry’s Kosher Deli (www.myspace.com/jerryskosherdeli)
Mojito’s, 8pm
1337 Grant Ave
San Francisco, CA
$10
http://mojitosf.com/
(415) 398-1120

To list upcoming shows in the BandWorks Newsletter, please include the following information, in this order (bands must include a student or teacher from BandWorks):

Student or teacher’s name
Date
Band name (Band website)
Venue, Time
Venue Address
Cover charge, Age restrictions
Venue website
Venue phone number

Send all upcoming gig info to info@bandworks.com

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GEAR FOR SALE

To list any gear for sale, please send posting requests to info@bandworks.com. Be sure to include your contact information.

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PRIVACY POLICY

Your privacy is very important to us. BandWorks will not under any circumstances sell, share, or otherwise give your contact information to any other organization or service. When you sign up to receive the bi-monthly BandWorks Newsletter, you will not be subscribed to the BandWorks general mailing list. If you'd like to subscribe to the general mailing list for information about BandWorks programs, please email us at info@bandworks.com.

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