Sundays with Yuppie Larvae

Dinner Break! Every Sunday rehearsal the kids get to play and talk and eat together. Today it's Cauliflower Potato Soup with Thyme. Just give me an occasion to use White Truffle Oil and it's ON. The sounds of a cool song in the making and the cheers of happy kids! I Love Sundays with Yuppie Larvae!

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Cauliflower-soup-with-sharp-cheddar-and-thyme-310154

Kiss Night III

Whew! We just finished with KISS Night III at Vamp'd, it was a benefit show for Imagine 4 Kids Foundation to keep instruments in the hands of kids in local schools. It was an honor for Natalie's Band to get asked to play 3 songs as 'Kids of Kiss' and a major bonus is that they got to play with Stoney Curtis! Here's a video from the show:

PARASITE BY KISS

FLAMING YOUTH BY KISS

STRUTTER BY KISS

It was a world class benefit. The co-producers Stoney Curtis, KDog Caruso, Shon McKee and Morpheus Blak are top notch professionals. The event was very well organized and they treated the kids well. By the end there was such a sense of community that they felt more like family. A bonus is that the kids got to visit with producer of KISS, Bob Kulich, we really enjoyed his experience "When preparation meets opportunity" and about how to stay humble even when everyone is telling you how great you are.

So it's back to the grind for Natalie, she just started her sophomore year in the BioTech program, she is the Treasurer of Student Council and manages a heavy load with Advanced Placement and honors classes. Last year she managed to end the year with a 4.0 GPA while performing quarterly shows. Beatles 4Ever, Metal Show, Geek Rock, AC/DC, Ska/Funk Reggae, Metallica and ended the School of Rock tenure with Rolling Stones Show at House of Blues. Now KISS Night!!!

Natalie could be the poster child for the 'Crystal Children'. She is self-actualized and responsible teen. She carried a 4.0 GPA all the way through the advanced academy at Becker Middle School and scored a perfect 500/500 on the Science CRT. That's how she earned what has now become her signature guitar, a 1997 turquoise blue Gibson Les Paul.

This summer she decided to double up on music lessons with Jason Constantine and Johnny Douglas. Midsummer she started a band 'Yuppie Larvae' with friends Max Lajon (Bass) and Bijou Bell (Drums), the kids are amazingly talented and very well humored. We turned what was her nursery into a jam room and now it's always Rockin in the Robertson house!  Very much an honor and a privilege to be a Rock Mom!

Til next time \m/

Suzanne

BIJOU BELL HITS LIKE A GRRRL!

“Tomorrow is promised to no one.” 

― Clint Eastwood

Natalie is surfing the internet one day and happens upon Bijou Bells 'Hit Like a Girl 2014' submission. Then we checked out her Facebook and there was something so cool about Bijou that I encouraged Natalie to meet her. (Although it is kind weird talking to someone you don't know over from internet), with mutual friends that attend the LVA performing arts school downtown, it wasn't difficult as their heads probably told them it was going to be. Sometimes you just have to go for it! I'm glad that Bijou's parents were cool about two girls meeting off the internet like that, their chemistry is great, the are all really good and smart kids, so it's no surprise they became friends and started the band Yuppie Larvae with bassist, Max Lajon. Together they are hilarious and amazing musicians! Bijou is second chair in LVA percussion and her Max have this thing with argyle socks. Bijou is a vegetarian so they eat vegetarian at band practice twice a week. Even Cobain was a feminist. Together, they kind of remind me of the next wave of Riot Grrrls… 

RETROVIRUS

Natalie Robertson, Max Lajon and Andrew Cabellero (School of Rock Kids) got together and started  RetroVirus. Natalie heard the name when she was in Biology class, and her bandmates dug it so RETROVIRUS it was… They only performed as a band twice, once is at West Career Technical Academy for incoming freshmen, the other was at Andrews Grandmothers birthday bash, their 1st paid gig!!! Here's a WCTA montage:

Head Banger...

Natalie opened the Tribute to Metallica Show at House of Blues Las Vegas with "Battery".  I was a bit nervous about a girl head banging, but she seemed to pull it off. At the mid season show, it looked as though she was kind of 'threatening to head bang' but wasn't completely emerged in it, and quite frankly it didn't really come off well. My experience is, when it comes to head banging, either do it, or don't. But if you're going to do it, don't do it half assed….

Lake Las Vegas-Beautiful Backdrop

Here the house band kids got the opportunity to play a benefit show at Lake Las Vegas. It's a good montage of the songs they played as a band the whole summer. It's cool to watch Natalie play "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2", the Gilmore Solo is a ShowStopper, people trip that's Natalie is only 14. They opened for another more seasoned band at the Centennial Hills 4th of July Community Celebration and were asked to play again at Lake Las Vegas! The scenery at this Gig is the most beautiful of the videos so far…

THE METAL SHOW \m/ - 13 Years Old

Natalie was in the Metal Show at School of Rock. Every 90 days or so they put on a different show, the Metal show was AWESOME! Natalie's skills are beginning to surface.

HOLY DIVER!!!, that SOLO….. Right around Christmas 2012, Johnny and Jen Douglas are about to have Viv… So Johnny Douglas goes on paternity leave. Natalie is nearly in tears about delivering the solo that a Guitar God, Vivian Campbell wrote in Holy Diver. So I get on the phone with the only other musician I know, Rich Burnett of Heavy Honey and 13 Mile and ask for recommendations on who is the baddest MF in town that can teach Natalie that solo and is trustworthy?  It's 3 weeks til showtime and all they can say at SOR is great, great, great…. (I know that song… I was there… she's got the notes down but theres no dynamics, it is NOT great.) Natalie cannot play like a 13 year old girl if she wants any respect…. So Jason Constantine it is!

My favorite song of the show… Black Sabbath-War Pigs

Looking at Crazy Train… this is the first show she had with her bass player Max Lajon. They've been friends ever since. This song showcases what has now emerged as the best of the best from School of Rock. Brandon Criss (Vocals) Natalie Robertson (Rhythm Guitar), Ian Rollwitz (Lead Guitar), Max Lajon (Bass) & CJ Christiansen (Drums). Here it is from the humble beginning...

Ozzy Osborne-Crazy Train