Guitar Club rocks!
WARWICK — Nothing makes a middle school student roll their eyes quicker than their parents reminiscing about the good old days of music. And yet, for the Warwick Valley Middle School Guitar Club, that "old time rock and roll" is alive and well.
On Friday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m., the Guitar Club will present its annual concert showcasing rock and roll music from their parents' (and grandparents'!) era as well as tunes from this generation.
Under the direction of Warwick Valley Middle School science teachers Ed Mesic and John Gouveia, the 75-member Guitar Club spends hours after school working on a variety of music that spans decades and several different styles and genres.
Tunes from classic rock eras
Reaching back half a century, the club will be playing the Beatles classic "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" and James Brown's "It's a Man's World" from the 1960s.
A large portion of the concert will feature music from the 1970s, including Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit," "Country Roads" by John Denver, "I Just Want to Celebrate" by Rare Earth, the Eagles' "Already Gone," "Barracuda" by Heart and "Soul Man," the iconic tune made famous in the Blues Brothers movie. Music teachers Ryan Muehlbauer and Peter Van De Water will lend their talents as the horn section for "Soul Man".
For those longing for a return to the 1980s, Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" is on the club’s play list as well as Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation." Music from the 90s will be represented by Extreme's "More Than Words."
Not all songs performed will be from the last century. The club will also play some tunes from Maroon 5 ("Sunday Morning"), Lulu and the Lampshades ("Cup Song") and Miley Cyrus ("Party in the USA").
Teachers and others get in on the act
The concert would not be complete without the faculty performance, always a fan favorite. This year, the faculty ensemble will sing Cream's "Born Under a Bad Sign" and will feature Ed Mesic on guitar along with Darryl Wilbur, retired middle school English teacher who still volunteers his time to help with Guitar Club. John Gouveia will be playing bass guitar, security guard Bob Cordani will play drums, school nurse Michelle Manelis will handle keyboards and music teacher Elissa Maynard will be on violin. Middle school parent Helen Bentley will perform vocals.
In addition to the numerous rock numbers, other musical groups will be showcased at the concert, including the high school a capella group, Vocal Point, singing the National Anthem. The Middle School Wire Choir, an extracurricular orchestra group, in addition to playing backup for two of the rock numbers, will perform “Falling Slowly” from the Broadway musical “Once.”
No need to take those old records off the shelf and sit and listen to them by yourself. Come to the Guitar Club concert and rock out with Warwick's talented students.