PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 20, 2015
Local academy could
make you a rock star
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
As a tuba player in McNary
High School’s wind ensemble,
Anthony Tarter is used to per-
forming high-level music. His
passion, however, is hard rock.
“At school, I don’t get a
whole lot of opportunity to
play my guitar. It’s hard to fi nd
people interested in the same
music,” Tarter said.
When he saw an advertise-
ment for River City Rock Star
Academy on Facebook, he de-
cided to look into it.
“I talked with Mark (Green,
one of the school’s co-found-
ers) and decided to give it a
try,” Tarter said.
He and 13 other students
turned out for the fi rst session
in February. By the end of the
night, the students had a jam
session playing The Beatles’
Come Together.
After a few weeks in the
program Tarter had nothing
but good things to say.
“I love it. I think they really
have a phenomenal program
going. I really enjoy how they
get everyone involved and have
a plan and it’s not just a fi asco
of musicians doing their own
thing,” Tarter said. “They drive
you to work your hardest and
have high standards.”
Green said he and his part-
ners founded the school spe-
cifi cally to fi ll the niche Tarter
is part of.
“Salem-Keizer has an amaz-
ing music program between
choirs and band and orches-
tras, but the idea is to give kids
that are interested in rock or alt
rock the opportunity to be part
of a band or play in a band,”
Green said.
Green’s daughter, Danielle,
has been attending rock schools
in Portland for the better part
of four years, but he decided to
give the concept a try in Salem.
The fi rst of the 12-week classes
was held Feb. 11, and River
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Anthony Tarter, showing playing guitar at halftime of a McNary
High School basketball game earlier this year, is among those
attending the River City Rock Star Academy.
River City Rock Star Academy is going to be holding camps
for rockers ages 7 to 107 beginning this summer.
Programs for youth will be held in June and July and musicians
from beginners to advanced are welcome. Costs and specifi c
dates are available at the academy’s website. Adult camp dates
are yet to be determined, but registration is available at
www.rcrockstaracademy.com.
City intends to offer summer
camps for beginners as well as
experienced players this sum-
mer.
Danielle’s experiences in
Portland dovetail nicely with
what Tarter hoped for in the
Rock Star Academy.
“The main thing was I met
people who had the same inter-
ests,” she said. “But there’s also
the experience of performing.
Most of the school-related per-
formances can feel like recitals.”
At the end of the course,
students will perform live as a
rock band at Level B Theater
in Salem May 2. Doors open at
7 p.m., the show starts at 7:30
p.m.
Students in the academy fall
under the wing of instructor
Alex Callenberger.
“For me, it’s not like the end
show is a test. I want to teach
them to do everything from
setting up the stage to working
the mic and mixer and devel-
oping a set list. I want them to
know why we do these things
and how much goes into any
show,” Callenberger said.
While the goal is to provide
the students instruction tai-
lored to specifi c musical inter-
ests, Green said it’s more about
giving students confi dence in
their abilities.
“Anyone who is involved
in music has dreamed of hav-
ing their own band. We want
them to learn how to play with
others, and then go off and do
their own thing,” Green said.
While the inaugural course
is full, visit www.rcrocksta-
racademy.com for news of
upcoming opportunities and
courses.
KRA set for three more
years at amphitheater
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
Tunes and more will keep
happening at the Keizer Ro-
tary Amphitheater this sum-
mer.
Keizer City Councilors
approved a new three-year
contract with Clint Holland’s
KRA LLC on Monday. The
contract was unanimously ap-
proved without comment as
part of the consent calendar.
The city has sponsored the
Summer Concert Series at
the amphitheater in Keizer
Rapids Park the past several
years. The new agreement is
for three years, plus it has an
option to renew for two more
two-year terms.
In addition to music con-
certs, the agreement also calls
for a movie series and live
theater productions by Keiz-
er Homegrown Theater. The
contract calls for the city to
sponsor between eight and 12
productions each year.
Holland said on Tuesday he
has two of his main concerts
already set: Patrick Lamb on
July 11 and Johnny Limbo and
the Lugnuts on July 18.
In other business Monday:
• Two committees were
offi cially renamed. In or-
der to avoid confusion with
the Keizer Arts Association
(KAA), the Keizer Arts Com-
mission (KAC) was renamed
the Keizer Public Arts Com-
mission, or KPAC.
In addition, the Keizer
Festivals and Events Services
Team (K-FEST) was rechris-
tened as the Festivals Advisory
Board (FAB).
Mayor Cathy Clark said
changing K-FEST was only
right.
“That belongs to the Iris
Festival, it doesn’t belong to
the city,” Clark said.
• Public Works Director
Bill Lawyer gave the Keizer-
times an update earlier in the
day on damage from Sunday’s
wind storm. On Sam Orcutt
KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy
Brady Goss performs on the Keizer Rotary Amphitheater stage
last August during RIVERfair. Keizer City Councilors approved
a new three-year contract to run the amphitheater on Monday.
Way, a branch broke off a tree
and fell onto the road. At 3rd
Avenue North and Hollyhock
Place, a tree came down onto
the road. At Wheatland Road
North and Parkmeadow
Drive, a branch fell off and
landed in the road.
“There was no damage to
private property or vehicles
reported and no one was in-
jured,” Lawyer said. “All in all
it seems that we weathered the
storm pretty well.”
Clark noted a bit of irony
with the timing of the storm.
“We did our big clean up
on Saturday (at Keizer Civic
Center), then the big wind
storm the next day,” the mayor
said.
• Nate Brown, director of
Community Development,
and city attorney Shannon
Johnson said there had been
no appeal fi led in regards to
the council’s decision in Janu-
ary to allow plans for the de-
velopment of apartments and a
retirement community in Area
C of Keizer Station. Council-
or Brandon Smith had asked
what the timeframe was.
“The last date to fi le an ap-
peal was last Friday,” Brown
said. “We have no information
that one was fi led. The indica-
tion is we have not been ap-
pealed.”
Johnson noted it wasn’t 100
percent certain yet due to a
possible delay in the mail.
“In the next day or two we
should know,” Brown said.
• Heather Weathers was
appointed to fi ll the vacancy
on the Keizer Rapids Park
Community Build Task Force
Design and Special Features
Committee. The committee
serves in an advisory capac-
ity to the Community Build
Task Force which is chaired
by Weathers’ mother, council-
or Marlene Quinn. Weathers
takes the seat vacated recently
by Linda Baker.
• Councilors unanimously
approved a request to endorse
and support the 2015 Keizer
KPAC Holiday Card Contest.
The winning artwork will be
chosen by KPAC members
in the fall and sent out as the
city’s holiday card using funds
from the General Fund.
• Mayor Clark read a proc-
lamation declaring April as
Parkinson’s Awareness Month
in Keizer.
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