FTW, 3.28.2024

My friend Marco "Mr. Trillz" Petrilli invited me to check out some performances by students from the Music and Sound Design Program of Choice (formerly known as Contemporary Academy of Music, aka CAM) at Southwest High School. (I donated a guitar amplifier to the program last December, and got to jam with some of the kids.) The event was held in the school's courtyard, adjacent to the cafeteria. (Took me a minute to find it; the Southwest campus is as big as two of my high school.)

I got a hotdog and a water from Mr. Houze, the campus monitor, who's a Southwest alum, DJ and rapper, and has been employed there for about eight years, and listened as the Is-ness Bizness house band -- Emmanuel Aremu on drums, Darius Johnson on bass, Axel Aguayo on lead guitar, and Adrian Moore on keys -- warmed up, augmented by Mr. Trillz on rhythm guitar. Aremu and Moore had the mien of seasoned pros, and Marco told me later that they play twice a week in church. Aguayo did a nice job copping Carlos Santana's "Black Magic Woman" solo, which provoked a wave of nostalgia ("Oye Como Va" and "Samba Pa Ti" were the first two songs I ever played in a band, back in prehistory). The Is-ness Bizness band has an original composition in the works with a three-piece horn section and a female vocalist (freshman Alice) singing in Arabic.

The PA sounded good outdoors. I'd nearly forgotten what it's like to feel the bass and kick drum through your solar plexus in the open air. Marco reminded me that most of the students had never been to a rock concert, so this was a new thrill for them. (My thanks to him for the use of all his photos included here.)

The most poised and professional performers were vocalist Niyaa (Aniya Walker) and her producer, rapper Money Reezy. Niyaa sang an original R&B ballad, then dueted with Reezy, who returned later to do a solo rap. DJ Amare provided the backing track, and ran sound for the other student bands (occasionally relieved by Adrian Moore). Another strong vocalist was Tae (Tamia Washington), who worked through some initial jitters to deliver some heartfelt originals and a noteworthy performance on a jazzy number.

At one point, observing the crowd, I asked Mr. Houze, "Don't kids dance anymore? Or do they just not dance to live music?" As if on cue, DJ Amare spun Mr. C the Slide Man's "Cha Cha Slide," the song that used to fill the floor every time I went to prom at my wife's old campus, and the kids (and adults) responded instantly (the youngers probably saying, "Ooh, my aunties love this!"). Apparently after I left, they were up again for the duo ParaSights (guitarist-singer Jackson O'Daniel and drummer Hannah Stevens, who also designed the show flyer).

Marco told me the band Cicada -- Gannon McDonald on acoustic guitar, Preston Moore on drums, Mateo Perez on bass, and vocalist Mariana Cazares -- had formed during Covid, when FWISD was on virtual instruction. They played a repertoire of grunge covers (Alice in Chains, Nirvana), and backed Tae on a few numbers. I'm not sure whether they're aware that they have the same name as the venue that's now booking all the local shows that Lola's (RIP) used to get.

I had to bounce early because my wife was holding dinner for me, but on the way out I got to hear Axel Aguayo playing a punky version of "Misirlou," backed by the ParaSights duo and guitarist Cristian Sanchez. They're hoping to play it with the aforementioned Alice singing the original Arabic lyrics to the melody. I regrettably missed the performance by the band Saira (Mali on pink Stratocaster, Kirey on vox, Chloe on drums, and Aguayo subbing for regular bassist Monserratt, taking me back to the early Aughts when band members never had surnames). The acts I saw, plus a couple more, will perform in the Southwest auditorium for the entire school from 2:45-3:45 on April 5. And I'll be back to visit any time Mr. Trillz invites me.