• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • This Week’s E-Editions
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

       

Click to join our weekly e-newsletter

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices
    • Browse Notices
    • Place Notices

Winner of band battle will open for Motion City Soundtrack

March 25, 2010 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

The stakes are high for the winner of the Rockus Maximus XIII Battle of the Bands with a chance to open for Motion City Soundtrack at State Theatre April 24 in St. Petersburg.rockusmaximus-1

Bands from Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes, Holiday, Fort Myers, Regency Park and Clearwater will play from 6 to 11 p.m. March 26 at Crews Lake Park, 16739 Crews Lake Drive in Shady Hills. Some of the musical genres include metal core, punk, alternative/pop, classic rock/alternative and post-hardcore. Attendance is free with a current library card.

Land O’ Lakes resident John Gold will be playing at the show with his band John Gold in a Field of White Flowers. He describes his band as folk music but with weird song structures. The band is made up of all solo artists with Gold, 21, Jessi Sherbet, 17, Taylor Collier, 18, and Steven Garrett, 18.

John Gold and the Old Souls played at last year’s Rockus Maximus battle. (Photo courtesy of James Francosky)
John Gold and the Old Souls played at last year’s Rockus Maximus battle. (Photo courtesy of James Francosky)

“We are trying to forge a new genre,” Gold said. “Our song structures are different. We have an anything goes mentality. This is a good opportunity for my career choice, which is music. Being in this contest has taught me a lot about different musical genres. Watching the videos we have made has taught me I need to tap into a more professional type of approach.”

Paul Stonebridge, teen services manager at Land O’ Lakes Library, said it is important to get teens involved at the library.

“It is important to have these programs because it keeps people coming to the library for their whole lives,” Stonebridge said. “We have a lot of programs for young children and then we kind of let them go until they are adults. We want the teens to see the library as a valuable source of information. This helps to ensure the continuity of existence for the library.”

John Gold and the Old Souls played at last year’s Rockus Maximus battle. (Photo courtesy of James Francosky)
John Gold and the Old Souls played at last year’s Rockus Maximus battle. (Photo courtesy of James Francosky)

The event started out as just a battle of the bands 13 years ago, but has grown so much in the last three years they had to change the name to Rockus Maximus. They had to choose a name that would encompass how big the event has become. This year the show will have eight bands and if it is anything like last year, there will be at least 600 people attending.

“At the first battle, it was just a few bands but it has evolved now to something bigger,” Stonebridge said. “We want to educate them so when they leave us we want them to be able to rally the troops, lay down songs and be able to play in front of a crowd. These are all things bands need to know in order to become famous one day.”

The bands all had to make a video for the personality promotion contest. The band with the most votes on-line will win gift certificates from Encore Music in New Port Richey.

“Through the online voting competition, we got to see how well the bands win the hearts and minds of the voters,” Stonebridge said. “It is good for them to get used to playing music for a crowd, but it is also good for them to learn to promote themselves.”

All the online contests and promotions paid off when Pasco County Libraries won the Web Site of the Year from the Florida Library Association recently.

“We put a lot of effort into making sure we have something for everybody on our site,” Stonebridge said. “We have a whole group of people working on it to keep making it better.”

After library budget cuts last year, Stonebridge said he wasn’t sure if there was going to be an event this year.

“We named the event We Ain’t Dead Yet because we thought the event might be dead,” Stonebridge said. “We managed to rally enough community support to raise money to have the event.”

In order to have the event, the library needed $5,000. The library was able to raise the money with the help of teens, The Friends of the Library, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Monster Energy drinks and local businesses like Tijuana Flats in Land O’ Lakes.

“It started when we won the WWE contest,” Stonebridge said. “We decided since we had the first $2,000 we would try to raise the rest. Then Monster Energy drinks donated $1,000 worth of product that we sold. Encore Music donated gift certificates for our prizes and Morrisound Recording donated recording time.”

Bands and visitors to the show will have chances to win great prizes like the donated recording time at Morrisound Recording. The first place band will have 10 hours, the second place band will have five hours and the third place band will have three hours.

Visitors to the concert will have the chance to win one of two prize packs from Motion City Soundtrack. One of them is a T-shirt and their new CD “My Dinosaur Life” and the other is two tickets and meet and greet passes for the concert. Entry tickets will be available at the concession booth.

In honor of Noelle Park, a two-time cancer survivor and vice president of the teen advisory board, the library is raising money for All Children’s Hospital to benefit cancer research. There will be a bucket passed around at the event for the hospital and the library will be selling donated Monster Energy drinks.

In addition to the Rockus Maximus program, the library also offers an anime club, gaming nights and even karaoke and improv nights. Stonebridge said he runs the teen programs because he wants to provide a place for teens to go where they feel welcome.

“I think about when I was in high school,” Stonebridge said. “No one would listen to me. I felt like I had no say in my life. It is depressing when you have an idea and no one would listen.”

As incentive to keep the teens participating and interested, Stonebridge and some of the other librarians are willing to go to the extreme. Recently Stonebridge waxed his arm on camera because the teens were able to raise $216 for Rockus Maximus. Alicia Moon-Wan dyed her hair rainbow colors over the summer because the reading summer program was such a success. Over the seven-week program, 98 kids read about 1,000 books.

“Incentive always helps,” Stonebridge said. “It encourages them. They like to torment us and make us do something funny.”

For information, visit www.myspace.com/pascolibraries.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Sponsored Content

6 Reasons to Consider Remodeling your Bathroom with CMK Construction

March 21, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

Have you wanted to remodel your bathroom for a while now, but need that little extra push to make your decision? Check … [Read More...] about 6 Reasons to Consider Remodeling your Bathroom with CMK Construction

Avalon Applauds African American Club of Pasco

March 7, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

One of Avalon Park Wesley Chapel’s main missions is being a champion for culture. “Celebrating culture is a vital … [Read More...] about Avalon Applauds African American Club of Pasco

More Posts from this Category

What’s Happening

03/23/2023 – Betmar Chorus

The Betmar Chorus will perform its annual Spring Concert on March 22 at 2 p.m., and on March 23 and March 24 at 7 p.m., at Betmar Acres, 37145 Lakewood Drive, Clubhouse 2, in Zephyrhills. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The choir will perform a variety of show tunes, hymns, spirituals and classics. Tickets will be available at the door for $5. For information, all 810-837-0520. … [Read More...] about 03/23/2023 – Betmar Chorus

03/25/2023 – America is Awesome

Lucas, Macysyzn & Dyer, Injury Lawyers and the Lucas, Macyszyn & Dyer Community Foundation will host an “America is Awesome Celebration” on March 25 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 9426 Little Road in New Port Richey. The event will include live music from 5 Shades of Grey and Southbound 75; fireworks; a DJ dance party, silent auction; raffles; 50/50; car show, food and drink; and more. All proceeds will benefit K9 for Partners and local law enforcement. General admission is free. VIP tickets are available. Donations for parking will be accepted. For information, visit America is Awesome Celebration on Facebook. … [Read More...] about 03/25/2023 – America is Awesome

03/25/2023 – Arts Benefit

The Pasco Fine Arts Council will host a Benefit for the Arts & Silent Auction on March 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Pasco Arts Gallery, 4145 Fairford Drive in New Port Richey. Wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served. For information, visit PascoArts.org. … [Read More...] about 03/25/2023 – Arts Benefit

03/25/2023 – Car Show

The fifth annual Hillsborough Fire & EMS Museum Car Show will take place on March 25 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church of Lutz, 960 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road. Registration begins at 8 a.m., followed by the show at 10 a.m. Awards will be presented at 1 p.m. For information, visit HillsboroughFireMuseum.org. … [Read More...] about 03/25/2023 – Car Show

03/25/2023 – Cars & Coffee

Connerton’s Cars & Coffee is scheduled for March 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Club Connerton in Land O’ Lakes. The event will include a car show (awards and judging), food trucks, raffles, live music, and vendors. Free coffee will be served from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Cash or credit required for vendors and food trucks. Pre-register for the car show at PremiumCarShows.com. … [Read More...] about 03/25/2023 – Cars & Coffee

03/25/2023 – Community Marketplace

The Women of Atonement Lutheran Church, 29617 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, will host a Community Marketplace on March 25 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Some donations will go to Hope Services Life Skills & Vocational Training Center. For information, call 813-973-2211. … [Read More...] about 03/25/2023 – Community Marketplace

More of What's Happening

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2023 Community News Publications Inc.

   
%d bloggers like this: