If any future musical superstars emerge from Dallas, it will no doubt be due to the loving tutelage of Zounds Sounds owners Marc Solomon and Amy Curnow.
Partners in business and life, the duo has built a thriving career over the past 20 years teaching kids of all ages the guitar, bass, drum, voice and piano, sparking the formation of myriad local bands in the process, including Rosegarden Funeral Party and About You.
Now, many of their alumni (including the above) are banding together to celebrate two decades of the little rock school that could. The three days of musical merriment kick off Nov. 21 at the Sons of Hermann Hall.
Opening night features a kids concert devoted to local tunes from the Steve Miller Band, Pantera and St. Vincent (among others) followed by Solomon and Curnow’s band the Charming Gardeners. The next night includes sets by Tommy Stinson, former bassist of the Replacements, and the Eagles’ Chris Holt (a Zounds instructor), plus a tribute to local women in music. The whole thing wraps up Sunday with a mix of acoustic and jazz performances at Zound’s DIY venue next to its HQ on Garland Road, an experience Solomon says will be akin “seeing Bob Dylan at Café Wha?”
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Tickets for the celebration benefit a good cause — Zounds’ nonprofit Way Into Music, which focuses on providing music education and instruments to those who can’t afford it, as well as fair wages for the local music teaching community.
For Solomon, the weekend will be yet another affirmation the Booker T. Washington alum chose the right path, from his time gigging in the bands Perfect and Solly to his current role nurturing the next generation of rock stars.
“I love what we do on a daily basis,” says Solomon. “I truly enjoy it and consider it to be as much as my work of art as any of my record projects.”
Details
Zounds Sounds’ 20th anniversary festival will be Nov. 21-23 at Sons of Hermann Hall at 3414 Elm St. and Zounds Sounds B-Side at 10050 Shoreview Road, Suite B. Tickets are $25 for one night, $40 for the weekend. zoundssoundsbside.org.
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