Needham Times Article: Young rockers tune in to new band program By Heather Davis / Staff Writer Wednesday, January 29, 2003 For some teens, it's a given that it's a dream of theirs to start a band. But where do you hold practice? Whom do you know who can play an instrument? Whom else do you know who likes Blink 182? Now, young aspiring rock musicians can get the space to practice, the encouragement to write their own songs and the gig, through the new Plugged In! program, run by two Needhamites. "We heard a lot of kids talking about wanting to start a band," said co-founder Sandra Rizkallah. "Either they don't have anyone to do it with or they don't have the self-confidence ... [If] we put them together, we could give them the skills to do it." Plugged In! is a sort of structured jam session for teens, or a primer for young musicians on writing music and forming a band. Rizkallah and her partner, Tom Pugh, get the kids together, and the young people essentially take it from there. "They determine the name for the band; [they] determine the names for the songs," said Rizkallah. The five young people currently enrolled in the 11-week program have determined the direction of their band and figured out their preferred style of playing. Plus, the members all bring different strengths to the band. "It's just a lot of fun being able to go up on stage in practice and kind of just let ... it all out," said Ronnie Kassiff, 13. "Tom usually helps us with the instruments and what notes we play or sing in. Sandra - she's really supportive." Kassiff, a Pollard Middle School eighth-grader, is the lead vocalist for MDD, the band that was formed last year during the first session of Plugged In!. The band also includes Jess Irwin, Eric Ginsburg, newcomer Molly Herman and guitarist Charlie Manoli. The group, which meets on Sundays at the Plugged In! space on Dedham Avenue - a converted bomb shelter - usually practices cover songs from the members' favorite bands, said Manoli, 12, a Pollard seventh-grader. His favorites include Pearl Jam, Creed and, like Kassiff, Blink 182. Right now, MDD is practicing the song "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" by the band Good Charlotte. "Usually everyone picks a song that they want to learn with the whole band," said Manoli. For the most part, according to Kassiff, the band practices rock songs. "We play mainly punk songs," she said. "We all have different tastes." Students should sign up for the Plugged In! program if they have some musical experience, said Rizkallah, but they are encouraged to try new instruments. Pugh leads these tutorials, as he has been a musician for 20 years and is a member of two Boston-based blues bands, SloBurn and Lois Lane and the Daily Planets. Plugged In! provides the musicians with amps and a drum set, and through Rizkallah and Pugh's company, Eeyore Productions, they even put together a music video for the band after its Dec. 14 performance at Newton's Jewish Community Center. The current Plugged In! session will also culminate in a live performance by MDD in late May. Being up on stage in front of an audience for the first time was nerve-wracking, said Kassoff, but thrilling. As Plugged In! grows, Rizkallah said they hope to expand the session to include music theory classes and master classes taught by Berklee College of Music grads. "In adolescence, there's a lot of issues for kids, whether it's low self-esteem or insecurity, ADD, whatever. Kids have a host of different things," said Rizkallah, a parent of a 13-year-old. "What we saw, whatever problems were higher up at the beginning, within a few weeks, it was almost invisible. Kids were really at the highest level of function." Manoli's mom, Amy, excitedly touted the benefits of the young musicians workshop. "We were so excited to find it. He was always interested in music," she said. "[Charlie] fooled around with a neighborhood band for a while, then we saw the ad for Plugged In! ... It's been really great." Not only do the young people get to play with musicians of similar ability, but they also get to play with people they wouldn't normally meet. "It's a great program and they've done a great job. I hope it catches on," said Amy Manoli. "It kind of gets them connected with other kids." For more information on the Plugged In! program, call Eeyore Productions at 781-956-4281. PRESS menu