Hosted by School of Rock and partnered with Universal Music Group, 1824, Hollywood Records, and Edgeout Records, Winter of Rock is exactly what we all need to fill the live music hole in all of our hearts. With performances by Dreamers, The Jacks, Almost Monday, and two of School of Rock’s 2020 AllStars, our living room has become the new concert stage.
Starting off strong with a performance by Tuesday, a 2020 AllStar, her positive aura and contagious confidence is enough to wish you could enroll into the School of Rock. Tuesday began her set by singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. As a solo act this can be difficult, but Tuesday sang this 6-minute ballad with absolute ease. Her second set included an unreleased original song, “If You Lose Me”. This was the most personal moment of her screen time, and I know we are all excited to hear the studio version.
The Jacks, signed to Edgeout Records, have that amazing 90s rock sound that we don’t hear too often. With influences like The Rolling Stones and hopes to collab with Paul McCartney one day, we can definitely say that rock ‘n roll is not dead. This band’s interaction with the camera truly felt like I was standing center stage living out all my concert dreams.
The next 2020 AllStar, Chris, has been a student at the School of Rock for over ten years. The talent truly jumped out. His original song, “El Durado” is about finding yourself during uncertain times, which is where we all are right about now. One commenter even mentioned that ‘this is certainly the right way to start my Saturday morning’ and I couldn’t agree more. Chris wrapped up his set with his rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It From the Grapevine”. Chris both played multiple instruments and sang during his set, proving his multi-talented abilities to everyone watching. Be on the lookout for his music to drop, he will be big!
The second to last act, Almost Monday, honestly stole my heart and has already made their way onto all of my Spotify playlists. Their set included the entirety of their 2020 EP titled don’t say you’re ordinary. This synth-pop group is full of energy and emotion. Their sound is exactly what you need on that late-night drive with friends or when you’re home alone looking for the right sound to hype you up. I truly hope to catch them live one day; their show would be like no other.
Winter of Rock ended with their main act, Dreamers. Dreamers’ stage presence is lively and dynamic. This group is the perfect combination of grunge, art-school, and punk rock, wrapped into one amazing band. From the start, their music was heart-pumping, almost like you could feel it in your soul. They played a range of songs from “Desensitize”, “Heat Seeker”, “Die Happy”, and many more.
I’d say that the first annual Winter of Rock was an all-around success. Their lineup was diverse in sound and popularity, which I can really appreciate. The AllStar performances were a great opportunity to see newer artists shine and make their debut into the live music scene, however, their stage presences were a bit awkward. There was a lack of eye contact from both the AllStars which made me feel a bit disconnected from them. If it wasn’t for their energy and original music, I think I would have been lost. The larger acts – The Jacks, Almost Monday, and Dreamers – seemed to have a much higher production value and aesthetic to their sets. It really helped to bring life back into Winter of Rock, but I wish I would’ve seen the same set up for all of the performers.
None of us would have expected 2020 to go on like this, and with concerts in the U.S. still many months away… live, virtual concerts are the best we are going to get! I applaud School of Rock, and their many partners, for putting on such an exciting show. While many artists are using this time to take a break from their musical work, it’s great to see that music is still alive and well during their wild times. For most of us, that’s all we need to keep going.
