Parker Reilly, Irvington High School ’79, remembers that feeling as clearly today as when he first experienced it in the fifth grade. It happened one afternoon at the Middle School on Main Street. On stage was a band made up of fifth or sixth graders. When they started playing he looked around and found everyone in rapt attention, with the exception of a few girls who had started dancing. At that moment, he said to himself, “I have to get a piece of that. That was so fun. And then he added “I play in a band right now with one of the 6th graders who was up there then, Chris Merola.”

Interest in playing music and learning the sounds of an instrument come early today, explained Reilly. Unlike a short 10 years ago, every age is surrounded by musical beats of enormous variety. iTunes, iPods, cds. Mp3s, computer down-loads, and radio stations that blast the air with new rhythms and structure are important elements in our evolving culture. New and established bands and singers reach thousands of frenetic fans, hungry for new sounds and excitement in sold-out mega-concerts. The kids begin to identify with their idols, dress like them, sing like them, and play an instrument like them. They get inspired, according to Reilly.

“Almost immediately, if you’re smart and you play an instrument, you try to hook-up with another person and start bangin’ away in your basement, or in your garage. It doesn’t matter how good you are. You experiment and you try to learn the music from what you hear on radio and the cd’s you buy.

“If possible, you take lessons. I learned piano from my Aunt Shirley. She taught me scales and helped me find my way up and down the keyboard. And, then I had to find a buddy who played guitar, or bass or drums. It’s always more interesting when you play with other guys. You begin to build confidence, which you definitely need when you’re 10 or 11 years old.”.

The optimal band is made up of drums, guitar, bass and keyboard, but in a small village environment it’s tough finding players with the talent to fill all positions. However, the Rivertown overlap really helps. In Parker Reilly’s view, the scenario takes on a Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland cast: “Hey Judy, let’s put on a show!” In Parker’s high school life, if you needed someone to play guitar you found someone with natural charisma and convinced him to learn guitar. “Hey guys, we got a band!” The basement became the rehearsal hall. And, as far as finding instruments were concerned, “over the years, you’d be surprised how many guitars have been tossed under the bed. Soon you locate some cheap or borrowed recording equipment. When you felt ready, you did a bunch of things on one track and then a bunch of things on another track, and there it was – a song. Chris Merola was doing that in the 7th and 8th grade.” Today, Parker sits in playing keyboard for Irvington resident and bandleader, Charles Kibel and his band Crazy Mary.

Chris Merola, with his brother Bruce, got into the band scene because of his love of song writing. In his early high school years he tried to imitate The Stones and The Doors. The culture was rebellious, and he felt comfortable in it right away. But, there were problems. Sometimes they would have to leave a gig by 10 p.m. so they would have time to do their homework.“I wasn’t a jock and I wasn’t an intellectual. It was hard to find guys in high school who were really serious about being in a band, and I was feeling a bit isolated growing up in the rivertowns because I was really passionate about my music.”

For many, Merola reflects, passion starts in middle school, begins to really develop in high school, and continues through college. Then, if you’re serious, you take on the real world of trying to make a living. It’s really a young guy’s game. You play a few clubs, but you don’t quit your day job. It’s rare that anyone becomes famous that way, so for those who tried but remained undiscovered, there are the Dad’s Bands. Those are groups made up of the same guys from the old neighborhood who just enjoy getting together to do a little jammin’. Today, Chris is a graphic designer, teaches guitar, continues his song writing, has his own in-house studio, and jams with his buddies.

Currently, Irvington High School schedules a periodic Open Mic Night for start-up bands, and individuals who might bring just a guitar and a pre-recorded bass on a computer and jam awhile. Sometimes, there may be as many as ten students waiting to perform, recalling the early coffee-house scene, but without the smoke. It is at this point that Marc Jacoby, with his professional band and innovative ideas, takes the spotlight.

Marc Jacoby’s Rockmitzvah is an exciting social and musical endeavor. It is a teen rock and roll mentoring concept which re-connects youngsters to the social aspects of the language of music. “As the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a ‘rite of passage’, Rockmitzmah is a right of passage to rock out with friends and family. Youngsters today seem to be disconnected socially from one another, a product of an over-programmed and stressed out lifestyle. Essentially, the band rehearses with the teenager. After the ceremony, during the party the youngster is invited on stage to jam with the band. Parents and invited guests may also join in. The concept has met with tremendous success.

Building on success, Jacoby will introduce a new Irvington Recreation Center program, tentatively called the ‘Thursday Afternoon Music Club’. It is a pilot program for Village of Irvington resident teens. The goal of the program is to teach a basic series of social musical skills. They will learn the fundamental aspects of music making, song writing, and recording. In general, it is creating the time for them to gather together to play their music and to make new and lasting friendships.

A note of interest: While researching this article, it was brought to my attention that Phillip Joy, a ninth grader at Irvington High School is auditioning a friend to play keyboard alongside his guitar and his buddy, Josh Leahey’s bass. We wish him luck. It seems things old are, indeed, new again.