St. Michael's Rock Band hosts raucous end of school year party

Rockin' in the free world

Toni Lucas

St. Michael's Rock Band hosted a dance at the Dale Wentz Memorial Gymnasium on Friday June 20. The event was well appreciated by their fellow students, held as it was 6 days before the last day of school, Thursday June 26. It was a jam packed event, with a tremendous amount of participants taking their turns in the limelight.

A guest song, 'The Way I Told You', concluded the show. It was written by Rock 'N Roll teacher Francis Krizan, and was performed by Krizan on guitar, his son Julian Krizan on drums, Landon Hochstein on bass, and teacher Tyler Speelman and Principal Don Kuchison on vocals.

"Everyone did a great job, and I hope we all had a lot of fun," said Mr. Krizan. "Thanks to the audience for coming out."

The show was lively from beginning to end, a mixture of classics and contemporary pieces.  Rock 'n Roll is alive and well in Pincher Creek!

Mr. Krizan provided the following lists of participants and songs performed (number in bracket = grade):

In the middle school class, Spencer Antonation (6) played guitar, Benjamin Cooley (7) played guitar, keyboards and drums, and sang, Junior Courchesne (8) played bass, and did lights, Morgan Fillipuzzi (6) played keyboards and sang, Mercedez Girard (6) sang, Jesse Hall (6) played guitar and drums, Jaeger Hann (8) played guitar, Tyran Holloway (8) played bass and helped with lights, Elisha Lowry (8) played bass, Qamra Ludwig (6) sang, Bradin McClelland (8) played guitar and bass, and sang, Nelz Vance (6) played drums and guitar, Colter VanEe (7) played drums and sang (he is also a guitar player), Danika Warkentin (6) played keyboards and sang (she is also a guitar player), and Isaac Webb (7) played guitar.

The middle school group performed Radioactive (by Imagine Dragons), Before He Cheats (by Carrie Underwood), Life Is A Highway (by Tom Cochrane), Free Fallin`(by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Cruise (by Florida Georgia Line), and (Standing In the) Hall of Fame (by the Script), but not necessarily in that order.s

In the senior class, Bryce Conley (9) played drums and did lights for one of the junior songs, Tyler Hay (9) played bass and guitar, Chaz Vance (9) played drums and did lights with Bryce, Brandon Birkmann (10) played guitar, Nolan Weatherill (10) played guitar, Tannis Bruder (11) played keyboards and sang, Emma Burnham (11) played keyboards and sang, Landon Hochstein (11) played bass, Thomas Strong (11) played guitar, Spencer Strong (11) played guitar and drums, Rubert Palao (11) sang, Ross Giroux (12) played drums, Sonja Shirdel (12) played guitar, Sammy Scott-Parkinson (12) played drums and did sound for the guest song, and Celia TienKamp (12) played guitar.

The senior group performed Dead (by My Chemical Romance), Counting Stars (by One Republic), All Star (by Smash Mouth), I Love Rock and Roll (by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts), Livin' After Midnight (by Judas Priest), Joker and the Thief (by Wolfmother), Unforgiven (by Metallica), and Painted Black (by the Rolling Stones), but not necessarily in that order.

Rock Band mastermind Francis Krizan