Jimmy Dennis Graham is director and founder of Rock Ensen, a statewide music competition
for high school bands and the winners get gigs at Summerfest. Here to tell us about the
upcoming Rock Ensen competition is Dennis Graham. Dennis, welcome back to Maxine Gradio.
Thanks so much rocker and to be here with on Maxine Gradio and with Jimmy and KJ. I very much
appreciate civic media statewide. It's a great opportunity to talk to everybody. It's great to see
you man. You bet man. I appreciate it. And what we're in right now is the Rock Ensen. It's RLCKON
SIN. Just like it sounds rockonson.org. We won all 7th to 12th grade garage bands of any musical
genre to go to rockonson.org and sign up for free to send in one song cover original of a video.
Use your smartphone. That's all you need to do to see if you'll be one of 10 bands that will be
judged out by folks like Kathy Detmer's and others to go and perform at the Rock Ensen
State Finals at Summerfest. Nice. Well Dennis, before we learn all about Rock Ensen,
I'd like to find out a little more about the guy that founded it. Tell us about your backstory.
How did you get into music? Well, I have quite an eclectic career. Everything I think I was
talking to KJ I believe just earlier that I've been from working out in Capitol Hill when
everybody worked together 50 years ago. So I'm a little long in the tooth and working on political
campaigns. I've worked for both sides actually. I was hired by Dave Prosser, the former Supreme
Court Chief for Congressman Frailick, very moderate. And it was my senior year. I went out to
Washington DC and where everybody went to spring break. I went out to DC and I dropped a resume at
all 435 House of Representatives offices and all 100 US Senate offices. And I got a call back
from Congressman Frailick, worked out there, worked on political campaigns. I was Tony Earl's
main driver and the campaign worked in Tony Earl's office and then kind of went from there. And I
worked for a fellow that was again a very moderate, very great guy, Paul Hassett, a teacher
who was the head of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce brought that together. The Wisconsin
Manufacturers and Commerce helped them out today. Now it's just basically the voice piece of the
Republican Party. Paul taught me all about that, you know, compromise both sides, you know, but
it's not, you know, he was the chief of staff for Warren North, moderate people, moderate
politicians that worked together. And then I started working on sports programs. I badger
stayed summer, winter games, US fast pitch softball tournaments, a lot of different pro-national
Congress-to-state games. And then I started just kind of goofing around helping a band.
You know, I've always been into reggae and started helping out managing a band. And that kind of
transformed into as I was working on these other programs. I was approached by somebody
regarding working with a music association in the state. And what I brought to it was that,
you know, I had an idea of, you know, these young musicians out there have no showcase or form,
you know, the camp playing bars. And it really, I remember this cat that was Poncho. He was a drummer,
I'm from Whitewater. Back then, you had bands on Friday nights, you know, after you had a volleyball
tournament between the classes and all that, then you'd have a band come in and play. And I
always was watching this cat and I was thinking, I don't even know his last name. He went to Whitewater,
but I was always like, wow, how cool. I always wanted to be in a band. I did. I played drums.
Today, now, all of these young musicians know that in school, all of the schools have drum sets,
so that, you know, I had a snare drum and I took a marching band symbol and I hung it on an
instrument stand. But so then, you know, I also suggested a lifetime achievement award to this
group. And that's when I brought back Les Paul, went out, had Governor Doyle write a letter,
went out to New York, gave it to Les, he was stunned like, what? You know, well, as you should get
the first lifetime achievement award, look what you did, solid by electric guitar, sound on sound,
we all know that, multi tracking, brought him back. It's a matter of fact, it'll be 20 years,
this October 27th, that it was 2004 Les Paul Day. That just kind of kept moving into, you know,
starting to think about putting together this program, you know, of young, and now it's been 20
years of giving these young musicians an opportunity, basically, to send in one song, cover original,
it doesn't matter, it's free to rockonson.org. The deadline is coming up, we'll be able 30th,
required a ways away for an opportunity to be one of 10 bands to play on June 28th, five bands,
and June 29th, five more bands on the Aurora Pavilion. It's summerfest, the big gig, the
world's largest music festival, I'll get 20 minute sets, I'll receive two sure mics, one vocal,
one instrument mic, what are they playing for, the winner, and runner up, we'll get a second 45
minute showcase set on the Aurora Pavilion stage on July 6th. They also get recording time at
Manus' Blassel Studios, as well as the winning band gets a sure wireless vocal mic system. So
pretty cool for free, man. Obviously, this is a big deal, and you know, what you've created with
rockhonson, inspiring youth to get involved with music, because we all know when kids get involved
with music, they do better in school, the grades are better. Yes, they do. Social skills become
better, it's a win-win for everybody. So give us the rules once again, the grade range and how
the bands submit music. You bet, and we want you to check out two rockhonson socials at TikTok,
and Instagram, and Facebook, and you'll see some of the past bands that play like geology
club that won it last year from Warkshire West High School, happens to be less Paul's high school.
Nice. But we want you to go to rockhonson.org, send in one song, Cover Original, it does not matter,
we've had bands that do it all cover songs, such as Sacramento, First Heavy Metal Band from
Muskego High School, two years ago, to All Original, as geology club did, putting out the first
album last year before they graduate from high school. And so we want you to go to rockhonson.org,
record one song, Cover Original, just use the smartphone. We don't want you to-
It doesn't have to be fancy or anything like that. Exactly, and we want you to get that in by,
excuse me, by April 30th, the three judges that we have this year are Kathy Deppmer's,
the former owner of the high-new ensuing, just a wonderful partner for music in town here,
and then we're looking at these three judges will then score them out, they're looking at everything
from vocal blend, synergy, mastering of the instrument and all that, then we'll announce on May 15th
on rockhonson.org, the top 10 bands that will then be performing at Summerfist at the Rockhonson
stage. All exciting, that's great. Dennis, thank you so much for coming in, telling us all about
Rockhonson, appreciate you, appreciate what you do, what you do, and once again the website is rockhonson.com.
You bet, man, Rockhonson.org. You bet, but actually what, guys, I bought
.com, too, so you can put it down. Just as it sounds, rockhonson, rockhonson, Wisconsin,
youth garage bands, rockhonson, Wisconsin. This band won Rockhonson last year,
to theology club, from Waukesha. From Waukesha, give me 30 seconds of your love for geology club.
Yeah, the very town band, they had played a few years, as I said earlier, they've been in the
last two years of the competition, and they put together their first CD, all original songs
before they graduate from high school last year. And I do want to point out one band that's
performed going through these programs that I've put on that was once 10 years ago,
Modern Mod from Madison East High School, sleeping in the stair from Madison West,
they came together as slow pulp and now they are touring. They did a European tour this last fall,
where they were opening for Death Cab for Cutie in all these major venues,
Royal Albert Hall, and now are playing major clubs around the country. Watch for slow pulp.
Yeah, watch out, because otherwise slow pulp will end up being your orange juice in the mornings,
and they'll rock you. That was corny. I'm sorry. Dennis, thank you so much.
Thank you. I appreciate it. This is geology club and teenage love,
this maxing on civic media, we are local music.
