TeenJam
Vashon Theatre Backlot
Strawberry Festival
Saturday, July 20th
5pm-9pm
Youth stage returns to Strawberry Festival!
Remember when Strawberry Festival had a carnival and a youth stage? We do! This year, a group of nine island nonprofits, along with the Vashon Theatre and Island Queen got together to bring some fun youth activities back to Strawberry Festival.
TeenJam, a carnival-style Strawberry Festival event for middle and high schoolers, will take place at the Vashon Theatre Backlot, on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from 5:00pm – 9:00pm. Teens are invited to perform, bring their art, play games, hang out, and enjoy activities hosted by island youth and nonprofits. The lineup includes teen bands, aerial performances, and a surprise headliner – Pilot Seat, from Seattle, to close out the night.
Pilot Seat, a band from Shoreline, is a group of three friends who started playing together in 2021 with a shared passion for fusing indie/alt pop and psychedelic rock. They have performed at venues such as MoPOP, Sound Off, and Sharing the Stage, a performance mentorship project, where kids are the opening act for a professional headlining band.
Also performing are local bands “Vacancy”, “Wisteria”, “Falter The Moth” and local musicians Sky/Griffin and Rowan McBennett.
Middle and High Schoolers who want to perform, bring art or host a booth should act now – registration will close on June 1 st . Youth-serving Vashon organizations are invited to participate as well! Contact outreach@vyfs.org for information.
TeenJam is FREE, open to middle and high school youth. It is a sober, substance-free event. Persons who appear to be under the influence will not be admitted. Sponsors include The DOVE Project, Journeymen/One Village, King County Library, Open Space, Vashon Youth & Family Services, Vashon Events, VARSA and the Vashon Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to Sotheby’s for generously supporting TeenJam!
Want to contribute? Volunteer? Reach out to outreach@vyfs.org
Schedule (times are approximate):
5:00pm: Doors open. DJ Rafa.
5:15pm: Sky/Griffin performance
5:30pm: Rowan McBennett performance
5:50pm: Anonymous Band performance
6:05pm: Aerial performance
6:10pm: Falter The Moth performance
6:30pm: Aerial performance
6:35pm: Wisteria performance
6:55pm: Aerial performance
7:00pm: Vacancy performance, Aerial performance
7:20pm: DJ Ralph Reign
7:40pm: Pilot Seat performance
8:40pm: DJ Ralph Reign wraps it up
Ralph Reign: Rapper, Producer, DJ, Astral Traveler, and Soul Seeker. Originally from New York City, now living, loving, and creating in the Pacific North West. Inspired most by Andre 3000, Fela Kuti, Stevie wonder, and the limitless flow of the electronic music scene. Ralph Reign ducks out of the astral plane to helm a jazz and funk-infused hiphop realm , woven with conscious and delicately crafted lyrics. Ralph has shared the stage with hip hop legends, DJ Premier, Andre Nickatina, Carnage the Executioner and continues to open doors with his powerful music and presence in the community. Ralph will be hosting as Emcee, DJ and mixing the performances at TeenJam.
Pilot Seat, a band from Shoreline, is a group of three friends who started playing together in 2021 with a shared passion for fusing indie/alt pop and psychedelic rock. They have performed at venues such as MoPOP, Sound Off, and Sharing the Stage, a performance mentorship project, where kids are the opening act for a professional headlining band.
Rowan McBennett has been playing piano for 13 of his 17 years on this planet. You may have seen him performing with Bruce Phares or with the VHS band. He was a classical pianist for the first ten years of his career and now he has moved on to Jazz. He hopes to attend NYU after high school. As a small child, Rowan had really sensitive ears and his mother was told that if your young child has sensitive ears, it's quite likely they'll become a good musician. So he started playing at just 4 years old. Rowan believes that music is a language, so once he learned the piano he felt like he could have access to any other instrument. After seeing islander Wesley Peterson rehearse with Saint Ophelia, he was inspired to play drums. Rowan's a big advocate for the school band program and the people behind it - Dan Baker, Gabriel Burgess and Todd Zimberg. Versatility is important to Rowan - it's like the biggest thing that he values and it views it as a way to connect with so many people. He strongly believes that if we can connect with music, it will help us solve our world problems.
"Vacancy" is made up of four teens - El Otto (bass guitar), Mateo Magal (vocals), Sloane Overdorf (drums) and Eli Nelson (electric guitar). When asked how they came up with the band name, El revealed that it was her dad's band name back when he was going to high school. Eli has been lucky enough to take guitar lessons from Tony Abreu of Windowpane, a masterful guitar wizard in his own right. Sloane has studied under island drummer Todd Zimberg as well. El, Mateo and Sloane have been playing together as a band for about two years, with Eli joining the band last February. They've performed at the VHS Open Mic in front of one of the most supportive audiences on the planet...their peers. They're fond of riot grrl bands like Bikini Kill, but tend to classify their music as more grungy with a bit of Metal mixed in...but they also like to keep their options open and explore a wide spectrum of music that leaves room for creativity.
Falter The Moth formed in early April 2024 and currently consists of 16-year-old Mickey Fontaine (6-string bass guitar), 15-year-old Lillith Provo (drums), and 18-year-old Wyatt Bates (electric guitar, vocals). While they have previously played together in various groups, this is their first time performing as a band. They are members of Todd Zimberg's jazz band and recently performed in the Drama Dock production of "As You Like It." They are eagerly anticipating their upcoming gig at Cafe Racer on Capitol Hill on Friday, June 7th, as part of the Sharing The Stage series organized by former islander Fred Strong. Pilot Seat will headline that show, the same band headlining TeenJam. Falter The Moth write all their own music. Lillith describes their style as "Blues Funk Prog," though the band feels their sound transcends traditional genres. The band name originated during a rehearsal when a wasp, that they named Walter the Wasp, flew into the room. Mickey suggested "Walter the Moth" as a band name, which evolved into "Falter The Moth" after Wyatt's mom proposed it during a car ride conversation. The name has stuck ever since.
Wisteria chose their band name inspired by the plant. The band comprises Neko Rogneby (vocals, bass guitar), Lillith Provo (drums), and Miriam Casad (vocals, guitar), all aged 15. Although they have been coming together to play music most summers for about three years, they have only been known as Wisteria for a couple of months. They enjoy performing together in school concert and jazz bands, and have played in other bands at venues like The Crocodile, Snapdragon, and Cafe Racer. However, their upcoming TeenJam performance will mark their debut as Wisteria. They describe their music as rock with jazz influences, currently focusing on covers but looking forward to composing original songs in the future. Neko has been singing casually her entire life and in bands for the past 4-5 years, while Miriam has been singing for many years. They are incredibly excited for their first TeenJam performance!
