Past and future come together at Rock & Roll Recital

Some musical history and some possible musical futures are headed to Danville Wednesday, May 26 as Chester Farrow’s Rock and Roll Recital returns to the Village Theatre.

The history is Farrow –- a retired electronics teacher at Monte Vista High School –- and his shows, which began in the ’60s when he began putting on small concerts so his classes could practice sound and video recording and editing.

Over time those concerts grew, and when Monte Vista opened an 800-seat theater in the early ’70s, it started drawing some big names, like Journey, The Doobie Brothers and Huey Lewis and The News.

Those concerts ended in the ’90s, and in 1999, evolved back into recitals, like those Farrow put on in the early days.

The idea to hold a guitar recital, Farrow said, came from his current day job as scoreboard operator for the Oakland A’s. An executive there, Alan Ledford, had a son taking lessons from Danville-based guitar teacher Bruce Hock. The boy would practice in his room, but wouldn’t play in front of his parents.

Farrow took the idea and ran with it. He drew on his former Monte Vista students, now grown and working in a number of careers –- everything from audio and video production to public relations –- thanks to Farrow, who not only taught them but provided recommendations.

“Every major sporting event is covered by my students,” Farrow said. “They’re engineers and directors, those kinds of things. In a way they’re saying thanks to their old man. At 67 years old, looking back, you’ve seen what they’ve done.”

Even the publicizing the show is being handled by a former student, Michael Coats, who credited his career to Farrow.

“I was kind of the class clown. My big mouth turned me into a PR guy,” Coats said. “I own my own PR firm right now.”

Ten of Farrow’s former students are volunteering for Wednesday’s show, giving up personal time to help out. Farrow said for him, “it’s just a way to stay in touch.”

The performers are all students Hock. Farrow said they come from every level.

“They range in age from 7 to 70,” Farrow said. “I’d say they’re 30 percent adults, and 70 percent are students, elementary, high school or college.”

The show will start out with a long acoustic set, with Hock flanked on either side by his protégées, backed by four hand-picked singers, all students from Monte Vista.

“They do classic rock songs and classic blues, that kind of thing,” Farrow said.

The last 25 percent will be electric. A band put together by Hock will back up the students.

“This is the opportunity for them to perform under lights with a big sound system. This is almost their commencement,” Coats said. “You’re going to see people on the stage from young kids to people later in life who just wanted to learn guitar.”

If history is any indicator of what to expect, there could be some future stars in the group. A number of Hock’s students went on to become famous, like Dan Vickrey of the Counting Crows, Kevin Feyen of the Black Eyed Peas and Jason Hammon of the Dance Hall Crashers.

For years the event was held at the Lesher Theater in Walnut Creek, but the hall provides its own sound system, and Farrow likes the project to be hands on. The Village Theater, located at 233 Front St., is an opportunity to bring in a sound system specifically for the venue, he said.

Tickets for the event are $30 ($25 for seniors 55 and over and children 18 and under) and are available at the Danville Community Center, 420 Front Street, Danville; online at www.villagetheatreshows.com or by calling 314-3400. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.

The show will also be webcast for free at www.rockandrollrecital.com.

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