Rules To Rock By, by Josh Farrar, a new young-adult novel about a girl who pursues her dream of rock stardom and forms a band at her school, will appeal to teens and adults alike. It is slated to hit bookstores June 22, 2010 courtesy of Walker Books for Young Readers. Making this musical adventure even more exciting is the accompanying soundtrack of the same name, a collaboration between the author and non-profit partner, the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls.
RRB is the fun and inspiring tale of Annabelle Cabrerra's quest to form her own band. Annabelle once had it alla successful kid-rock group with an adoring fan base and the potential for serious stardom. But when her parents uproot her from her in-the-middle-of-it-all Brooklyn home and move her to Rhode Island, she feels lost. Starting a new band isn't as easy as she'd hoped, but she is determined to chase her dreams, spurred on by her musical idol, Deerhoof bassist/singer Satomi Matsuzaki.
With Deerhoof playing such an important role in the book, it was only natural for them to be on the soundtrack. Their cover of Swiss punk band LiLiPUT's "Hitch Hike" is the first single. The second single is a sonic letter to Satomi, an original track titled "Hey Satomi"Upon hearing it for the first time, the muse in question responded, "I feel like she is talking to me! It feels natural and real." This track, along with the rest on the soundtrack, is performed by Annabelle's fictional band The Bungles (list of real musicians below), and includes original songs like "What Would Joan Jett Do?" and "Rock Stars Don't Blush," as well as covers of the Dandy Warhols' "We Used To Be Friends" and Miike Snow's "Animal."
Featured prominently on the soundtrack's recordings are members of real-life teen band Blame the Patient, who will be doing several live shows in support of RRB. And don't let their not yet having high school diplomas fool you. The New York Times recently described them as "effective miners of late-'80s and early-'90s indie rock with a ferocious lead guitarist, Hunter Lombard, and a kinetic lead singer, Sofie Kapur." Music, stories and fun
what could be better?
Live Dates
06/23: New York, NY @ Housing Works
Live Band Line-Up
Sofie Kapur (Blame the Patient) - vocals
Justine Skyers - vocals
Hunter Lombard (Blame the Patient) - bass
Anders Kapur (Blame the Patient) - bass
Chris Daddio - bass
Josh Farrar - guitar
Kevin March (Guided by Voices/Shudder to Think) - drums
Max Moston (Antony & The Johnsons, Rufus Wainwright, Baby Dee, Jessica 6) - violin