!Arts & Entertainment
Rock All-Stars
Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News
the All-Stars."
The Paul Green School of Rock,
which holds music classes for
youngsters 13-17 outside their
sher Bank, 13, doesn't
traditional school hours, was the
know anyone living
inspiration for the Jack Black
in Michigan, but he's
full-length com-
going to give a
edy film School
musical preview
of Rock. Founded
of his bar mitz-
in Philadelphia in
vah party to a
1998, the program
local audience.
of contemporary
Asher, a drum
sounds has expand-
student at the
ed to 20 locations,
performance-
including Los
based Paul
Angeles and New
Green School
York.
of Rock in New
Asher, whose
York, was chosen
paternal grandfa-
to tour with the
ther and uncle are
school's All-Stars
drummers, became
and will appear
Members of the School of
interested in the
in a free concert Rock All-Stars
instrument when
8 p.m. Friday,
he was 6 after being
Dec. 29, at the Royal Oak Music
given a drum set for Chanukah.
Theatre.
The young instrumentalist will He realized that he could play by
ear by the time he turned 8, and
join with the same group at his
New York party in March, when a started aiming for a career as a
professional musician.
sampling of Jewish music will be
"I'm a physical kind of guy,
mixed in with the usual program.
and that's why I like drums," says
"We do a compilation of clas-
Asher, who enrolled in the rock
sic rock, which includes the kind
school less than a year ago after
of music done by Led Zeppelin
hearing about it from a friend.
and Frank Zappa, and we do
"I like sports, and there's a lot of
some jazz," says Asher, who has
performed with the group at New motion in playing the drums. I'm
on sports teams, and I play soc-
York clubs, toured the East Coast
cer in the fall and baseball in the
and entertained at a festival in
spring."
Germany. "I'm the youngest in
A
Because Asher can play any
music he hears, he does not study
drumming in any formal way at
the School of Rock. Instead he
goes over different techniques to
use in playing.
The All-Stars are students
who excel at their chosen instru-
ments and are selected to play at
top venues around the country.
They have been joined on stage
by rock legends, such as Alice
Cooper and Peter Frampton.
Together and individually, stu-
dents have been featured on
national TV and radio shows.
Asher is grateful he can
practice drums in the school,
where he's a seventh-grader. His
family lives in an apartment, and
the drums can be too loud for the
neighbors.
"I'm very excited about play-
ing at the NAMM (International
Music Products Association)
Show coming up in Anaheim,
[Calif.]," Asher says. "The best
musicians in the world will be
there, and the All-Stars will be
playing in front of them. We
also will see the top-of-the-line
equipment."
The School of Rock All-
Stars appear in a free
program 8 p.m. Friday, Dec.
29, at the Royal Oak Music
Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St.
Tickets may be obtained in
person at the theater box
office. (248) 399-2980,
Ext. 13.
Off The Island
Gerri Miller
Special to the Jewish News
food deprivation — Penner lost
30 pounds and has kept 20 off
— or trips to Exile Island, where,
hen writer-producer
rain aside, he welcomed the
and sometime actor
peace and solitude.
Jonathan Penner was
While away, the Alan Alda
chosen for Survivor:
sound-alike missed his
Cook Islands, he was
kids, Cooper, 11, and
thrilled. "The chance to
Ava, 7, and his wife,
play Robinson Crusoe
Stacy, a director and his
is a childhood dream
partner in several future
come true said the
TV and film projects.
New York-born Los
They greeted him at the
Angeles resident, 44,
airport on his return
who kept his eye firmly
with a pastrami sand-
on the $1 million prize: Jonatha n
and a root beer.
He played aggres-
Penner
He's been to the chil-
sively for it, working
dren's school to talk about
alliances and flipping allegiances
"Survivor science," including
twice, making enemies of his
how to crack a coconut.
competitors before his ouster on
Though raising his children
the Dec. 9 episode. On the Dec.
in the Reform Jewish tradition,
17 season finale, management
Penner considers himself "not
consultant Yal Kwon, 31, came
particularly observant. I don't
out on top.
keep kosher or observe the
"I understand that I hurt peo-
Sabbath, but I certainly consider
ple's feelings with the moves that
myself Jewish by culture and
I made, but I hope that they can
religion?'
see that it was never personal.
Calling Survivor "an extraor-
I never meant to hurt anybody,
dinary experience one he'd do
and I was only trying to progress again, Penner said he "learned
my own agenda in the game
more about tolerance and appre-
reflected Penner.
ciation of other people" and
"I rubbed some people the
harbors no hard feelings toward
wrong way. I'm sure it was more
anyone involved. "But am I going
peaceful —and more boring
to invite them to my kid's bar
— after I went home?'
mitzvah? That, I don't know?'
Dealing with co-castaways'
personalities was harder than
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