JUMA's 'got milk,' and
music
By MARTY TOMPKINS
H-P Staff Writer |
June 16, 2003
Who are JUMA? Michael Read, 17; Adam Parsons, 17; Kevin Foster,
16; James Anderson, 16; Calvin Brown, 15.
Milk Mustache Mobile Shake Stuff Up Tour.
JUMA and the Rachel Leyco Band battle it out Saturday, June 21.
Virginia Center Commons, Saturday, June 21,
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. JUMA plays at 1 p.m.
June 16, 2003 - They’re more than just an ordinary garage band.
In fact, JUMA, a local band made up of five boys from Atlee High
School, is about to step into the spotlight.
On Saturday, June 21 the "Milk Moustache Mobile Shake Stuff Up
Tour" will roll through Richmond at Virginia Center Commons Mall
to give the members of JUMA a shot at fame.
The band will perform at 1 p.m. on an outdoor stage at VCC,
weather permitting.
Richmond is just one stop on the 100-city talent-search tour, part
of the "got milk?" campaign. Weber Shandwick, the worldwide public
relations and communications management firm responsible for
putting on the tour, sent out talent scouts earlier in the year to
select two Richmond-area bands to compete.
The band’s manager and the drummer’s father, David Foster, said
that while bands usually have to submit tapes and interview to be
selected for the tour, the talent scout chose JUMA without even
going through that process.
"The scout just went on the band’s website, listened to some of
their music and selected them first," he said.
On Saturday the audience will judge a battle of the bands between
JUMA and The Rachel Leyco Band. And the winner will get a chance
to compete with the 99 other local winners from across the
country.
The winner of the national competition will get local radio play,
professional recording time and their song featured in "got milk?"
commercials on MTV.com.
JUMA won six hours of professional recording time from their
victory in the Atlee Battle of the Bands on April 27. Two members
of the band Fighting Gravity and a disk jockey from XL102 judged
the competition.
They already made a CD demo last August, but with the recording
time they won at Atlee, they plan on cutting another CD this
summer.
David Foster is enthusiastic about the band’s growing fame.
"They are getting right famous," he said. "They’ve played at 25 to
30 places and they get standing ovations and encores every time."
The band has performed at downtown Richmond’s Alley Katz, the
Hanover Heritage Festival in May, and are regulars at
Mechanicsville’s Coffee Talk Café.
"They have about 100 to 200 loyal fans that show up every time
they play," said David Foster.
Michael Read, the 17-year-old lead vocalist and guitarist, said
that he and Kevin Foster, the 16-year-old drummer, had always
dreamed of starting up a band.
"Kevin and I had been talking about it for years," he said. "We
finally did it."
And 17-year-old Adam Parsons, the rhythm guitarist, 16-year-old
James Anderson, bassist, and 15-year-old Calvin Brown, the band’s
keyboardist, joined them starting in August 2001.
The band plans to stay together as a group after they head off to
college. Four of them will graduate in 2004, leaving rising
sophomore Calvin Brown behind.
"These guys are college bound, but if they get a recording
contract, they may have to rethink their plans for the future,"
said David Foster.
Parsons characterizes the band’s music as "different."
"It’s a variation of classic rock with blues influences," he said.
The band members said they hope they will have the support of the
Mechanicsville and Ashland area when they compete on Saturday. Who
knows, it could be the start of their path to music stardom.
"We like to have a good time when we play," said Parsons.
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