The Trouble With Boys

The Trouble With Boys, a local rock band of 12-13 year old musicians with Washington County ties, has been invited to play the North American Music Manufacturers’ (NAMM) Show in Anaheim, CA on January 17. The NAMM Show is held annually as a way to profile innovative instruments and products related to the music industry. Last year’s NAMM Show attracted 90,000 people from 100 countries. Over 1,500 exhibits allow music industry insiders to check out new gear and gain inspiration for the year ahead.
The Trouble With Boys were honored as a 2009 performance band selection at the NAMM Show. Last year’s show hosted Metallica, Kiss and Ben Harper along with many up and coming bands like The Trouble With Boys. “If we were baseball players, this would be the Little League World Series,” said Conner Brough, the lead singer of The Trouble With Boys. Brough grew up in Salem until he moved to Jeffersonville three years ago.
The NAMM Show event covers four days and The Trouble With Boys will be featured on the John Lennon Stage Saturday, January 17.
The band will travel to Los Angeles on January 14. They plan to play four other shows while in Southern California. On Friday, January 16, the band will be featured at a private showcase event during the afternoon. On Friday night, they will play at the historic Whisky-A-Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The Whisky-A-Go-Go has showcased legendary bands such as The Doors, Van Halen and Guns-N-Roses. After the NAMM Show on January 17, the band will play Saturday night at Anaheim’s Garden Walk. On Sunday, January 18, the band will travel to Valencia, CA to play at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
The band is not paid for any of these performances. “This is a very costly event,” said Chad Brough, Conner’s father. “We view it as a chance to get some national recognition and make some connections in Los Angeles.”
“Being named a NAMM Show performance artist is a major honor and a wonderful opportunity for the band,” said Chad. “However, we must travel with families and cover all travel expenses, which includes equipment rental in some cases. The boys have been saving their money for several months but it doesn’t cover everything.”
In an effort fund this opportunity, The Trouble With Boys are hosting a fund-raising concert and auction on Friday, January 9 at The Grand in New Albany. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds from the ticket sales and the live and silent auction items will fund the bands’ travel expenses.
Two other bands – Identity Crisis and Sacred Sorrow -- will perform with The Trouble With Boys at the January 9th event. Auction items include: A hot-air balloon ride, wine tasting for 20 at Huber’s Winery, a weekend package for Abbey Road on the River including hotel accommodations, a concert from The Trouble With Boys, gift certificates from area restaurants such as Lynn’s Paradise Café, golf for four at Covered Bridge and the Polo Fields and tickets to Actor’s Theatre. Doors open at 6 p.m. The show begins at 7 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. - Salem Leader-Democrat (IN) - January 3, 2009

They are living the life musicians dream of. Booked for paying gigs weekly all last summer, they cover other artist's songs but also write and perform original work. And, they've got a major record label expressing interest in them. But The Trouble With Boys rock band doesn't even have a member of the age of 12.
"A lot of the adults are shocked that kids this age play that good," said Barbara Lutz, 36, mother of bass player, Ricky Traynor.
They weren't even born when many of the bands they admire were producing hits. Citing inspiration from Metallica, Queen, KISS and Alice Cooper, the boys say they prefer the older music.
"I hate rap!" Ricky exclaimed.
"A lot of adults like the songs we play because they remember them from when they were younger," drummer Ryan Michael said. "The kids who come just like the music."
The boys have been playing together for about two years, Ricky said. "From day one it's like they've been playing together forever," said Marsha Lucas, mother of Foster Davis, 12, lead guitarist.
The fourth band member is Conner Sinclair, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Parents insisted that band members use stage names because of their ages and concerns about their safety and privacy.
The band name originated with Conner's grandmother, Denise Pendygraft.
"We were just sitting around brainstorming names and she came up with one we all liked," said Conner's mother, Jamie Brough.
Fostr is a seventh grader at Scribner Middle School; Conner is a fifth grader at Utica Elementary; Ryan is a sixth grader at Our Lady of Perpetual Help; and Ricky is in sixth grade at Community Montessori.
They met through the "Rock School" program run by Mom's Music in Jeffersonville. "They've all been to Rock School but not together," Lucas said. "They just kind of found each other and started playing together.
In August, the group recorded a live performance at Mom's Music to create a three-song DVD at the request of a record company.
"We had done a private party on a rooftop in Indianapolis for a 4-year old's birthday. A woman at the party came up to me and said her daughter worked for a record label and asked if the boys had a website," said Debi Shipton, 46, Ryan's mother.
They quickly created www.thetroublewithboys.com.
Shipton said the company was impressed with the DVD and asked if they had any original songs. In response, Conner wrote the lyrics to the group's first effort, "Remember Me," and Mark Maxwell of Mom's Music composed the music. Ricky then wrote "That's the Trouble With Boys," which Maxwell also put to music.
The music company plans to send representatives to one of the boy's concerts to hear them live. "We never pursued them. They've been chasing us," Shipton said of the recording company.
"The boys see it as just another show," said Mark Lucas. "They are really very humble."
On the Sunday before Christmas, the boys visited children at Frazier Pediatric Rehab and gave each of them a t-shirt, a photo and a copy of their first original song, "Remember Me." They also donate a copy of their DVD to the Kosair Musical Therapy Department.
The band recently sent more than 100 copies of the DVD and shirts to members of the military stationed overseas, along with a note thanking them for their service.
Sherri Wuitschick, stationed in Iraq with the Navy, said in a recent email to Mark Lucas, Foster's father: "I have started handing out the DVD and letters and have been givingb them to people that I know have kids around their age so that they can share the DVD with them when they get back home.
"Thank you again and please let them know that their support is appreciated. By the way, I love the pink T-shirt. Literally everything is brown here so a litle color goes a long way."
The band accepts fewer jobs during the school year but practices two to three times a week and the members take individual lessons.
"They do travel a little bit," Lucas said. "We've got shows scheduled in Louisville, Salem and in Madison. We are also planning a gig in Chicago."-- Jenna Esaray - Courier Journal - Louisville (KY)

The boys are back in town.
The Trouble With Boys returned home to Jeffersonville, IN, after a whirlwind trip to California, where they played the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show in Anaheim. Last year's show hosted Metallica, Kiss, and Ben Harper, along with various up 'n' coming bands.
During the five-day trip, th fellas - Jeffersonville, IN musicians Conner Sinclair, 12, Ricky Traynor, 13, Foster Davis, 13, and Ryan Michael, 13 - stayed in three hotels and played four gigs. Day five was spent in the recording studio. - Louisville Courier Journal - January 23, 2009

Hey you guys saw you at the NAMM Show, and you know what to me you guys were the highlight of the show. I've been rocking since I was 12 and have been recording bands for 28 years. All I can tell you kids is you got the thing, the thing is the magic that some great musicians possess its the thing that there are no words for. It would be great to have you down here when you are in the area. Love your music! Don't forget you guys got the thing. Forever, a new found friend -- Sam, Monterey, CA

"You all should be commended. Nothing else I witnessed that day, including the performances at the main stage was as tight as yours.
Extremely impressive. So much so that each of my teenage daughters, all of whom are older than the boys, bought one of the t-shirts."
-J.N. Palatine, IL, July 2008

"Hey TWB's, I paid $30 with my wife to get in Abbey Road on the River today and I was pretty put-out because none of the bands I heard were playing Beatles songs (what??). Then I happened to catch TTWB's show today. You kids ROCK!! You played not just Beatles songs but good rockin' tunes. I have seen bands in bars around Louisville that can't work a crowd like you guys can...
After seeing TWB's I feel I got my money's worth today. Great Show!!
Keep Rocking...."
-J.M. Jeffersonville, IN, May 2008

"By the way For anyone who missed The Trouble With Boys band (we saw them when walking by to go to the Lawn stage and we had to stay for their entire show), they will be at Cincinnati Kidsfest at Sawyer Point at 12:30 Sunday Our 2 girls cannot wait to see them The girls got on their website www.thetroublewithboys.com and fell in love with the group after watching the video If your kids like the Jonas Brothers, they will love Trouble with Boys
-Sue, Cincinnati, OH, June 2008

"I was awestruck by The Trouble With Boys - those kids perform like they were born with instruments in their hands! Just amazing.
-Carolyn, Marshalltown, IA, June 2008


- www.thetroublewithboys.com

The best experience for me at NAMM this year were the young performers on our stage. Paul Green’s School of Rock showed the possibilities of educational outreach. Cole Marcus, the amazing drum prodigy proved that he can lead a group of seasoned musicians, and by far, the most amazing performance of the entire weekend was the Trouble with Boys. These kids tore up our stage, and brought people to our stage and impressed and amazed every single person in the audience. Watching these kids made me realize how powerful music can be. They just wanted to play, they don’t care about the money, fame, and other things that some people are focused on. It seriously made me wish time travel was possible….

These kids are awesome, check them out right now!
- -- Erik Niewiarowski, The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus.com

Hey everybody! I’m just sitting here on in Los Angeles in front of my brand new 15.4” Macbook Pro observing the wonder of the Leopard OS and thinking back on the Winter NAMM 2009. This was my first NAMM convention, and I was super pumped, and for good reason! The Lennon Bus is parked outside of the convention center and the weather was amazing! Ohio was getting literally feet of snow + Anaheim was in the 80s = awesome. If you don’t believe me, here’s a picture of my shadow taken with my iPhone

The Lennon stage was the best place to be, with live music jamming out all day everyday. I have to say that my favorite performances were by Liyana, where I got to run the pan/zoom shoulder camera, and the group ‘The Trouble With Boys’, a kid group that shredded like a sick(meaning good) adult group. I met all tons of awesome people working the tents, got to watch some sweet live performances by people like Sheila E, and even saw some University of Miami faculty.
Top 5:
-Taping the Liyana concert
-Watching The Trouble With Boys
-Meeting The Glitter King
-Listening to the Godin Artists
-Meeting all the cool people who come out to help the Lennon Bus - -- Doug Larsen, The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus.Com

These Midpoint mini-mites are going to blow you away. If you thought young boy bands only existed in the Jonas Brothers/Hanson vein, The Trouble with Boys is about to take you back to the school. Barely teenagers, these four mischief makers are already veteran performers as well as rock historian's. How many Joe Strummer covers do you think the Jonas Brothers know? Disney better watch out for these fellas. - MidPoint Music Festival - www.mpmf.com Cincinnati, OH

After spending a few days in Anaheim, CA at the NAMM Show, a more-than-100-year-old tradition, I got to see what some consider to be the future of music: new designs for guitars, drums, and pianos; new lines of DJ and mixing equipment; updated editing software. For updates and info on these items, check out http://www.namm.org/thenammshow. However, there’s plenty that will most likely go under the radar this year:

1) Electric bagpipes with a direct out and on-board EQ

2) The Kazoo - not only available in many varieties, but free lessons were also being given

3) A guitar that tunes itself… I didn’t see this demonstration but heard stories of it. It stores the settings for multiple tunings and changes based on user-selection and a simple strum.

4) The Trouble With Boys (http://www.thetroublewithboys.com/ttwb.htm): Picture AC/DC at age 12. Most notably, their guitarist shreds something fierce, rivaling many guitarists of any age.

5) The Chapman Stick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapman_Stick): It’s been around since the 70’s, but it still is pretty sweet.

6) 60-year-olds mixing teen screamo bands… For some reason, I think both parties have different aural visions.

7) JamVOX (http://www.voxamps.com/jamvox): Put simply, it is Guitar Hero on CRACK.

8 ) Scratch-and-Sniff CDs & DVDs: Aside from disc replication and duplication as well as album artwork design and package printing, there is a company marketing 50 scents of scratch-and-sniff discs. MP3 who?

This barely scratches the surface of what was at NAMM, but I wanted to give coverage to some of the things that will most likely lose out to news of celebrity sightings, signings, and performances, or pictures of interestingly-designed guitars and some shiny instruments.
- Word On the Street - Frontside (from Vancouver to NY)

Besides my 'Top 5' picks for NAMM 2009, this group deserves an honorable mention. The group is 'The Trouble With Boys' and I will be doing a follow-up interview with the drummer (Ryan Michael) very shortly. They performed on the John Lennon Educational Tour stage. They rocked the courtyard. Their solos, their stage performance, their musicianship, and their down-to-earth-were-just-kids awareness was very refreshing. Please come back and read the follow up on this band in the near future. You will be amazed, shocked, and enthralled to hear their story. - The Drummers Lounge.com

There was a crowd of about 500 people on Fountain Square to witness the MidPoint youth movement. Local act Mia Carruthers and the Retros, a group led by one of the stars of the MTV reality show “Taking the Stage,” played a mellow set showcasing Carruthers’ sensitive singer-songwriter approach. There were several television cameramen on hand to shoot the performance for MTV, as well as production assistants getting release signatures from people filmed in the crowd.

Preceding Carruthers was Saturday’s greatest spectacle – a four-piece band from Jeffersonville, Ind., called the Trouble with Boys. These four boys – ages 14, 14, 13 and 11 respectively – sang like 20-something women and rocked out like a grizzly old bar band. Glammed-up in a way that made them resemble the mini-Van Halen in the “Hot for Teacher” video, the band looked the part and nailed all the arena-rock conventions too, from convincing guitar solos to call-and-response interaction with an adoring crowd.
- Cincinnati Enquirer