School of rock
Photo by Krista Melone
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
A lot has changed in the world of music since the days when Elvis shocked the world with his swiveling pelvis and the mere sight of a Beatle caused fainting spells. While we once had collectible album covers designed by real artists, music now travels through the air and is stored in the cloud. Concerts that were once highlights of the social calendar can be seen online from anywhere at any time.
But one thing hasn’t changed yet, and that’s the set-up of your basic band: at least one guitar, a set of drums, a bass player and vocals.
And the fact that not only has rock and roll never died, it lives on in musicians like Bryan Nichols and Dylan Crawford, who are building the next generation of musicians by giving kids more than just basic music lessons.
“When we were in high school we both learned completely from scratch,” Dylan said. “I listened to music so I knew what I wanted to sound like but there was a lot of swinging around in the dark trying to get there. We can save these kids from some of the things we had to do trying to learn the hard way.”
Newly dubbed the “School of Rock,” the space above ZuhG Life Surf Shop in Lincoln City, has become a COVID-safe space with musical equipment, sound systems and even white boards upon which a student can write their set list.
“We want them to have the full experience of being in a band,” Bryan said. “One-on-one lessons are fun, but for a little kid it can get boring. If you put them in a situation like we’re actually forming a band and they are in it, it’s a lot more fun for them. We’ve both been performing for over a decade so our experience is one of the most valuable things we can give them. Basically, this is a workshop to get our students to where they would be ready to play for a live audience.”
The classes are not just about the musical product but also the personal development they offer the students.
“There are some things you can’t just teach,” Bryan said. “It has to be done for real, like the kids get to see how Dylan and I use musical cues to stay together in a song. Our goal for these kids is that if they are ever in a band, they will be ready, and they will also have a lot to offer. These things really help build confidence.”
The two have known each other since they met in Sacramento in 2007 and their similarly styled bands, ZuhG for Bryan and Massive Delicious for Dylan, ended up on a lot of the same bookings.
“Our bands played together so much we ended up playing in each other's bands,” Bryan said. “By the time I moved to the Oregon Coast, Dylan was a member of ZuhG and he would come up for gigs so much that people thought he had also moved here.”
And, roughly two years ago, he did. Knowing Dylan’s educational background, Bryan soon added him to his music lessons business, which he had been running for more than five years.
Originally from central Idaho, Dylan attended the University of Idaho, majoring in music with an emphasis on classical and jazz. Upon graduation, he was accepted into the Berklee School of Music in Boston.
"It was my dream school but I struggled to find work because there were no jobs,” he said. “I moved to Sacramento because the bassist in the band I was in was from there, it ended up being a great spot to start from scratch, but then Bryan moved to the Oregon Coast and you know the rest.”
The men have more than similar music styles; they have similar desires to give as much as they’ve received throughout the years.
Dylan recalls the way a generous upperclassman influenced the course of his life with a simple but generous gesture.
“Early in my schooling at Berklee I had the wrong kind of guitar for the style of music I was trying to learn,” he said. “One day, after I had kept getting yelled at by the instructor because my sound was wrong, this guy let me use his guitar, knowing it had the right sound. Having the right equipment helped give me more confidence and that class went really well. Afterwards, he asked if I liked it and when I said ‘Yes,’ he said ‘Here, it’s yours.’ It was a huge turning point for me.”
He still uses that guitar, and the story inspired Bryan to have the same kind of influence on one of his students.
“I was teaching David (Tasker) and he only had an acoustic guitar and I could see he really wanted to play rock and roll,” Bryan said. “One day he came in for his lesson and said, 'Sorry I haven’t played in a whole day,’ and that’s when I knew he was really going to keep going.”
So, Bryan made sure that he could.
“I bought him an electrical guitar because I remembered that story Dylan told me and I wanted to be able to do something like that for someone.” Bryan said. “I could tell early on that he’s the kind of kid who’s going to bring his guitar to school every day. So far, from what I hear from his mom, he does play it at least once a day.”
Though Bryan can’t repeat that gesture for all his students, he keeps his studio well stocked and his ear to the ground so that his students will have what they need, regardless of the circumstances.
“We’ve had students that come without equipment, which is fine,” he said. “I always have things around for them to use. But we sell things too and can help find equipment for them at a good price. They can use our things but ideally they will do best if they have the equipment they need to practice during the week, too.”
The school has been operating for about a year, and has grown to roughly eight regular students aged between five and 16, including Shane Patrick Lyons who, after playing for about three years, is learning jazz and metal techniques.
“Dylan has taught me a lot about theory and improv,” he said. “He’s also helped me get through stuff I was stuck on.”
Three other students are all from the Oberhofer-Kraucunas family: Ryder, five, Cooper, nine and Finley, 11.
“We feel so lucky to have ZuhG Life’s school of rock,” said Katie Oberhofer. “Cooper has loved his weekly hour-long lessons, and I love how they have taken him from the fundamentals to learning how to play in a group setting. It’s super motivating for him.” Ryder started with ukulele lessons and then tried out the guitar and seems to be enjoying it.
“Even at five he’s able to kind of go in and pick up something new every week and they let him try out the drums or the electric guitar and that keeps him wanting to come back,” Oberhofer said. “Fin has just taken to the ukulele and quickly picked up songs and strings that he can play nearly independently. Last week, he and Dylan played a Beatles song together. It’s great for a fan because he’s typically shy and very rigid in the things he likes to do and this is helped get him out of his shell. They have definitely helped us survive these quarantine COVID times and we have felt super safe going.”
The kids even inspired the parents; Oberhofer has also been practicing guitar.
“Now we have an amp and a microphone,” she said “It’s kind of fun to try and jam as a family.”
Cooper will be one of the performing musicians in the school’s first recital, happening on Thursday, Feb. 11 on Facebook.
“He’s so sharp, he picks up everything I throw at him,” Dylan said. “I can’t wait to see how it goes.”
Bryan is equally excited to show off the talents of their young student.
“He was plenty good before,” Bryan said. “But it’s been really fun watching him be able to develop a whole song, and it’s been a lot of fun for him to come up with the songs that he wants to play.”
Cooper has been passionate about his instrument from the moment his mom showed him a picture of Animal, the Muppet who played drums with destructive and amusing abandon.
“When I saw it I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s me,’” he said
Now he’s ready to show the world what he’s got.
“I’m super confident in myself and my drumming now,” he said. “I really feel ready for this.”
The Thursday, Feb. 11, concert will steam live on the Zuhg Life Surf Shop Facebook page, starting at 2:30 pm. To find out more about lessons in the School of Rock or adult one-on-one lessons, go to www.zuhglifesurfshop.com or call 541-418-2196.