12 bands, 40 artists, all teens

The fifth annual Teen Arts and Music Festival will take place at Broad Ripple Park June 13, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The event, which will feature bands from around Indiana, as well as artwork from many Indiana artists, will be open to the public.

"We have the most outstanding musical lineup I have experienced," event coordinator Matt Stokes said. "And with the help of the world's best art coordinator, Janet Gilray, we have an unprecedented lineup of talented artists displaying their works this year."

Hailing from Lawrence North High School, Rocketbot will be one of the 11 bands performing in the Large Pavilion in Broad Ripple Park.

"I haven't been involved in anything like this, and I feel like it is giving us and some of the younger bands there a good opportunity for some publicity," Rocketbot drummer Jordan Inman said. "It's cool that there is going to be a wide variety of ages playing at the festival."

The show will feature a variety of genres: Rocketbot's indie/experimental sound as well as The Are You Readys' pop-punk.

"I would say our sound is sort of a mix of post-rock, electronic and garage-rock. We have some less traditional instrumentation like vibraphone and glockenspiel that might differentiate us from other bands at the festival," Rocketbot guitarist Scott Archer said. "But I'm looking forward to seeing the different styles of music that come from all of the other bands. It should be a pretty eclectic show."

Rocketbot was founded by current vocalist and guitarist Brian Scott and Archer. The two played for a time with computer-generated backing tracks. Last summer, the duo expanded to a full band, adding a live drummer (Inman), a keyboardist (Adam Chandler), another percussionist (Morgan Dragoo) and a bassist (Seth True).

Archer is feeling some jitters before his band's show: "I'm pretty nervous about the usual - screwing up, technical issues, etc. - but I'm really looking forward to playing in front of a crowd since it's been almost a year."

Having never played in a festival environment, Archer is excited about the opportunities it might afford. "I think the main appeal is probably the amount of exposure that could come with playing an event like this," Archer said. "I also like the idea that, since the focus isn't necessarily on the bands, the exposure you get is based on how well you play. The better you play the more people will come to watch, which is refreshing."

In addition to having their music heard on a wider scale, the bands also have the opportunity to be chosen by Stokes to record a demo. "A few of the bands will be chosen by myself and a small committee to record with Tim Brickley in the Hit City Recording Studios, making a quality band demo for sale or distribution," Stokes said.

But, according to Stokes, his event is "not about judging bands or artists but letting them feel like they are contributing to the community by expressing their talents in public."

Over 40 youth artists will have their art on display in various tents to be located in the RiverWalk Teen Art Zone.

Artists, regardless of discipline, were chosen for the event based on "personal presentation" and "artistic value," according to Stokes.

"Generally, the best bands and artists are those trying the hardest to get their music and art out into the real world and somehow they just end up being the chosen ones for the right reasons," Stokes said.