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| Amazing
Kids! of the Month
Amazing Kids! is proud to highlight the Amazing Kids! of the Month! Each
month, we showcase kids who are accomplishing amazing
things. We hope that by telling their special stories, we will inspire
other kids to accomplish their own amazing achievements. Amazing
Kids! of the Month for December, 2008:
“Craig MacGregor has been a mentor who significantly influenced us and our music. He was the one who really helped us learn to play together as a band, instead of playing our instruments separately. He taught us to be professional musicians.” “It takes a lot of hard work and practice. If you work and promote your band, it can happen.” Ned Goldman, lead vocals and guitar, “Collin’s parents (Craig and Lisa MacGregor) have really done a lot for us. In addition, the Foghat band and everyone else who believed in us helped us to get this far.” “Have your own voice and don’t let anyone change it. Find other people who like music and play songs with them. Always listen to different styles of music; rock music is just a small portion of the amazing music in the world.” Steve Kowalski, bass and vocals, “My main mentor is my father, Craig MacGregor, because he is an amazing bass player who knows a lot about the music industry. He has helped me greatly. I really don't think I would play as well as I do today without all the years of his encouragement.” “Stick to playing what you love. If you don't like the music you are playing, then you shouldn't be playing it. Always practice; you can never learn too much.” Collin MacGregor, drums “I had a guitar teacher, Andrei Maurer, who helped me a lot. He truly motivated me to learn more about music theory, which I'm really thankful for now.” “My advice to aspiring musicians is to practice a lot and be persistent, because everything takes time. Also, get to know as many other musicians as possible. Then, when you are ready to form a band, you will have an idea of who you might want to include.“ Steve “Koz’ Kosciusko, lead guitar and vocals, “Look no further than Comic Book Heroes for the next solid young band. I suspect they will be a major player amongst the mainstream scene in no time for years to come.” Guestlist Magazine, September 2008 Our December 2008 Amazing Kids! of the Month: Comic Book Heroes (CBH) is an amazing young rock band on the rise, whose music is often described as guitar-oriented rock with a vintage feel. Hailing from Reading, Pennsylvania, the band consists of four incredibly talented 16-year-old teenaged boys: Ned Goldman, lead vocals and guitar; Steve Kowalski, bass and vocals; Collin MacGregor, drums; and Steve ‘Koz’ Kosciusko, lead guitar and vocals. The band members have been good friends for quite some time, first forming their band and playing together when they were just 11 years old. CBH began performing live in May 2004 and has played more than 200 shows nationally. Audiences consist of kids, teens and adults alike who are big fans. Not only talented musicians, these high school juniors write and perform their own original songs too!
Table of Contents
Ned is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the band. Although a self-taught guitarist, he is a classically trained pianist and a professionally trained vocalist. In his free time, he likes to listen to music, play in the band and study.
Steve plays electric bass and sings for Comic Book Heroes. In addition, he plays upright bass in the local youth symphony. He has been influenced by the music of David Bowie, Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac and Of Montreal. Along with music, he also enjoys writing and reading books.
Collin, the band’s drummer, has been playing for many years. He plays in both the school orchestra and jazz band. The Who, ZZ Top, Nirvana and Metallica are a few of his favorite bands. He truly enjoys music, movies, drawing and video games.
‘Koz’ is the lead guitar player and sings backup for the Comic Book Heroes. He has studied music for several years and also plays piano and saxophone. His diverse taste in music ranges from Aerosmith to Radiohead to the Foo Fighters.
Comprised of a highly talented group of 16-year-old musicians, Comic Book Heroes is a rock band with its roots in classic rock, yet flavored with their own unique sound often described as “retro, yet modern rock mashed up with a bit of grunge and arena rock.” Their distinctive sound can be heard at theaters, stadiums, festivals, night clubs, parks and beaches across America. They have performed nationally in venues of all sizes, for audiences of up to 10,000 people! They’ve performed at The International Pop Festival (NYC and Hollywood), American Music Theatre, Six Flags Amusement Park, Hershey Park, The Knitting Factory and more. Currently most performances consist of a 60-minute set of songs played from their new CD, Take a Seat. These dedicated young musicians work very hard, typically rehearsing 3-5 times a week. Having caught the ears and hearts of a wide group of fans, Comic Book Heroes has been invited to perform as the opening act for many successful bands like Foghat, Steppenwolf, Jealousy Curve, REO Speedwagon and others. CBH is fortunate to have musician Craig MacGregor, father of CBH drummer Collin MacGregor, the bassist for the 1970’s band Foghat, as advisor to the band. Both Craig and his wife, Lisa, the band’s manager, have been supportive and extremely helpful to the teenage band.
CBH currently has two self-released CD’s, both available for purchase on iTunes and CD Baby: http://www.comicbookheroes.info/wst_page6.html. Their first CD, released March 2006, is titled Comic Book Heroes. The second, titled Take a Seat, was released this past July, 2008. CBH has been interviewed and has performed on TV and radio, as well as in newspapers and magazines. In February, 2007, the band appeared in a music video on Nickelodeon’s Noggin channel’s hit series, Jack’s Big Music Show” (Check out the video of their appearance on the CBH website at: http://www.comicbookheroes.info/wst_page8.html. Scroll down to the section that says: “Comic Book Heroes 'Purple People Eater'as seen on Nickelodeon's Noggin channel hit show Jack's Big Music Show,” and click on the video image to watch.) Recently, the CBH band was chosen to showcase and participate in a panel in this past October’s CMJ Music Marathon in New York, the largest and longest running music event of its kind which helped launch the careers of many successful bands including R.E.M. and Green Day. The event attracted over 1,200 artists and 120,000 fans in more than 75 of the city's nightclubs and theaters!
Like most musicians, each of the band members of Comic Book Heroes have many different interests outside of music. But one outside interest which they all share is their dedication to helping charitable causes. Because of their desire to give back and help others less fortunate than themselves, each of the band members donate much of their talents, time and energy doing charity work. Comic Book Heroes recently signed up to become Amazing Kids! Youth Ambassadors supporting the Amazing Kids!’ Launch My Dream! initiative (www.amazing-kids.org/launchmydream.html), which is helping kids launch their dreams for their amazing future. The band will form the first “Launch My Dream! Team” to be located in Pennsylvania. Their “Dream! Team” will help talented kids from a promising area band get their start in the music business. CBH’s “Dream! Team” will make a video of their experiences which will appear in the upcoming Launch My Dream! webcast on the Amazing Kids! website.
Other charitable work by the group includes performing in a free concert last April (2008) benefiting the Humane Society (a group that works to protect animals) at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. On July 26, 2008, the band performed another free concert in Peoria, Illinois, for Crusaders for Kids, a non-profit charity for children that helps with medical expenses. Using their non-musical talents, the band also donated their time and labor last July to help build a home in their local community for Habitat for Humanity, an organization which helps build homes for the needy around the world.
AK: How and why did you get your start in music and the band? (Ned): "The band got started when we were all in sixth grade. We got together to perform a song for a talent show and found we played really well together. We took it from there and soon became very serious about our music. I began playing music when I was about 6. I started taking classical piano lessons after hearing my brother play for years. Music became a big part of my life very early on." (Steve): " We all had musically active families and grew up surrounded by music. We started the band because we live in a really small town and aren’t great at sports (except for Ned, who might be alright at lacrosse)." (Collin): "I got started playing drums when I was 6. I chose drums because I wasn't very good at other instruments." (Steve ‘Koz’): "I started playing piano when I was 8, and took lessons for 5 years. I still play, but I don't take lessons. I also played the alto saxophone in the school band and took private lessons from 4th to 7th grade. I started playing guitar when I was 13, and it was immediately my new favorite instrument. I haven't stopped playing since." AK: Who are your mentors and how have they helped you? (Ned): "Craig MacGregor has been a mentor who significantly influenced us and our music. He was the one who really helped us learn to play together as a band, instead of playing our instruments separately. He taught us to be professional musicians." (Steve): "Collin’s parents (Craig and Lisa MacGregor) have really done a lot for us. In addition, the Foghat band and everyone else who believed in us helped us to get this far." (Collin): "My main mentor is my father, Craig MacGregor, because he is an amazing bass player who knows a lot about the music industry. He has helped me greatly. I really don't think I would play as well as I do today without all the years of his encouragement." (Steve ‘Koz’): "I had a guitar teacher, Andrei Maurer, who helped me a lot. He truly motivated me to learn more about music theory, which I'm really thankful for now. Obviously, Craig has helped the band progress and helped us all become better at what we do." AK: What are your goals for the future, both as a band and individually? (Ned): "We want to succeed musically without sacrificing the artistic aspect of our music and band. Personally, my main goal right now is to further my musical training to add even more to the band." (Steve): “We’re definitely going to take this as far as we can, and it looks very promising. Individually, we’re all considering the possibility of music college.” (Collin): “I would love to see this band become big and tour the country or the world. My all time goal is to be the best drummer I can possibly be and keep playing the music I love. I would also like to get into a music college and study music and recording.” (Steve ‘Koz’): “My goals for this band are to have as many people as possible hear our music, to keep making the music we like, and become successful in this career.” AK: What inspiring words of advice do you have for other kids who may want to become musicians and start their own band? (Ned): “It takes a lot of hard work and practice. If you work and promote your band, it can happen.” (Steve): “Have your own voice and don’t let anyone change it. Find other people who like music and play songs with them. Always listen to different styles of music; rock music is just a small portion of the amazing music in the world.” (Collin): “Stick to playing what you love. If you don't like the music you are playing, then you shouldn't be playing it. Always practice;, you can never learn too much.” (Steve ‘Koz’): “My advice to aspiring musicians is to practice a lot and be persistent, because everything takes time. Also, get to know as many other musicians as possible. Then, when you are ready to form a band, you will have an idea of who you might want to include.“ To listen to the amazing music of Comic Book Heroes, and to learn more about the band, be sure to check out the Related Links section below! Related Links
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| .............................................................................................. It's no secret...every person has an "amazing-ness" inside of them, just waiting to be discovered. (Sometimes we just need a little help in finding out what that "amazing-ness" is!) If you are doing some amazing things too, we want to hear about it! Tell us about your amazing accomplishments, so we can tell the world just how amazing you are! We are always looking for new stories. And don't be shy! We'd love to hear from you! WHY NOT HELP OTHERS SEE THEIR OWN POTENTIAL? If you know someone who needs a little encouragement, why not tell them what you think is special about them? Maybe you can be the one to help them uncover their own special talent. Amazing Kids! is looking for teens to be Amazing Teen Volunteers and Ambassadors. If you'd like to join Amazing Kids! in helping to spread the word, please email us at: info@amazing-kids.orgIt's cool to be an Amazing Kid! |
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