JUST SAY NO-LAPALOOZA LONG ISLAND PRESS
One way of teaching kids to eschew drugs
is role-playing scenarios. But for
music producer Ken Franklin,
the only playing that happens in his anti-drug
lessons comes from the headlining rock
quartet. Since March 8, Franklin's
"Skoolapalooza" tour has been talking-and
singing-to teens and pre-teens at schools
across the Island about how to live
a drug-free life.
"Turn up the music and turn down the
drugs is our message," says the
scruffy-faced Franklin. His inspiration
was not only to give something back to the
community but also to give back in
a different way. "So many anti-drug programs
try to beat kids over the head with
their message," he says. "The only beat
going on in our show is from the drums
of the featured performers."
A foursome of teenagers from Westchester,
Franklin's main act call themselves
Ten Feet Deep (TFD). A cross between
Counting Crows, Matchbox 20 and the Dave
Matthews Band, these teens are not
just a garage-band bunch of John Mayer
wannabees. They were the East Coast
champions of Teen People Magazine's
nationwide teen talent search. The
clean-cut quartet writes all their own songs, with
titles such as "Wide-Eyed Wonder."
"We're not trying to be holier-than-thou
when it comes to drugs. We would
just rather write and play songs than
binge drink," says lead guitarist Brendan
Ryan. Indeed, TFD doesn't play songs
laced with pandering anti-drug slogans.
"We're teenagers ourselves so we use
our age to make the message relatable,"
says Alex Fonarow, the band's lead
singer. But they make sure their point gets
made. Halfway through the four song
set Fonarow stopped the music to talk to the
crowd. "We couldn't do what we do here
if we smoked or drank or used drugs,"
he told an assembly of a few hundred
teens at Sayville High School.
Franklin's dream was almost silenced
by the souring economy. Computer giant
Gateway had originally planned to underwrite
the tour but backed out at the
last minute. Not wanting to sacrifice
his idea, Franklin decided to fund the tour
from his own pocket, spending approximately
$1,500 per show. This year's tour
will run a total of $9,000. -Paul Perillie