Washington, DC's award-winning power pop trio for kids and families -- Rocknoceros -- will ring out 2015 and welcome 2016 in grand style with their 9th annual New Year's Eve parties for families at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 31 at Jammin' Java, 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna, VA.
Watch Rocknoceros in action on Youtube HERE.
The most festive of New Year's Eve celebrations is in store for families at Rocknoceros' Jammin' Java New Year's Eve parties. The centerpiece of these shows is a full-fledged countdown to mid-day instead of midnight, with Rocknoceros directing everyone's attention to a disco ball above the stage. The countdown begins as the ball starts to drop, and when the ball hits the stage, the band leads an apple juice toast, shouting "Happy New Year!" and continuing with a sing-along version of "Auld Lang Syne," as heard on the newest Rocknoceros album, Happy Holidays from Rocknoceros. A special Rockoceros New Year's Eve tradition is for the band to continue to vamp on "Auld Lang Syne" while Coach Cotton reads New Year's resolutions that kids have written down and placed in a bowl at the front of the stage.
Rocknoceros will perform more covers than they usually do at their shows, chosen from numbers like "Drive My Car," Stay Up Late, "Werewolves of London," and "Yellow Submarine." Of course, there will also be plenty of Rockno classics, including "Colonel Purple Turtle" (a whimsical number about our favorite purple turtle), "Pink" (reflecting the rosy color of pigs, bubble gum, and selected flowers known as perennials), and "The United States of America" (from the band's very first CD). Families will also be treated to an array of "U.S. state-themed" songs from the band's album, Plymouth Rockers.
As virtually every family with youngsters in the DC area knows, Rocknoceros is three guys: Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Woogie Bennie. Rocknoceros is the only show in town where families can catch a one-man-band setting the pace for a power trio, with Boogie Woogie Bennie playing the drums with his feet while his two hands are busy with the keyboard and keyboard bass. (And he sings, too!) When this one-man groove machine teams up with the guitar pyrotechnics of Williebob and the vocal prowess of Coach Cotton, the result is a triple-threat, bell-ringing explosion of power pop American energy and talent.
Rocknoceros has been at the forefront of the Washington, DC children's music scene since its inception, winning a remarkable eight
Washington Area Music Awards. The band is a full-time commitment for the trio, which has performed upward of 2,000 shows for families over the past ten years, singing and playing all original compositions (with an occasional Beatles cover thrown in for good measure). In its first decade as a band, Rocknoceros has entertained tens of thousands of fans throughout the country and has gained significant national recognition with performances at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Wolf Trap, and The
Kennedy Center. In addition to this year's Happy Holidays from Rocknoceros! and Plymouth Rockers, Rocknoceros albums include Colonel Purple Turtle (2011, with an accompanying picture book), the NAPPA award-winning PINK! (2009), Dark Side of the
Moon Bounce (2007), and Rocknoceros (2006).
WHAT: 9th Annual Rocknoceros New Year's Eve Party
WHERE: Jammin' Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna, VA 22180
WHEN: Thursday, December 31. Two shows: 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
ADMISSION: $10
TO ORDER TICKETS BY PHONE: 877-987-6487
INFO: 703-255-1566 or The Jammin' Java website
MORE: Full lunch and family-friendly drink menu available. General admission seating. First come, first seated.
