Naperville teenagers Adam Botke and Andrew Russell have something in common with 90-year-old Willie Nelson.
They are all musicians who performed at Milwaukee’s Summerfest venue’s BMO Harris Stage this summer.
And, as the lyrics of Nelson’s most famous song say, best friends Botke and Russell “can’t wait to get on the road again.”
Both bands are members of the School of Rock All-Stars Band, a status attained by less than 1 percent of the 62,000 School of Rock musicians worldwide. The All-Stars Band tours in the summer.
Their All-Stars tour kicked off last week in St. Louis and has since stopped off in Indianapolis, Louisville and Nashville, before wrapping up in Memphis on Saturday.
In each city, they performed with the local School of Rock house band.
They say they’re living out a dream, performing live for people across the Midwest during their summer school holidays.
“When you’re on stage doing what you love, it’s an experience that can’t be put into words,” Russell said.
Will this lead to a career in music? Who knows.
But it’s sure to provide high school students with some great ideas for essays this fall on how they spent their summer vacation.
Bottke, 16, will be a junior at Naperville Central High School, and Russell, 17, will be a senior at Naperville North High School.
Both of them developed a love for music from an early age.
Russell began playing the keyboard at the age of four.
“There was a lot of good music in the house,” he says. “When I was nine or 10, I saw Billy Joel at Wrigley Field. That’s what got me into School of Rock. I wanted to play that genre. I love his songwriting,” Russell says.
Botke followed a similar path.
“I heard a lot of music playing in the house. Classic rock, ’80s music, alternative rock. It was all over the place,” he said.
To Bottke, the guitar “just seemed like a really cool instrument,” and he counts Stevie Ray Vaughan and David Gilmour as his favorite guitarists.
Learning how to play was “tough,” he says.
“But like anything else, you have to work hard, practice, push yourself and learn more difficult pieces every day. If you practice a few hours every day, you will improve,” he said.
The approach clearly worked, as Bottke and Russell were selected to join the School of Rock All-Stars band after a grueling three-part audition process.
“It was definitely nerve-wracking and adrenaline-filled,” Botke said. “That’s what it’s all about. I have to be pretty much perfect. I have to show what I can do.”
Botke performed The Who’s “The Real Me” and Metallica’s “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth” for his audition.
Russell chose Joel’s “Prelude/Angry Young Man” and Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish.”
Earlier this summer, the All-Stars band hosted the Naper Night concert at the Naperville Settlement, playing 45 minutes before the headliner, and in a few weeks they’ll be playing Coal City.
As expected, his parents are proud and excited, and they will be accompanying the band on tour.
“We’re going on tour,” Andrew’s mother, Allison Russell, said with a laugh.
“He has high hopes for the future,” his father, Mike Russell, said. “…An experience like this will be a big springboard for him.”
Added Stacey Botke: “I’m so proud of them and so excited for them. It’s going to be a great experience for them.”
Rudolph de Kruijn, who is dating Stacey Botke, noted, “They are very successful in the music world. And they are good students and great kids. I learn a lot from them.”
Looking to the future, Russell said he would like to one day work in a studio helping other musicians.
“I want to keep music in my life and making music is a cool aspect,” Russell said.
Botke agreed.
“Like he said, I want to have a life with music. Music has become a lifestyle now,” said Botke, who relieves stress by playing the guitar.
The same is true for keyboards, Russell says.
“If I have a hard day or I have nothing to do, I’ll sit down and start playing and get in the zone,” he said.
For those interested in experiencing their music live, the band is scheduled to perform at Naper Settlement on August 16th at 5pm.
Steve Mecch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.