MANVILLE: Young musicians to rock

By Mary Ellen Zangara, Special Writer
   Two Manville youth are getting ready to rock the town on Thursday, March 24, with the Mr. Ray’s Train to Rock 5 Concert.
   Connor Faleski, a seventh grade Alexander Batcho Intermediate School student, and Andrew Conti, a freshman at Manville High School, are participating in the concert.
   The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the VFW on Washington Avenue. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for kids with all the proceeds being donated to the VFW Post 2290.
   ”It is kids from age 10 to 16 in two bands,” said Dawn Faleski, Connor’s mother. “They are really good.”
   Mr. Ray is a children’s music artist and has a big kid following. Ms. Faleski said when Connor was in kindergarten, “I would take him to go see Mr. Ray shows. I got on his e-mail list and I never got off. He sent out a mass e-mailing saying that he wanted to start up this Train of Rock with kids auditioning. He was going to form a band and teach them how to work together. So Connor auditioned and he made it; so did Andrew,” she said.
   This is the fifth concert and both Connor and Andrew have been in the Mr. Ray’s Train to Rock Academy since the beginning. There are two concerts a year so Connor and Andrew have been with Mr. Ray for about two and a half years.
   ”I like it a lot. I love it,” Ms. Faleski said.
   Andrew is one of the group’s guitar players, and Connor plays the keyboards. All of the kids all get along with each other and there is no competition between them, according to Ms. Faleski. “To me that’s what makes it so great and I like having Connor being involved in that.”
   Connor tried out for the Mr. Ray’s Train of Rock with the keyboard but he also plays the drums, too, just starting this year.
   ”I have been playing the keyboard since I was 5 or 6. I like music a lot and playing piano and making music. I play rock and roll and my favorite is the Rolling Stones.” After all, Connor’s middle name is Jagger and he likes all the Stones’ songs.
   For the concert, Connor and Andrew will be playing Elton Johns’ “Tiny Dancer,” “Grenade” by Bruno Mars, “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morrissette, “Semi Charmed Life “by Third Eye Blind, “My Sharona” by the Knack, “Helter Skelter” by the Beatles and more. “It is mixture of old and new.”
   Andrew also auditioned to play in the group. “I think my dad saw an ad in the paper and then he asked me if I wanted to join. I said sure. I auditioned by playing “Layla” by Eric Clapton and I got in. I met Connor through Train Rock. He was in most of my groups. Dawn gave me a ride to Train of Rock. I didn’t actually know he was from Manville, I found that out last year.”
   Andrew started playing the guitar in 2009 and then got into Train of Rock. “If there are any musicians out there they should join as it gives you a feel of a group, it is fun and you get to meet new people.”
   Andrew joked by saying to all his friends “Come to the concert because I am going to be there. It is going to be really cool and fun.”
   Connor and Andrew both invited everyone to the concert.
   ”All the kids in this group are really talented and they can make good music. You should come out and see it,” Connor said.