The sounds of bowling balls colliding with pins meshed with groovy, funky tunes radiating from a packed stage at the center of a bowling alley Friday night in Greeley.
The Burroughs perform at 2454 West in Greeley on Friday night. The band was raising money for the Success Foundation to benefit District 6 music programs.(Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)“Live from the lanes,” The Burroughs brought six Greeley-Evans District 6 performers to the stage for a rendition of “It’s Your Thing” by The Isley Brothers to encourage the crowd to financially support the talents of local middle and high school music students.
The evening showed that when “Bands Give Back,” pipe dreams to play music become a reality.
The Burroughs, a nine-member Greeley-based band that has been going strong for 11 years, teamed up with the Success Foundation, the fundraising arm of District 6, to bring an electric, one-of-a-kind benefit concert to life. “Bowl with The Burroughs” put the fun in fundraiser, welcoming all ages to support District 6 music programs.
Six local music kids — sophomore Alexander Larson, sophomore Avalon Parlin, junior Calvin Long, eighth grader Luke Mathews, eighth grader Cooper Moore and seventh grader Marc Vicente — impressed the crowd during a jam session, keeping up with the professionals from the well-known local band.
“We were already the biggest band around, but now we are even bigger,” frontman Johnny Burroughs joked when the District 6 students jumped up on stage during the band’s first set.
The event brought live music, bowling, games, food and beverages all under one roof at 2454 West, 2454 8th Ave. The highly-attended event’s proceeds — a portion of the ticket, food, drink and bowling sales — went straight into the Success Foundation’s pocket to put back into buying musical instruments, supplies and equipment for the talented students in District 6.
Funding gaps in school music programs — one of many initiatives the Success Foundation addresses — emerge due to the ongoing expenses of instruments, whether for repairs or replacement. Access to instruments ensures all students, no matter their socio-economic background, can experience music education.
Unfortunately, in most music programs, students often need to share instruments with their peers or rent or purchase their own instruments. In many cases, teachers also reach into their own pockets to ensure their students have access.
However, in a school district where more than 70% of students live in poverty, that won’t slide for The Burroughs and the Success Foundation, led by Executive Director Julie Hill.
The Burroughs recognized a need in Greeley, where seven out of nine members live, work and play, to increase access to music education, according to band members Briana Harris and Mary Claxton.
That’s why the upbeat bunch launched “Bands Give Back” in 2019 to use their platform, finding the perfect harmony of fundraising, community outreach and delivering lively performances.
“I think using any kind of platform or attention that we’ve built … to funnel some of that opportunity back here in our community is really special,” alto saxophone player Harris said. “We want the place where we live and work to be a great place … have opportunity for young people and have a really vibrant music scene. That’s in our interest, but also the whole community’s interest.”
By 2020, The Burroughs began a partnership with the Success Foundation and hosted their first fundraiser during COVID-19’s quarantine to bring ukuleles into District 6 schools, according to Claxton, who’s on drums and vocals in The Burroughs.
The band knows the need never fades. Usually, schools don’t have enough instruments to go around year-round, taking a toll on teachers and students who work hard to do what they love, Claxton said, pulling from her experiences as a music education teacher.
Yet, the Success Foundation continues to turn the tables for music programs with a two-year fundraising goal of $620,000, according to the organization’s website. The foundation hopes to reach a ratio one instrument for every student in the programs.
The Burroughs wanted to show their respect for the Success Foundation’s efforts because music programs matter to the band. Many of the band’s members got their start in K-12 music offerings.
People bowl at 2454 West during a fundraiser for the Success Foundation to benefit District 6 music programs on Friday in Greeley. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)“Many of us were super lucky to have great music programs when we were growing up,” Claxton said. “We wanted to make sure, as a part of this community, that there are young people having really great experiences with music, just because, not exaggerating, I think it can be really life-saving for young people to have a vehicle of expression.”
Because of this, Claxton and her bandmates knew the time to show up and show out for District 6 again neared. But this time, they wanted to turn to a non-traditional and accessible experience for live music, Harris said.
The bowling alley venue accomplished the band’s desire for the benefit concert to look different from their other shows.
This included opening up pathways and recognition for the young musicians in the Greeley-Evans School District, including those who got to shine with solos during the joint performance. To raise the stakes, The Burroughs also reserved a lane after the show and allowed any donors who donated $100 or more to bowl by their side.
“Julie and everyone at the Success Foundation works so hard to give the students in our town the best possible experience,” Claxton said. “All of our kids deserve that.”
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