MHS Student To Headline At Montclair Social Club, Tour US

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Max Munoz ‘20, an incoming senior at Montclair High School, will be headlining as a solo performer at Montclair Social Club on Wednesday, July 10. At the end of July, Munoz will travel to Chicago to rehearse with the School of Rock AllStars, which is touring ensemble that’s comprised of 175 teen musicians who were selected from among 30,000 School of Rock students from around the world. Munoz’s AllStar group will depart for a national tour on July 28 that will include concerts in Pittsburgh, Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, and the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago.

“I’m really excited about returning to Montclair Social Club for another show,” says Munoz, who is a vocalist and keyboardist. “When I performed there in December, my repertoire was mostly covers, like ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, ‘Kansas City’, and ‘Shallow’ from ‘A Star Is Born’, but this time I plan on doing a mix of covers as well as my original songs.”

Munoz developed much of his musical talent and confidence as a student at School of Rock Montclair. His participation in the School of Rock AllStars marks the second year in a row that he was selected to tour with the program. Songs that Munoz and his AllStars bandmates will perform include "Do Ya" by ELO, "Give Up The Funk" by Parliament, "Drown In My Own Tears" by Lacy Gibson, "Hummingbird" by Wilco, and "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran.

After returning from his AllStars jaunt, Munoz will be working in the recording studio with his band Mind Hazard to record an EP of original songs. Along with Munoz, Mind Hazard is comprised of teens from northern New Jersey who met as students at School of Rock Montclair. The band’s diverse influences include Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, James Brown, Dr. John and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kevin March, the General Manager of School of Rock Montclair (and the drummer for indy superstars Guided by Voices), is producing Mind Hazard’s tracks.

“Working with Kevin is a treat because he has an incredible ear for music,” says Munoz, who has performed with Mind Hazard at O'Flanagan’s and the Bitter End in Manhattan; and the Debonair Lounge, Dingbatz, the Carlstadt Village Green, and Morey's Pier in New Jersey. “He offers a ton of suggestions on how we can improve our sound, and we're learning so much from him. He’s very supportive, and he makes recording easy and a lot of fun.”

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