Electric guitar taking center stage at Exploration Place events

Warning: It might get loud. In fact, it almost certainly will.

The electric guitar’s appeal for musicians young, old and in between will be on display during a couple of events at Exploration Place.

On Thursday night, a group of musicians from School of Rock Wichita will perform while Xclusive Event Services staffs a cash bar and the Kamayan food truck sells its fare. The school, which teaches kids ages 12 to 18 how to play rock ’n’ roll, has an audition-only “house band” of 15 members who will play at Exploration Place.

Although the group includes singers and other instruments as well – drums, bass, keyboards – guitar naturally takes center stage in many songs.

“Those are the kids we take around and do promotional events with, whether it’s the Cattleman’s Ball, Riverfest, or any kind of charity event that needs entertainment,” Jason Ramsey, a co-owner and general manager, said.

On May 5, Exploration Place will show a documentary called “It Might Get Loud” about three famous electric guitarists from three age brackets – Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, the Edge of U2 and Jack White of the White Stripes. The Flying Stove food truck and Xclusive Event Services will provide refreshments that night.

Both events are for people 21 and older. They’re part of the “Sounds of Science” series that the museum launched in conjunction with a traveling exhibit called “Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World,” which features nearly 60 rare and valuable guitars.

“This is the time of year when it’s cold and windy – usually – and people want to do something fun,” museum spokeswoman Chritina Bluml said.

Last month, Exploration Place presented a trio from the Wichita Blues Society and, in connection with public radio station KMUW, Wichita State University guitar professor William Flynn and his combo. Tickets to all of the “Sounds of Science” shows include admittance to the guitar exhibit.

Ramsey said the School of Rock students enjoyed the exhibit during another recent performance and the museum. Among other artifacts, the exhibit includes the world’s largest playable electric guitar.

“They loved it,” he said. “They took a break in the middle of the set and it was hard to get them out of there.”

However, he said the students are looking forward to being the stars of the event themselves.

The set list is still taking shape. The group knows about 35 songs from artists such as Nirvana, Bon Jovi and Tina Marie.

“We’re gonna bring out equipment, set up and just rock for a couple hours,” he said. “It gives them a chance to perform some more and play on bigger stages in front of people.”

Museum officials asked folks from the Tallgrass Film Festival for helping in choosing a film about guitars.

“This one really stuck out that both organizations really liked it,” Lela Meadow-Conner, the festival’s executive director, said of “It Might Get Loud.”

The film shows the musicians talking about their signature sounds and influences and shows them teaching and playing each other’s songs together, including “I Will Follow,” “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” and “In My Time Of Dying.”

“For music lovers, it’s really spans the generations, I think,” Meadow-Conner said. “It’s got that independent feel as well.”

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Electric guitar taking center stage at Exploration Place events."