Leave Those Kids Alone members (l-r): John Dorman, Timothy Hole, Addisyn Bonadonna and Alex Bonadonna.
LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE FOUR MUSICAL PRODIGIES PLAYING THE CLASSICS STORY BY DICK HILDEBRAND / PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN-PAUL BONADONNA THE NAME WAS INSPIRED by Pink Floyd’s THE WALL. The band’s repertoire is stocked full of songs that were written before they, or even their parents were born. The end result is amazing! And, true to the name, the music is total classic rock. The four kids in the band are students of Pete Palazzolo of the Canadian Conservatory of Music, with valuable assistance from John-Paul Bonadonna, who joined the kids on bass solely because there “wasn’t another youngster to fill the role.” John-Paul himself had been a keyboard player in numerous bands for more than 20 years, before taking a rest and looking after his family a few years ago. He is no stranger to the stage. As a bass player, he proudly performs with the four young players…two of them who are his own. Occasionally he throws in some accompanying vocals, but he leaves most of the work to the kids. And, as he states, “I’m the band’s manager, roadie, sound tech and for now, bass player. To say it’s a lot of work is an understatement, but it’s real easy to find the motivation when two of your kids are involved and two other great kids are joining them.” Even though each of the youngsters is a multiinstrumentalist, each has a specific role in the band. Timothy Hole, 15, is the lead vocalist and plays rhythm guitar. The Walkerville Collegiate arts program student could also be called an expert in classic rock, which he has played since he was 6 or 7 years old. “When we suggest a song to the band, chances are he already knows the words,” says John-Paul, “and I’m sure that when other kids were watching Thomas the Train, Tim was looking at music videos. This is a great benefit to the band. He doesn’t have to memorize the lyrics…he already knows them!” John Dorman, 13, is the keyboard player and, according to JohnPaul, “is extremely motivated. He handles the many parts thrown at him like a musician at least twice his age.” 11 year-old Alex Bonadonna, is the lead guitar player and has
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been studying the instrument since he was 6 or 7 and according to John-Paul, he’s a hard worker and his growth on the guitar has been “amazing. I’m quite taken back by the way he pulls off some of the riffs.” Alex’s diminutive 8 year-old sister, Addisyn is the show stopper, according to proud papa. “She’s the one with the long hair beating out the rhythm.” John, Alex and Addi are all students the Tecumseh Vista Academy. And even though extremely professional and adult-like on stage, says their proud manager, “they’re still kids and during a break or waiting to go on, they talk about normal kid stuff like the latest video games or their favorite pop tunes. They’re having loads of fun. It’s very refreshing being around them.” It all began about three years ago with jam sessions in John-Paul’s basement. Alex was on guitar, little Addisyn was getting pretty hot on the drums and, of course, dad was on the base. They played live on Facebook, or recorded a tune and posted it. “All of a sudden,” says John-Paul, “the requests started coming taking me completely by surprise. People would ask if we would come and perform at their special events. Eventually, after some hesitation, I said why not…let’s do it.” Through his previous band experience, John-Paul says he already had a house full of gear…“I have the lights, I have the speakers…I have the mini van…basically, everything.” He approached the other two parents, suggesting live appearances and a new band was created. In the beginning, the band had learned 8 songs, but as the demand for services got larger, so did the play list which is now upwards of 30 songs. The group’s first gig was last June 29th at the City of Windsor’s Social Media Day at Lanspeary Park. “The crowd,” says John-Paul, “was simply amazed. We actually played our half-hour set, twice.” And, wouldn’t you know it, one of the biggest responses was to the drummer…an 8 year-old female dynamo, with a personality to match her musical talent…not to mention the contributions from