Roll-N-Rock 805 Ups the Volume

Whether it’s college bands cutting their teeth in Isla Vista or rising artists packing downtown stages, it’s no secret that Santa Barbara is fertile ground for new talent. 

But for younger musicians who are still figuring out where they fit in, the hardest part isn’t always learning the notes, it’s finding a stage. 

Santa Barbara Middle School teacher and alum Marco Andrade felt that providing young musicians an environment to thrive was a necessity.  

“There’s got to be a way for us to work together to create a youth music community that adds value to each other’s work,” Andrade said. “It’s a way of building a community that the kids know about.”

This is where nonprofit, Roll-N-Rock 805 comes in. 

In 2016, a group of local musicians and educators organized youth concerts at Pershing Park and Skater’s Point. What originally started as an outreach program in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Bowl soon grew to a larger scale.

“The Bowl and their education outreach program is so vital to nonprofits in town,” Andrade said. 

“I knew that they were going to be supportive of us. Not just in funds, but also the encouragement and mentorship it takes for small programs to get started.”

By 2018, Roll-N-Rock 805 was partnering with festivals like Summer Solstice and the Avocado Festival, giving young musicians professional stages to make their mark.

The hardest part of the process was simply waiting, Andrade explained. After applying in late December of 2025, the approval letter officially recognizing the program as a 501c3 nonprofit finally arrived in the mail.

“In early September, [it] just came out of nowhere. That letter was everything,” he said. “It allowed us to tell the world, call the press and say, ‘Here we are, we’re ready to go.’” 

The official launch marks a new era, offering an easily accessible website where young performers can apply, sign up, and access a full calendar of events. 

Being a life-long musician himself, Andrade has seen the impact that music events, like Song Fest at Santa Barbara Middle School, have had on students.

At one recent showcase, an eighth-grader, Bianca, walked on stage in a tie-dye shirt, set aside her normally shy nature, and surprised everyone by performing Alicia Keys’ notoriously difficult song, “If I Ain’t Got You.” 

She nailed it. 

“Three hundred people were watching, sitting on blankets in this field, and they just got up on their feet and started clapping,” Andrade said. “That was one of the most breakthrough, inspiring things I’ve ever witnessed.”

It’s moments like that, and Andrade’s years of experience at Song Fest, that urged him to create this stand-alone program, capable of reaching beyond SBMS.

Roll-N-Rock 805 ensures that, in addition to honing their musical skills, participants can gain real-world experience in stagecraft, audio, sound engineering, live show productions, and learning how concerts are put together from the ground up.

“I want to do my part in the music community, in the arts community, to keep quality opportunities available for our kids,” Andrade said. “We’re going to rely heavily on the community supporting this effort and I want people to know they can have a lasting effect.” 

Operating entirely on donations and grants keeps the program free of charge for teachers, performers, and festival partners. No audition or pre-existing skills are required, any young musician eager to learn and gain confidence on or off the stage can sign up through the program’s website.

“This is the legacy I want to leave behind,” Andrade said. “Just to be a part of making a sustainable youth music community and to bring all different people together to rally around that.”

For more information about Roll-N-Rock 805, see https://rollnrock805.com/.