Performance of note at Musicpalooza at Nathan Benderson Park

Every note might not have been perfect, but for the Music Compound students who took the stage at Musicpalooza on Friday at Nathan Benderson Park, it was the perfect setting.

Those musicians and singers performed in Musicpalooza, a free music event to lead into Saturday's huge My Hometown Fest, which was expected to draw hundreds the following day to the same stage.

Musicpalooza featured food trucks, beverage trucks, area vendors, and the DJ, Kurses & Karma. The bands, all made up of Music Compound students (both adults and kids) were The Spokes, Pins and Needles, Solar Apocalypse, Heartbreaker, Jam Band, and Velvet Echo.

Proceeds from the event benefit Sertoma Kids.

The first Music Compound band to take the stage was Jam Band, made up of adults, who not only attend Music Compound to improve their skills, but as a weekly social event.

Longboat Key's Hank Peelle said that while Jam Band musicians get together each week for an open band session, "Hey, we're amateurs."

Music Compound Studio Director Alyssa Martin said such events are important for all the students. "It's a great opportunity for our students to get on a big stage," she said. "They can feel what it is like to perform in a music festival, and they get to collaborate with other artists."

Music Compound owner Jenny Townsend said, "This is so big because it is what they live for. Performing is the most important part of what we do."

Guitarist Charlie Kelly called the Jam Band "an oddball mix of people," but musicians who all love to hang out together.

"We're rookies," he said. "And we're not getting over-complicated. At the end of the day, we just want to hear people say, "you really don't suck."