Adrian Rees
Camp Director, Coach
Adrian Rees earned a bachelor's in psychology from the University of Kansas in 2006. He resides in Lawrence, where he gives music lessons for guitar and bass guitar at Richard's Music Company. In 2008, Adrian and long-time music collaborator and friend, Braden Young, co-founded Richard's Rock Camp, a unique community-based music education program for young rock musicians. He has composed music for a variety of youth theatre productions at the Lawrence Arts Center including Hamlet and Zombies, Jason and the Argonauts and Cinderella. In addition, he composed music for The Pied Piper of Hamelin, an original retelling of the classic fairy tale by Ric Averill. Rees has been an active musician for nearly 20 years in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas, and he continues to write, record and perform in his band, The Magentlemen.
Contact @ 785 727 8621
Braden Young
Braden Young is a multi-instrumentalist with an eclectic body of work ranging from musical theatre to modern rock to experimental weirdness. He loves to produce and engineer music at home. Braden specializes in teaching electric bass, fingerstyle guitar, rock, theory, and songwriting. In 2008, Braden co-founded Richard's Rock Camp with Adrian Rees.
Musican/actress Kirsten Paludan has been performing in the regional music/theater scene for over 20 years. She currently fronts four bands (six, if you include two projects that are on temporary hiatus) and has been critically recognized for her ‘genre defying’ voice, garnering three nominations from the Pitch Weekly for Best Female Vocalist. Paludan has sung with Sheryl Crow and Alejandro Escovedo, among others, and performs her own compositions, country & western hits, musical theater, jazz, and modern classics with equal aplomb and dedication. As a songwriter/composer, she has released two full length albums and one EP and has helped score several films. An active collaborator with other bands and solo artists, Paludan has contributed her voice and arrangements to numerous national and regional releases. As an actress, she has worked with notable directors Ang Lee (Ride with the Devil), Kevin Wilmott and Spike Lee (CSA: Confederate States of America), and has recently branched out into the commercial world, doing voice-overs for radio and television. She also appeared in an opera about the life and stories of Edgar Allen Poe, originating the role of Morella. Kirsten is a producer and has facilitated several of her own projects including ‘Starhaven Rounders Cowboy Cabaret’ (co-produced with Lawrence Arts Center, Aug 2015/Apr 2016) and 'Music of the Mind’ (Jan 2017), co-created with her opera singing sister for the Lied Center of Kansas. Paludan has been teaching private lessons in voice, guitar and piano since April 2015.
Kirsten Paludan
Coach
Michael Hamm
Michael Hamm is a Lawrence native who has been an active musician and private music teacher for over 20 years, performing and writing music for bands of many styles. He is proficient in many styles of guitar and bass, including blues, rock, R&B, jazz, bluegrass, and country. When he’s not teaching guitar and bass at The Guitar Studio in Lawrence, KS, he is performing in Lawrence, Kansas City, and surrounding areas, with the bands SUNU, Play Dead, The Band That Saved The World, and Bemsha Swing.
Coach
Ty Scott
Ty has been playing for over 25 years! He has several years of teaching experience in just about every genre. Ty currently teaches at Richard's Music and plays in the local metal band, Hammerlord.
Coach
Spencer Goertz-Giffen is an accomplished musician and songwriter with a background in piano, voice, guitar and trumpet. She is an experienced guitar instructor who has been teaching guitar off and on since 2006. Proficient in a variety of musical genres, Spencer enjoys playing and singing everything from bluegrass and folk to new wave and indy rock. As an active musician in the Lawrence music scene Spencer has performed and recorded music in such bands as The Kinetiks, Hospital Ships, Hello Biplane, and Alien Hellbop.
Spencer Goertz-Giffen
JJ Willems
JJ has been playing music since age five. At 13, he recorded my first album rock/metal with his band "Mediah" produced by Ed Rose with Red House predictions. Over the years, J.J. has been in multiple bands, including leading worship at his church.
COACH
Carlyn Hartsock
Carlyn Hartsock, a Lawrence native, is a River City Rock Camp alum, and has been involved in the camp for 14 years, including time as an intern. During the week, Carlyn works full-time at The University of Kansas in the Marketing & Communications department. Carlyn is also a part of a local band, Izzy Hedges & The Lemon Wedges, with another alum.
In addition to being a coach, Carlyn manages all social media content and marketing efforts for River City Rock Camp, including Facebook, Instagram, and the website.
COACH
Jordan Mills
Coach
Jordan Mills graduated from KU in 2018 with a Bachelors of Music Education in Music Therapy. She worked as an in-home music therapist in the KC metro area before moving on to being a Music Instructor at the Lawrence Art Center bringing music to newborns all the way up to Seniors. Jordan still has Music Therapy clients, as well as private music groups and lessons. Through the years she has played trumpet, french horn, and piano, but mainly sticks to using her ukulele, guitar, and her voice these days along with her ever growing collection of instruments such as, but not limited to, the djembe, xylophones, accordions, banjolele, cabasa, cajon, bongos, tambourine, and the list goes on...