ROCKFORD — Brody Phillips had only been playing bass guitar for a few weeks when he joined the Rock & Roll Institute for a pair of sessions this summer. Now, the 15-year-old budding musician will get the chance to perform on a stage that is normally reserved for bands that have built their following for years.
Phillips, of Rockton, is among the Rock & Roll Institute campers that will culminate their upcoming winter session with a concert inside Hard Rock Live’s 1,600-seat venue. The nonprofit music education program boasts the motto of “start a band on Monday, play a show on Friday.” For the winter session that show will happen at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2 at Hard Rock, 7801 E. State St.
“It feels like magic. I’m not even supposed to be here,” Phillips said Thursday after an event announcing the partnership between Hard Rock and the Rock & Roll Institute. “Being on the stage and having all these people watching and appreciating you — and actually listening to what you have to say — for lack of a better word, it’s amazing.”…