Epic Fail delivers at back-to-school rally

Epic Fail, a very young Eastside rock band that last month won the Hendricks County Battle of the Bands, performed Saturday at the 4th annual Choose Respect Back to School Rally at Garfield Park.

Epic Fail -- all of whose members are 20 years old or younger -- got its start in the halls of Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis, where they played in the student rock band Arisan Maru.

For Saturday's show, the band played several sets, and midway through the musicians invited Eastside Indianapolis resident, writer and author -- and singer -- Julie Young (above with the band's lead singer, Nick Smith) up on the stage to take lead vocals for three cover tunes: AC/DC's "You Shook Me," Heart's "Barracuda" and Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll." Other members of the band are Aaron Hernandez (lead guitar), Mike Herrera (bass guitar), Andrew Day (rhythm guitar) and Wolfgang Amadeus McMurray (drums).

These images were from that show. To view a full gallery of images from the Epic Fail performance, follow the link in this sentence.

Above: Julie Young just starting to get her mojo working.

Above: Bass player Michael Herrera

Above: Julie Young

Above: Lead vocalist Nick Smith

Above: Rhythm guitarist Andrew Day

Above: Lead guitarist Aaron Hernandez

Above: Drummer Wolfgang Amadeus McMurray

Above: Mike Herrera

Above: Julie Young

Indy author accomplishes trifecta

Eastside Indianapolis resident Julie Young spent Saturday afternoon at another signing for her recently published book Eastside Indianapolis: A Brief History.

With this publication, Julie accomplishes the authorship trifecta. She's also written a brief history on the Irvington neighborhood of Indianapolis and a biography about St. Theodora Guerin, after whom the Indianapolis area's newest Catholic high school was named. She already is planning a fourth book, which will explore the history of Shelby County.

The new book features stories, anecdotes and images about the founding, development and growth of such Eastside communities as Irvington, Fountain Square and Woodruff Place. Photographs in the book are from private collections.

If you can't make it to any more signings, the two previous books are available already at amazon.com (click on link to get to Julie's author page), and I believe Julie said Eastside Indianapolis would be available there very soon, too.

When Julie isn't researching, writing or signing her books, she teaches writing classes at IUPUI, writes freelance articles for several publications (including The Indianapolis Star) and contributes to a blog called Julie Writes, a link to which can always be found on the right with other favorite links of mine.

These pictures are from her book signing Saturday at Bookmamas, an Irvington bookstore just off Washington Street (U.S. 40) on Johnson Avenue, right around the corner from the Masonic Lodge and Irving Theater.

The image at right shows people in the checkout line of Bookmamas, waiting to buy copies for Julie to sign. The other images are of Julie enjoying her moment.

Julie has three other scheduled appearances to promote her book:

Aug. 1 -- 7 p.m. -- At the Indianapolis Tornados football game at Park Tudor School. Not only will she have books available for sale there, but she has been invited to sing the National Anthem before the game.

Aug. 2 -- Time TBA -- Ice Cream Social at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center, 5350 University Ave. in Irvington.

Aug. 9 -- 1 to 3 p.m. -- Annual Irvington Walk in the Park Arts Fair and Farmers Market, Ellenberger Park.