‘Rock Party’ Saturday

Published 10:41 am Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Nancy Rindflesch’s grandchildren think “it’s kind of cool to have a rock ‘n’ roll grandmother.”

More importantly, Rindflesch does not live in denial. She tells the story herself. No dodging the age question here.

“They support me and they always have — my kids and my grandkids,” she said.

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Rindflesch is one of the acts performing Saturday night at the Paramount Theatre in Austin.

It’s time for the “Summer Rock Party.”

In addition to Rindflesch, lead singer in the Continental Coets band, Crow will be on stage, DJ and the Runaways and Austin’s own DC Drifters.

All acts from the 1960s, all grandparent-age performers.

One can only imagine if today’s rock acts will ever do reunion shows?

Try as hard as younger generations do to ignore it, rock music from the 50s and 60s still has a loyal audience that hasn’t tired of listening to music from a half-century ago.

When Rindflesch had a serious flirtation — albeit brief — with fame and success, she was still in high school. Today, she’s an attractive grandmother, listening to oldies music on her computer at work as a financial analyst.

“Every weekend, every holiday and all summer we were on the road,” recalled Rindflesch. Her biggest hit as a member of the Continental Coets band was the only song they ever recorded: “I Don’t Love You No More.”

The Continental Coets retired at the age of 18.

Saturday night’s Summer Rock Party at the Paramount Theatre will once again be filled with baby boomers, enjoying their music. The kind of music they can sing along to … innocent songs with choruses that stick inside the head.

“This is the fun time of life,” said Rindflesch. “Back then being on the road in a band was a lot of work for a teenager.

“It was pretty intense for two years,” she said of her on-stage career four decades ago.

“I don’t do it on a regular basis to make it hard work today. I now do it for pure pleasure and enjoyment and the fun of it,” she said.

Rindflesch will be joined on the trip down music memory lane by Crow, who had 10 hit records that made the charts in the 60s.

The performers will take the stage beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Paramount Theatre.

Tickets are $14 and available in Austin at the Paramount Theatre box office, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Hy-Vee Food Store, B&J Bar and Grill, Hardy Geranium and Tone Music in Albert Lea.

For more information, call the Paramount Theaatre box office at 434-0934 or go online to www.paramounttheatre. org.