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Guitar Club, Wire Choir blow the roof off WVHS auditorium at 30th annual rock show

A group of young people, likely students, posing together in a school hallway, wearing matching t-shirts with a logo or design.

Last Friday night, as temperatures lingered in the single digits, the rockers of the Warwick Valley Middle School Guitar Club and the Wire Choir brought the heat. If you were at the 30th Annual Guitar Club Concert, then you already know. If you weren't... well... you missed out.

Luckily, the student-run WVTV was there to capture all of the electrifying performances, and you can watch their production below. WVMS teachers Shane Peters and Chelsea Fox returned as emcees for the event, which marked an incredible 30 years of the WVMS Guitar Club. Under the guidance of WVMS teachers and club advisors Edward Mesic, Brett Algera, and Wire Choir director Elissa Maynard, 16 student bands took to the stage to perform songs spanning decades, crossing genres, and ranging from Motorhead to Taylor Swift. 

See a gallery of photos from the 2026 Guitar Club Concert below this story, including band photos of every group and action shots from the show!

Additionally, a group of Guitar Club alumni, now Warwick Valley grads, returned to perform. Of course, a highlight of the evening (particularly for the students) was the WVMS Faculty Band performing Thin Lizzy's The Boys Are Back in Town. And yes, that is Principal Yapkowitz serving as principal shredder.

Guitar Club encourages students to be creative and bold, obviously. But more than anything, it calls on them to be responsible, respectful collaborators. The way it works is like this: Bands are formed from the pool of all Guitar Club members. Once bands are formed, music is assigned to them. Band members are then responsible for learning their parts, both in Guitar Club meetings and by working at home on their own. Not only does that expectation improve the quality of concert performances, but it also helps students understand the importance of being a supportive bandmate—a collaborator—who is respectful of others’ time and effort.

A group of people, some standing and some seated, are gathered on a stage with musical equipment and a microphone, suggesting a performance or event taking place.

Mr. Mesic was honored by the students and his colleagues at the end of the concert, as he plans to retire at the end of this year. It will bring his tenure as Guitar Club leader to a close, a role he enthusiastically inherited from the club's founder, retired WVMS English teacher Darryl Wilbur -- incidentally, Mr. Mesic's father-in-law!

The evening was recorded by students in Dan Cecconie's video production program for their YouTube channel, WVTV. Everything that WVTV puts out is completely student-produced, from the setup and scripts to filming and editing. You can watch their production of the Guitar Club concert below.

The Guitar Club and Wire Choir thank the MANY families, friends, and faculty who packed the auditorium to support them. They hope you enjoyed having your faces melted as much as they enjoyed performing.

Guitar Club 2026 Setlist
  1. I Fought the Law - The Clash
  2. Wild Thing - The Troggs
  3. Wipeout - The Surfaris
  4. Life Could be a Dream (Sh-Boom) - The Chords
  5. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.
  6. Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus
  7. Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
  8. Vivant - E'lissa Jones
  9. A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton
  10. Come Together - The Beatles
  11. You Belong With Me* - Taylor Swift
  12. Guns - Green Day
  13. Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears
  14. Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics
  15. I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
  16. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
  17. The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy
  18. Ace of Spades - Motorhead

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