Tate Sanderson is Johnny Rock — Kyle Thomas Photography

Tate Sanderson in mask and yellow wig playing an orange guitar in front of the City of Encinitas welcome sign on Vulcan Avenue — Tate Sanderson at the City of Encinitas welcome sign on Vulcan Avenue — the frame that opened the story in print.

1964 is known as the year of the British invasion. Not with guns and bombs but with the music of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and The Who, to name a few. It also marked the arrival of newborn baby, Tate Sanderson, who it turns out, was also born to rock ’n roll.

And so Tate rocked. So much so that he wrote a rockumentary/biography and made a movie of his life, and then mashed them both together into a MovieBook®.

Celebrated on 4/20 at Tate’s recent epic, book release party at the Encinitas Elks Lodge. Tate’s new MovieBook®, Johny Rock - Tales from the Road, 2nd Edition - A Life of Rock-n-Roll, is now available.

The Johnny Rock Band on stage at the Encinitas Elks Lodge surrounded by tiki heads, beach balls and hand-painted props, with a Johnny Rock Band banner across the front of the stage — The book release party, Encinitas Elks Lodge, April 20, 2024. The tiki heads and the beach balls travel with the band.

So what in the heck is a MovieBook® you’re asking?!

Tate explains, “I’m totally stoked to be part of a new idea called MovieBook® created by Encinitas-based book and documentary film publisher, Daphne Fletcher at Ledge Media, where you take a book and mix the text in with QR codes and other types of links where you have movies and videos where you can visualize the book even more.”

Johnny Rock - Tales from the Road is comprised of 35 historical chapter adventures, each with a corresponding segment of Tate’s movie that you view by scanning a QR code with your smartphone.

Cover of Johnny Rock: Tales from the Road, 2nd Edition, A Life of Rock and Roll by Tate Sanderson, showing a long-haired guitarist from behind under a stage light — *Johnny Rock — Tales from the Road*, 2nd Edition. Thirty-five chapters, thirty-five QR codes, one movie.

I must confess, that before Tate’s book was available, I binge-watched all 35 movie chapters. When I finally got my hands on the book, it did not disappoint! It was as fun to read as the movie was to watch.

I was also excited to learn at the book release party that Johnny Rock’s new album, The Good Life, is near completion, and scheduled to be released by the end of this summer.

Tate tells me he is super stoked because on The Good Life, “We have some special guest rock stars performing on these recordings”;

“Isaiah Mitchell guitarist from "Black Crowes, and Earthless band,”
“Rand Anderson Pedal Steel Guitarist from "Slack Key Ohana, Mudflap, and Sweet Juanita" bands,” and,
“Jackie Powers Steel Drums from “Jimmy’s Buffet””.

“All of these are great musicians from the Encinitas area,” Emphasizes Tate.”

Born in Whittier California, Tate relocated to Leucadia when he was one year old.

What do you love about Encinitas?

Tate Sanderson standing in a field of yellow mustard flowers beside Coast Highway, holding his mask and wig up beside his face and cradling an orange V-shaped guitar — In the mustard beside the highway, mask in hand. The wig and the guitar are as much a part of Johnny Rock as the songs.

“The weather, the laid back, arts, surfer, musician’s style attitude, and the food. Great Mexican food, pizza, and even great Japanese food. It just feels like home to me. I grew up here and every time I was out on tour, I’d be looking, thinking maybe there’s a better place that doesn’t cost so much I could move to one of these days. We toured all over the US, and Mexico, and it was always great to be back home, and the first thing we would do was pull into a Robertos or some kind of taco shack and get a carne asada burrito. You know, they don’t make Mexican anywhere else like they do here!”

And hence, the genesis of one of Tate’s classic songs, Back in Encinitas.

Johnny Rock Band QR code linking to the music video for Back in Encinitas — **Scan it or tap it** — this plays *Back in Encinitas*. The QR code was meant to run with the magazine story and was left out by accident, so here it is. Watch on YouTube.

For all of you who’ve spent time at, or just walked by, the American Legion on Second and F Street, you’ve probably noticed across the alley is Tate’s studio, Music Music. “I always had a little room in the back of my mother’s dance studio,” says Tate, “Where I taught guitar going back 30 years and I’ve since taken over the entire studio.”

The Johnny Rock Band playing outside Music Music Studios in Encinitas, under the Music Music Special Needs Music School sign — Music Music, across the alley from the American Legion on Second and F. The sign reads Special Needs Music School — the other half of what Tate does here.

A Shout-out to the JRB (Johnny Rock Band) line up- Marc Adam-Flute (co-founder/owner Encinitas Surfboards) and Harmonica, Skip Augustine-bass, Luke Erwin, Doug McBain, William Fullwood (Rhythm guitar & backing vocals), Arman Billimoria, and Tate Sanderson. Recorded at Pacific Beat Recordings with sound engineer Alan Sanderson, Co-Produced by Alan Sanderson and Tate Sanderson!

Listen to and buy Tate’s music on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and all other online music outlets…

New Album coming soon: The Good Life (2024) Johnny Rock Band, before the end of Summer
Single Christmas Island Style (2023) Johnny Rock Band
Album Beach Party Rock (2022) Johnny Rock Band
Album Holiday Rockin’ (2020) Johnny Rock
Album Saints We Ain’t original release (1994) re-release (2023) Johnny Rock

And finally, worth noting, Tate has traveled and performed all over the U.S and many parts of the world, and has played with some of the best musicians around, but ironically, he is also a member of the “World’s Worst Band”, Green Jelly (formally Green Jello until sued by the Jello-O company). Green Jelly also held at one time the Guinness Book of World Records for the “World,s Largest Rock Band”, with 781 active members.

So drop by Tate’s studio, say hi, BUY the Book, get Tate to sign your book, then read all the fun stories, and watch the great movie clips and…totally worth the effort!

We call it Beach Party Rock, and we bring the beach party to wherever we play.

For info and booking contact Michael Hornsman, 1-(808) 313-9607, and check out @instajohnnyrockband on Instagram.

Outtakes

Shot in March 2024, three months before the story ran. Neither frame made the printed spread.

The Johnny Rock Band rehearsing indoors on a parquet floor, with flute, drums, lap steel and guitars — Rehearsal, March 2024. Marc Adam on flute at the left — the same Marc Adam who co-founded Encinitas Surfboards.

The Johnny Rock Band posed together in the rehearsal room, laughing, instruments in hand — The same session, the band mugging for the camera. This is the version of them that does not need costumes.

As It Ran in Print

The original spread, Encinitas Magazine, June–July 2024, pages 18 and 19. Click either page to see it full size.

Tate Sanderson is Johnny Rock, a local rocker tells his story, as it ran in Encinitas Magazine, page 18 — Page 18.

Tate Sanderson is Johnny Rock, as it ran in Encinitas Magazine, page 19 — Page 19.

Sign the guest book

Were you there? Do you know someone in the photos or mentioned in the story? Leave a note — Kyle reads every one.

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