CONCERT TO BENEFIT STUDENTS GOLDEN VALLEY HOSTING BANDS.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Sick of Detention is ready to rock the house again - except this time it's the band's own house hosting the music.

The second annual concert on Saturday by the production company based at Golden Valley High School - specifically in Bret Lieberman's Yes I Can program for students with Asperger's syndrome and related problems - is called Summer Meltdown and features gold-record recording artists Smile Empty Soul.

The concert will be held in the outdoor amphitheater of Golden Valley and, for the first time, is a team effort of Yes I Can programs throughout the William S. Hart Union High School District. Lieberman's students worked with their counterparts at Canyon, Saugus and Valencia high schools to screen bands and make arrangements for staffing, as well as recruit parents to serve as chaperons.

``I am so grateful to have a teacher as enthusiastic as Mr. Lieberman,'' said Golden Valley Principal Jacque Snyder. ``He's gotten all the Yes I Can families involved and his heart is really into this. We're really excited about having the concert here. It should be a lot of fun.''

Nuema Montances, who coordinates the Yes I Can program at Rancho Pico Junior High, has 24 students and 37 mentors who meet weekly. Their time together focuses on activities to help students with their social skills. Rancho Pico and Saugus, Canyon and Valencia high schools worked together on this year's concert.

``The most important thing is that these kids feel like everyone else,'' Montances said. ``The Yes I Can program raised a lot of money selling See's candies; some of that money goes to their field trips, some of it to putting on the concert.

``Last year the kids got a sense of achievement that they did part of it. They need that.''

Smile Empty Soul is a local success story; lead singer Sean Danielsen is a 2000 graduate of Canyon and bass player Ryan Martin is a 1999 graduate of Valencia High. Their self-titled debut CD went gold; their new CD, ``Anxiety,'' is due out in August. Their music has been featured on the ``Spider-Man 2'' and ``The Punisher'' soundtracks.

Also on the bill are Sony artists I Hate Kate (formerly Zebrahead),Fractional, Rue, Driven, A Weekend Flight, Benny for Mayor and Mic City Sons. Unlike last year's show, which was held at the city's Activities Center, Summer Meltdown is being held at Golden Valley.

Along with all the schools doing fundraisers, which included several different restaurant nights and seemingly endless candy sales, the Yes I Can program has some heavy-hitting sponsors.

The Milken Family Foundation awarded a $1,000 grant for the show; other sponsors include Command Audio, KROQ-FM (106.7), Wilbur Curtis Beverages, Remo Drums, Anthem Boardshop, prohjekt.com, nostress.com and hlproductions.com.

Ryan Martin, Smile Empty Soul's bass player and a friend of Lieberman's from high school, said that the group is excited about playing in its hometown.

``We haven't played here since early 2003,'' Martin said. ``We toured for a year and a half and have been home finishing our record. This concert is great. I can't think of a better way to see a lot of the kids who are buying our records.''

The concert also fills a void that musicians have been bemoaning for a long time: the lack of performance space in the area.

``It's totally a bummer,'' Martin said. ``You want to be able to play shows in your hometown. You're a high school band and want to play for your friends or other kids, but you've got to play in L.A. because there's no place up here.''

Lisa Lamedman, Canyon High's Yes I Can program coordinator, said that her students, mostly mentors for Lieberman's students, are getting excited about the show.

``There are posters everywhere and we've got more schools involved this year,'' Lamedman said. ``Last year we weren't sure if it would work so we kept it quiet. This year, the kids from all the schools have worked together throughout the year and it's a great event.''

Lamedman said that a team-building day at Hart Park broke down some barriers among schools as well as among those students who mentored or were mentored.

``It was so great to see them appreciating each other; this is a new concept, because these students aren't used to dealing with each other. It was wonderful to see them together.''

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

The Summer Meltdown concert will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Golden Valley High School amphitheater, 27051 Robert C. Lee Parkway, Santa Clarita. Presale tickets are $10; tickets are $15 at door. Information: [phone]

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