SPOTLIGHT:

A CELEBRATED SUMMER: PART I of III – LAYING THE GROUNDWORK

“It’s all happening…”

Los Angeles had been warned.  Something was coming.  Something was happening, but what? What was all happening?

Those three words echoed through the hallways of the Immaculate Conception School (a private Downtown Los Angeles school) the weekend of July 24-25, 2010, via the both excited and at times incredulous verbal outcries (as well as via Facebook status updates)– all coming from a very diverse group of young women (young mostly in age, but even more importantly in spirit) hailing mainly from the Los Angeles area.

Women not afraid of a little heavy lifting– literally and figuratively, as amplifiers, drum kits, guitars, bass guitars, keyboards, and mic stands were all carried to their destinations for the week ahead. Destinations which consisted of the classrooms labeled as “The Drum Room ,” “The Guitar Room,” etc.

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Guitars and Basses photo by TRAffIK

Drum Room Photo by Beth Schore

(click on images to enlarge)

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Who said women can’t carry their own gear?  Who said women can’t rock out just like the boys? Who said women can’t take up space?

Women can be found loading in their own gear, rocking out, and taking up space in music venues all across the world on any given day or night.  Most everyone has been lucky enough to have had many exemplary female artists/musicians, musical pioneers if you will, that have paved the way so that  it could become commonplace for a girl to “rock out” just as hard, if not harder than the boys on any stage on any night.

Unfortunately, as a young girl growing up you don’t always realize this.   When we are young our circles of friends and experiences may be limited, our families/customs/cultures/social circles may define us at that time, or we may just not realize the vast amount of options and opportunities that exist for us to explore and choose what we eventually want to do and who we want to become.

In 2001, a group of women in Portland, OR came together to create something to address these and other issues.   What they created would eventually branch off to include over 20 affiliates across the U.S. (expanding internationally into Sweden, Montreal, and Vancouver).  So what was this phenomenon?   Again, we ask what was all happening? What were all of these women coming together to create?

The answer?

L.A. was to be on the lookout for the first installment of the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles.

To give a little background on what inspired this, we look to  the very first Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Summer Camp which took place in August, 2001, on the Portland State University Campus.   This excerpt from their mission statement makes their intentions perfectly clear, “We want to eradicate all the limiting myths about music and gender that make girls afraid to speak up, sing out, and make noise. We want to abolish all the obsolete traditions that restrict many girls’ and women’s free musical expression and obstruct their access to the world of music. We seek to demonstrate—through lessons, mentorship, positive examples, and the shared experiences of the staff and volunteers—that every genre of music from the heaviest to the most delicate, and every technical job and creative endeavor in the music industry, is available to any girl or woman who wants to explore it.”

The further you delve into learning about the camps and those that volunteer and support it, the more you realize that statements like the following truly represent the underlying theme of all of the camps involved.

“It’s not just about rock ‘n’ roll, it’s about all musical genres. And it’s not just about being a musician, it’s about being an active agent in music culture and industry. We believe that by teaching these things, we can help girls develop—musically, mentally, and emotionally—toward their own ideas of who and what they want to be.”.

“It’s not just about being a musician, it’s about being an active agent in music culture and industry,” that’s something that many people, musically inclined or not, can get behind.  That statement could also be used to describe the members of the eclectic rock-folk Los Angeles based band Raining Jane (pictured right – photo by Larissa Brantner-James). Having volunteered since 2005 at the Portland and Seattle camps two of the Raining Jane members, Becky Gebhardt (bass, guitar, sitar) and Mona Tavakoli (drums, vocals, percussion),  were in disbelief that one didn’t exist in their home base of Los Angeles, and decided to begin the journey to give the city a much needed camp of their own.

They began with recruiting their own bandmates Chaska Potter (vocals, guitar) and Mai Bloomfield, (vocals, guitar, cello) as well as family members (Natasha and Newsha Tavakoli), and other close friends to begin laying the groundwork.

Hours and hours (adding up to days, weeks, and eventually months) of hard work were put in to start the process of giving the “City of Angels” a camp that could look past the glitz and glamour of a city where so many come to make their dreams come true.  A camp that would strive to address the all too real issues that are associated with growing up that plague the female youth population of this city (as well as pretty much every city in the world) all the while teaching them the discipline and empowerment that can come through learning to play and eventually mastering a musical instrument, the motions of their bodies, or through finding their voice (whether it be used to communicate with band mates or an audience).

A phone call to John McKenna, Director of Marketing and Development for Immaculate Conception School, resulted in the ending of the search for the, at the time, yet-to- occur camp’s location.  From the initial call, Tavakoli and Gebhardt were met with an alignment in the understanding of and a resonating with the new camp’s mission from McKenna who enthusiastically offered his support of the cause before, during, and after camp.

With the camp location secured, a “foot off of the brakes and full speed-ahead” attitude was adopted as a full-fledged campaign was initiated and executed to increase community awareness about the camp as well as to recruit the first round of campers and volunteers.  With a presence at various community events such as the Silverlake Jubilee, the Don’t Knock the Rock Film and Music Festival (put on by mother-daughter team Allison and Tiffany Anders), FYF Presents events, as well as local farmers markets (pictured left, Rock Camp Volunteers at the El Serreno Farmer’s Market photo by Erin Hughes) and concerts throughout the city,  the idea of the camp was enthusiastically well received– and also met with many incredulous utterings of “I can’t believe something like this didn’t already exist in L.A.!”

The volunteer meetings and fundraisers continued (among them one of the few official Runaways film preview screenings authorized by Apparition Films, which included a Q&A with Cherie Currie), the curriculum was planned, and the anticipation kept building.

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photos by Maria Schriber

(Click on images to enlarge)

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Taking the current economic state of the country into consideration, the members of Raining Jane decided to start a scholarship fund for the camp.  Soon enough good friend singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles, a headlining artist on this year’s Lilith Fair, followed suit providing five scholarships to the camp.  L.A. based band EZ Tiger also donated scholarships from funds donated by their fans. The Feeding the Soul Foundation, an Oceanside, CA organization that “brings community together in creative generosity” while “promoting local artists, foundations and businesses that make a positive difference by creating events that draw attention and opportunity to their talents and intents,” also donated scholarships (pictured right, scholarship check and Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Volunteers –photo by Erin Hughes) to the camp from funds raised at their “Muse-ic” event (which featured performances from Tristan Prettyman, Alysse Fischer, and Jessie Payo).

“It’s all happening”

Once again the Polexia Aphrodisia Almost Famous quote was applicable.  It was all coming together.

The team of volunteers who would be present during the week of camp were now being identified and the camper applications were making their way in.

The selected volunteers were an eclectic mix representing both musical and non-musical backgrounds.

Some of the musicians and singer/songwriters that donated their time to the camp included but aren’t limited to: Raining Jane (comprised of camp directors/executive team), Riot Grrl movement pioneer Bratmobile/Cold Cold Hearts (volunteer band coach/vocal instructor Allison Wolfe), the fore-mentioned EZ Tiger (volunteer drum instructor Kristy McInnis), Ingenue (volunteer band coach/guitar instructor Lauren Doran, volunteer bass instructor Christina Ownby), Kim D. and the Killer Bees (volunteer drum instructor Freddie McCullough),  singer/songwriter Alysse Fischer, singer/songwriter and volunteer band coach Lucy Schwartz,  volunteer band coach and keys instructor singer/songwriter Melineh Kurdian, and singer/songwriter and volunteer sound engineer Thinzar Win.

The sense of comradery was quick to blossom within the group of volunteers who were all working towards the common goal of getting the camp off the ground and making the first year a successful one.

These fast friends all seemed to find out about the camp in various ways.

Some heard about it through the promotional efforts.

“I was aware of the chapters in other cities. As soon as I heard LA was starting a chapter, I contacted the organization to become involved. Music has been such an important part of my life. The Riot Grrrl and Punk Rock scenes influenced me tremendously, and I believe the idea of using music as a means of empowerment and cultural change is a powerful and educational one. I’ve taught and tutored kids since college, and jumped at the opportunity to share something that has meant so much to me with a new generation of rockers,” explained Los Angeles resident Erica Flores, a volunteer guitar instructor and band coach at this first installment of the camp.

Alli Bohl, a San Juan Capistrano based student and singer/songwriter who volunteered as a band coach during the week of camp, had a different experience, “I became involved with camp after my sister got accepted to be a part of camp. I really wanted to go, but I realized that I was too old, so I decided to volunteer my time. I thought the idea was very neat and wanted to be a part of it,” Bohl elaborates, “I was drawn to this organization because it speaks the same language as I do, which is music.  So, I really understood where this organization wanted to go and I wanted to be a small part in helping that organization in any way that I could.”

Other volunteers had previous experience with other camp locations.

L.A. based Computer Programmer/Guitarist, Marisa DeMeglio, also a volunteer band coach and guitar instructor at this year’s camp, had her “first encounter” with the camp via a “Girls Rock! Screening in Echo Park,” and due to her prior  “experience with the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls (Brooklyn),” she was “excited to see it come to LA.”

Teacher April Buker, an Orange County resident who served as a volunteer counselor during the camp, had been a Portland Camp volunteer previously, “I had met Becky and Mona of Raining Jane while volunteering at the Portland camp a few years ago. When I found out they were organizing Rock n Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles, I was excited and wanted to be a part of it,” stating that, “It’s not just about the music. It’s about helping girls become more confident individuals and building a community that will support that ideal.”

L.A. based singer/songwriter Melineh Kurdian first became aware of the camp after she saw camp co-founder “Mona at a show here in LA, and she told me about the camp and a volunteer meeting that was coming up. I jumped at the opportunity!” convincing her to join the cause did not prove a difficult task as she “was completely drawn in first by the amazing, magnetic energy of all of the volunteers. It seemed to me immediately that everyone shared common goals of making this week of Camp a singular, powerful experience for the campers and for the volunteers. I’d also heard about Rock Camps in other cities preceding this one, and my curiosity was thoroughly piqued.”

Many learned of the camp from friends.

Jenn Wong, an L.A. based Physical Therapist who helped with food donations for the week of camp and was also part of the showcase staff revealed, “I’m friends with the directors/co-founders Mona and Becky” and laughing adds, “Mona volunteered me, because she knew I’d totally be up for it.”

Taking a more serious tone, Wong continues, “I was involved in organized music while growing up and played three instruments.  I know that the benefits of music education extend far beyond music itself–learning to lead/follow, group dynamics, conflict resolution, collaborative learning, etc.”

EZ Tiger Drummer and Last Comic Standing Producer, Kristy McInnis, had a similar experience, “I found out about it through Siria [Contreras]. I thought the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls mission statement was right on target.” She was so inspired by the camp’s message that she rallied her band members and their fans in an effort to successfully organize fundraisers to provide scholarships/financial aide as fore-mentioned through her band EZ Tiger.  After volunteering as a drum instructor for the week of camp McKinnis added, “My wish is every little girl could experience this type of empowering environment. “

Social media also played a part in learning about the up-and-coming Los Angeles Camp for some future volunteers.

“I was on Twitter and Sara Barielles had sent out a Tweet, letting people know that a Rock ‘n’ Roll camp for Girls was taking place in L.A., and if anyone was interested in sending their kids/volunteering, they should check out the RCLA site,” shared San Diego based Guitarist and volunteer guitar coach and band coach, Taneashia R. Morrell.

Morell continued “I love teaching music to kids and teens.  I had a boy band for 1.5 years, and it was great helping them become creative in each of their instruments (had a bass player who only played grunge, a drummer who couldn’t keep a steady beat, & a keyboardist who only played classical.  By then end of our first 6 weeks, these boys were not the same, as they had learned ska, contemporary, jazz, blues, funk, and more). So, to be able to take what I did with the boys and try to do that with girls was such an awesome opportunity.”

The diverse group of volunteers continued to work together in weeks leading up to the camp to: secure food and musical equipment/gear donations, assist in setting the course curriculum, help the “Vibe Tribe” to decorate (or “vibe out”) the school in preparation for the arrival of the campers, coordinate lunchtime performances as well as the showcase which would be the culminating event of the camp, checking in the gear and musical instruments (donated by the local community, Apogee, Daisy Rock Guitars, Fender Musical Instruments, Remo Drum Heads, Sabian Symbals, and Guitar Center)

Many of those fore-mentioned tasks as well as administrative and business duties were completed by Gebherdt and Tavakoli and their executive team (comprised of Beth Schore, Chaska Potter, Erin Hughes, Lori Meadows, Mai Bloomfield, Siria Contreras, and Vera Domini), as well as all of the volunteers, who were eager to lend a helping hand where needed in order to ensure that everything would be ready for camp and continue to flow seamlessly during the actual camp week.   Everyone seemed willing to wear the various hats necessary to complete the tasks to make the first year of the camp a success.

On the Sunday prior to the week of the first ever Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles, volunteers worked on final signs directing campers and their parents to what would become the registration/check-in area the following morning. Welcoming chalk-written messages and artistic expressions (pictured right, photo by Beth Schore) were on display along the path to the camp entrance.  After each of the final details were deemed to be in place, the exhausted but excited volunteers headed home anticipating the events to come the next day.

Check back tomorrow for ‘A CELEBRATED SUMMER: PART II -  LEARNING TO ROCK THE RIGHT WAY’, which will focus on the first annual week of Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles.