New York - July 18, 2006

Pure Camp

Willie Mae Ladies Rock Camp

Your best friend (sorta, kinda acquaintance) is such a badass in her skintight jeans and shaggy haircut, shredding it onstage with her disco-
punk-fusion-marching band. (Okay, you don’t really know her. Technically, you just admire her from afar.)

Oh, to have such guitar-wielding prowess.

No need to stay the loser groupie. Take the music (voices, whatever) in your head and put it to strings at the Willie Mae Ladies’ Rock Camp. Organized and taught by experienced female rockers, the weekend-long, first-time-in-NYC camp (modeled after the Portland camp for girls) gives you the skills you need to live out your musical fantasy.

Go ahead and smash a beer can on your forehead. This is no kumbaya-and-marshmallow-roasting trip. You’ll sign up for an instrument (electric bass or guitar; drums, vocals, keyboard), get paired with like-minded femmes, practice, workshop (recording, booking, songwriting), and jam. Rather turn two tables and a microphone? Get three days of DJ tips from handy spin sisters.

Once band camp is over, you and your crew are free to stay banded (it’s happened before).

But you’ll have to find your own fan club.

July 28-30, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Willie Mae Ladies’ Rock Camp, at the Brooklyn Friends School, 55 Willoughby Street, between Jay and Lawrence Streets, Brooklyn. For more information and to register, go to williemaerockcamp.org.