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Camp Jam People Profile: Houston

Next on the list of cities that the Camp Jam Rock 'n' Roll Summer Day Camp will be heading to this summer is Houston. Camp starts on June 11 so let's take a look at who you will meet and learn from while you are there.

Each camp location has its own Music Director(s), each of which are musicians in their own right and responsible for hiring staff members, monitoring camp classes and activities and placing campers into bands based on ability level and compatibility.

Camp Jam will also feature a series of Master Classes, sessions with a legendary rocker in which they share their stories, talk about the role music has played in their lives and best of all jam with the campers.

Houston

Music Directors:

The peal of a trumpet calls a lunchtime concert by the St. John's School Jazz Band in Houston, TX. In a small courtyard outside the lunchroom, students enjoy this change of pace led by music teacher Darrell Parrish. Composer, musical scholar, professional performer, and teacher of 27 years, Mr. Parrish leads the School's growing wind and jazz program. Whether he finds himself playing the electric bass, piano, tuba or euphonium, his forte is relating to students by playing right beside them, inspiring students with his passion for music.

Master Class Schedule (when each legendary rocker will be at camp)

June 6 -JEFF CARLISI -  Jeff Carlisi is the original guitarist and songwriter for the classic rock band 38 Special, which boasted more than five platinum albums during the 1980s and is best known for songs such as “Caught Up In You”, “Back Where You Belong” and “Hold On Loosely.” Today, Carlisi is helping young aspiring musicians make their rock star dreams come true with Camp Jam, which he co-founded in 2004.
June 12 - JIM PETERIK - One of the most successful rock songwriters of the past 4 decades, Peterik is best known for his band Survivor and for the rock anthem "Eye of the Tiger." Peterik has also written or co-written hit songs for 38 Special, Lynryd Skynyrd, REO Speedwagon, Doobie Brothers, Sammy Hagar and Cheap Trick, among others.  At 16 years old, Peterik founded the band Ides of March and wrote and sang the song “Vehicle,” which Bo Bice of American Idol fame went on to perform and record as his first single.
June 19 - CARMINE APPICE - Appice first came to prominence as the flamboyant percussionist with the late 1960s psychedelic foursome Vanilla Fudge. After his successful run with them, he then went on to join Jeff Beck in the power trio Beck, Bogert and Appice. He later joined Rod Stewart's backing band, and played drums on (and co-wrote) such Stewart hits as "D'Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and "Young Turks." Appice has recorded with Stanley Clarke, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, and Pink Floyd and played in the bands King Kobra and Blue Murder. He is known for his showmanship, which includes stick tosses and twirls, power fills, and double-bass drum bombs.
July 19 - LIBERTY DEVITTO - Known as the quintessential “songwriter’s drummer,” DeVitto was the drummer for Billy Joel for more than 30 years, supplying the rhythmic framework for Joel’s multi-platinum hit albums (150 million sold) and legendary live concerts. DeVitto has been a session drummer on numerous recordings and has played live with artists such as: Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Stevie Nicks, Chuck Berry and Elton John.

Atlanta Event: 2007 ORT Rocks! Concert

Here is a quick concert announcement for all our Atlanta-area readers and a message from Camp Jam co-founder, Danny Lipson:

Jeff [Carlisi] and I would like to invite all of our Atlanta Camp Jam'mers, friends and families to a special event we are involved with this Saturday at The Loft at Center Stage (CW Midtown Music Complex) in Atlanta. Details below -- hope to see you at the concert and of course at Camp Jam this summer. Best, Danny Lipson

The rest of the details are after the jump...

The Camp Jam Forum: Find a Ride, Find a Band...

Announcing the Camp Jam Forum. A place for you guys to organize carpool rides to camp this summer and find people to jam with in your city once camp is done. Click the banner below or the permanent one in the left sidebar and go take a look. Feel free to post, start a discussion thread or just say "hi".

Camp Jam People Profile: Atlanta

Now that we've given you a rundown of the cities that the Camp Jam Rock 'n' Roll Summer Day Camp will be heading to this summer, let's take a look at the people you will meet at this rock music camp.

Each camp location has its own Music Director(s), each of which are musicians in their own right and responsible for hiring staff members, monitoring camp classes and activities and placing campers into bands based on ability level and compatibility.

Camp Jam will also feature a series of Master Classes, sessions with a legendary rocker in which they share their stories, talk about the role music has played in their lives and best of all jam with the campers.

So, we'll start with the city that started it all: Atlanta.

Music Directors:

Nick Niespodziani is the lead vocalist for rock band Y-O-U (Y-O-U MySpace page) from Atlanta, GA. Along with vocal responsibilities he also plays guitar, keyboards and harmonica. Y-O-U just released their second full-length album in January (available for free download) and was named by Rolling Stone as one of the "Top 25 Bands on MySpace." Nick will be heading up the camp for the first four weeks and will then switch to an instructor for the remaining three weeks.

Guy Fenocchi is a professional guitarist and guitar/bass instructor originally from central New York, and now living in Georgia. He holds an Associates degree in classical guitar and a Bachelor's degree in jazz studies from Ithaca College. He has toured throughout the East Coast in various groups ranging from rock, blues, jazz and society  bands as well as appearing in the Syracuse, Atlanta, and Montreal Jazz Festivals. Guy has recently released his first recording "RADIUM AND THE RENEGADE RADIO," and is currently part of the Set the Stage Jazz Ensemble and the jazz band MetroQuest.

Master Class Schedule (when each legendary rocker will be at camp)

June 6 -JEFF CARLISI -  Jeff Carlisi is the original guitarist and songwriter for the classic rock band 38 Special, which boasted more than five platinum albums during the 1980s and is best known for songs such as “Caught Up In You”, “Back Where You Belong” and “Hold On Loosely.” Today, Carlisi is helping young aspiring musicians make their rock star dreams come true with Camp Jam, which he co-founded in 2004.
June 12 - JIM PETERIK - One of the most successful rock songwriters of the past 4 decades, Peterik is best known for his band Survivor and for the rock anthem "Eye of the Tiger." Peterik has also written or co-written hit songs for 38 Special, Lynryd Skynyrd, REO Speedwagon, Doobie Brothers, Sammy Hagar and Cheap Trick, among others.  At 16 years old, Peterik founded the band Ides of March and wrote and sang the song “Vehicle,” which Bo Bice of American Idol fame went on to perform and record as his first single.
June 19 - CARMINE APPICE - Appice first came to prominence as the flamboyant percussionist with the late 1960s psychedelic foursome Vanilla Fudge. After his successful run with them, he then went on to join Jeff Beck in the power trio Beck, Bogert and Appice. He later joined Rod Stewart's backing band, and played drums on (and co-wrote) such Stewart hits as "D'Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and "Young Turks." Appice has recorded with Stanley Clarke, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, and Pink Floyd and played in the bands King Kobra and Blue Murder. He is known for his showmanship, which includes stick tosses and twirls, power fills, and double-bass drum bombs.
July 11 - RICK RICHARDS - Richards was a founding member, and is still a member, of The Georgia Satellites. When the Satellites first record was released, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones called Elektra Records to say "I don't know who this Rick Richards is, but he sure can play guitar!" Rick's response was, "I can die now." Spin Magazine called the Satellites album the "the best record The Rolling Stones never made!" Along with the Satellites, Rick also now plays with former Guns 'n' Roses guitarist, Izzy Stradlin, as part of Izzy Stradlin and the JuJu Hounds.
July 19 - LIBERTY DEVITTO - Known as the quintessential “songwriter’s drummer,” DeVitto was the drummer for Billy Joel for more than 30 years, supplying the rhythmic framework for Joel’s multi-platinum hit albums (150 million sold) and legendary live concerts. DeVitto has been a session drummer on numerous recordings and has played live with artists such as: Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Stevie Nicks, Chuck Berry and Elton John.
July 24 - PAT TRAVERS - Pat Travers of the Pat Travers band is considered a guitar hero by many, admired for his Hendrix-influenced style and excellent composing skills.  Most recently, Pat has toured with well known guitarists such as Jeff Watson of Night Ranger and Rick Derringer and Tim Keiffer of Cinderella.

New Release Tuesday

Today's new releases according to Metacritic.com:

Tuesday, May 29

R. Kelly	Double Up
Satellite Party [new Perry Farrell group]	Ultra Payloaded
Richard Thompson	Sweet Warrior

Well, not too much to choose from here. I would suggest avoiding R. Kelly like the plague, unless you want to get peed on. Perry Farrell has had a good run of it (Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros) but whether he can keep that going remains to be seen. I know nothing about the last one, so if you HAVE to buy an album that came out today....go with Satellite Party.

The Weekly Kidcore Find: Magnetic Bunny Records

As I mentioned last week in the post about ShiSho, today I'm gonna talk about the side project that sisters Vivian and Midge are working on right now. Self described as the "Home for Future Child-Star Tragedies", Magnetic Bunny Records is their effort at providing an outlet for bands whose members are 18 years-old or less, those who would otherwise not get a lot of label attention no matter how talented (with the notable exception of Hanson back in the day).  From the looks of the site, the label will mainly be focused on downloads, and to that end they already have an online compilation "Seaside Summer" that will be available in June. Acts confirmed for the compilation are Artillery Road, Bonzai, Dirty Spanglish, Empty State, Fiasco, the Flairz, Kara Hopkins, L.E.G.S., Lot 40, Magnolia, Mod Rocket, ShiSho and Jew on Jew. Action!

Vivian and Midge give their thoughts on the label and its origin over on the Magnetic Bunny MySpace page:

Vivian: We started Magnetic Bunny because we thought kid-bands could get more recognition - and because at our shows, kids get encouraged because they think only grown-ups can do this - so we started this project. My sister and I have been saving money from our past shows, our allowance and gifts from relatives to put toward this record label. We are home schooled - so this label is sort of like a GIANT class in-and-of-itself for us. We'd like to get some great kid bands on this label... so spread the word!

Midge: So, I named it when I was writing to Athsmatic Kitty (record label) and I accidentally said (called them) "Magnetic Bunny." Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

Vivian: In March/April, we plan to open our on-line music store at magneticbunny.com - for ALL Kid-Core bands who want to sell their music .. (regardless of home label). In June we will release a download compilation called "SCHOOL'S OUT!!" or something like that - celebrating the fact that school is out and the FUN OF SUMMER! We will be selling the compilation with 100% of sales going to a nonprofit or to help someone who can use it - probably to support baby Callum Robbins - the baby son of J. Robbins and Janet Morgan of Channels. (www.desotorecords.com/cal/index.shtml)

Vivian: Hopefully, by 2008 uhm, we can start signing bands (for contracts) in the United States and have really good distribution worked out by then.

Midge: Uhm... We would like too.. if you have any friends who are like... who have bands or anything... if they're indie, rock-n-roll, if they're hardcore, hip-hop, indie... whatever uhm.. just tell us about them (or tell them about us).. Oh yeah, emo... yeah all that kind of stuff.

Vivian and Midge are requesting submissions for compilations and for upcoming projects. They are hoping to start signing bands to the label in early 2008 when they have distribution lined up.

Music can be sent to:

Magnetic Bunny Records
PO Box 894
Pickerington, OH 43147

If you want to get a band together and maybe get signed by Magnetic Bunny records why not head to Camp Jam Rock 'n' Roll Summer Day Camp and learn how to work with your band mates and how to be a rock star.

Camp Jam City Profile: Washington D.C.

Our last city profile is our nation's First City. Washington DC has had a rich musical history with everything from classical music to hardcore punk finding a home in the nation's capital. DC continues to produce quality artists and those are the musicians we are looking for at Camp Jam this summer. Below are the dates and locations of our rock music camp program in the DC area plus a couple of recommendations for places to stock up on gear. (photo to left by Karl Autry)

Washington D.C.

Dates:    DC - Session 1 - August 13-17, 2007
              DC  - Session 2 -- August 20-24, 2007

Location:  Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington
                6125 Montrose Road 
                Rockville, MD  20852

Recommended music stores:

Music and Arts
12274 Rockville Pike, Suite K
Rockville, MD 20852
301.881.6440

Chuck Levins
11151 Viers Mill Road
Wheaton, MD 20902
301.946.8808

Music scene info (with help from Wikipedia):

Washington, D.C. has been home to many prominent musicians and is particularly known for the musical genres of hardcore punk, bluegrass, and a local hip hop-dance music hybrid called "go go". The first major musical figure from D.C. was John Phillip Sousa, a military brass band composer. Later figures include jazz legends like Duke Ellington and soul singers like Roberta Flack.

By the middle of the 20th century and into the turbulent countercultural popular music of the 1960s, D.C. had begun to produce some major stars, like soul singer Marvin Gaye. Other musicians included John Fahey, one of the first "folk" musicians to gain national appeal, Peter Tork (of The Monkees), underground legend Tim Buckley, guitarist Link Wray, pop singer and songwriter Billy Stewart, country singer Patsy Cline, guitarist Danny Gatton, doo wop bands The Orioles (based out of D.C., though from Baltimore) and The Clovers, Scott McKenzie (known for "If You're Going to San Francisco"), R&B singer Ruth Brown and country star Roy Clark.

During this period, Washington began to develop its own music scene, with a number of styles evolving by the end of the century. Other popular singers from this period include Roberta Flack ("Killing Me Softly with His Song"), Root Boy Slim & the ex Change Band ("You Broke My Mood Ring"), singer-songwriter Tori Amos, Herb Fame (of Peaches & Herb), Van McCoy (disco producer, "The Hustle"), Toni Braxton, Ginuwine, Mya, Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters), Starland Vocal Band ("Afternoon Delight"), Joan Jett (heavy metal singer) and Nils Lofgren (guitarist for Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and Neil Young).

Washington is known for its contribution to Hardcore punk rock, particularly bands like Minor Threat and Bad Brains and Dischord Records, but it had a vibrant musical community prior to hardcore's arrival with bands like the Razz, Slickee Boys and Penetrators putting out records on local independent labels like Limp, O'Rourke, and Dacoit.

In the mid-1980s, veterans of the hardcore scene created a new punk subgenre called "emo", meaning "emotional hardcore." The most renowned D.C. area emo bands were Rites of Spring and Embrace, Ian MacKaye's band between Minor Threat and Fugazi.

In the 1980s, Washington, D.C., was rich with punk/new wave music. Bands like Urban Verbs, Tiny Desk Unit, Mother May I, Insect Surfers, Tru Fax & the Insaniacs, and Black Market Baby were popular at places like the 9:30 Club, dc space, and Madam's Organ.

In the 1990s, bands taking heavy influence from the DC hardcore scene and the local go-go phenomenon contributed to the post-punk revival. Important players in this scene were The Dismemberment Plan, Fugazi, and Q and Not U.

Currently, important post-punk/indie/dance-rock bands like Supersystem (formerly El Guapo), Medications, Maritime, Edie Sedgwick, Mass Movement of the Moth, and Beauty Pill hail from DC. Record labels like Dischord, Desoto, and Exotic Fever have been and remain to be a crucial means of distribution for DC bands.

Stay tuned for more details about the cities we will be hitting and let us know if you have any more info you think we should add about your town.

Songs Announced for Guitar Hero III

Who knew that this blog would become a clearinghouse for Guitar Hero news? Well, there's just so much news floating around with ActiVision and RedOctane really pushing the game coming off its enormous popularity that I feel a certain duty to report on all of it.

Anyway, according to GameSpot.com, ActiVision has named the first set of songs for Guitar Hero III and it's quite an impressive collection:

ORIGINAL RECORDINGS:
"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour
"Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones
"Cherub Rock" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Sabotage" by Beastie Boys
"The Metal" by Tenacious D
"My Name Is Jonas" by Weezer
"Knights of Cydonia" by Muse

COVER SONGS:
"Rock And Roll All Nite" as made famous by Kiss
"School's Out" as made famous by Alice Cooper
"Slow Ride" as made famous by Foghat
"Barracuda" as made famous by Heart

The article goes on to give some details revealed about the guitar controllers and the gameplay itself:

The company also confirmed that the game would be getting two new controllers--a Gibson Les Paul guitar model for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii consoles, and a Gibson Kramer guitar for the PlayStation 2. Both controllers will be wireless.

The new game will also get a host of new features, including a "multiplayer action-inspired battle mode," and authentic rock venues. An expanded online multiplayer mode will allow gamers to compete with other guitar heroes worldwide.

This is going to be really cool.

Camp Jam City Profile: St. Louis

As the gateway to the west, St. Louis has seen all of the musical greats pass through its arch and has absorbed a lot of their influences. With two one week-long sessions starting on July 9th, Camp Jam Rock 'n' Roll Summer Day Camp will take its own trip through the arch this summer. Both weeks will feature the original Camp Jam for ages 11 to 17 as well as Camp Jam Kidz for the pint size rockers 7 to 10 years old. Below are the dates and locations for our rock music camp program and a recommendation for a great place to grab gear for camp. (photo to left by Karl Autry)

St. Louis

Dates:    St. Louis - Session 1 - July 9-13, 2007
              St. Louis - Session 2 - July 16-20, 2007

Location:  DeSmet Jesuit
                233 N. New Ballas
                Creve Coeur, MO. 63141

Recommended music stores:

Fazio's Frets and Friends
14239 Manchester Road
Manchester, MO 63011
800.687.4200

Music scene info (with help from Wikipedia):

St. Louis has long been associated with great ragtime, jazz and blues music. Early rock and roll singer/guitarist Chuck Berry is a native St. Louisan and continues to perform there several times a year. Soul music artists Ike Turner and Tina Turner and jazz innovator Miles Davis began their careers in nearby East St. Louis, Illinois. St. Louis has also been a popular stop along the infamous Chitlin Circuit.

Popular Music and entertainment in St. Louis peaked in the 1960s due to the popularity of Gaslight Square, a thriving local nightclub district that attracted nationally known musicians and performers. This area was all but extinct by the early 1970s and today is the site of a new housing development.

St. Louis is also the home to successful modern musical artists. Rock artists include Living Things, Sheryl Crow, Gravity Kills, Story of the Year, Modern Day Zero, Stir, Greenwheel, Ludo, and The Urge. In the 1990s, the metro area produced several prominent alt-country artists, including Uncle Tupelo — a Belleville, Illinois trio often considered the originators of the style, whose members went on to found Wilco and Son Volt in 1994 — and The Bottle Rockets. Rap and hip-hop artists include Nelly, The Saint Lunatics, Ali, Murphy Lee, Chingy, Huey, Ebony Eyez, J-Kwon, Jibbs, Akon, and others.

Stay tuned for more details about the cities we will be hitting and let us know if you have any more info you think we should add about your town.

New Release Tuesday

Today's new releases according to MetaCritic.com:

1990s	Cookies
Meg Baird	Dear Companion
Battles	Mirrored
The Bravery	The Sun And The Moon
Erasure	Light At The End Of The World
Handsome Furs	Plague Park
Hanson	The Walk
Maroon 5	It Won't Be Soon Before Long
The National	Boxer
Ozzy Osbourne	Black Rain
Shapes And Sizes	Split Lips, Winnings Hips, A Shiner
The Used	Lies For The Liars
Voxtrot	Voxtrot
Wheat	Everyday I Said A Prayer For Kathy And Made A One Inch Square

Wow! New Hanson! I've been waiting for like, omg, like forever for this album to come out. Seriously though, "Mmmmmbop" was a pop masterpiece.

Well, I guess there's some stuff to choose from. A bunch of people like The Bravery and Maroon 5, and Ozzy has been, and always will be, a metal icon, mostly based on his work with Sabbath.

The Used album could be good but not unless its more like their debut album and less like their most recent effort.

As a purely personal recommendation from the above list, the hidden gem is right there at the bottom of the list, Wheat.

Listen to some of it here at the Wheat audio page.