The third annual Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp for women only will take place Dec. 5-8 in Los Angeles and feature such rock legends as Nancy Wilson (Heart), Lita Ford (The Runaways), Sheila E. (Prince), Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper) and Rhonda Smith (Jeff Beck).
“Rock Fantasy Camp for women is a meaningful gathering of women together. As a military brat I never felt constrained by my gender,” Wilson tells Billboard. “Encouraging women to wield their power outside confining gender expectations is always a happy task for me.”
The capacity for the camp is around 80 campers divided into up to 14 bands. Each band is assigned a counselor who mentors them throughout the four days and helps prepare the musicians for the closing concert where they play with the rock headliners at the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip. The counselors themselves are a constellation of heavy hitters, including Roxy Petrucci (Vixen), Eva Gardner (P!nk), Jennie Vee (Eagles of Death Metal), Julia Lage (Vixen), Jennifer Oberle (Sarah McLachlan) and Britt Lightning (Vixen), who also serves as the event’s musical director.
Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp
Courtesy Photo
The camp is open to musicians of all levels, who are evaluated beforehand to make sure they are placed in the appropriate band and each participant is sent a song list to start rehearsing. The four days are filled with rehearsals, masterclasses, Q&As and jam sessions.
This year’s event will also include a panel of top women music executives, presented by Billboard, which serves as the Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s media sponsor.
“The Women’s Rock Camps have been some of the most supportive and uplifting camps I have seen in my 28 years of producing the Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp,” says producer David Fishof. “The way these women are able to bond and be completely open about topics without judgment allows everyone to leave with so much joy and increased confidence. After observing it, I realized it would be a disservice to not continue producing annual Women’s Rock Camps.”
Lightning adds, “The campers gain friends for life and more importantly establish a network of females that share the same passion from all over the world. The sense of community is overwhelming and inspires not only the campers but the talent as well and allows dreams to be realized in music and beyond.”
Fishof has run the Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp for more than 25 years, and participating rock stars have included Roger Daltrey, Steven Tyler, Alice Cooper, Joe Tyler, Slash, Paul Stanley and Sammy Hagar.
For more information, go here.