Photo credit: Seadog Creative
Ladies Rock Milwaukee
By now, the Milwaukee community is familiar with Girls Rock Milwaukee, a weeklong summer camp dedicated to teaching young women about the ins and outs of musicianship. Up-and-coming Milwaukee bands like Gas Station Sushi and Negative/Positive have risen from the camp, and the program’s popularity and impact have both increased by the year.
But what about women who may be past their teens and early 20s, the so-called prime years for playing in bands? Enter Ladies Rock Milwaukee, a three-day “camp” devoted to women and femme-identifying individuals who possess that certain inkling to rock ’n’ roll all night.
Longtime scene veteran Mary Joy Hickey was motivated to organize Ladies Rock Milwaukee after a stint volunteering with Girls Rock. She says she was inspired by the girls’ contagious energy, and she wanted to ensure adult women could partake in a similar experience. “Participating in Ladies Rock is like joining a big, amazing family that exists to support you in pursuing and accomplishing your music goals,” she says. “Always wanted to learn drums? Play in band? Perform on stage? We can make this happen in a safe, supportive environment.”
The camp, which begins its next session Thursday, July 12, is brief compared to it’s younger counterpart, but the three days and three nights are jam-packed with instrument instruction, introspective workshops and other band-related activities. On Thursday night, campers are introduced to each other and put themselves into four or five-piece bands. By Sunday night, the campers perform onstage in front of a sizeable audience.
I participated in last year’s Ladies Rock camp alongside my best friend, Lulu Sanchez. The two of us have always wanted to play music together in a group reminiscent of the world’s greatest all-girl bands—you know, like The Go-Go’s and Sleater-Kinney. We both had tons of ideas for our fantasy band, but we lacked the self-confidence and instrument playing ability we need to turn our dreams into reality.
The camp was initially nerve wracking, but that uneasiness melted away quickly. “At first, I was so nervous. As a person who is extremely shy, being in any situation with dozens of people that I do not know is a major reason for concern,” says Sanchez. “As soon as we arrived for the ‘orientation’ I realized there wasn’t anything to worry about.” The camp organizers are warm and welcoming, and being in a room full of women who shared our ambitions was even more comforting.
“Participating in Ladies Rock is a commitment to vulnerability and it’s incredible to watch that risk pay off by the end of the weekend, manifested through new relationships, accomplishment of personal goals and the mastery of new skills that seemed impossible at the outset,” says Hickey. “It’s an incredible accomplishment to start completely new on an instrument on a Friday and perform publicly on Sunday.”
It might seem impossible to teach a newbie an instrument in three days, but the instrument instructors were especially patient. One of my fondest memories of the camp was being told by Lindsay Degroot (of Fox Face) that she didn’t pick up a guitar until she was 25. Milwaukee music lovers may know that Fox Face recently returned from a European tour; I immediately felt like anything was possible, and my dreams could come true, too.
Alongside instrument instruction and band development, campers participate in a number of workshops like poster-making and songwriting. The hour-long workshops are introspective and provide a meditative experience for campers, paralleling the high-octane band development.
“I think that a big reason why women don’t get into music is because we put so many limits on ourselves,” says Sanchez. “We’re always too old, too shy, too everything to learn. We always come up with millions of excuses! Being able to sit down and really confront what I was scared about helped so much.”
Even though Lulu and I didn’t continue our rocking and rolling after the camp, the weekend left a lasting impact on both of us. “I gained so much self-confidence from those few days,” says Sanchez. “If I could stand up on a stage after a few days of picking up a bass for the first time, then I could do anything. It is entirely worth it.”
Ladies Rock Milwaukee’s next session starts Thursday, July 12 and concludes with a showcase Sunday, July 15 at Company Brewing. The registration deadline is Saturday, June 30. You can learn more at girlsrockmke.org/ladies-rock.
