Mikki Brisk

 

Before I cover the Ladies Rock Camp showcase, I want to touch on a few other points…

 

 

The food! We eat well at Ladies Rock Camp. 3 squares. Leftovers. There is not only plenty of sustenance, it is also delicious. The days are long and there’s a lot of running up and down stairs, so food is important.

 

 

The school! Immaculate Conception School in downtown Los Angeles is such a blessing to our organization. They generously provide their space, in exchange for a few scholarships for their young students when Girls Rock Camp rolls around. The school is safe, comfortable and redolent with kindness. As volunteers, we cover the full spectrum in our beliefs. I think I can safely say we all appreciate the warmth felt in this Catholic school.

 

 

The volunteers! I can’t tell you what an honor it is to know this fabulous group of women. From Rock Goddess to Baker, and everything in between, we are diverse, positive and hopeful. We somehow manage to come together for a united cause and there isn’t an ounce of negativity to be found. Here we are, with all our female energy, supporting each other and the campers. There are a lot of feelings, yes. We ride the waves of those emotions, while lifting and openly cheering one another. Many Lady Campers commented about how there was not a smidge of snarkiness or cattiness to be found during the weekend. And they were right. I don’t know how we do it. I guess we’re a self-selecting group. If someone did come in with a negative chip on her shoulder, she’d just have to raise her game. Because we’re floating high, friends, and we refuse to sink.

 

Personally, I’ve been blessed to teach vocals with some fan-tabulous babes. As long as they’ll have me, I’ll keep returning.

 

 

Now! On with the show…

 

First up was “Durable Power”…

 

 

Next was “G-Rated”…

 

 

Then came “Where’s the Exit?”…

 

 

“Blue Lotus” then took the stage…

 

 

“Radio Static” was next…

 

 

“The Paper Dolls” followed…

 

 

Closing out the night was “Lava Jeans”…

 

 

And just like that, it was over. All the work, all the laughter, all the tears – came to an end.

 

Rock Camp is a crazy experience. We leave our inhibitions at the door and dive right in, mostly with complete strangers. After a few short days, we’ve gone through a metamorphosis. We’ve shed our old skin and revealed something more closely resembling who we’re meant to be. And there are no bells, no whistles. With no fanfare, we are expected to return to our “real” lives and pick up where we left off. But we’re not the same. So how can we carry on as if we are?

 

I don’t have any answers. I only know I’m trying to hold on to some of what I gained this last weekend, wherever I go. It’s okay if the guy at the hardware store doesn’t understand why I just high-fived him for making a key for me. When the produce guy at the grocery store brings fresh fruit for me from the back, and I hit him with “Right on!”, that’s okay, too. No one has to know I’m channeling my inner Rock Goddess. No one. Just me, and each and every Lady Rock Camper and Volunteer who is also walking around out there, being sublime. Being awesome. Being who we’re meant to be.

 

PS – This is Whitney…

 

 

I didn’t get to work with her all weekend, and then she came and found me just before her band (“Where’s the Exit?”) took the stage at the showcase. She said she was from Georgia and had heard I was, too. She’d been told I was from Griffin, GA. I said I was born in Griffin, but was actually from a few miles down the road, in Zebulon. She didn’t believe me, to which I responded, “Pike County, Baby!” Then she knew I was straight-true. Whitney is from Zebulon, too.

 

As I watched her confidently ripping her guitar part during her band’s performance, it occurred to me that 2 gals from Zebulon were living the dream in Los Angeles. One was spreading her wings. One was reminded of her roots…