Post by Joel Tannenbaum

There is certainly no law against girls playing rock and roll -or metal, or twee pop, or hip-hop, or hardcore, or what have you. But there are plenty of hidden impediments. There’s the macho, boys-club vibe at many guitar and drum shops. There’s the pervasive media iconography equating rocking out or plaintively emoting with being a skinny white dude. And most of all, there’s a need for more role models.

Girls Rock Philly is changing all that, one band at a time, but they need your help. The week-long summer day camp is designed to teach women ages 9-17 the ins and outs of making the band thing happen for real. And for the organizers, steeped in 90s indie culture, that doesn’t just mean rehearsing and performing. It means everything from DIY recording to silk-screening t-shirts to booking shows and tours.

Last summer’s Girls Rock Philly drew 20 campers for a week of intensive writing, practicing and performing on the campus of Girard College. Oak Oak Okay, the week’s biggest success story, went on to play shows at Johnny Brenda’s, the Troc, the Rotunda and more. With your help, this year’s Girls Rock Philly can be bigger and badder. So if you are female, have some free days during August 4-9, and have skills to impart -guitar, drums, keyboards, silk-screening, amp repair, whatevs- Girls Rock Philly needs you. Come to their Meet and Greet this Saturday afternoon at La Cantina Los Caballitos in South Philly and check out the other volunteers.

Girls Rock Philly
www.girlsrockphilly.org