On Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004, area musicians will play at the Bitter End in Manhattan to raise money for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls (RNRCG) located in Portland, OR. This fundraiser in NYC is one of many happening across the country this month, as musicians offer their talents for the first of an annual “50 Shows in 50 States” event. A sliding-scale donation will be requested to assist the 70 percent of girls who attend camp due to the scholarship fund’s existence.
According to Misty McElroy, Executive Director of the program, “We are excited and appreciative that the Bitter End, The Collective, and these talented New York musicians would offer their skills and time to raise money for this event! We are hoping to raise $10,000 for the Scholarship Fund.”
RNRCG is a day camp for girls, ages 8 – 18 from around the country, where they learn the basics of creating and playing music on their instrument of choice - vocals, drums, electric guitar, keyboard or bass. The Camp’s mission is to encourage, engage, and showcase the musical, artistic and individual talents of girls and young women. The Camp fosters girls' expression by providing musical education and technical instruction, forums to discuss and explore creativity and self-expression, and role models and examples to promote motivation, self-reliance, and empowerment through music. The Camp culminates with a showcase on the last night of camp; there, campers perform an original song live on stage with their newly-formed bands.
According to Susan Arciero, manager and mother of The Little Women Band (TLWB), her girls are excited to participate in the fundraiser: “TLWB has made it their personal goal for many years to use their music to be a positive role model for girls. They write songs that make girls feel empowered and help them find their way through troubled times. Helping this organization is what TLWB is all about.”
The New York City show will have eight bands performing 45-minute sets, starting at 7:00 PM and concluding around 2:00 AM. Bands include the Little Women Band (four sisters ages 14 – 20!), Spacecake, The SmashUp, The Laura Thomas Band (with drummer Julia Eve!), TruthSeekers, Butterspy, Klunk United and Dorian. Five of the bands’ drummers are alumni of The Collective, a drumming school in NYC that strongly advocates for supporting the talents of female musicians.
“It’s great to see all female, all male and mixed-gender bands all participating in this fundraiser,” says John Castellano, The Collective’s Director, “it simply affirms that music is for everyone.”
Ages 18 and over are welcome to support and enjoy the event and obtain information about the camp. A donation of $5 – 50 will be requested at the door. Camp video performances and information about the camp will be available at the show – for those who can volunteer or perform at the camp, for those who can donate, and for those who would like to give this information to a girl who might benefit!