If there was any doubt that Girls Rock! DC was envisioned to inspire confidence in young women, one need only listen to the themes of each day. After days dedicated to Exploring Personal Greatness and Exploring Each Other’s Greatness, Girls Rock! DC invited DCist in during a day of camp where the theme was to Tell the World About Our Greatness. It certainly shed light on the display of greatness that occurred at the 9:30 Club on Saturday morning.
The Girls Rock! DC Showcase is always an overwhelming explosion of energy, spunk and sisterhood. Almost every band coach praised the girls’ ability to execute their vision and still compromise with each other. Each girl got an introduction from another bandmate by either a name or a pseudonym. Most girls got brief solos. Every band brought something different and creative to the stage whether it was dueling keyboards or collaborating harmonies. We even saw one band with two bassists.
Furthermore, the level of talent and musicianship was impressive. One group, Jamaica Me Wanna Dance had a fully formed grasp of ’80s new wave from their Breakfast Club alter egos, to the way singer Emma’s low and beautiful vocals complemented her bandmate Anya’s synthesizer. Camp volunteers said that most of the drummers (like returning camper Allegra) actually take lessons throughout the year. Still, not every showstopper had that kind of practice. Pint-sized singer Helena of More Than Electrified could not have been more than eight, but had a command of the stage that reminded a few audience members of Bratmobile’s Allison Wolfe. After DJ crew Just Dance shut the club down with an impressive display of beat matching and song choice, we asked eleven year old Amara how long she’d been DJing, expecting to hear that she was a third year camper. She smiled and said, “This whole week!”
That the camp’s 65 girls take the stage at one of the world’s premier rock clubs is no small accomplishment. The awesomeness of that situation wasn’t lost on some of the older girls in the crowd. Fourteen-year-old Maya, better known by her alter ego DJ Fireball admitted to being “a little intimidated” before the performance of her DJ group Salute. Watching Salute, it was hard to believe that Maya was intimidated by anything. She danced wildly and exuberantly during her partner, DJ Sixx’s turn at the turntable and expertly mixed her own jams although she revealed that this week was the first time she’d used the CD DJ equipment. Who would have known? She’d even exuded confidence while trying out her pizza box guitar during our brief interaction with her at the camp.
The girls’ bravery extended beyond stage presence. While the Girls Rock songs’ subject matter has always reflected issues important to their age group (headaches, pies in the face, their time at camp), “Stand Up!” by Z3RO Tolerance stood out for its anti-bullying message.
“For anyone going through this/Remember, you’re not alone/You can get through it/So, stay strong and stand up!” the lead vocalist, a girl named Maddie, said between choruses. This song elicited more than a few tears from the crowd.
However, what we noticed from the camp was that it gave the girls an idea of the full scope of the rock and roll experience. If 12-year-old Dolly from the band Captain America ever opts out of performing, or even if she doesn’t, she could easily have a future creating band poster art. Her renderings of her bandmates on the Captain America poster were jaw-droppingly good.
The Girls Rock! DC camper showcase is often the most life-affirming music event of the year and 2013 was no different. If the organization successfully expands to include after school programming, that can only be a good thing for both the girls who experienced the camp and D.C.’s music landscape at large.
