Ernest Goes to Rock & Roll Camp
Austin, self-styled Live Music Capital of the World, has at least three rock & roll camps in the summer. There's Michele Murphy's Natural Ear Music Camp, which includes a day camp for kids 8 and up and a sleepover camp where kids spend the night in dorms, work on their music all day (with a break for Barton Springs) and go clubbing in the evenings. Michele's got a year-round music school geared toward putting kids together in bands, with plenty of successes to its credit. Erik Hokkanen is one of the teachers this year and brought some of his students to sit in during his Flipnotics gig this evening; they played a creditable Roll Over Beethoven.
Natural Ear alumnae "Catscratch"
I like Michele's no-B.S. behavior policy:
Campers will be schlepped around by Austin musicians on these outings and are expected to behave as honored guests in our city. Any students who misbehave, endangering the group or themselves will lose their outing priveledges immediately. Any students caught drinking, smoking or engaging in sexual behavior beyond handholding will be put on the first plane home, with no refunds, no fooling. All these activities are AGAINST THE LAW for minors in Texas (except handholding).
Hmm -- last I knew minors in Texas could legally do a little more than hold hands, but I don't blame Michele at all for putting her charges on a short leash.
Besides the Natural Ear camps there are the Austin School of Music Rock Camp, a day camp for kids 10 and up, and the Austin Guitar School Rock and Blues Camp which apparently accepts adults as well as kids. Sign me up!
