Girls Rock Philly Showcase

Sat., Aug. 8, 6 p.m., $5, Girard College, 2101 S. College Ave., 215-789-4879, girlsrockphilly.org.

by Carolyn Huckabay

[ kids, etc. ]

Girls Rock Philly may well discover the untapped talents of the next Patti Smith, but that's not its main objective. According to Beth Warshaw-Duncan, director of the third annual weeklong, female-only rock 'n' roll day camp, Girls Rock Philly is a safe haven for young women to express themselves — through music, not clothes or shoes. "We try to take away a lot of the negative focus," she says of the camp, in session this week at Girard College. "It's really subtle, but we try not to focus on their outward appearance at all."

Run entirely by female volunteers and instructors, the camp encourages girls ages 9 and up to rock out on drums, guitar, keyboard or on the mic. No experience is necessary, and, says Warshaw-Duncan, making mistakes is part of the fun. "A lot of girls, when they first come in, won't say they don't know how to do something — they'll just say they don't like it," she says. "The idea is to take away the fear."

The result: a group of 52 girls who take lessons, sit in on mini-concerts with local bands like The Sisters Three and Conversations with Enemies, and record their songs at WXPN for a compilation CD; their efforts culminate in this weekend's 10-band showcase — complete with Girls Rock DJs spinning in between sets.

Already playing Rock Band in your mind? Warshaw-Duncan reports that after camp wraps up, she'll begin planning Ladies Rock Philly, a weekend-long fundraiser geared toward those of us who're long past that awkward phase — at least in theory — and still want to rock it out.

Sat., Aug. 8, 6 p.m., $5, Girard College, 2101 S. College Ave., 215-789-4879, girlsrockphilly.org.