Rock Has Come For Your Daughters

As the '90s passed, so did the trend toward powerful women in rock, such as Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon or Breeders/Pixies lifer Kim Deal. They were quickly replaced in the mainstream by vacuous vessels like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, and so the proliferation of young women whose cultural capital was stored in their scantily clad bodies retook the music scene, where they hooked up with MTV's ever-present video hos, Girls Gone Wild, and instantly available internet porn. It is partially in reaction to this sexualized environment that Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls was born.

A documentary film about what happens at the righteous Rock Camp is out this week. Directed by Arne Johnson and Shane King, Girls Rock! tracks four girls from different backgrounds during a weeklong hideaway in Portland, where they form bands, write songs and eventually throw a concert for hundreds. It's a touching film. Friendships develop amidst creativity and conflict, teaching girls the true value of communication and self-esteem. Even better, the girls are guided through the process by some admirable women of rock, including Sleater-Kinney's guitar shredder/singer Carrie Brownstein as well as Beth Ditto, booming vocalist extraordinaire from The Gossip.

"These girls are encouraged to speak their minds and push the envelope," explained camp instructor and Raining Jane drummer Mona Tavakoli. "That's not something we are encouraged to do as women in school or at home. The community involved with the camp totally understands the value of supporting a safe space for these young women to learn and explore."

Straight up, Girls Rock! should be mandatory viewing for girls of all ages. Let's face it: They need something meaningful to counteract all the pressure, to realize their identity isn't locked up in some unrealistic ideal projected by male desire. Learning to actually create music, rather than putting on a miniskirt and lip-synching to it, can help. As Brownstein argues in the film, "There is that sense of empowerment...having that microphone for the first time, having volume. You can't underestimate how it feels to hear your voice echo through a room."

And you can't underestimate the effect it has on those watching it happen. "The first time I saw them kicking out the jams on their guitars and drums," said co-director Arne Johnson, "I was moved to tears."

That happens a lot when the subjects of your film are girls coming to grips with their identities, while trying to write a killer rock song. As the film follows Laura, an adopted Korean from Oklahoma who also happens to be both a National Merit Scholar and a death metal fan, you feel the pressure she feels to conform. But you also feel it lift, as Rock Camp commences and brings the noise.

"I don't need to wear make-up and perfume to be a woman," she told me later about the experience. "I don't need to have short hair and wear pants all the time to be a metal fan! Now, I don't box myself in either way. And I feel better about it."

Laura's problems pale in comparison to those of Misty, who is also followed through the film. With drug-addicted parents ditching her and gangs entangling her, she's had enough problems without having to learn bass, join a band, and perform an original song in front of a crowd of strangers. Yet, she did, and it changed her.

"If I didn't go to the camp, then I would have never gotten in touch with myself on such a personal level," she explained via email. "In my future, I see nothing but the positive. Rock camp gave me the confidence to be who I am."

And what better lesson is there? "I didn't know how these negative cultural influences were actually shaping and affecting girls on a visceral level," Johnson added. "It was heartbreaking, but also inspiring to see them take on these huge forces with such joy and courage. They're my role models and inspirations."

Laura would recommend the experience for every girl. "Rock Camp teaches girls, by example, that there are as many ways to be a woman as there are women. As long as a woman is strong and confident, and she is not hurting herself or others, then all of these ways are valid, and even wonderful. Plus, you meet role models, make lifelong friends and get to rock out with other girls!"

If you are in search of positive influences to counter all the negative influences a girl receives in her life, then take your daughters, sisters, nieces and granddaughters to see this film. And even if you are not in search of that, just take them for the rock.