For decades, music lovers have combined their passion for the arts with a desire to travel - whether to catch a concert in a remote Midwestern locale, enjoy "Madame Butterfly" in Paris' famed Opera House or see a Broadway play under the bright lights of Times Square.
Now, with Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp, music fans not only travel to see a performance, they get to be an integral part of it.
Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp turns everyday folks - surgeons, students, plumbers, stay-at-home parents - into full-fledged rock stars through an intensive series of classes, workshops and tutorials. From novice drummers to expert bassists, anyone can enroll, and the organization's mission is quite simple: "To bring people's musical fantasies to life."
The four-day camp, which takes place once or twice a year, isn't always held in the same location, so even repeat attendees can enjoy different atmospheres. The last session took place in Los Angeles in February 2008; the next will occur in London in November 2008. Other past locations have included New York City and Las Vegas. And, starting this summer, the camp will offer one-day sessions in cities across the United States.
Professional rock stars, including members of the Beach Boys, KISS, the Cars, Pink Floyd and AC/DC, are on hand to show newbies the ropes and give them a taste of what the industry is really all about.
David Fishof, founder of the camp, has done his share of traveling - working with the likes of Ringo Starr, Roger Daltrey and the Monkees, among other big names.
"Being around these musicians, I kept getting asked what they're like, and I saw what amazing people they were and wanted to offer this to others," Fishof recalled. "I never realized it was going to become more than that."
Around 10 years ago, Fishof got on the phone with several of his famous friends and asked if they'd be interested in serving as mentors at a music-oriented camp for amateur musicians. While many of them rejected Fishof's request, there were a few "yeses" in the mix. And thus, Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp was born.
"In the beginning, I got turned down (by musicians) with some saying, "I don't want to play with anybody.' But now, 10 years later, I'm getting calls with them saying "I want to come to Fantasy Camp,'" Fishof said. "They all started showing up because the jams at night are so amazing."
"We did London last year, and it was so remarkable, we wanted to go back," Fishof said. "Campers get to record at Abbey Road, play on John Lennon's piano, take a train up to the Cavern, playing Beatles songs along the way, and go on a tour of Liverpool."
Camp sessions are limited to 70 people, arranged into groups of six or seven band members, and given instruction by a designated professional musician. Participants write and play their own songs, and later perform onstage in front of a sold-out crowd.
Throughout the course, Fantasy Campers have jam sessions with their bandmates and celebrity musicians, as well as rehearsal time at professional recording studios. The camp culminates with one massive Battle of the Bands concert.
Should money or time make the four-day camp inconvenient for some, Fishof has plans to make the whole process more convenient.
In the summer of 2008, he will launch a Fantasy Camp tour consisting of 25 day camps across the United States, beginning in New York City. The concept is the same, only everything is squeezed into a brief 12 hours.
"Last year, I did a one-day tour where campers could open up for Def Leppard and Journey. I sold it out, and that's why I decided to do a whole series of one-day camps," Fishof said. "I wanted to open it up to more people. I wanted to put out a product that was more affordable for the masses - to reach more people, give more people the gift. I wanted to give back what this biz gave to me."
And at the end of the day, it's not just the campers who walk away with a "life-changing experience," as Fishof put it, but their professional teachers, as well.
"It's Slash who came for just two hours and ending up staying for eight and a half. It's Roger Daltrey who just came to mentor one time and has now been back four. It's the rockers that have returned year after year. To a rock star, they like the camp because it reminds them of what music was like when they first started. So the combo of the rock star loving it and the camper loving it - whether he or she is the president of a company, a housewife, an 18-year-old kid - and that desire to play music is what makes the camp."
Businessman Gary Hofstetter realized his musical dream through Fantasy Camp. When the Bostonian turned 50 back in 2004, he felt unsettled. The former '70s folk guitarist longed to fulfill a lifelong dream: To perform onstage in a band.
He Googled "rock 'n' roll fantasy camp." And the rest is history.
"My first time singing, I was training in front of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, which is just incredible," Hofstetter, 53, recalled. "To go from that to playing onstage with Roger Daltrey (of the Who) and having a conversation with Elliot Easton from the Cars is simply amazing. I've always loved classic rock and have always been very fond of these artists."
Fantasy Camp knows no discrimination - not age, race, profession or sex. There are those like Hofstetter, president of a real estate management firm, New Boston Management Services, who have enjoyed successful careers and are simply in it for a bit of fun. Then there are others in their teens and 20s who actually want to see if they have what it takes to be a rock star.
With the explosion of reality TV contests such as "American Idol" and music simulators like "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," becoming the next Slash or Metallica headman is no longer as far-fetched an idea as it may have once seemed.
Even if you have no prior musical training or knowledge, don't rule out the possibility of enrolling in the camp, Hofstetter advises.
"You can come in there and play a tambourine, they don't care. It's all about getting immersed in the camp and the feeling. If you just want to go hang out and sing, there are plenty of people who do that, too. It's not a competition - it's just a really fun time."
Hofstetter saw his dream come true - in legendary concert hall House of Blues on L.A.'s Sunset Strip in front of thousands of spectators. But for Hofstetter, while the performance aspect was surely amazing, the people are the best part about the camp.
"You hear these stars' stories before you go and expect to be intimidated, but you get there and you're not in awe of these people and they're not in awe of you. It's just very comfortable and such a blast."
For more information and for a list of camp dates, visit the official website at www.rockcamp.com.
