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 4-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.
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."
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.
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 2 hours and ending up staying for 8 and a half. It's Roger Daltrey who just came to mentor 1 time and has now been back 4. 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.
For more information and for a list of camp dates, visit the official website at www.rockcamp.com.
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