jaimes

Patti Smith. Singer. Songwriter. Musician. Poet. Artist. Author of the book Just Kids. Mother of Jackson and Jesse.

“Let’s just say that I think any person who aspires, presumes, or feels the calling to be an artist has a built-in sense of duty.”

Check out the trailer for the documentary Dream of Life, in which Patti jokes, “As you can see, I was not a mother that used bleach.”

Ages and stages. That’s what psychologists call it, right? Ages 0-1 parents are concerned with the bare necessities: food, mood, and sleep. Ages 2-3 we enter the world of potty training, temper tantrums, and finding that balance of independent play and protecting them from tumbling down the stairs. 4-5 is all about learning letters, numbers, and manners (burping at home is fine, burping at a restaurant is not fine, etc). Then there is daycare, preschool, and starting kindergarten and all the separation anxiety behaviors that get thrown into that mix. All milestones, each with its own set of worry that is so fierce, they may as well include a box of hair color to cover the grays along with pregnancy tests.

As you all know, I have a six year old daughter named Devon. Since she was in my belly, I have called her Devoncakes. No one else calls her this. It’s not a nickname that catches on. But it’s my name for the little girl who made me a mama. She, more than anyone, has motivated me to be a woman who is strong, independent, and confident more often than I’m not, which is pretty much the opposite of me up until parenthood. (more…)

There is a quote by the mother of modern dance, Isadora Duncan, that for me sums up my experience as a band coach at this year’s Girls’ Rock Camp ATL:

You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.

It perfectly captures the rock camp experience. The girls are wild, but not in a negative way. They are bold and stubborn like wildflowers, growing wherever and however they please. Untouchable beauties that need the right environment to grow, but then are best left alone to do their own thing and be admired by the rest of us.

From day one, I realized that as a band coach, my role was not to take charge of these girls and conduct my way of playing music or writing songs. Although these girls were new to their instruments, they were not new to themselves. They knew what they liked and didn’t like and surprisingly, they always found a way to agree on their sound. (more…)

I’m working on a behind the scenes video for Girls’ Rock Camp ATL. In the meantime, this boing boing story I saw on Kathleen’s blog made me laugh.

A mall in China opened a women-only frustration chamber where the delicate sex can enter and beat the crap out of whatever is in sight. I imagine the line to get into this thing is longer than than ladies restroom line.

Maybe this idea will catch on in the U.S. I can see this evolving into one of those at-home businesses that involves house parties. It will be called something like Smash It UP! and the logo will be a 1950s housewife type holding a pink sledge hammer.

So, I’m super busy trying to parent, volunteer at Girls’ Rock Camp, and you know, shower and stuff. The girls are soundchecking today for tomorrow night’s performance. Here’s a clip of the band I’m coaching at practice.

Are you ready to rock, ATL? This is Lemon Lime Light!!!!

You do not want to miss these girls live. They’re playing at Variety Playhouse tomorrow night as part of the Girls’ Rock Camp ATL showcase.

So, this is day four of Girls’ Rock Camp ATL, and it’s going really well. The band I’m coaching, Lemon Lime Light, wrote their entire original song by day two. Now it’s just a matter of practicing until they’ve got it down. That’s a big accomplishment, especially considering two of the girls in Lemon Lime Light are brand new to their instruments and one has only been playing for six months without formal training.

Watching these girls accomplish so much – and get along at the same time- is inspiring. It’s also proof of how far people can go when they are placed in a supportive environment. This camp is not about telling girls how to rock; it’s about giving them the tools to do it themselves.

I dropped out of the music scene after I became a parent, so I wondered how much of the DIY ethic was passed down to this generation. It turns out, a lot. And now with myspace, facebook, music websites, and blogging, there are just more and more options available for musicians to be both seen and heard. Now that I’m back in the music scene with two kids in tow, I’m happy to see that DIY is not dead.

A perfect example is the the Girls’ Rock Camp ATL facebook page. Volunteers are posting clips of the girls playing daily. It’s pretty amazing. The videos are like mini-documentaries tracking the girls’ progress and preparation for showcase day at Variety Playhouse. And the beautiful thing about DIY filmmaking, promotion, zines and music is that it’s more likely to treat everyone equally, regardless of skill level, musical background, age, race, or shoesize. And it shows the truth.

And the truth is that when you get around 40 girls together and you encourage them to speak up and speak out, you hear their true voice. When you hand them an instrument that is big and loud, you hear the biggest, loudest noise your ears can stand. And when you support those girls through workshops on self-expression, self-defensive, and self-esteem, you hear the purest music that is out there in any scene. I consider myself lucky to witness it firsthand.

I thought being a band coach would be tough. I imagined the girls arguing, or name-calling, or obsessing over their looks. I could not have been more wrong. The only thing these girls have done from day one is totally rock.

Check out the CNN story on last year’s Girls’ Rock Camp ATL for a behind the scenes look at the best camp ever. Some of the girls featured are returning campers this year.