My Experience At The 2007 Hollywood Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp
By Jason Holliday
I guess I will start at the beginning as that is always a good place to begin. In December of 2006 I saw the advertisement for Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp (RRFC), and noticed that Paul Stanley was going to be a special guest, and Bruce Kulick was going to be a counselor. I knew right then that I had to go to this camp. I called, signed up and received the 2nd to the last guitar spot, talk about cutting it close. At that time I requested to be in Bruceıs band, they said they would see what they could do seeing as how I was such a HUGE KISS fan. And they came through, I was in Bruceıs band. So I was dying for 2 months while waiting for camp to arrive and it did. After 2 months of practicing and getting chops all in order I got on a plane and headed to California, which by the way I have never been to, I am from Lakeland, Florida (yes the same Lakeland where Ace shocked himself on stage). So I get to CA, check in to the hotel, check in with the camp, meet two wonderful people that work for RRFC, Katie Locke and Christina Crossken. These are 2 of the nicest people you could ever want to meet, they took care of everything, and if you needed it, and didnıt have it, they would get it for you. It doesnıt matter what it was!!
Day 1 of Camp - We head over to SIR studios, which was a sight. We all get there, check in, and have some lunch. When we get in the room we see the camp counselors on stage jamming, basically just getting warmed up. There was Mark Slaughter on guitar, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on guitar, Simon Kirk on drums, Teddy Zig Zag on keys It was an all star lineup. They jammed a bit while we had lunch and got acclimated to the environment. Afterwards they sat us down in the main jam room or hall and began to welcome us. Once the hellos and how are yaıs were over we started the audition process. All this was, was a way for the counselors to see your skill level to know where to place you in the bands. All the counselors had a band and there were 13 of them. I was number 17 and my song was China Grove by the Doobie Bros. A great song, and I was able to perform it with Skunk Baxter on rhythm, Teddy Zig Zag on keys, a couple other campers on guitar with me, and I think Sandy Genaro on drums. Sandy is from Joan Jett and Cindi Lauper. He also was the person who flew out to Aussie to get Peter Criss up on his game for the Symphony show. Sandy is one hell of a drummer and knows what he is doing behind the skins for sure. So I did the song, nailed all parts, nailed the solo, and was on cloud 9. I got off stage and everyone kept coming up to me saying what a great job I did and that I sounded great. This was very good to hear as I have doubts about my guitar playing, I am my worst critic, so it was nice to hear the compliments. I sat down behind the judges/counselor table and was just taking it all in after my audition, and Jane Wieldan from the Go-Goıs leaned back in her chair and said "Are you Jason?", I said "yes mıam", she says "you sounded great up there, good job", I said "thanks" as I begin to hyperventilate on myself. That was so awesome. I just sat there and soaked it in that she gave me a huge compliment, it was absolutely unreal.
So the auditions continued, and we had dinner, and then our first special guest was going to stop by. It was Steve Vai. He did a Q&A session and then he performed 2 songs for us with Bruce on bass, Simon Kirk on drums, Skunk Baxter on rhythm and Teddy on keys. The Q&A was very insightful, but it was just a prolonged delay for the good stuff everyone was waiting for, let me tell you. I was right up front, the first row, right in the middle. I could reach out and touch his pedal board I was so close, and which in fact I did and got some good pics of it. He began his first song and it was like magic. I have never seen anyone in my life play with such full body emotion. His fingers and hands did not play his guitar, his soul played that Ibanez. It was magical. At one point I had tears in my eyes watching him. After the show we were able to meet him, get pictures, autographs etc, and I told him that exact thing. That I have never seen anyone play like that before, and that I had tears in my eyes watching him. He answer and expression back to me in response was one of sincere thanks. He greatly appreciated what I felt during his show. We chatted for a sec, he signed my guitar and took a picture and I said thank you, and so did he and off I went to bask in the glow of what I just experienced.
Day 2 of Camp - We show up for day one of rehearsal. Bruce was not so lucky on rehearsal rooms for this day and therefore was not too happy about it. It was an awful little hole in the wall in a room on top of the studio. Needless to say we had to rough it out for one day then Bruce was able to have us moved into another room for the rest of the camp. Thanks Bruce!! So we all get there and introduce ourselves. We say who we are, what we do, the normal hellos and what nots. Then Bruce introduces himself and sort of explains what we are going to do. Afterwards we figure out that our first song which is a KISS song is going to be Shout It Out Loud. This is a great song, and very fun to play. It is also a great song to get the crowd going and that is what we wanted to do, was to get everyone involved. Our band had 4 guitar players including myself. A Singer, drummer and keyboard player. Bruce played bass. Since we had 4 guitars we had tons of room for arrangements on our songs, that and we all were pretty good players, so that did help. Bruce started explaining the song to us, which by the way was a nice advantage over the other bands and Bruce knows this song like the back of his hand, although he did need a refresher, but once he got the jist of it, it was smooth sailing. So we ran though that song and our parts for a while and had lunch.
After lunch we had two visitors, Scott Ian and Brett Michaels. Scott was very laid back, super calm and was just the nicest he could be. He picked up one of guitar players guitar and started playing it, Bob was going nuts, he was so loving it as that was his guitar and Scot Ian was playing it. He played some old Anthrax licks for us, and of course we all went wild. He signed some stuff and took pics, we played the KISS song for him and he said it sounded good, then he left to visit the other bands. Scott was a pleasure to meet and very down to earth person. He seems like the type of person that is you saw him on the street you could just walk right up to him and say hello. Then Brett came by. Brett is full of energy, so if you are ever around him be prepared to be pumped up. He was so nice too. He made his way around the room meeting us all one by one, taking pictures, talking about the current Poison situation, etc. He hung for a bit and also signed some things and took pictures. We did not play our song for him right then as Bruce was not there, so Brett came back later, when he did not have to, and wanted to hear us play it, and he even sang along with us on it, it was very cool. So after rehearsals we had dinner and then a Q&A session with Scott Ian, Brett Michaels and Sully Erna from Godsmack, which was a nice surprise. They talked about all sorts of stuff, and I tell you I canıt remember what it was either. I know they talked about how they got their band names, Scott talked about being on the VH1 show, and Brett talked about playing, recording, etc, as well as other things they talked about. It lasted about 30 minutes. They then did a jam session with the counselors and did Sweet Home Alabama. It was fantastic. After that our rehearsal were over and it was jam time. Late a night we would all get together and just hang out and jam. That was fun, just chillin with your musical idols and heroes. It really is something that you can not put into words.
Day 3 of Camp - We show up, have breakfast and start rehearsals. Now let me explain to you how it is working with Bruce Kulick. Bruce we all know is a talented musician. I now know why. He has a very tough work ethic. Bruce is tough as nails and there is no messin around while rehearsing. He has a job to do, and we all didnıt pay all this money to just sit there and screw off. We were there to learn and he was there to teach. We also did not want to make fools out of ourselves at the HOBs with Paul. That would have been BAD! So we start right in on Shout It Out Loud. Bruce is very particular so we all took time with him, one on one to make sure our parts were correct. We played it for a while to make sure we were good, and to also get it up to par because Paul was going to visit the studio today to play the songs with all the campers. And Bruce wanted to make sure Paul had a special experience and wanted him to not feel like he was wasting his time. So needless to say those early morning rehearsals were tough but they paid off. So, after lunch Paul came in, and let me tell you. Because of who Bruce is and Paul being there, our room was a HUGE media frenzy. They turned up the stage lights, and had about 40 people in that one little room with cameras, booms, microphones, did I say cameras! It was a madhouse, and a small taste of what these people go through. I could not imagine going through this on a daily basis. Paul looked like a deer in the headlights. He was very much overwhelmed, but he stayed cool to nature and was extremely pleasant. He walked in and you could tell it was his room. He came up on stage said hello to each person, shaking hands, etc. He was excited about hearing the song so we went right into it. He sang some parts with our singer Marti, and we nailed the song. He was mucho impressed, and took time out afterwards to sign all the things we had for him to sign. He signed my guitar, a CD and an item for my wife, oh and a Paul Stanley Jodi Head guitar strap. He took pics and then he was out the door to see yet another band. After he left all we could do was sit on the couch and try not to let our jaw hang to low. It was a HUGE experience, and 2 of the other guitar players were HUGE KISS fans like me, so we all were just blown away.
Later that day Mickey Hart from the Grateful dead stopped by and we played our second song choice for him, which would be our second song performed at the HOBs. Journeyıs "Anyway You Want It". We played it well, and that song also was the one we recorded at the studio for inclusion on the camp CD. Mickey was very cool, and the one word I used to describe him is "Cosmic". Itıs all about the rhythm. So later that night he did a show for us and they had put drums and bongos and all sorts of percussion in the audience for us to take part in when Mickey did his thing. So he did a short Q&A and then brought a special guest of his own, a woman with a drum. I canıt remember who she was but she was a great bongo player. He then asked us to find our pulse, and find our inner rhythm. We did and then he told us to basically beat on the drum with that rhythm. We did and in a matter of seconds we all were beating at the same tempo. At first it was a bit odd, but after a few minutes you sort of get into it, and before to log everyone was into it and the room was filled with the sounds of drum beats. It was quite fantastic. Afterwards we had dinner, and then they offered master classes with various topics. I opted for this night to take Mark Slaughters class on guitar and vocals. I went in not knowing how great of a guitar player Mark really is. And I told him afterwards. I told him I knew you could sing, and of course play guitar but I had no idea how great of a player you really were. He was very gracious and said thank you. During the lessons he answered a few of my questions, and afterwards he tried showing me a few things one on one, but I was in such amazement of one, I am talking with Mark Slaughter about guitar techniques and two, watching him pay it in front of me was mind blowing, so I really didnıt get what he was saying at that moment. He was very nice and told me that over the weekend to find him and he would spend a few minutes with me one on one and show me some things. I thought this was way cool, but unfortunately time was not on my side and I just did not have the time to get with him. They had us doing things 24/7. So after his class he and some campers jammed out and I just sat back and watched. It was sort of surreal, almost like an out of body experience.
Day 4 of Camp - This day we had two things to accomplish. We had to nail our Beach Boys song because were going to perform it tonight, and we had to perfect our Journey song as we were going to record it after the beach boys performance. So all morning we played those two songs so many times I am still hearing them in my head. But we got them down and they sounded cool. A little while later Brian Wilson from the beach boys came by and we were to play our song for him. We drew Surfin Safari. A fun song. We played it for him and he thought it sounded very good. After that he heard about our Journey song, as the buzz through the camp was we were the band to beat on Monday night at the HOBs, and he asked us if we would play it for him. We were honored and said yes of course. So we did and he liked it. Brian is not man of many words, but you could tell he was digging it. He hung around and took photos and signed autographs. After he made his way through the studio seeing all the bands him and his Brian Wilson band did a short set list of all the old Beach Boys songs. This was a huge deal as he is an American Icon. They played for about 35 minutes or so, and we all got into it. Even the counselors were up in the front rows jamming along with him, it was very cool to see them act like kids at a show, very awesome indeed. After the show we had dinner and all of the camper bands performed their renditions of the beach boys songs we drew. The performances were all very good, and some were quite different, so it was fun to hear all the different arrangements, very fun indeed. After the show we had dinner, relaxed ad waited for our turn in the recording studio to record our Journey tune. They were giving camper bands two tries for the song and you pick the best one. We went in there and busted it out on one take. We rock!! I donıt think any other band did that, so we were quite proud of ourselves. Bruce was elated, and was all juiced up. You could tell he was really having a good time. After that it was just hang out time and jam time. There was a bar in the studio so we hung out and drank wine, beer, whatever, jammed and lived it up.
Day 5 of Camp and the House of Blues Show - We get to SIR early and have breakfast. We then meet in the jam room and warm up. We run through the songs a couple of times, but today was more of a final day of just talking it all in, relaxing, not getting to worked up. We did rehearse but we also did a lot of sitting on the couch and chatting. This of course was very cool as we were able to talk with Bruce amongst ourselves and if we wanted to ask him questions about KISS, his solo stuff, whatever. This was also the day that Bruce brought us a bag of goodies. He knew I did not have UNIONıs Live DVD yet, so he brought me a copy of it. And he brought copies of his solo CD and what nots for all the other people in the band. He was so nice about it all. He signed the items, and we were all so thankful of him taking the time and having the thoughtfulness of doing this. It meant a lot, thanks Bruce!!! So we all hung out, practiced a bit, and then around 1pm we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the show that night. I met my wife at the hotel and we did some shopping. I was going to be very basic in my attire, but decided to go all out and I bought me some new kick ass jeans with a long sleeve white shirt with a huge guitar on the back of it that said rock star, and some new black boots. So we then get dressed and head back to the studio for the awards and good byes to people we may not see again, as after the show we all just go our separate ways. The RRFC people came out as well as Lynn Hoffman from VH1 and said some nice words, and then one by one our camper band got on stage to receive our "rocking out" plaque/picture. It is a very nice framed CD with a nice plaque at the bottom that mentions what we did and who the counselors were. Bruce introduced us to the crowd one by one and then Lynn Hoffman asked us if we wanted to say anything. I of course jumped at the chance to tell the campers and Bruce how I felt. I said it was a dream come true to be able to come to this camp. That I have been a KISS fan since the late 70ıs, but my main growing up time was the 80ıs, and that for me Bruce was my hero in the 80ıs, he made KISS without makeup, and it was an extreme honor and pleasure to spend the last 5 days with him. That and I almost broke out in tears. It was a very emotional moment for me and I think I held it together just fine, although I almost broke. Once we had the pleasantries, we had dinner and after dinner we got on the buses to go to the house of blues.
The Show at The House of Blues.
We arrived at the HOBs in style, gear in hand, and made our way to the artist entrance. We had wrist bands and if you did not have one, you were not getting in, period. So once inside we mingled a bit, took in the fact that we were going to play here later, and that was a bit overwhelming. To know that in an hours time I will be on stage with Paul Stanley. My idol, the one person I have looked up to, as well as Bruce, for my whole musical career. It was needless to say mind blowing. After the crowd filled in, and it was a sold out crowd, we went backstage to get all tuned up and announced. We were waiting on the ramp to go on stage, and while on the stage I realized something. After all this week, and playing in front of all these famous people, at this moment, I was as calm as I could be. My hands werenıt sweaty, I was not shaky, I did not have knots in my stomach. It was like I was meant to be here or to do this. We went on stage and the crowd went nuts, people from the camp were screaming our names, it was so cool. Lynn Hoffman said a few nice words and Bruce got up to introduce us, and he was playing bass. He too said a few nice things and he was absolutely thrilled to introduce his long time friend and former band mate. Bruce and Paul have not shared the stage since 1995 on MTV unplugged. So for Bruce it very exciting and you could tell he was having a blast. So Bruce introduced Paul and the crowd went wild. Paul came out and was so cool, like he had done it a million times before, which he had. We then went right into Shout It Out Loud. And the crowd started to get pumped as this song is definitely an anthem song. We nailed it of course, again, and Paul ended up singing most of the vocals. Martiıs was doing great but I think she got a bit lost or forgot some of the words with all the excitement, so Paul jumped right in where she left off and it was so smooth. We got to the breakdown where it is just us singing and no music and I got to do the Gene voice, "You Got To Have A Party", and that was so cool, the crowd loved it. We did the song, finished it and all of on stage thanked Paul for coming out and doing the song with us. It was so surreal, and it was like something you would dream of doing. To be able to play a KISS song with two KISS guys that you grew up loving and idolizing and dreaming of meeting one day. Not only did I get the chance to meet both of them, I got the chance to hang with Bruce all week, and perform with Bruce and Paul. I have to tell you, life just does not get any better than that. There are no words that can describe that feeling. Fantastic, unbelievable, unreal, surreal, wonderful, orgasmic, shock, awe, excited, awesome..
Those are just some words that come to mind, but now take all of those ad roll them up into one word and that would sort of tell you how I felt during this whole process. We then performed our send song, Journeyıs Anyway You Want it. And our singer Marti nailed it, she did a great job and the harmonies sounded great. Dickie Betts and his son Duane Betts came out and jammed with us on this song (I forgot to mention also, Dickie and Duane showed up at the camp to jam with us Sunday night as well). This was great, they are such awesome guitar players and they jammed over our tune. We ran out the outro a bit long and they just jammed over us and it was a great experience. We got off the stage and there were cameras offstage and they asked us what we think and all we could do is just holler and scream and give WOOOOOs. It was the single best experience in my entire life. Afterwards I was able to meet Paul again, and get a personal picture with him and my wife. I said thank you for playing with us, and I also told him that if I ever met him I was not sure what I would say, but I wanted to say thank you for all the years of music he gave us, and I appreciate it very much, so thank you!! He shook my hand and thanked me for saying that, and I was about to get all choked up and I started to walk away and patted me on the shoulder like to say, itıs all good, thanks and keep rockin.
After the show and after meeting Paul my wife and I hung out in the crowd and had a blast hanging with some of the counselors, and taking pics, and hanging with all the great people we met. One particular is Allison Suter from Moody Leather. They make exquisite leather guitar straps that will melt your soul. They are super soft, you should check them out. I picked up one and used it during the show.
This was an experience of a lifetime, and one that has changed my musical life forever. I will never be the same, and I want to thank everyone at RRFC for making this possible, I want to thank Bruce Kulick for taking the time to hang out with some average Joes like us and show us the ropes, answer our silly questions and jam with us, and I want to thank Paul Stanley for helping make my dreams come true. It was an honor to play with you on stage that night, and if by some wired chance you or Bruce need a jam buddy or a fill in, I am always available!!!
Thank you everyone, I am a changed man for life!!!
You can see pics and a video of the show on my myspace page. The KISS song video is on the page and the Journey song is under "my videos", and click on my main picture for more pics of the event.
Regards
Jason Holliday, Lakeland, FL
You can also read Bruce's Blog from the 2007 Hollywood Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp by clicking here.
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