Following a shortened session due to the August civic holiday, when a few students from Toronto Rock Camp had the opportunity to perfect their chops in the recording studio, CityArts regrouped for one final summer week. Groups are assembled on Monday based on playing ability, and other factors, followed by the five-day dash to the Friday afternoon live concert finish line. A number of faces called the Our Lady Of Lourdes School their second home for the better part of summer. Some others just recently became aware of what was happening at the otherwise inconspicuous corner of Sherbourne and Wellesley all summer long and wanted to leap into the action. Regardless of their musical background, just about everyone at the Rock Camp felt energized to continue such creative pursuits, whether by staying in touch with the others they met over the summer, or rustling up new bands in the fall.
The final performance of the session was the most celebratory of all, where campers spent as much energy applauding their band leaders as their own parents and siblings relished the performances, and the proverbial roof was raised on the school auditorium. During a summer in the city that will go down in history for its temperamental weather, a civic workers strike that kept the streets strewn with garbage, and plenty of bad news stories, it was reassuring to know that kids working on rock ‘n’ roll in a few downtown classrooms could generate enough enthusiasm to change the world — or at least change the way you could hear some familiar songs.
