Music

Girls Rock Camp recreates classic album covers

by Jesse Locke

It’s an inarguable fact that Girls Rock Camp is a Totally Great Thing. The organization running programs throughout the U.S. and Canada offers young women the opportunity to play instruments, write songs, and form amazingly named bands. Here in Toronto, past Girls Rock Camp groups have included The Crazy Animals, The Devil Girls, The Moustache Potatoes (?), We Eat Cute Stuff, Sci-Fi Rock N Roll, Attic Babies, Electric Flamingos, #pandabandits (hashtag their own), 5 Evil Questions, and UFO conspiracy theorists Area 52 (who should probably get a gig with Tom DeLonge).

As part of their annual funding drive, the American foundation is now selling prints of classic album covers recreated by Girls Rock Campers. The “Record Remake Project” features platters that matter from Blondie, David Bowie, and U2, along with modern day faves by Kendrick Lamar, Katy Perry, and Perfume Genius. These are all available to purchase, and you can check them out in our gallery above.

Gossip singer Beth Ditto (whose niece stars as Blondie’s Debbie Harry) voiced her support of the project: “Rock Camp is really close to my heart. I coached at Camp for several summers and it was so cool to watch girls find their voices… to play singers for them like Nina Hagen, Cibo Matto, Ma Rainey, Yoko Ono, opening up the idea of what ‘singing’ is and what kinds of voices are beautiful. I loved getting to share Camp with Ava, and seeing her transformed into a tiny scowling Debbie Harry was unbelievable! Baby’s first wig cap!”