Saturday afternoon at Brighton Music Hall, the notion of an all ages show truly lived up to its billing. The Allston venue hosted Girls Rock Campaign Boston’s seventh session, a summertime showcase that gave aspiring young musicians a stage to rock out and tap into their creativity. Twelve bands performed over the course of the two-hour concert, led by the organizational efforts of Girls Rock Campaign co-founders Hilken Mancini and Nora Allen-Wells, who walked with purpose, set up the gear, signed-in all the girls, and once again proved that women truly do get shit done. Earlier in the week, the musicians, all between the ages of 6 and 17, rehearsed with their new bandmates under the encouragement of eager parents and volunteers.
Many new bands were born, among them Electric Unicorns, Pop Rox, Eye of the Tornado, the Anonymous, Color Chaos, and Major Threat (for full list of bands, see image #20 below). The song lyrics covered topics as simple as galaxy tigers to things far more complicated, like trying to fit in and being considered cool. The nine-year-olds in Pop Rox penned a feminist anthem called “Champions”. It was legit.
Throughout the day (and through efforts that began the moment it was launched), Girls Rock Campaign Boston allowed these young women and girls write and perform how they want, instilling confidence and teamwork between individuals and bands. The girls rocked their songs — some are only a few months away from playing regular shows around town; expect Major Threat to start showing up on show flyers soon — and were beautifully supported by not only their parents and volunteers, but their fellow Girls Rock campers. Girls Rock Campaign Boston offers workshops so vital for young women, and cover topics not only in music, but in media competency, women in the music industry, and self-defense.
It was an awesome afternoon of empowerment, love, and rock and roll — and the next one at Brighton Music Hall goes down on August 13. Get more information on it here, and check out Vanyaland’s full gallery below.
