GRC’s mission, Easton says, is to help “girls and young women learn to create rock & roll and promote their bands, as well as make friends and develop a strong DIY attitude.” To further that goal, Easton—who once ran a small record label and is a self-described “semiprofessional record nerd”—and her fellow organizers insisted on an all-female staff of instrument instructors and counselors. “A lot of us had instrument teachers who were men, and they’re great—men can rock, obviously—but it’s really to provide role models.”

The 9-to-5 day camp is open to all girls, regardless of musical experience. The camp will even provide instruments, although campers are welcome to bring their own. Up to 20 campers are expected to attend this session, although Easton believes that number will grow over the next few summers —“after we learn from all the mistakes this year,” she jokes.

Campers first will be divided into bands consisting of three or four girls, grouped together based on how they answer an initial questionnaire. Mornings will include two hours of instrument lessons; afternoons will be spent in age-appropriate workshops on topics ranging from making buttons and T-shirts to booking shows. On August 19, the kids will perform publicly at the Hideout. “The goal is to have all the bands playing at least one song together by the end of the week,” Easton says. “Even if it’s just ‘Louie, Louie,’ it’s a start.”

Obvious similarities to the movie The School of Rock begin and end with the general concept. These role models are not nearly as high-octane as Jack Black’s Dewey Finn, or duplicitous slackers for that matter. But the film got one thing right: “At the very least,” Easton says, “I would hope it would show any kid who saw it that you don’t need to be in your teens to start doing something like this.”

Collaboration has fueled the camp since its genesis. When Easton and a few other local women with an interest in music and the industry banded with Emily Bernstein, a former volunteer at the annual Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls in New York City, they had no idea another group of women at Roosevelt University were, coincidentally, already planning a similar program for the same week. After meeting over beers with Roosevelt grad student Alison Murray—who was planning the camp as her thesis project in Women’s and Gender Studies—the groups decided to join forces.

They’ve been working together since March and have amassed about 75 volunteers. So far, their grassroots efforts to raise funds for the campers’ meals and T-shirts, the purchasing and renting of equipment and other costs have included a benefit DJ night at Danny’s and a night at T’s Bar in Andersonville. A heavy-metal fund-raiser night is in the works. They’ve even incorporated some of the oldest tricks in the book—bake sales and raffles—to reach their goal of $3,500.

Among the many local music-industry gals who have offered their services are Elizabeth Elmore, lead singer of The Reputation, who signed on as a counselor, and Drag City publicist Leslie Vlazny, who is handling PR. Other women have donated their time and equipment, but volunteers are still welcome. The rolling admissions deadline for campers has also been extended through the beginning of August, and scholarships are available to cover the $400 cost. Now all the rest of us have to do is sit back and wait for the next Karen O, Joan Jett or Cat Power to make her rock & roll debut.

Prospective campers and volunteers can feel the noise at www.girlsrockchicago.org.