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Rock-and-roll fantasies become reality in just a few days

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Three ladies practicing in band practice. One is on the drums while the other two are holding a guitar and bass guitar.
Kiri Salinas
Pinky and the Sweats members Sarah (drums), Amy (bass) and Emily (vocals/guitar) in a practice space at Ladies Rock MKE.

How long do you think it would take to learn how to play the drums? A year? A month? How about two days?

That’s the premise of Ladies Rock MKE, an intensive Friday-Sunday music camp in Milwaukee for women, trans and gender-nonconforming folks of any identity 18 years or older. Campers of all skill levels learn an instrument — like drums, guitar or vocals — form a band, write a song and perform it at a public show after only two days of practice.

Four women facing a wall and writing their names on a piece of paper
Kiri Salinas

This episode of Uniquely Milwaukee starts with a Ladies Rock alum: Radio Milwaukee Business Manager Kris deFelice. She takes us back to 2019, a year of transformation that included getting a motorcycle license, overcoming her fear of public speaking and joining Ladies Rock to find her inner rockstar.

After that, I take you on the journey of three women who try an instrument for the first time and find out if the impact of this camp goes beyond the music.