Camplified visits Camp Southwoods and the Adirondacks!

We rolled into Paradox, NY today to visit the campers at Camp Southwoods. We set up our show in the camp’s beautiful theatre and our Camplified Sound Crew got to work. Today’s concert featured Misha Williams, Kicking Daisies, and Duke Squad. We had an afternoon show, which was interesting for us, but the campers’ energy was infectious. Between the young campers and the older counselors – the residents at Camp Southwoods were ready to rock!

Misha and her guitar entertain the campers!

Duke Squad gets the crowd up and dancing

Ben and Duran (of Kicking Daisies) share some energy with the Camp Southwoods campers

After the show, the musicians visited with the campers for some Meet & Greet time and some autographs. Also, we were able to share the Scholastic-love with the Camp Southwoods campers – everyone gets a book!!

Scholastic books were on hand for all campers!

At this point in the tour, our artists have become friends and it adds a special element to each event. Today was no exception as the musicians visited before and after their sets.

Misha, Duke Squad, and Kicking Daisies pose for a group shot to celebrate their day at Camp Southwoods!

Between the rowdy concert, the great autograph session, and the Scholastic books, Camp Southwoods treated Camplified ’09 right! We had a great time – it was a fantastic day in Paradox, NY. Thank you Camp Southwoods!

Posted by Jess Fontaine, Crew Member

Camplifed + Golden Sipper

Camplified was welcomed to Stroudsburg, PA today by the Golden Slipper summer camp. The Camplified crew arrived to the camp just in time for lunch and was greeted by hundreds of screaming and chanting campers! The three bands on the bill today – Taylor Bright, Misha Williams, and Duke Squad all prepared the camp with recorded music. The kids had been listening to it for days (maybe weeks!) and were ready for tonight’s show! The crew was greeted with cheers of “Tay-lor Bright, Tay-lor Bright,” but that quickly quieted down once our group of 20-somethings and sound guys entered the room. We definitely weren’t Taylor Bright!

Taylor opened tonight’s show – she gets along really well with the campers and is such a pro onstage. She brought up a few campers to help her throughout the show and everyone had a great time.

The crowd loooooves Taylor at Golden Slipper!

Next up was Misha Williams who has only played a few dates with the tour thus far. She sang a bit, danced a bit, and played a bit of guitar. She had some crowd participation too – the crowd loved it!

Misha had a great set - and the kids loved it!

Last up was Duke Squad. After the two ladies, the crowd was ready to party with these boys! Jake, Phil, Devin and Jim are all so high energy – right away they get the kids up and dancing and having a good time. The end of their sets are always great because when the lights come up the place is full of tired, happy kids. It’s always a fun time.

the Duke Squad boys brought the house down!

After the show we had an autograph sessions in which campers got to meet the bands. Taylor and Misha were each swamped at their tables, while the Duke Squad boys were able to spread out the crazy fans between the four members. After the kids jump around and rock out during the concert I would think they’d be too tired for autographs – but I was wrong! They love meeting the band members and talking them up. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day because everyone gets so excited. The artists love meeting fans and the campers are always so enthusiastic when they get to talk to the bands. I guess it’s the “rock star” thing…

Also down the way was the Scholastic book giveaway. Scholastic donated enough books so that each camper who attends a Camplified concert gets a book. It’s awesome! The kids line up and take a quick look – and there’s always a lot of chatter as they discuss who’s trading what when they’re finished. After some good old-fashioned rock show fun, it’s nice to see the campers get pumped about reading as well.

thanks to Scholastic, Camplified was able to pass along books to some very excited Golden Slipper readers!

Golden Slipper were great hosts to Camplified and the artists, today. It was a day like no other on the Camplified tour – and with all the fun days we’ve had, that’s saying a lot!

Posted by Jess Fontaine, Crew Member

NJY Camp in Midford, PA welcomes Camplified

Today Camplified visited the NJY Camp in Milford, PA.  We were welcomed into this massive camp – and their beautiful grounds – just after lunch.  Right away the campers were hard at work at mastering Rockband, visiting with our Yu-Gi-Oh! experts, playing with the Cartoon Network goodies and collecting their free Scholastic books.  It got pretty rowdy pretty quickly!

Rockband was set up in the gazebos in the park – which was great because although there were some dark rain clouds, the kids could play as long and as loud as they wanted.  This was one of the first camps with a lot of co-ed bands – the campers were so excited about playing that they didn’t want to pass up their turns to play in a band with only their friends – everyone jumped right in!

Rockband brings the kids together

Down the trail Yu-Gi-Oh! and Cartoon Network were set up in the camp’s theatre.  At the Cartoon Network station the campers were able to play with the CN online game FusionFall.  There were a group of girls that were really excited – they mentioned that they play on onemorelevel.com and games123.com so the format of FusionFall was immediately appealing to them.  As they played the game, they got more and more into the tasks and levels that they wanted to conquer.  CN has kindly given us some postcards for the interested campers to redeem at CartoonNetwork.com and these girls were pumped when they received them!  A few more happy faces courtesy of FusionFall ……sometimes our jobs are so easy!

Also in the theatre, our Yu-Gi-Oh! experts were set up teaching kids about the games and even sharing some tips for the experienced campers.  There was a small crew of guys that brought their own cards and told us about the tournaments that they hold in their bunks – it was awesome!

some very intent, and happy Yu-Gi-Oh! fans

Next it was down to the amphitheater for the concert – tonight the NJY Camp hosted Kicking Daisies, the Duke Squad, and 2am Club.  It was a gorgeous night and the sound guys had arranged the system beautifully – it was quite the scene for the NJY Camp.  The bands were all in great moods and the crowd was really excited about each set – the mood was electric!

Kicking Daisies' Duran gets happy at NJY Camp

Jake and Phil of Duke Squad...hard at work

The boys from 2AM Club closed out the night properly

All in all, NJY Camp treated us incredibly well, and Camplified brought the rock, the free books (which were a huuuuge hit!), the Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cartoon Network – and so much more!  It was a very happy day in Milford, PA – I’m so happy to be a part of Camplified, who helped to make it happen!

Posted by Jess Fontaine, Crew Member

Belvoir Terrace welcomes the rawwwwkkkk!

The girls at the Belvoir Terrace (a fine arts camp) invited Camplified onto their campus in Lenox, MA.  And in turn, we thanked them with some quality rock in the form of CT’s Kicking Daisies and Montreal’s Duke Squad.  PLUS, we surprised them with some Cartoon Netwoork kickballs and some amazing books from Scholastic!

Belvoir Terrace set us up in their amazing theatre – between the drum risers, the stationary seats, the huge backdrop and the full in-house lighting  – the space was gorgeous!  The bands came in and set up with quick soundchecks, and then it was time for the show to begin!

Duke Squad started out the evening with some amazing Canadian-pop….the girls loved every second of it.  Starting from the first few chords of the first song, the place was wild.

Duke Squad riles up the campers!

Kicking Daises took the stage and kept the excitement going.  The girls in KD added some great girl-power to the evening of boy-musician-heavy rock.

Carly (bass) and Cailtin (drums) set a great example for the ladies in the house!

After the show the campers visited with the musicians – and got some great goodies from Scholastic!

The campers are treated with some special summer reading surprises!

Overall, it was such a treat to come into Belvoir Terrace and experience some fantastic music with the campers.  Our time together seemed to fly by, but that’s because everyone had such a good time.  It was another great Camplified day!

Posted by Jess Fontaine, Crew Member

JCC Camp at Medford brings out the welcome wagon – and Camplified rolls into town!

One of the best parts of the Camplified tour is the surprises that we bring in with us on show day.  When the dates are “advanced”  (that’s concert lingo for finalizing day-of-show details) the camp directors hear about all the activities and musicians we’ll be bringing to camp when their day comes.  No matter how clear we are in letting them know what we’re coming with, there are still so surprised.  As we set up the Rockband, Cartoon Network and Yu-Gi-Oh! activities yesterday, it was clear this was going to be one of those camps.  Everyone was ready to party!

The JCC Camp in Medford, NJ is one of those places that acts an oasis away from the rest of the world – even though it’s about 5 minutes off of a main road.  You pull into the grounds and you’re transported – there are paths and trails, buildings for theatrical productions and art classes, and even a hockey rink!  As our sound guys started transforming the hockey rink into a venue fit for the stars, the crew got busy with the activities in the mess hall.  In no time at all, the kids had discovered us and as the hall filled up – the excitement was electric!  The kids swarmed in and transformed into rockstars over at Rockband, the gaming kids headed over to Yu-Gi-Oh! – and were enthralled with our Yu-Gi-Oh! experts almost instantly.

Yu-Gi-Oh! expert Robert shows the kids how it's done. How it's done expertly, that is..

On the other side of the hall, the Cartoon Network station seemed to be overflowing with excited campers.  The Cartoon Networks cartoon previews and videos were so popular, our crew member Lisa was literally running around keeping every last kid queued up for their own viewing.

Cartoon Network station was a hit!

Today’s event was unique as we had two different shows – a morning set with Alexa & Natalee Falk (also known as Faces Without Names), Michael & Marisa, and a few songs from BYS.

Michael and Marisa performed - here Michael rocks out!

The afternoon set featured Phil Benson and a few more songs from BYS.

Phil Bensen entertains the masses!

When the second set was over, the rink was full of kids (both big and small!) clamoring for autographs from the musicians.  There were hundreds of really excited kids who couldn’t get enough of these guys – it was madness!

We ended the day with some more activities and the energy level never slowed down.  The kids and staff at the JCC camp sure gave us a run for our money today – at Camplified we’re pretty high energy and we can be pretty entertaining (we like to have a good time!).  But, today at JCC Camp in Medford we were the ones trying to keep up with the excitement of the staff and campers.  It was a great day!

Really looking forward to Belvoir Terrace on Sunday.  JCC Camp at Medford has set the bar pretty high, but I know the girls in Lenox, MA are going to be great!!

Posted by Jess Fontaine, Crew Member

Camp Danbee Camplified Concert Brings the House Down!!!

As we rolled into Camp Danbee on Saturday the 18th, I could tell it was going to be one of the best concert dates of this tour!

After a day of Camplified activities, the sound crew finished setting up the stage and sound equipment inside the big indoor soccer field arena; Kicking Daisies opened with so much energy and interaction with the crowd which set the concert on fire!

Camp Danbee was rocking with Kicking Daisies

With any concerts with multiple bands who use their own equipment, there is often some lag between the artists.  When one band finishes and collects their guitars and jumps off stage, the next band needs a few minutes to plug in while the guys at the sound board adjust the levels.  Well, the folks at Cartoon Network were kind enough to help us with some entertainment for the campers during those few minutes of downtime.  With campers excited for the next band, those few minutes could seem like an hour without the right entertainment.  Cartoon Network had some great ideas.

Campers were too enthralled with CN to notice all the moving around on stage. It's the perfect way to keep the energy level up while showing kids something they may love but haven't seen yet. Brilliant!

After Kicking Daisies kicked off the show, Loomis & The Lust graced our stage with great feel good tunes of a Rock/Pop/Blues genre. After rocking out to them we got down with 2am Club’s Rap/Rock feel. But to come and steal the night away was Lansdowne’s closing the set. With energy powered music and sweet jams it was truly a great end to the night.

As the campers headed back to their cabins after a long Camplified-fill day, they stopped by our Scholastic area for some intellectual stimulation.  Helping kids find a new book to love is one of the best parts of my job.

Learning is fun! No, seriously. It is.

This tour has been great so far and I can only see it gettin better!

Posted by Lisa Marie Smith, Crew Member

7/18/09

Pierce Day Camp gets Camplified!

Greetings from Roslyn, NY!  Camplified descended upon Roslyn today as we brought the rock and entertainment to the crowds at Pierce Day Camp.  The entire day was amazing – from the kind welcome that the camp gave us, to the amazing Rockband turnout and the untraditional early show – the whole event was great.  We’re pretty lucky that we continue to come across these great camps, and Pierce Day Camp was no exception.

The staff and counselors at Pierce are awesome – offering to lend campground wisdom or a helping hand at every opportunity.  Even coming across campers and counselors as we were touring the grounds was a treat!   The Camplified sound crew was hard at work early as they set up the production for the show, while the rest of the Camplified crew got to meet campers and get them acquainted with the Rockband and Cartoon Network treats.   We set up Rockband in the Arcade and the kids were really excited.

Once in Pierce's arcade, Camplified Staff worked with the musicians (the guys from Jersey Kidz are pictured here) to set up a couple of stations and get the kids started.

Even though their period in the arcade was over, it was hard to drag these guys away. Everyone was having a really good time!

We had kids of all ages rocking out in no time – there’s something about summer camp that seems to bring everyone together and ready to experience new things.  We come across energetic, curious campers all the time – and they’re so enthusiastic about all the info there is to learn.  It’s really awesome to be a part of it!

Everyone's ready to rock!

Taylor Bright opened up the concert today, followed by Faces Without Names and then Jersey Kidz was the third band.  Taylor is still pretty young but she is so creative and at home on stage – she had such a good time with the kids and seemed to love them, and they gave the love right back!  Then came Alexa and Natalee from Faces Without Names – those girls are adorable!  I really wanted Alexa’s shoes….so cute!  They played a new song and even “Deadly Beauty” which is the song that Alexa wrote that won the 2007 CosmoGirl songwriting contest – it’s a beautiful song.  Then it was time for the full-band rock of Jersey Kidz.  To get the campers worked into a frenzy, you can always count on Jersey Kidz . Taylor Bright, followed by Alexa and Natalie started the kids dancing and jumping around, and Jersey Kidz rounded out a great concert – the boys and girls were so happy.  All the kids – small and tall – were dancing around like maniacs!  I just wanted to hang out with them and be a camper for the day.

Alas, there was still joy to be spread as the campers played with the Cartoon Network rubber balls and watched a few CN videos – the kids loved watching them.  AND, when it came time for Scholastic books….that was pretty exciting too!  And don’t even get me started on the organic treats from Ian’s…yummmmm.   Seriously.  The kids over at Pierce Day Camp sure know how to have a good time!

tour posters and Cartoon Network red balls for everyone!

It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful summer camp is, how happy the campers are, and how much fun the musicians have.  Hanging out with happy campers all day is a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.  Ha!  Just another day with Camplified!

See you at Camp Danbee on Saturday – I can’t wait!

Posted by Jess Fontaine, Crew Member

7/15/2009

A Day in the Park

The sun was shining bright on us yesterday at Day in the Park Camp.

As we pulled into the wide open space, I could tell this was going to be a great day. As we set up the day’s activities, we were greeted with warm smiles and welcomes from the camp staff. They were all willing to lend a helping hand to bring a day of fun and music to the kids.

Once the booths of activities were set up, kids were eager to get started playing Rockband, while the future video game developers were demoing the new online game Fusion Fall by Cartoon Network.

Day In The Park campers were focused on the prize. There are future rockstars among us!

After activities and lunch, it was time for the concert to start.  All three of our musical artists were spectacular with getting the kids out of their seats and onto the stage for some participation. The campers were clapping, swaying and dancing along!  As the Meet and Greet (and autograph session) began, campers were able to come by our Scholastic station and check out some great titles that the publisher passed along for them.

Books!

The educator in me gets really excited to see the kids so into the Scholastic books. They're captivated by the idea that they actually get to have one. It's great!

Overall this was amazing. I look forward to what the weeks ahead hold because I have a feeling it will only get better. 🙂

campers, counselors and artists take one last photo!

Posted by Lisa Smith, Crew Member (with additional reporting by Jess Fontaine, Crew Member)

7/14/2009

This is what happens when you put six strangers in a van with a lot of swag…

Since meeting the crew on July 9th, a lot of bonding has happened.

With six strangers comes six different personalities. We all add something to the team and we’re all getting along super! I can tell this summer is going to be one to remember.

Traveling in the 15 passenger van has been a hoot. You’d think that there would be a lot of space with only six bodies, but when you’re traveling with swag from numerous sponsors for hundreds and thousands of campers, it can get pretty tight. I can tell you that we’ve already formed a close bond with the red balls from Cartoon Network…

1300 deflated cartoon network red kickballs with hundreds of scholastic books and tons of ians cookies!

That’s the van with the entire back filled with Cartoon Network balls and the back seat filled with Scholastic books and Ian’s cookies for one camp! This is without our crew (& Yu-Gi-Oh! team) or luggage. Aye carumba!

And this is what happens when you open the back doors of the van…

Ashley was brave enough to open the back doors.

Good thing we all get a long because we’re living in close counters. It will be interesting when we pick up our Yu-Gi-Oh! team tomorrow and have 9 of us in the van with 9 pieces of luggage. I wonder who will be the first to be strapped to the roof…

Life on the road can be a struggle, but at the end of the day, it is 115% worth it! Couldn’t ask for a better bunch of people to be teamed up with!

Posted by Alicia Pettine (asst tour manager)

7/16/2009

Camplified 2009 has hit the road

Greetings from Camplified ‘09! As many of you probably know we had our first event yesterday, July 10th at Deerkill Daycamp. I am very happy to report that it was a huge success! Working as part of the crew has been great fun. We have been
working together as if we had been working together for months. Before the activities began, Phil Bensen was kind enough to play a small impromptu acoustic set for a very lucky group of campers. It was a very interactive experience where
the kids chose what Phil would sing about, and the kids were very amused. Also, Mike and I ran two separate Rockband activity stations which the campers loved (my group was the loudest, thanks to the power of Paramore ;-). Then, after the kids got to play with their new cartoon network balls, the show began. Everyone that played absolutely nailed their sets, and the campers loved every second of
the show. One specific high point was the crowd response for Jersey Kidz. The high pitched and yet thunderous sound of the screaming audience was nearly deafening. After the show, the artists happily signed posters for the awaiting campers. Also, Ian’s Natural foods was kind enough to provide a tasty treat for them. On top of all this, the campers each got their own Yu-Gi-Oh! starter deck, playing mat, and a book from Scholastic Books. As for the crew, I can confidently say that we had a blast on our first day…and we definitely can’t wait for the rest of the tour.

Posted by Justin Lanza, Crew Member
7/11/2009