Remember camp? Mystery meat, bug juice, deer flies, and buddy tags? How about corny songs about being "down by the lake", or watching the Good Ship Titanic going down; or ditties like Kumbaya…I won't even go there. I loved camp, and participated as a camper with gusto. Music is an integral part of the culture of camps, be it those corny songs screamed out by the masses in the dining hall at my camp after meals (www.campwoodstock.org); more serious programs like my friend's camp in NH, which has cool rock music sessions for its musically inclined campers (www.kingswood-camp.com); or full blown music camps where aspiring young musicians gather to build skills.

As the music business continues to evolve, bands are finding many innovative ways of promoting their music and building their fan base. For the last few summers, I have seen a number of announcements for multi-day events that bring bands and fans together for musical workshops, private concerts, and master classes. These gatherings are just the ticket for aspiring musicians, but they also cater to the hard-core fan that may not play an instrument, but are interested in composition, technical aspects, or band business strategies. Some of these camps, located across the nation can offer more than they deliver. If they feature big name stars, a downside can be that the famous musician arrives in a black suburban, does a talk, and high tails it away from the fans as soon as possible. In most cases though, you can hang out with your favorite guitarist. Always do some research to see how much interaction really happens with the musicians.

The center of the band camp universe on the East Coast is The Full Moon Resort in upstate New York (musicmasterscamps.com/full-moon-resort/). Located in a secluded valley amongst the highest mountains in the Catskills, it's a great place to beat the heat of the summer and its only about a six-hour drive from Middleburg. They have a jam-packed (pun intended) schedule this summer of Music Master Camps with a great variety of bands. You can spend a week with Butch Trucks and Orteil Burbridge from the Allman Brothers at their Roots Revival Camp. Folk fans can join Richard Thompson; fusion enthusiasts can hang with Adrian Belew and Tony Levin of King Crimson; or practice your guitar at Dweezil Zappa's Camp Dweezilla. Fans of the Band can attend Camp Cripple Creek, which will study their music with The Weight Band.

I went to the Umphrey's McGee Summer School at Half Moon a few years back, where I joined 50 other super fans and the band for great week of talks, meals, open rehearsals, and nightly shows on stage and around the campfire. It was a remarkable experience, not soon forgotten. Located in the Catskills, Full Moon offers lodges and camping for participants. I brought my base camp tent, and savored some great weather in the wilds of the Catskills while learning, listening, and hanging out with the band. Regardless of your interests, doing a week at a Music Master's Camp is well worth it.

Time to Plan for Summer Fests

The summer festival season offers a large variety of great music on the local and regional level and now is the time to plan. Click over to www.musicfestivalwizard.com to find your music festival. DelFest is looking amazing this Memorial Day weekend, with The Del McCoury Band, Gov't Mule, Trey Anastasio Band, Bela Fleck & Chris Thile, The Infamous Stringdusters, and many more. This festival is definitely becoming as big as Telluride and well worth the quick trip to Cumberland for a day or the weekend (delfest.com).

Or get on down to Floyd Fest (www.floydfest.com/) in July. Held on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Floyd, Virginia, the lineup is a good one this year, a blend of jam bands and Americana. This year's roster including The Leftover Salmon, Fauquier native Larry Keel, the John Butler Trio, White Denim, Tauk, The Lil' Smokies, and McLovins, to name a few.