Monica Jenkins

Monica Jenkins picked up her dad’s guitar at age 12 and painfully began to teach herself the basics of music. Over the course of her grade 7-12 years, she picked up a few other instruments but found her true love was the bass guitar. She began rockin’ with the boys at her schools cause…well there was no one else. Having a love for all kinds of music, Monica incorporated her bass into every possible genre. From bluegrass to jazz, all the way to classical and punk, she has done it all. Her experience in the rock scene has also taught her the great lessons of how to deal with pushy sound techs, disgruntled roadies, boisterous fans, and most of all how rock n’ roll can make for an awesome time.

She continues to record and perform with her pop-rock band “The Shocked” and will be attending the University of Alberta to attain a Bachelor of Music and Education.

Being the youngest member of the Rocker Girl Camp family, Monica can’t wait to meet the rock stars of tomorrow!

Ann Vriend

A prolific writer and tremendous music lover, Ann has been putting words to music since her early childhood, much of which was spent “fooling around” on the piano in her parents’ basement. Meticulous and thought provoking, infectious and imaginative, Ann’s music has rapidly gained both popularity and respect in the North American music scene, and as of late has also attracted international attention. Besides her much talked about voice and soulful singing style, Ann’s songwriting delivers pop appeal with a sense of timelessness that creates an immediate familiarity with young and old audiences alike. This gift has won her first place in a song writing competition (part of the prize took her to Nashville), as well as garnered Ann song writing commissions and interest from both publishing and film companies. She cites Paul Simon, Bob Marley, U2, Leonard Cohen, and Aretha Franklin as her earliest influences, and approaches all she does with the flair of an artist, the love of a fan, and the intense dedication of a major pop musician. Besides receiving a number of scholarships while in music school and university, Ann has already reached some impressive milestones in her music career, including performances at the Edmonton and Calgary Folk Music Festivals, the Leonard Cohen Festival, New York’s Bitter End, Fez and Arlene’s Grocery, and opening spots for Toronto’s Sarah Slean and Australia’s Colin Hay (of “Men at Work”), among others. She has played official showcases at the North by Northeast Music Conference, the Canadian Music Awards, and the Western Canadian Music Awards, and will be showcasing at South by Southwest in 2005. She has been invited to perform for a number of major Canadian and American labels, and has recorded at Sony Studios (NY), The Hit Factory, and Magnet Vision Studios (LA). She has worked with world-class musicians and producers, and in 2005 she will be participating in government-sponsored tours to both Australia and Canada’s capital. Add to this her steadily growing and dedicated fan base, and it may be hard to fathom that Ann has accomplished all this in the space of barely 4 years, from her hometown base of Edmonton, Alberta. Clearly this emerging artist is on the verge of a long and fruitful career.