Layin' down a groove.

Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

The sound coming off the stage at the WOW Hall was exuberant but ragged - eight musicians who hadn't played together before Monday working out the kinks in a tune they'd composed only this week. But the toe-tapping groove was there.

Solid keyboard, clean guitar duet, nifty trumpet solo, steady rhythm from the bass player and drummer, and a rapper laying down a lively lyric, all under the perceptive guidance of instructor Tim McLaughlin.

"Don't be tentative," McLaughlin told them as they rehearsed late Wednesday morning, sunlight streaming in the open stage door. "Make sure you're counting the phrases."

The music came from all quarters of the WOW Hall as 22 students ages 9 to 18 participated in the weeklong Music's Edge Summer Rock Camp, organized by McLaughlin, a professional musician and music teacher.

Some have been playing instruments for years, some are relative newcomers to performing. But by the end of the week, they'll all have bragging rights. McLaughlin and fellow instructors Zac Johnson and Larry Wayte divided the students up into three bands who'll put on a show Friday.

Working with other musicians on a deadline gives students a learning opportunity that can't be replicated in a classroom, McLaughlin said.

"Seeing them get involved and have to put on a show in a short amount of time, that's how it is, you're always underprepared," he said.

While McLaughlin is giving direction, he's also smart about stepping out of the picture, getting the musicians to work together and rely on each other to make a performance work.

"It's meant to be life-changing to some degree. It can take a lifetime to learn some of these skills," McLaughlin said.

In an age when reality TV show contests spotlight the glamor of the music business, the camp participants seem focused on the right things, McLaughlin said.

"They're not asking how can I be a rock star. It's how can I make my guitar tone better," McLaughlin said.

Jack McNutt, a 17-year-old student at Oak Hill School, picked up a guitar for the first time a year ago and already has a developed fluid playing style.

His initial preference for big rock sounds such as Led Zeppelin has been refined to an interest in Jeff Beck and John Scofield, he said.

He was attracted to the rock camp as an opportunity to play with other musicians and has enjoyed McLaughlin's instruction.

"He's the best band leader I've ever met," McNutt said.

"He knows how to control a group this size and rein it in," he said.

The original tune the eight-member group created - "Made in China" - grew out of a funk jam McNutt developed with bass player Nick Stafford.

Under McLaughlin's direction, the song has taken on its own life, not exactly what McNutt envisioned but good nonetheless.

"It great to hear things from different points of view," he said.

The camp's instructors said they've been impressed by the range of music the students have tackled.

On Wednesday, McLaughlin's group rehearsed Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground," and "Cantaloop," a hip hop version of Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island."

And they tossed around other titles they were interested in performing, from Eric Clapton's bluesy "Crossroads," to the 1960s bossa nova classic "Girl from Ipanema."

Music the other two bands will cover in their coming performance include, The Cars' `Just What I Needed,' Jimi Hendrix' `Hey Joe' and Stevie Ray Vaughn's `Texas Flood.'

ROCK CAMP SHOWCASE

Friday: Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m. at the WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave. Admission is $5 at the door.