on guitar exercises to polish his “rusted set of knuckles”. The last time he practised this hard was when he was a youth. “My mom got me into I’m With The lessons at eight, and sat across from me every day with a wooden spoon, ‘inspiring’ me to practise,” recalls Howell, who has an easy smile and curly, short, chestnut hair. “I was on Band(camp) the radio by age 10, playing in talent shows broadcast AM from music Some came with trumpets. Some came with tambourines. shops in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Some came with serious shredding skills. But all 50 fans I got tired of lessons and wanted to left the Yes Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas rock, so in ’67, when I hit 12, she let me quit and I immediately formed with priceless memories to treasure and no, er, drama… a three-piece power trio.” During his teenage years, Howell Words: Stephen Humphries Images: Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp logged many hours playing in schools, bars and hotels. But none or perhaps the first time amateur musicians spend a few days of those gigs were as high-pressure in his life, Chris Squire jamming with star performers such as as Howell’s first-day audition at the is getting a bass lesson. Jeff Beck, Roger Daltrey, Def Leppard, Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp. Outside, Squire peers intently at Slash, Sammy Hagar and, now, Yes. the 43-degree heat is enough to make his teacher, 52-year-old Over the course of three days, the one’s sweat evaporate. Inside, the FJohn Haddad, as he patiently teaches mostly middle-aged men (and one or cool air-conditioning doesn’t stop the self-taught Yes bassist a chord two women) play alongside members grown men from perspiring as they progression on a white Rickenbacker. of Yes, record songs in a studio, and wait to audition in front of the camp It’s a scene made all the more surreal headline a stage inside the MGM counsellors, who include guitar hero by the fact that Haddad is a diagnostic Grand hotel. Think City Slickers, but Gary Hoey, drummer Joe Vitale (the radiologist from Houston. The tune with nicer amenities, an abundance Eagles), and bassist Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy he’s teaching Squire is The Who’s of spandex, and men slinging guitars Osbourne, Whitesnake). Pinball Wizard. And the two bassists rather than lassos. Once the 10 counsellors have are sharing a stage inside a Yes- “These folks had a decision to make assessed the playing abilities of all themed Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp in their 20s to go for a career in music 50 campers, the participants are in the middle of Las Vegas. or get a real occupation,” says David divided into eight musical groups, “I was able to play a bit of Pinball Fishof, the concert producer who each mentored by a camp counsellor. Wizard, which I’ve known my founded the Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp. Howell gets paired with Haddad – whole life but have never played,” “The ones that chose a real job have who is as lean as the neck of his white Squire says later. “I was a big fan been walking around every day of their Rickenbacker – in a band led by of John Entwistle.” a professional drummer If Chris Squire feels ““Heat Of The Moment played named Johnny Lust. like a fish out of water, “Rock’n’Roll Fantasy he isn’t the only one. For on a trumpet is pretty hard Camp placed me into Haddad and about 50 a three-piece power trio other amateur musicians, work, but he did get it right!” band,” marvels Howell. the July camp is a rare “Talk about déjà vu and opportunity to get away Steve Howe assesses back to my youth!” from their day jobs and act It turns out that Howell like rock stars. Rock’n’Roll the new talent on show and Haddad have much Fantasy Camp hosts in common. They’re each numerous sessions per year, including lives, thinking, ‘What if?’ Today, they huge Yes fans who could probably tell one at Abbey Road in London, where can realise their dreams at Rock’n’Roll you what, exactly, a Siberian Khatru is. Fantasy Camp.” “I have a ’77 or ’78 Rickenbacker Case in point: 58-year-old Mark bass that I bought new at Alex Howell, a construction industry Musical Store in New York on 48th contracts manager from Anderson, street when I was about 16 or 17 years South Carolina, signed up for the old,” says Haddad, sitting inside one of camp because it’s in keeping with his the camp’s rehearsal rooms. “I bought new life credo of ‘no more regrets’. that bass because I wanted to play When Howell first arrives at the like Chris Squire.” campsite – a fairly anonymous Similarly, when Howell first heard concrete building just several blocks Close To The Edge, it was as if his ears from the Las Vegas Strip – he frets that had suddenly discovered their life’s he’ll be the worst musician among the purpose. He wore out several Yes attendees. He needn’t have worried – records by repeatedly dropping the one camper from Philadelphia arrives needle onto the vinyl grooves so that with little more than an untrained he could learn Steve Howe’s guitar larynx and a tambourine. (Rock’n’Roll licks. But few of Howell’s musical peers Chris Squire learns Pinball Fantasy Camp isn’t kidding when it shared his new-found infatuation Wizard from Rusty Pickle’sJohn says that all talent levels are welcome.) with progressive rock. “It was a lonely Haddad. Hang on, John’s paying In the three months prior to camp, addiction,” he laments. “There were to learn from you…! Howell has been working diligently no keyboard guys I knew with the 44 progrockmag.com ROP40.band.indd 44 10/15/13 6:52 PM Rearrange Your Liver beef up the numbers with some blokes who just strolled in. Alan White and ‘jing’ to afford synths and it took a ton marzipan. Inside the revivifying cool of Geoff Downes get in of talent to play.” the MGM hotel, an even stranger scene a Pickle too… Howell’s promising musical career is unfolding: Steve Howe is watching came to an end in the late 1970s when a trumpeter play Asia’s Heat Of The bars started replacing live music with Moment. The amateur trumpeter and disco records. Three decades later, his band have been shuttled from he’s giddy to be playing in a live band the Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp site to once again. And, very soon, the three a studio inside the hotel to record the men will be performing with Yes. cover versions they’ve been rehearsing. In Las Vegas, there is no such thing “Heat Of The Moment played on as ordinary. New skyscrapers have a trumpet is pretty hard work, but been built to lean like the Tower he did get it right,” says Howe. of Pisa. Nearby, gargantuan digital Soon, the other members of Yes billboards advertise shows featuring join the guitarist to observe the topless circus gymnasts. At street level, recording session and then head over a man in a furry Muppet suit poses to the camp. The summit of Yes and for photographs with tourists even its fans is a stark contrast to decades as the molten temperature threatens past, when the closest fans got to their to turn the concrete sidewalks into idols was a front-row concert seat. progrockmag.com 45 ROP40.band.indd 45 10/15/13 6:53 PM Davison decides to linger behind with the campers for an informal jam session that stretches late into the evening. He wows the participants with a dexterous bass solo during a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Hey Joe. Not surprisingly, the former Yes tribute band singer feels a kinship with these musicians. “Without wanting to sound clichéd, I’m living the dream,” says Davison. “I’m on permanent fantasy camp.” He is indeed. Ahead of Yes’s UK tour in 2014, Davison hopes to begin recording a new Yes album, which may include song ideas he’s submitted to the others. “The more we interact, it seems The following day, Howe plays to increase the interest in the band an intimate acoustic show at the from a larger global community,” says camp, performing solo songs as well Squire. “I’ve accepted this as a part of as Yes pieces such as Masquerade, the current way of doing business.” Solitaire, Mood For A Day, and The Even so, Howe expresses some Clap. He even sings during Ritual. trepidation: “I’m not here to flatter The guitarist becomes increasingly people and pose around too much.” relaxed and convivial throughout By contrast, Geoff Downes is the session and, later, happily poses innately relaxed, even when he arrives for photos and signs autographs. late to camp because his limousine was (No handshakes, though. The campers rear-ended by a car. Inside the venue, have been forewarned that the guitarist the campers watch intently as Downes fears getting his fingers crushed.) conducts a masterclass. During Later that evening, the campers head a keyboard demonstration of Close back to the MGM Grand for the grand To The Edge, Downes cheekily reveals Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camps. He regales Top: “Without wanting finale of their sojourn. Just a dice roll that Rick Wakeman played a wrong Prog with stories of past experiences, to sound cliched, I’m away from the casino floor, an open-air living the dream.