Camp Freddy ready to rock with politicians

As a member of Camp Freddy, British guitarist Billy Morrison is used to
surprising fans with special guests who show up to jam with the band.

So when the group, whose core members include Dave Navarro and Donovan Leitch Jr., among others, plays at the 1-Oak pop-up venue Tuesday night in Tampa, should the invite-only crowds expect any lawmakers up on stage?

{mosads}“Let me put it this way. If you bring a politician to the side of the stage to play an instrument, we’ll entertain the idea of playing with them,” proclaims Morrison, who just finished up a tour with Billy Idol.

Freddie Wyatt, of Jamestown Entertainment, who’s bringing the swank New York hotspot 1-Oak to the conventions in Tampa and Charlotte, N.C., says the goal is to drive voters to the polls on Election Day: “[The organizers are] all into the process of getting people motivated to vote — the basic idea of the concept of the country and the political process.”

Wyatt says designers worked to bring the feel of the Big Apple club down south, recreating key components of 1-Oak in Tampa.

“Actually, if you walk in there, it looks like you’re in 1-Oak. I think that 1-Oak is also known for energy, and that’s one of the reasons we have [Idol] coming in,” notes Wyatt.

Morrison begs to differ when people note that Republican convention-goers might not be his typical fan base, saying, “We’re playing to a rock ‘n’ roll audience. As a band, we’re more concerned with raising awareness about the process of voting. We get to play both sides. We get to bring rock ‘n’ roll to both sides. Let’s lighten the mood a little and show people that rock ‘n’ roll can be the universal language for everyone.”