Winery Dogs with Billy Sheehan Announce Dog Camp

If you’ve ever wanted to hang out and learn with Billy Sheehan, here’s your chance. The Winery Dogs has announced the Dog Camp, an immersive program for musicians of all ages and levels. The event is set for July 21st through July 25th at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, New York.

Formed in late 2012, The Winery Dogs is a trio made up of Sheehan on bass, Mike Portnoy on drums, and Ritchie Kotzen on guitar. The Dog Camp will include instrument-specific clinics led by each member as well as songwriting clinics, intimate performances, and jam sessions.

“We’ll be living together, hanging together, and jamming together,” Portnoy states. “We want you to ask as many questions as possible, and we’re going to engage you on a one-on-one basis to help you realize your goals as a player.”

Sheehan pointed out that he will be focusing on how to fit into a band as a bassist. “I want to emphasize that players should keep an eye on what we’re doing and why during the performances,” he said. “In between songs or mid-song, I want to stop to make a point about what’s going on and why. The expertise of being able to play ensemble is a bit of a lost art with kids today. They don’t do what we did when we were growing up. Right away, we just got in a band whether we could play or not. Now, kids want to get up to a level of expertise and then join a band. [During the seminars] I like to have back-and-forth communication. I want to speak with people and hear their opinions, disagreements, and challenges. I believe anyone who attends will see a jumpstart in their quest to achieve their dreams.”

The Winery Dogs Dog Camp is open for online registration with pricing starting at $1,299 per person. All activities will be held at the Full Moon Resort.