He’s set for bigger stage

The only thing missing from this scene is a stadium crammed with thousands of fans.

It’s a Tuesday evening in the Moose Lounge on Sherman Avenue, and under the lights of a warmly lit stage stands Michael Slupczynski, wearing a tweed cap, black blazer, gray slacks, rattlesnake skin-style cowboy boots and a soul patch, his fingers a blur as they glide and pluck knowingly along his Fender guitar.

Deftly switching between a strapped-on bass and a free-standing lead guitar at center stage during the same song by local band Northwest Skyes, while eliciting cheers from the dozen-odd bar patrons, Slupczynski’s stage presence exudes the rock star motif. What’s missing is, perhaps, a bigger venue with a surging crowd, lighters flickering support throughout the mass, and a smattering of groupies waiting just offstage.

Reality television, however, might soon change that.

Slupczynski, 52, a former information technology manager from Coeur d’Alene, is about to live out a childhood dream. Later this month, he’ll fly to Los Angeles and attend the weeklong Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, an annual music experience unlike any other in which amateur musicians ranging from novice to expert, and coming from various backgrounds, are formed into bands with their peers by veteran and legendary performers.

Throughout the week, participants put in all-day rehearsals and attend workshops – under the occasional guidance of rock icons as they make their way from group to group – while the campgoers are also given the opportunity to write and record tracks, before ending their stay with a battle-of-the-bands gig at the renowned Whiskey A Go-Go club on Sunset Boulevard.

And because the rock camp will be the basis for a new reality show set to premiere this summer on VH1’s Classic channel, Slupczynski is hoping to snag a spot on the 15-person roster that will be put together from camp members and play a part in the four-part, hourlong series. The documentary-style show, titled “Rock ’N’ Roll Fantasy Camp,” is a partnership between VH1 Classic and Mark Burnett Productions, the minds behind the reality hit “Survivor.”

“Anybody can go to this; it’s not limited to someone like myself who might have a few years of stage presence or whatever under their belt,” said Slupczynski, an Indiana native who’s been playing guitar and singing in local bands for almost 40 years. As a longtime guitar player and member of several local bands who also helped found Tuesday’s open-mike night downtown, he’s hoping that, if selected to be on TV, his style and personality will shine through and open a few doors – the kind found buried beneath the hazy skies of greater Los Angeles and its sprawling music scene.

About his other life as an electronics technician and network engineer, which he incorporates into performances with the help of digital imagery and effects, Slupczynski added, “I need a break. I’ve been doing this for nearly 25 years and it’s time to do something else. … I’ve been interested in the Rock ’N’ Roll Fantasy Camp for years and always had the vision that I’d do it. The window of opportunity has grown to the point that I need to act now.”

And why not pursue a lifelong fantasy, he said, since he’s been practicing and rehearsing for it since his youth.

As for the camp participants, Slupczynski said they come from a variety of professions, though since it’s a pricey vacation – roughly $8,000 – many are doctors and lawyers who want to live the rock star lifestyle, if only for a week.

Being able to attend the fantasy camp is “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he explained. “It’s literally going to work you through the rigors and the responsibilities of putting a band together and having a very large goal of performing in a very large venue. … It’s not just to go down there for a week and have fun. It’s going to be a challenge – they put you through the ringer,” he explained. “And even if I don’t get on the show, I’m still going to come back with a whole lot of memories and performance re-evaluation.”

Slupczynski’s aim, however, is to get on the series, though he won’t find out until he arrives at the camp on Feb. 23. He’s already filled out the application and accompanying paperwork, now his goal is to leave North Idaho as a local musician and come back from Tinseltown as a reality TV star – or at least given a shot to show his guitar-playing chops to a national audience and make a few connections in the industry, possibly parlaying it into a producing role.

“I’m really hyped, I’m really excited,” he said. “I’ve always felt I’m a bit of a ham. But now, if I have a chance of being nationally recognized … who knows what kinds of ideas this could generate.”

Steve Harris, a fellow musician who plays in the band Northwest Skyes with Slupczynski, believes the North Idahoan has what it takes to stand out among some serious competition.

“I think it’s going to be an amazing learning experience for him,” Harris said, adding that his band mate has a collaborative attitude, free of any inflated rock star-like ego. “I think he’s going to shine like a star down there.”