Chicks rock, if you don't know it.

This Sunday I returned from Portland, where I spent a week as a volunteer instructor at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls. It was an amazing experience, and one that I want to write more about, as soon as I catch up on all the work I was already behind on when I left.

In the meantime, just a drive-by to mention that the one show I’m really watching this summer is Rock Star: INXS. If you haven’t seen it, it’s an American Idol-esque competition to find a new lead singer for the Aussie rock band. Since the potential frontwomen and men are singing classic rock tunes, the cheese factor is considerably less than on AI (and the house band is effin’ hot), but the performances are just as over-the-top and, occasionally, painful. The women fare particularly badly; they all seem to come from that Janis Joplin/Melissa Etheridge bluesy belter mold that I just can’t stand, and I cringe as they work to set rock feminism back 30 years, pouting and strutting around the stage all boobs and butts and bellies (although the men do their fair share of strutting and preening as well).

There’s one exception: a 22-year-old Minnesotan with a massive headful of dreads named Jordis Unga (the surname is Tongan, apparently, which is awesome. Not enough Pacific Islanders in rock, I always say). She has consistently offered distinctive, nuanced takes on the songs she sings, and has refused to take part in the tiresome histrionics that her competitors seem compelled to engage in, relying instead on her vocal gifts and natural presence, both of which are considerable. Last night she gave a flawlessly rendered and absolutely stunning performance of “The Man Who Sold the World” that had me in tears. Dave Navarro called it one of the best vocal performances he’s ever seen, and I’d consider that only slightly hyperbolic (I'd certainly say she outclassed both Bowie and Cobain). If you’re not watching the show, check it out, if only to see Jordis’s next performance.