Feminist Friday Music News: August 19th, 2016

There are a lot of disturbing yet fascinating perceived notions about women that simply are not true. These "truisms" are all wrong yet they are still setting us back in the world, from art to our careers. And no, Yoko did not break up The Beatles.

There is another brilliant record on Sister Polygon Records. Check out Post Pink from Baltimore.

Carol Kaye is among the most important American bass players. Discogs wrote a little piece on the most sought after records she plays on. And speaking of Discogs, they have a crowdfunding type idea for getting rare records repressed. It seems like a licensing nightmare to me so good luck with that.

Shaun White is best know for his snowboarding and skateboarding skills but he also plays in a band and is facing a lawsuit from an ex member for sexual harassment.

Light in the Attic is doing a series of reissues for the French painter/poet/post punker/painter Lizzy Mercier Descloux and Quietus wrote a really nice overview on all of her diverse and many talents.

Another long time record store closes down, this time Disc Exchange after 20 years of serving the Knoxville music community. What does it take for an indie record store to survive these days anyway? Weird, I would have guessed being independently wealthy was the answer.

Women are kicking ass in the Olympics this year so let's celebrate with a mix of brilliant feminist music from Brazil.

The band Fea is Latina punk at its finest.

I recently worked on an Alice Bag interview and spent a lot of time with her new album that is heavily inspired by '60s Girl Groups so this article about new bands influenced by this style couldn't be timed any better for me. I saw Midnight Snaxxx play a few years ago at Goner Fest and really loved them so while I don't know the other groups in this article, I stand by that band 100%.


So how do we stop sexual assault from happening at music festivals. It starts with education says David Huggins.

The problem with being a record nerd who is given a list like the story of feminist punk in 33 songs is I can't stop thinking about what I would change about it. In fairness though, this list is pretty darn great.

Oh boy! Another music industry race to the bottom. There are some important lessons to be learned in the demise of a sync music company in Chicago.

An old co-worker of mine Glenn Peoples wrote this piece about music marketing and the heart of the point really surprised me. Did you know that an artist's voice + new music = a serious click through rate?

Making music can be one of the most empowering and self confidence building tools in the world. A London engineering and design company is working on creating musical instruments for people with physical disabilities that may have otherwise been excluded from the gift of making music.

And in the name of a flashback Friday, check out Snatch, an obscure female punk duo from the late '70s.

Feminist Friday for the Week of July 25th, 2016

Jes Skolnik wrote a great guide to pitching publications in the digital/ social media world.

Hey New Zealand friends, here is your opportunity to own 300 boomboxes. Check out this ridiculously awesome slice of music history. The seller won't split up the collection so be prepared to make some room for them all.

Photos of DC's Girls Rock! showcase taken by Farrah Skeiky are heartwarming and inspirational.

Fader recently spotlighted 7 queer bands from the U.K. worthy of your attention. I already knew I LOVED Shopping but that Cruising video!

Say what you will about Kickstarter (haters gonna hate), these numbers tell us that they are making a positive impact on the creative community. With Molly Neuman Hernandez (Bratmobile, The Peechees) at the helm of their music division, I would expect nothing less.

Backyard report: local Richmond, VA record label Grave Mistake has a new Earth Girls (Chicago) release coming August 12th. The Le Sigh debuted a new track this week; prepare for some quality Pop on 11. In other local news, RVA Magazine featured Samantha Brodek, a pen and ink artist whose macabre work has appeared on many an album cover or band shirt.

Meet Sarah Robbins from Alright/Faye/ Self Aware Records. Charlotte, NC is my new favorite and this lady is one of the main reasons why.

I have worked at records stores on and off for more than two decades. You wouldn't believe the things customers say and do within the walls of the shop. Luckily a record store clerk has written them all down and is willing to share. Anyone who has worked retail will appreciate these tales.

Kelley Deal from The Breeders is making scarves. It looks like she already sold out so you better bookmark this page because winter is coming.

Did you know women are winning the symphony chair game? More than 50% of the chairs in the top American 250 orchestras are filled by women.

Imagine putting your heart and soul into making music only to have it hijacked by someone like Donald Trump for the Republican party. These musicians say enough is enough.

Could this be the end of  the vinyl boom? Duh.

Scotland has a music festival called Pandora where women were the primary focus.

This exhibition of Japanese portable record players appeals to me on every level.

Awe yeah! Another interview with the Latina DJ crew Chulita Vinyl Club.

The Indietracks festival is this weekend (Saint Etienne, The Aislers Set, The Spook School, Comet Gain) is also fundraising for Sarcoma UK, a charity Camera Obscura's Carey Lander was involved in before she passed of this cancer last year. If you aren't able to make it to the festival, you can still donate to the cause. 

This Chicago group of women in music are creating their own safe spaces. Los Angeles also has a version of this, meet PLAG (play like a girl). This is a growing trend and I love it.

Feminist Friday: A Weekly Round Up for July 15, 2016

Talent and beauty can't coexist according to so many male journalists. Seriously, when will women be written about as artists and not highly sexualized dolls?

And speaking of annoying press habits, how about a story on Juggalos being the new Ravers and the LA Weekly that needs to be proven by showing pictures of scantily clad women. Try harder LA Weekly.

Do all female event lineups actually help or hurt our cause since it stresses our gender over the art we make?

Grace Jones is replacing M.IA. as the Afropunk London headliner.

Public service announcement: There are "professionals" trying to use LinkedIn like Tinder. Check out when a "nice website for nice people" turns into shark infested waters.

As electronic music enters classrooms a a way to teach children about music making, what does this mean for the future of this genre in 10 or so years? I can't wait to find out.

Kenny and I are still mourning the end of our record label this year but I love reading about a couple who run one of my favorite American record labels currently, Trouble In Mind.

It is really hard to be your best at anything (music or otherwise) when our health and female bodies are grossly stigmatized and unserved. Girls also tend to be more anxiety prone, why is that?

Michelle Obama and Missy Elliott rocking out in a car with James Corden is the BEST THING I HAVE SEEN OR HEARD ALL WEEK.

Backyard report, get to know one of my favorite local musicians (that velvet voice!) and a fabulous feminist to boot Julie Karr. Also Sisterhood of Hip Hop season 3 includes an artist we booked at Richmond's Fall Line Fest, Audra the Rapper (from DC/ Virginia Beach)

And in things that have made my friend's week, I think The Julie Ruin covering Courtney Barnett is the best thing they have heard or seen all week.

In other riot grrrl news, you can wear a piece of its history - via an Ebay auction right now.

One more piece of grrrl news, you can help fund a film on this very subject, all 25 years of it.

My fluff piece of the week, play a record in a whole new way - like a guitar.

Gillian McCain talks Please Kill Me twenty years later.

Her story (IE women in music) is an important party of punk's HIStory. Viv Albertine to the rescue!

Goth at 40 is a nice reminder that age is a stupid thing and music we love is forever.

A Friday Flashback to Containe, a band that included Fontaine Toups from Versus and at one point Georgia from YLT on drums.

What could be more important to music fans than a scientific discovery that could reverse hearing loss?

Sharon Jones discusses the fight of her life (fuck cancer!) and isn't willing to give up hope via the Soul Sisters podcast.

Don't know anything about the Fluxus art movement? I have a remedy for that. Spoiler, it involves women doing amazing things in art, including graphic design, performance pieces, and sound.

Feminist Friday : A Weekly Round Up for July 8, 2016

St. Vincent covered The Golden Girls theme. Sure, I will take this ethereal distraction from my otherwise mostly depressing social media feed.

Is it that there are fewer women in music than men currently or do we blame the people of power in the industry for excluding us from venues, publications, festivals, offices, and label rosters? Meaning we are here, get used to it, and hire us damn it. The Guardian has some answers. Harvard Business Review also offers some related insight to confidence of women in the workplace. Apparently unless we also radiate competence and warmth, we will continue to be looked over. Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

Pittsburgh has a three day music festival that celebrates women in music called Ladyfest that kicks off today.

Music fan's interest in the long player continue to wane as singles and EPs cycle back to meet our ever diminishing attention span. I don't care about trends. As a musician who loves the creative process of creating a whole album; building a story that has a beginning, middle, and end, I will ignore this data and carry on as I please.

Did you know Jean Smith from Mecca Normal is also a stunning painter? I am obsessed with her very affordable portraits.

Indie record store owners are reminded that the major labels really don't give a crap about them. This week WEA will stop selling music to accounts who purchase less than 10k a year from them. Perhaps someone can tell me, does this mean ADA who is a part of that umbrella also cutting off these smaller record stores? For those of you who aren't familiar, ADA is a music distro that is one stop shopping tha represent some of the biggest and best indie music labels in the business and the very stores who have helped to make those record labels household names will no longer be able to purchase their catalog. Yikes. The music industry desperately needs more DIY distributors. Record stores need product to sell and it is impossible to go direct with every label or band they like. They rely on distributors to help keep their stores stocked.

The transgender community deserves a better voice says Genesis P-Orridge and Laura Jane Grace. I couldn't agree more.

Backyard Report! * Once upon a time Richmond, VA had a legendary large brick building called Garbers filled with band practice spaces spread over many floors. Our local creative community suffered a serious blow recently when it was announced the building was sold and was going to become condos. All bands renting a space there have been asked to vacate the premises. Our city lacks affordable practice spaces so more than 30 (I bet closer to 50 band) have lost their rehearsal spaces this month and now there is a small army of talent now looking for new places to call home. Local musician and filmmaker Allison Apperson (of the band Hot Lava) is working on a short documentary on this important piece of Richmond's music history. My band Positive No called this space home for the first three years of our existence and nearly all of the music we have released to date was written and worked out in a room there. * I can't get enough of GIRLS ROCK! RVA.

Nylon has selected 5 female fronted bands they think you should know about.

Enjoy visiting this LEGO record store created by the legendary artist Coop.

My favorite on the planet Sheila B is taking her act on the road. Europe, you have no idea how lucky you are.

LA Weekly has published a story on women smashing misogyny in the music industry. Behind the scenes there is a growing network of us coming banding together in person and on social media in private groups to help bring about change and support each other when sexism strikes which as you can imagine is a daily event. No more secret keeping. We are naming names and calling situations out in an effort to protect each other from those who abuse or oppress us.

Erykah Badu is donating concert funds to Detroit's rape kit process.

There is a Classical music tribute entitled Sing Her Name that commemorates women black women impacted by racial justice. #BLACKLIVESMATTER

I could look at Rock and Roll fashion portraits from the past all day long. Punks! Goths! Disco Queens!

Want to feel insecure about who you were as a 17 year old? Lindsey Jordan from Snail Mail is the kind of talented young musician that is decades ahead of her peers and she has only just begun. And I thought I was accomplished as a teen for learning how to drive stick shift.

Why can't electronic music festivals give us some love? Owning just  3% of a talent roster is not acceptable.

Feminist Friday : A Weekly Round Up for July 1, 2016

Gonerfest, one of my favorite American music festivals ever has announced this year's line up. It includes Fred & Toodey (Dead Moon fans take note), Nots (new album coming this fall), Counter Intuits, Midnight Snaxxx, Spray Paint, Useless Eaters, Reigning Sound (original line up, and the usual influx of ridiculously great bands from Australia / NZ, and lots of other stuff too. Full list is here.

My favorite read of the week is all about how women in independent music shaped indie rock because of their lyrics.

Missed CBGBs and NYC in its prime ('70s)? There is a new photo book called History is Made at Night that will help you relive it through images. This scene hosted many legendary women like Blondie, Lydia Lunch, Blondie, and Patti Smith to name just a few.

Nightwave fights back after critical attacks of her DJ set that have more to with her gender than her actual talent.

Check out this great read on the history of The Bangles.

Is YouTube a friend or foe to music? It is one of the first places people go to stream music (not really) but musicians are always seeing any money from these plays.

We are working ourselves to death ladies. Here is what you need to know about putting in long hours each week.

Apple has developed a new technology that will prevent music fans from being able to film and photograph live music performances.

Backyard report: NPR has written about Miramar who are updating the traditional sounds of Puerto Rica. Our local Girls Rock! founders were also interviewed on WTVR.

I know many of you here are Julie Ruin fans. You can stream their new album here plus the band is touring and probably coming to a city near you.

What's wrong with Top 40? There is a lot if you include how terribly stagnant and rehashed most of the songwriting is BUT there is a less surprising and no less annoying reality, men rule the charts. You might be thinking how could this be when women like Taylor Swift and Beyonce are always in the press but while we are pounded with the gossip of the men they sleep with or what they are wearing, it is distracting people away from the fact that most of music's charting artists are still men.

Jenn Wasner is tired of being a novelty. Women can play guitars and we are often pretty damn great at it. Can we dropped being surprised by this already?

Negative Gemini has a song dedicated to catcaller - Don't Worry Bout the Fuck I'm Doing"

Chris Brown continues to be human garbage and his publicist smarty refuses to accept his name calling.

And to end on a lighter note.

The chain of events went like this. The kick ass compilation Typical Girls includes a cover of the very strange but contagious '50s hit "Dumb Head originally by Ginny Arnell. I broke out the original single from my record collection and have been playing it a bit this week. This led to YouTube search of the song which uncovered this gem. WARNING, this song is an earworm so expect to be singing it for the rest of the day. Sorry/not sorry.

Here is the band Primetime covering the song in their own special, primal way.

This Joe Meek version rules! 

And the original. 

Feminist Friday : A Weekly Round Up for June 24th, 2016

Phew! Lost power last week for a bunch of days thanks to a terrible storm that rolled through Richmond, VA so I am happy to be back at it again.

The best thing about this week was learning about Portia Sabin's (Kill Rock Stars President) music industry podcast. This is my new everything.

In a quick backyard report, local lady and massive talent Lucy Dacus has just been picked up by Matador Records. Our whole community is so darn happy for her and I wrote about her several months ago noting ironically a similarity to a classic Matador artist, Bettie Serveert. Weird, right?

Alice Bag is headlining Philadelphia's Treat Y'Self Fest, a benefit for the annual March to End Rape Culture. Pretty darn excited to be a part of this as well; happening this August once again at the PhilaMOCA .

Flying Lotus needs to a dictionary because his use of rape is wrong all wrong.

Tavana wrote an insulting piece of trash  about sex appeal in music for the LA Weekly that has every feminist I know steaming. But it isn't all band, Hawking wrote a response piece that gets it right.

How do touring bands deal with tragic news? This story shares an example of how musicians cope.

Laura Mvula talks us through the many "ists" found in the music industry. Hint: Racist and sexist are in the mix.

Sexism in the music industry is happening in every corner of the world. This story highlights what is going on in France. Don't worry, it is written in English.

All it took was one brave woman to out Ian Conner as her rapist and 5 more women have since also stepped forward to say they were his victims too, rapper/songer Theophilus London has something to say about it.

Social media means musicians are more accessible than ever to their fans and equally, dangerous people who are on the cyber attack. The NYT weighed in on this.

ANd last but not least, what is the state of women in music today. This article helps present some of those issues.

Have something you think I should share ? Send me a note via tracy at littleblackcloud records . com

Feminist Friday : A Weekly Round Up

Safe show spaces only happen when we make it so. Here are a few highlights from Fuse.TV but a shout out to Beach Slang who are also a part of this movement and not mentioned here.

Dear Gibson Guitars, women are very important part of your history so please don't ignore it. I have always stood on team Gibson as a player but that could easily be changed.

What is the deal with cis male bands who pick mis-gendered names? It's not an ironic choice to me as an actual woman in music who has dealt with so many hurdles over the decades.

Hutch from the Thermals wrote a darn fine personal account about the frustrating aspect of band life when it comes down to trying to hold down a day job because music doesn't really pay. Note: band press which looks like popularity does not equal actual money coming in for human beings who make art. Social media likes do not translate into something creatives can pay the bills with.

However sexual assaults at concerts are still happening and at festivals, in mass.

It turns out that when nobody shows up to an author's reading, it feels just like a band with no audience.

The weirdest thing I read this week related to Kim Gordon, a coyote, and a Whole Foods parking lot.

NYC, I am very sorry your record stores are having a hard time keeping doors open. Our small city of Richmond, VA has kept more than 7 around for years now so perhaps it is time to visit us.

I very much enjoyed this piece by NPR about the forgotten women of Classical music.

Drummer wanna get some? Here are 10 funk beats I wish I knew how to play.

When you say stupid things, we are here to tell you and if it happens to be in front of a large audience, so be it.

Kickstarter as a possible A&R source? Molly thinks so.

Compact Discs and why we can't quit you quite yet.

Since 2011 these Muslim ladies have been blending their culture with hip-hop dance and it is beautiful reminder that music and art connects us all as humans.

Music-tech start ups are getting it all wrong according to Jim McDermott

Manko madness in Japan, art from the other down under.

Does your skin get off on music? Learn about skin-gasms here.

Feminist Friday : A Weekly Round Up

Snowboarder Shaun White is also apparently very good at sexually harassing a band member. Real talk. I didn't even know he played in a band.

This spotlight on one of my favorite bass players on the planet, Kim Coletta (Jawbox), reminds that I really need to do an interview with her for the site this summer.

There is no such thing as a "typical girl" (The Slits shout out) which is the very point of this outstanding collection of 16 female fronted indie bands - out now!

Listen to a track from it here.




The New York City '70s No Wave music and film community included a large number of fascinating women. Marc Master's will fill you in.

This op-ed on breaking the wheel of silence is worth your time. We don't have to accept that parts of the music industry still treat women like shit.

I can't stress this enough. If you think sexism sucks, wait until agism gets added into the mix. Radio personality Lisa G agrees.

Netflix has this feminist documentary streaming right now and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

There is a right way to promote a new album and there is a wrong way. Yacht blew it this week. Faking a sex video exploit ignores the fact that when this happens for real, it is actually a disgusting crime.

And this story just snuck out there quietly. A longtime member of the Brian Wilson's backing band has been convicted of rape.

Did you know the first airline founded by a black women started up last year? It is called Fly Blue Crane and their story should inspire all of us to crash glass ceilings.

Speaking of inspiration, meet the mothers of Motown.

Anyone else excited about the Twin Peaks reboot? I am! And this playlist of what we can expect from the soundtrack is intriguing to say the least. We all know the music is as important as the show itself!

This really does feel like a celebrity death in my world. Legendary NYC record store Other Music will be closing.

A look at punks then and now rates high among my favorite things my eyes set eyes on this week.

Bethany from Best Coast talked about the plight of women in music on The Daily show.

Feminist Friday: A Weekly Round Up

Record collectors in the NYC general region, the legendary WFMU Record Fair is taking place from Friday April 29th thru Sunday May 1st. Whatever you collect, someone at one of the tables will have something for you.

Music business and feminism, the industry needs to catch up the female artists they work with.

Laurie Anderson will tell you how John Peel changed her life and what happens to a performance artist who ends up a Pop star.

A DJ magazine celebrates 25 years of pioneering artists and you guessed it, there is not one woman on the cover.

A few cool Canadians are taking on gender inequality in the music industry by offering DJ workshops.

The winner of the BEST THING I HAVE SEEN ALL WEEK IS: a female karaoke loving red panda who just might replace Hello Kitty as my favorite Sanrio character. She blows of steam after a bummer day at the office by taking to the stage at night. If that isn't interesting enough, she is very METAL!

These girls in Afghanistan are redefining punk by taking to skateboards because they are forbidden to ride bikes.

Meet Jennifer Kennedy, the most original and valuable member of the Richmond, Virginia music scene. Some cities have great photographers capturing their local bands, we have a woman documenting our creative community in sketchbooks and the results are stunning. This is just another reason why I love our city so much.

Beyoncé's Lemonade is inspiring fans to explore black feminist literature, because knowledge is power.

This is a fascinating history and analysis of trans women on television.

There is a debate brewing about the RHCPs being sexually inappropriate to women they have worked with and it all stemmed from this article,

Record collecting is a joy and a sickness, Kevin Moist gets real.

Feminist Friday: A Weekly Round Up

Julia Holter talks gendered history with Lucrecia Dalt. 

Most insane headline of the week: "Dangdut singer Irma Bule gets bitten by cobra on stage, keeps singing for 45 minutes before she dies" Woah.

Gender wage gap has another layer to this onion, religion 

Feminist death metal is real? Yes.

Maybe you work in PR or run a record label and buy supplies from Uline? You might want to rethink that. 

Guitar World has finally realized that women play guitar too and maybe should't be objectified in a shameless flesh display to spotlight music gear. The end of the bikini gear guide is here.

Just when you don't think it could get worse for Kesha followed by this soul crushing post by her.

All vinyl DJ group of ladies who spin records all over Texas and California; meet the Chulita vinyl club.

Nearly one year ago an inspiring multi-media artist named Roya Movafegh passed away from cancer. In her memory, mutual friend Lyle Hysen (musician, industry veteran, an all around swell dude) with the help of graphic designer John Newcomer created an inspiring children's book based on a story she had shared with them. "Princess Gallantra and the Great Race" not only depicts an exciting contest among 4 lands to reach the top of Mount Something; important lessons are learned, and mostly importantly we discover a girl is much more than just a skirt. All proceeds made from this delightful book go to Global Kids Inc, "a nonprofit educational organization for global learning and youth development - works to ensure that youth from underserved areas have the knowledge, skills, experiences and values they need to succeed in school, participate effectively in the democratic process, and achieve leadership in their communities and on the global stage." By purchasing this book in one of three formats, you are not just the proud owner of a book that teaches meaningful values to kids and highlights that girls rule, it also celebrates the vibrant spirit of Roya and helps to support a remarkable charity.

Women in DC who rock!

Rebecca Lane is a Guatemalan hip hop artist and feminist.

Being on the "wrong side of 30", This is an especially meaningly read to me and it is exactly why I am not sure I have it in me to keep making music as I approach my mid 40s. I thought sexism was annoying by agism is equally as demoralizing.

The most important song you will hear this week by War on Women.

Guatemalan Feminist Rapper Tearing Down Walls

This content was originally published by teleSUR at the following address: 
 "http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Guatemalan-Feminist-Rapper-Tearing-Down-Walls-20160312-0043.html". If you intend to use it, please cite the source and provide a link to the original article. www.teleSURtv.net/english

Guatemalan hip hop artist, Rebeca Lane,

This content was originally published by teleSUR at the following address: 
 "http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Guatemalan-Feminist-Rapper-Tearing-Down-Walls-20160312-0043.html". If you intend to use it, please cite the source and provide a link to the original article. www.teleSURtv.net/english

Guatemalan hip hop artist, Rebeca Lane,

This content was originally published by teleSUR at the following address: 
 "http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Guatemalan-Feminist-Rapper-Tearing-Down-Walls-20160312-0043.html". If you intend to use it, please cite the source and provide a link to the original article. www.teleSURtv.net/english