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 : 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 June 10th, 2016

A manel is yet another music panel where it is a wall of dudes that sit around and talk about stuff. Once again, the industry is lightyears behind the artists themselves. There are women in this industry so how about asking us to sit on more panels?

What happens when a band member defends a rapist? They get what they deserve, to be popped like the pimple on society that they are.

Athena is a powerful pendant necklace that doubles as an emergency alert system to help protect women against assault. By holding down the button on it will not only sound an alarm but send loved ones text messages alerting them to your location and alert 911. This way, you are truly never alone.

Glastonbury Festival has created a an intersectional, queer, trans, and disability-inclusive safe space that will be staffed by people who identify as female, including security and performers. This new area will also feature DJs, workshops on diversity / inclusion, daily dance classes, and DIY class on power tools.

Wax Idols dropped off the Pentagram tour because sexual harrasment isn't worth the exposure a tour of this size can bring. 

This has nothing to do with music but math is certainly an important skill to have and the Fields Medal mathematics prize was won by a woman this year for the first time in its history! 

Congratulations Baltimore, you have a new record store! If you are like me and love record shopping and coffee, this could be worth a road trip for you. 

From the world of DIY punk feminism (Riot Grrrl in the '90s) to an oscar winning film producer, Audrey Marrs deserves a standing ovation. 

CASH Music is a nonprofit organization here to help educate and empower artists and the their fans to foster a viable and sustainable future for music. WE NEED THIS. 

Cool, a Nashville mural celebrating musicians that happens to exclude women completely. Really? Has no woman ever played Exit / In?