The Place For Emerging Women In Music
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By
Jeanne Kalosieh
WomanRock
(www.womanrock.com) threw
a get-to-know-us party on Friday, November 11th at New York City’s
swanky club Shine. Walking into the
dimly lit loungey atmosphere was a bit weird - I kept looking for the faded
jeans and busted-up guitar cases. Instead,
I paid six bucks for a bottle of Brooklyn lager, surveyed all the people clad in
black, and shrugged my shoulders. The
stage was set up, so I was in the right place.
Slinking down in a very slinkable chair, it wasn’t long until the
evening took off.
Much like FEMMUSIC, WomanRock seeks to introduce all these incredible, independent, female musicians to your consciousness. And of course, seeing live performances is the best way to meet them. Planet Girl landed in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia before coming to New York. The Philly show was recorded, so look for the CD on the WomanRock website. The performers of the NYC evening included Heather Eatman, Debby Schwartz, Julia Darling, Michelle Lewis, and WomanRock founder Brenda Kahn. While most of them differ musically, they have one thing in common - they are all smart songwriters. And I don’t mean smart as in, “Gee, these girls sure know how to play a guitar.” Um, no. I mean smart as in, “Damn, that’s heart-felt originality poetically portrayed.” Ah-ha. Folks, we are steadily making our way and here’s your proof.
Heather
Eatman, a native New Yorker, had the fun task of starting the show.
To be brutally honest, I’ve grown up in an era where the so-called
“opening act” is either scrutinized or completely ignored.
But at PlanetGirl, there was no such thing as an “opener.”
Eatman could have easily been the “headliner.”
Okay, enough with the quotation marks.
The majority of Eatman’s songs were off of her latest album, Candy and Dirt. She
took the stage with a big, shiny red electric guitar, plugged in, and set it
off. Her strummy songs told stories
- something that is so lacking in the God-awful top 40. Rooted mostly in folk songs, her pitch shifts from strong and
confident to a tender, comforting whisper.
Like a guardian angel, Eatman’s stories observe and protect the
soul’s dignity. All this, and
she’s got fabulously spiky hair. For
more information on this songstress, go to www.heathereatman.com.
The
next performer was Debby Schwartz, who immediately stood out because she had
stickers of little fish on her acoustic guitar.
The word “love” was written facing upwards on the face of the guitar,
too. Schwartz’s wrists flickered
over the strings as she plunged into frantic chords.
Watching her play was like watching an improvisation of a
rocket launch. Her copper hair flew into her face as Schwartz sunk
completely into her frenzied music. One
of the songs was “15 Men,” which, as Schwartz explained, was written in the
fashion of the Rolling Stones during a hormonal marathon.
Hell, 15 men is impressive and we salute you. Bravo.
While
waiting for the next performer to get on stage, one of the Shine-y people
informed me that there were make-up artists, massage therapists, and body
painters scattered around, working for tips
WomanRock
is the brainchild of the very cool Brenda Kahn, who had an upright bass
accompany her guitar playing. “I
wanted to get all these amazing, talented people in one room to get to see what
happens,” she explained as she thanked everyone.
Amidst songs about junkie friends and a dedication to the late Jeff
Buckley, Kahn rocked out with “Spoon,” one of her earlier pieces.
All of her music is catchy, honest, a bit quirky and she sings rather
whimsically. It’s no secret that
Kahn, as well as all these women, took a big risk when they decided to pick up a
guitar and let it lead them. “Regular
Job” is a song about just that. “It’s
something my mom has wanted me to get for 15 years,” Kahn said.
But breakdown and be a secretary, she won’t.
And the world is a better place because of that.
“We are the people our parents warned us about,” she sang.
It’s great to be young and progressive.
The
lovely and gracious Julia Darling took to the stage for a solo run next. Darling’s music consisted of deep, electric guitar rhythms
with a darker emotional tone. That’s
not to say she’s the morose type. Quite
the contrary, but it’s difficult to pin down Darling’s overall style.
Hence, the allure. In fact, she was featured as a part of CMJ's "Ones to
Watch." To form a much clearer
description than my own, go to www.juliadarling.com.
Now,
throughout the evening, there was a very prominent drum kit that no one took
advantage of. And I’m not dumb
enough to think it was a token rock decoration.
So, when were my ears going to regret that I sat so close to the stage?
The answer came with the final musician of Planet Girl, Michelle Lewis
and her backing band. But there were no regrets.
Lewis
is full of soulful rock n roll. She
jumped in place and let out a bunch of “woah-ho yeah’s.”
Her music was the sassiest segment of the evening, and her enthusiasm
permeated the seats of the audience. The
crowd began hooting and moving around, reveling in the good vibrations of
“What You Want.” Lewis pointed
out that her guy friends were hesitant to go to Planet Girl because they
weren’t sure they’d get in, due to the girl-theme.
Yup gentlemen, we’ll let you come play with us.
Once again for refresher purposes, pro-woman does not equal anti-man.
As Lewis so poignantly put it: “Penises
are allowed, just no dicks.”
Muchas gracias to Brenda Kahn for creating Planet Girl and adding a few more CDs to my collection. All these women are phenomenal architects of sound. Do yourself a favor and seek them out.
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© FEMMUSIC 1999-2011
Website by Possibility Promotion.