My blurb in the article of Valley Hype is so short and thinking back, I could have said so much more, but I only had a few minutes. I thought I'd take the time to elaborate on the subject of being a front man/front woman/lead singer, take you pick. I often want to tell myself it's no different being a girl in a band because I suppose it's not something I pay much attention to on a regular basis, until something happens and I'm like oh shit, it is sort of different for a girl, eh? I think confidence plays a big role in how you deal and view everything. At first this male-dominated business might’ve shocked me, but I’ve been in five rock bands so I have some experience under my belt. I have had bad run-ins with sound guys who assume I have no idea what I’m doing, obnoxious door men, who constantly don’t believe I’m over 21, sleazy men, who have no interest in my band other than me – the pretty singer and it’s really upsetting. Yes I take notice of these things, but I also don’t like to victimize myself either because at the end of day, fuck you, I’m going to prove that I’m talented and can rock out just as hard as the boys.
I currently read an article featuring Kathleen Hanna, of Bikini Kill/The Julie Ruin, where she spoke about the difference of being a grrrl riot band in the nineties versus now. From her thorough background, feminism is much more accepted and the reception at shows is all together more pleasant. I would imagine being in an all-girl band is different than being the only girl in a band, at times quite difficult. I am sure there are people who immediately write you off for being a chick band and assume you can’t play your instruments correctly. This is obviously ludicrous – or is that me assuming too much? On the other hand, people may automatically praise you for being an-all girl band, despite if you’re good or not. Or at the end of a set, you have some guy say, “I didn’t think you’d be good, but you surprised me.” There are several half-compliments like this unfortunately. Let me make it clear though, being a girl in a band is awesome and powerful. I like representing women in my lyrical content and stage presence. In my first band, our drummer was a girl and I always felt this constant competition with her. She originally didn’t even want a girl as the singer because of preference and frankly she thought a girl would be more drama. All the past singers were guys, but I was the only one who stepped up to the plate and did anything productive. What I’m trying to say is that girls get just as much criticism from other girls, as guys.
I do wish there were more prolific women in rock music like Kim Gordon, Kim Deal, Alison Mosshart and Karen O. and bands like Sleater-Kinney and Bikini Kill. I don’t think there’s a large platform for women in garage rock, at least not in the Phoenix scene. It’s a tough position. I’ve gotten criticism for my voice being too pretty and not aggressive enough and believe it or not – too good for singing garage/punk music. I think it’s also challenging for people to accept because I honestly don’t think my band, The Echo Bombs sound like anybody else. People like to compare bands with other bands from my observation before deciding if they like you or not. I like that we’re unique, but it also extremely frustrating. I debate whether; I should try to be more like a guy to be more accepted.
Another situation that I’ve come across is inner-band relationships. I don’t feel like going to into too much detail, but yes, it’s something you will most likely experience if you’re afemale in a band with guys. You will also have to deal with jealous girlfriends. Yes, I’ve done the dating a fellow band mate, but I’ve also had guys like me and not reciprocating those feelings, either way it’s enough to break up a band. Also, if you’re a girl and friendly with a guy in your band, people will often assume you’re girlfriend and boyfriend. That last bit doesn’t bother me too much. It’s natural that you’ll have chemistry with your band mates and people like to romanticize those sorts of things. However, it could be tricky for dating other people.
I feel I could still go on and on with this subject, but I’ll let you off easy. Overall, being in a band is hard work. Men are no less dramatic than women, trust me. We are all trouble at times, just in our own unique, frustrating ways. If you’re the only girl in a band, the guys may gain up on you and accuse you of acting like a girl - this usually occurs after you express your opinions. The problems I face with being a girl in a band are hard to separate from the problems I face with being a girl in the world. Women are still viewed as second-class citizens, as they are in rock music. There are so many double standards that occur, so much progress in equality to be achieved. However, none of this is enough to make me quit being a musician. Thank god, I have the perfect platform for these issues – my music.
pixelskylines
areudirty
theartofmadeline
romaincrisis
