L.L.B.O. - Ladies Love Barack Obama

Alright, maybe he's no LL Cool J, but there's a lot of reasons for women to support Barack Obama. Since tonight is the night he'll officially accept the nomination to be the Democratic Party presidential candidate, we thought we'd bring you a few links to Obama on Women.

Obama On Women's Issues

Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorses Barack Obama and Joe Biden

Women For Barack Obama

And while we don't condone the many sexist problems with this video, we have to admit it's good for a few laughs -

Hilary Hits A Home Run!

Talk about hitting it out of the ballpark! Hilary Rodham Clinton's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention was as perfectly executed as any press secretary could have dreamed of. She was gracious, energetic, and sassy... she was the Hilary we knew and loved, the Hilary that unfortunately I don't think we saw enough of in the last few years.

I'd like to tell you about my favorite Hilary Clinton memory. I remember when Elizabeth, Emily and I drove across the country to Washington DC for the March For Women's Lives in 2004. As we stood on the National Mall, surrounded by one million other women marching for women's rights and women's lives, we watched a giant jumbotron screen. On it, they introduced Hilary Clinton. I don't remember exactly what she said, but I remember that was the first time that I realized someday soon she was going to make a run for the presidency herself. After she spoke, Elizabeth, Emily and I called our own moms with tears in our eyes, trying to explain over cell phone that finally, our time - their time, their mother's time - was almost here.

Although I did not vote for Hilary this year for a variety of reasons including her support of the war in Iraq, I can foresee a day where I would cast my vote for her, provided she returns to the woman I saw in Washington DC, and the woman I saw on my television last night.

Check out the speech -

Women on Women Setlist, 8/26/08

Little Eva - "The Trouble With Boys" V/A - One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found (Rhino)
The Pretenders - "Tattooed Love Boys" S/T (Sire/Real)
Bratmobile - "The Real Janelle" The Real Janelle EP (Kill Rock Stars)
X - "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" Under the Big Black Sun (Elektra/Rhino)
Siouxsie and the Banshees - "This Wheel's On Fire" Best Of (Polydor UK)
Mojave 3 - "Writing to St. Peter" Spoon and Rafter (4AD)
The New Pornographers - "Myriad Harbor" Challengers (Matador)
The Kills - "Goodnight Bad Morning" Midnight Boom (Domino)
Sleater-Kinney - "Start Together" The Hot Rock (Kill Rock Stars)
Miss Murgatroid & Petra Hayden - "Hummingbird" Hearts & Daggers (File Under Music)
The Gossip - "Standing in the Way of Control" Live in Liverpool (Columbia)
Blevin Blectum - "Squeezed" Gular Flutter (Aagoo)
CSS - "Move" Donkey (Sub Pop)
The Vaselines - "Rory Rides Me Raw" A Complete History (Sub Pop)
Cub - "Summer Samba" Hot Dog Day 7" (Mint)
All Girl Summer Fun Band - "Dreamy You" Summer of '98 (Magic Marker)
Go Sailor - "Fine Day for Sailing" S/T (Lookout)
The Sugarcubes - "Hit" Stick Around for Joy (Elektra)
Metric - "Combat Baby" Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? (Elgonix)
Pretty Girls Make Graves - "Blue Lights" The New Romance (Matador)
Office - "Paralyzed Prince" A Night at the Ritz (Scratchie/New Line)
Mo-Dettes - "Two Can Play" Dark Park Creeping 7" (Decca)
Delta 5 - "You" Singles & Sessions 1979-81 (Kill Rock Stars)
Cibo Matto - "Know Your Chicken (7" mix)" Know Your Chicken 7" (El Diablo)
ADULT. - "Inclined to Vomit" Why Bother? (Thrill Jockey)
Tsunami - "She Cracked" Split 7" w/ Superchunk (Honey Bear)
Imperial Teen - "Sweet Potato" The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band (Merge)
Starball - "2Car" Promotional EP (S/R)
Ono w/ Peaches - "Kiss Kiss Kiss" Yes, I'm a Witch (Astralwerks)

Michelle Obama Charms America

The woman who may just end up in this list of ladies in November spoke last night at the Democratic National Convention. Afterwards, pundits across all channels were losing their minds, declaring Michelle to be the Hilary to Barack's Bill, the start to the Obama dynasty. While I doubt Michelle Obama will be moving to New York and running for Senator in 2016, there's no doubt that she'd be a much more interesting First Lady than most. Take a look at the video of her speech and see what you think - I'd vote for her!



Tonight, Hilary Clinton speaks - stay tuned, we'll try to bring you the video of that tomorrow morning.

America's Next Top Crafter

Forget Tyra Banks and Simon Cowell and reality television - the real contest of this fall is the Venus Zine 4th Annual Craft-Off Contest!

One of our very favorite magazines, Venus has long been the standard bearer when it comes to introducing you to the hottest and most innovative women in music, art, film, fashion and business. Fiercely DIY, Venus encourages and rewards adults who never gave up on crafts through their annual "Craft-Off". Past winners and runners-up have included resin rings, recycled totes, and handmade belt buckles. You can peek at the 2007 winner's gallery here.

So dust off your thinking caps and get to crafting! Entries cannot cost more than $40 and must be received by September 18, 2008. Check out complete rules here. The winner gets a Singer 8763 Curvy sewing machine.. who doesn't love a machine with curves?!


(image from venuszine.com)

Happy Birthday, Tori!

On Friday, August 22, groundbreaking feminist musician Tori Amos turned 45. We did a little celebrating on Tuesday's show, but for an artist this important I thought a birthday post was in order, too!

Tori (born Myra Ellen Amos) got her start as a classical pianist, attending the Peabody Conservatory at the tender age of 5 and moving on to play piano bars in Washington D.C. in her teens. Her first major project, a metal band named Y Kant Tori Read, was a bust. It wasn't until the release of her first solo album, Little Earthquakes, in 1992 that she started to see commercial success. The song "Me and a Gun", which details the sexual assault she suffered at the hands of a fan, is the second to last track on the album. Following its release, concertgoers began to tell their stories of assault to Tori, which led her to create RAINN, a national organization for survivors. She remains involved with the group, often donating items for auction or performing benefit shows.

Since that first album, Tori has developed a bit of a cult following because of both her musical talent and her outspoken songs on sexuality, feminism and organized religion. I have to admit that I have been a bit of a Torihead myself. She catches a bit of flack for being flakey or being too much of a "woman's artist", but here are the reasons why I, a self proclaimed Ear with Feet, love her:

1) She's brought the piano to the world of rock. Her instrument of choice, the piano, has traditionally been relegated to the genres of classical music, adult contemporary and is thought of as being "soft" (even though during their time, many of the classical pieces were quite rebellious and edgy). Tori brings bite to her compositions and shows listeners that it is just as easy to rock on a piano as it is on the more "masculine" guitar.
2) She rides the gender line. Often speaking of communing with spirits and having both the feminine and masculine spirit in her. Her songs range from lullabies to growling dervishes and she uses costuming and makeup in her live shows to further the message.
3) Her live shows. I've seen her play small clubs and huge arenas, and no matter the venue Tori connets with her audience like no other artist I've ever seen. Add to that the fact that she does a meet and greet with her fans after every. single show, and she clearly wins for fan connection.
4) She doesn't listen to anyone (except for maybe the faeries) and doesn't apologize for it. The fans have been complaining about her work on the last few albums - it has been a little less rage and a little more smooth jams - but she explains it as her just going in the direction she feels pulled toward.

Times have definitly changed. I can remember going to shows in the 1990s where everyone was in costume and there were hearses parked outside as the goth fan's preferred form of transportation. Now, it is mostly couples in sweater sets and you almost never see a set of faerie wings in the crowd. The power of her music (especially the albums pre-2002) remains the same, though, at least to me.

So, to the woman who has gotten me (and so many countless others) through heartbreak and strife, and echoed our rage, our sorrow and our joy, happy birthday!

Burning Olympic Questions: Bikini Bottoms and Hyphenated Names

The Olympic Games have been on non-stop in my house, and I have to admit I'm one of those people addicted to the Games... I'll watch anything, even sports I barely understand, like synchronized diving. I've been staying up far too late at night, watching the Games and experiencing a rare feeling of national pride for the U.S. athletes. Still, there's been a few burning questions I can't get out of my head, so I went to the blogsphere to find out the answers.

First, what is the deal with beach volleyball? More specifically, what is the deal with the super-skimpy beach volleyball uniforms? How can you possibly be comfortable jumping around in a bikini while trying to win a gold medal? Do large chested women just not perform at high levels of beach volleyball? Sports reporter Stephanie Stradley explains. Still doesn't make much sense to me!

Second, am I the only one who's noticed the increase in hyphenated names on jerseys this Olympics? Not just on women, which is a bit more common due to married women hyphenating their last names, but on men too. Is hyphenation after marriage really popular among athletes, or are hyphenated kids now old enough to compete the Olympic Games? Seems like its a bit of both...

Some examples:
Garrett Weber-Gale, the son of Mark Gale and Diane Weber, who get to see both of their names on his swim camp as he got the gold in the relay last week

Ben Wildman-Tobriner, another swimmer, the son of Michael Tobriner and Stephanie Wildman, who also won gold

Taraje Williams-Murray, U.S. Judo team member, son of Cheryl and Michael Williams-Murray

Suzy Powell-Roos, a discus thrower, who is married to Tim Roos

Tiffany Ross-Williams, track and field, married to a Mr. Williams

Misty May-Treanor, beach volleyball phenom, married to Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor... Treanor may not make it to the Olympics, but his name ended up a winners list when his wife brought home a gold last night

I bet those moms who gave their child their name as well as their husband's are really glad they did now! As for the husbands whose name got a free ride to the Olympics by virtue of marriage, I say they owe their wives big time!

Women on Women Setlist! August 19th! Every Tuesday from 8-10pm on 88.7 WLUW

Sally Shapiro - "I Know" Disco Romance (Paper Bag)
Miss Alex White & The Red Orchestra - "Future Talk" Space & Time (In The Red)
Penelope Houston - "Soul Redeemer" The Pale Green Girl (DBK)
PJ Harvey - "When Under Ether" White Chalk (Island)
The Reptoids - "15 Track" S/T (S/R)
Emilyn Brodsky - "Bombs Away" Greatest Tits (Third Story Records)
Eleni Mendel - "American Boy" Afternoon (Zed Tone)
Vermillion Lies - "No Good" Seperated By Birth (A Small Tribe Records)
Tilly and the Wall - "Blood Flowers" O (Team Love)
Sahara Hotnights - "Hot Night Crash" Kiss and Tell (RCA)
The New Black - "Angel With Cockroach Wings" New Black (Thick Records)
The Ponys - "Sad Eyes" Laced With Romance (In The Red Records)
Bang! Bang! - "Move" Do You Like It? (Heads Up Records)\
Tori Amos - "Caught a Lite Sneeze" Boys for Pele (Atlantic)
Tori Amos - "Flying Dutchman (Alternate Mix)" Piano: A Collection (Rhino)
Tori Amos - "Cool On Your Island (Live)" Broadcasts and B-Sides (BMI)
Tori Amos - "Cooling" Spark Single (UK version) (Atlantic)
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - "This Land is Your Land" Naturally (Daptone Records)
Illinois First - "Who Was Abraham Lincoln" Songs About The Land of Lincoln (Proshop)
Le Tigre - "Dyke March" Feminist Sweepstakes (Mr. Lady)
Amy Ray and the Butchies - "Lucy Stoners" Live From San Francisco (Daemon)
Barbara Stephens - "That's The Way It Is With Me" The Complete Stax (Atlantic)
Rachel Goswell - "Warm Summer Sun" Waves Are Universal (4AD)
Belle and Sebastian - "Funny Little Frog" Life Pursuit (Matador)
Headlights - "Market Girl" Some Racing, Some Stopping (Polyvinyl)

Suffragette City

Today marks the 88th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which officially gave women the right to vote!

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

So happy anniversary, ladies! Now don't squander your vote, or this lady will be very, very disappointed in you:

For more information, check out this handy timeline, or read the history of the American Women's Suffrage Movement as outlined here or here.

Perils of Parenting For Bikini Kill Fans

In yet another example of why I'm glad I'm a favorite aunt/godmother and not a parent, the good folks at Portland's Rock N Roll Camp For Girls are in trouble for sending campers home with Bikini Kill cassettes. As you might recall, Bikini Kill put the rad in radical when in comes to riot grrrl, and lyrical content does include a lot of f-words, graphic imagery of violence against women, and well, anger about it. One mom is freaking out to television cameras. Across the femiblogosphere, people are talking - The ladies at the Three Imaginary Girls blog defend the camp while Jessica Hopper says that Bikini Kill might be a bit much for an eight year old.

I'm conflicted. I believe that music is transformative. I think that especially for pre-teen and teenage girls, music can be a lifeline, an outlet of expression in a world that seems poised to crush them from all angles. But... the prospect of some uncomfortable conversations with my nieces and nephew makes me think they're still a little young for Bikini Kill. Like many great artists, Bikini Kill uses satire and sarcasm liberally, and young children don't often have those skills developed yet. "Rebel Girl" is, in my opinion, one of the best songs ever written about female friendship, and the power of embracing your differences. I'm just not certain that pre-teens are sophisticated enough to understand the reclaiming of words like "whore" and "dyke" - and more so, I'm not sure I want eight year olds to be that sophisticated. Without knowing what was on the mix tapes that the campers went home with, it's hard to make any real judgements, but this story does raise some interesting issues and conflicted feelings for feminist parents.

What do you think? Would you let your pre-teen listen to Bikini Kill?

Love, Fangirl, Age 27

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to check out Amanda Palmer's (singer/pianist for the Dresden Dolls) solo show at the Lakeshore Theater. Not only was her set great, but all three of the openers were, too.

Emilyn Brodsky defines herself as "cupcake punk" and I can't agree more. Armed with a ukelele and a great set of pipes, her set brought to mind Kimya Dawson.....if Kimya was really ticked off. Her songs are witty and confessional - songs that you'd like to have a beer with at the dive bar. Good stuff.

Next was Chicago native Anna Vogelzang. Anna has a big voice and a knack for storytelling. My concert mate leaned over and said "reminds me of Ingrid Michaelson.....her good stuff" and it is true - Anna does have a similar sound and feel to the sweater song girl.

Wrapping up the openers was Vermillion Lies, a pair of ladies from California with rosy cheeks, an accordian and a stage presence that grabs you and doesn't want to let go. Their songs are burlesque-y and clever, including one about recieving an organ transplant. And they had a tap dancing marionette! They were a real treat and, as much as I love Amanda Palmer, I was sort of sad when their set ended.

On to Amanda's set:
I was really spoiled by her show at the Boston Symphony earlier this summer, but this show did not dissapoint. It was a fair mix of Dolls material, covers and songs from her new album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, due out on September 16. The new songs? Killer. Pun intended. Ben Folds produced it and you can hear his influence in songs like "Ampersand" and "Astronaut" - beautiful piano ballads that are the kind of luxurious songs Folds is known for. There are definitly some signature Palmer songs, though, with choppy, hand slamming chords, like the heavily staccato "Runs in the Family" and the eerie "Tick Tick", a song written after the Columbine shootings.

When playing with the Dolls, Amanda is always friendly with the crowd but is even more so in her solo shows. There was a lot of interaction, including a Q and A portion and a final encore of Radiohead's "Creep", which she played on the ukelele while wandering through the crowd.

After the show, she did a signing, and I had the opportunity to meet her. Let me tell you - I lost my cool. At 27, I am still apparently able to morph into a 12 year old girl. My mouth ran and I wasn't able to stop it, but she was incredibly gracious. And beautiful. And funny. Sigh.

Along with the album, she and Doll's long time video producer Michael Pope are creating a series of videos to go along with the songs. Here's the one for "Astronaut". Enjoy!

Clit Chat

"Clitfest is a non-profit, community based, women-centered D.I.Y punk fest. It will be a weekend of music, workshops, and discussions celebrating women in the punk community and addressing the strengths and the potential of our scene."

On August 15th, 16th, and 17th (this weekend!) the much-anticipated Clitfest invades Chicago. We recently sat down with two of the organizers to talk about the hows and whys of putting together a feminist punk festival.

WOW: Why don’t we start out by having you guys introduce yourselves? Who are you and what do you do?
Kristin: I’m Kristin, I do fundraising for Clitfest, I make flyers, stuff like that.
Sarah: I’m Sarah, I booked a lot of the bands, I worked on booking the venue, I also do fundraising... just a lot of the general day to day housekeeping and organizing behind getting the fest going.

W: Is there one person in charge of the festival or is it more democratic?
K: Well, Sarah’s done a lot.
S: I feel like it’s been a very collective effort. I get to do a lot of things, but I think that was based on the fact that I’ve booked a lot of shows before, so I just kind of fell into doing certain things out of force of habit, you know? But there's a core group of about ten women, and I think that it’s been very collective and democratic since we started planning last August.

W: Can you guys give us a little bit of the history of Clitfest? What's it all about?
K: The first one was in Minneapolis in 2004, and the focus was on female musicians within the punk scene. They mostly just had bands from their local scene, but that’s how it started.
S: There’s a collective called Profane Existence – they do a record label, they have a message board, they do all kinds of stuff – they’re a fairly radical, independent punk group. They started Clitfest with the intention of really getting the faces of women in punk out there because, as I'm sure you know, there just aren't nearly as many women in the punk scene as there are men.

W: Were they focusing on the lack of women as musicians in bands, or as fans, or at shows?
S: Oh, all of the above, definitely. You know, going to shows and just being an observer, there’s not very many of us. And there are even less in bands! There have always been a lot of women active with Profane Existence, and they really wanted to showcase that there are women who do punk music. They also wanted to talk a little bit more about sexism in the scene, not only in the sense that there aren’t as many women participating, but how those women get treated.
K: In 2005 there was another one in Minneapolis. 2006 there wasn’t a Clitfest, but 2007 was Richmond, Virginia. People who have been to all of them said that every year, the general consensus is that there are going to be more and more bands, more and more women, more kinds of different bands, within different genres of punk – which is kind of funny to think about, but there definitely are – and more and more workshops. One of the big things Clitfest does besides bands is workshops around various feminist issues, and the workshops have only gotten better, encompassing a lot of different topics.

W: So is there one Clitfest per year across the country, or is there one in whatever city feels like organizing and hosting a Clitfest?
K: Last year, I think the organizers just felt like it needed to be done. Minneapolis had done it the year before and the Richmond people just decided to bring it together.
S: What Profane Existence told us when we approached them this year about doing it in Chicago was that they felt there should be a Clitfest in every city every year. And I think that’s true. We’re really, really lucky in Chicago. The punk scene in Chicago has tons of bands with women in them, and we have tons of women active in the scene. I go out of town a lot, I know a lot of people in various cities, I travel to see bands – my husband’s in a band, I used to play in a band – it’s just one of those things where you go out of town and everything is really awesome, but then you come home and you’re like, “Oh my God, the Chicago scene is pretty great!” Of course you have favorite bands here or there, and you have really great people you meet everywhere, but the depth of women who are involved in this city… it’s really great, and we really wanted to capitalize on that, and we have a lot of really great Chicago bands who are playing.

W: There have been other festivals highlighting women in music, like Ladyfest or Estrojam. How does Clitfest differ from those festivals?
S: Clitfest is primarily D.I.Y. punk bands. That’s something that’s been really important to us, and the D.I.Y. punk scene in Chicago is extremely strong. I’ve lived here for almost ten years and it just keeps going and going and going. I used to live in Buffalo and things would go up and go down and there would be peaks and valleys, but Chicago's been really consistently a great place to see independent punk music and that's what keeps me here.

W: A lot of times when people say female musicians, or “women in music,” they think of the singer-songwriter, the Ani DiFranco, the Tori Amos, people like that. Would you say you’re trying to differentiate yourself from the stereotypes of female artists looking or sounding a certain way?
S: Yeah, I mean, we have bands that are garage punk bands, crust bands, hardcore bands... we have a lot of different kinds of bands, and it’s all under that punk umbrella, but women write the songs, women play the drums, women play guitar, etc. In Chicago women set up shows and have a lot of involvement in different aspects of the scene, and it’s not just the woman behind the piano, or the one with the acoustic guitar, it’s a lot more broad than that. So we’re lucky about that too, ‘cause it’s not always the case. Where I grew up and when I was in Buffalo, there were two kinds of girls: the dykes, and what we would call the punk rock cheerleaders, who would go and flirt…

W: And do the girlfriend dance up by the stage?
S: Right! And if you weren’t one of those two, you know, where were you? It’s horrendous to be someone who was stuck in one of those two categories, and it took me a long time to realize... I was ready to give up on punk rock altogether until I moved here. Thankfully, I was able to find some really amazing women that were into the same things as me, and didn’t want to be the girlfriend holding the coat, or you know, some crazy, ultra… I don’t even know what the right word for it would be! But you couldn’t just be a normal person, you had to be some cartoonish figure that someone could draw, you know what I mean? You couldn’t just be yourself ,you had to be A or B, and that was it.

W: I think sometimes certain types of people require labels to more easily understand other people, or even themselves, you know?
S: Well, I think that happens 95% more frequently with women than it does with men. It’s ok for men to be crazy, but if women are crazy it’s a whole other scenario!

W: You mentioned earlier that in addition to having bands, you’re also having workshops as part of the festival?
K: Right, free workshops focusing on various women’s issues. For example, hygiene, self-help, there’s going to be a discussion on all the –isms in the scene. Plus we’re going to start off in the mornings with yoga, which is awesome.
S: We’re also having a workshop about herbal medicine, and we're having another one about “Gear 101,” which is something I don’t know that they’ve done at other Clitfests. I think that particularly in Chicago there are a lot of young women who are interested in music and are interested in bands who don’t know how to do a lot of the technical stuff.

W: This is how you fix your amp, this is how you tune your drums…
S: This is how you get the PA to not sound like shit! This is how you do this, that, and everything, and hopefully that’s going to be of some interest. There’s also going to be a “Know Your Rights” workshop... in addition to all the women in the Chicago scene who are awesome, Chicago is the home of one of the the largest Latino punk scenes in the United States. There are a lot of bands who do have Latino members who are playing the fest, and fundamentally, that is the Chicago scene. Anyway, one of the workshops we’re going to have is called “Know Your Rights,” and it touches on immigration rights and that sort of thing, which I don’t think they’ve done at other fests.
K: I don’t think so. I also think it’s cool that all the workshops are going to be facilitated by women.

W: So are the organizers all women?
K: Yup!
W: Was that by design, or…?
S: Design. We have a lot of men who were very interested and who have been very helpful at various points. But when it came down to regular meetings and decision making... we tried it and it kind of stifled some people.
W: They didn’t feel like it was quite the point of the festival?
S: Right. So we talked to these guys and said, "Look we’re really happy you're here, and thank you for doing this, but we’re going to have to take it from here." We’ve had problems, but they’ve been very minimal and very different than they would have been had there been men involved, I think.

W: So what have been some of the difficulties in putting together a festival of this magnitude?
S: Well, a lot of us come from different perspectives on how you set up a show, how the money’s going to work, that sort of thing… but those are all things we managed to work out, and I think that’s because we all have this really deep-seated desire to make this work and have it be a really awesome show. There have been a lot of heated discussions about the focus of the workshops, about scheduling, which bands to get… but I personally feel like 98% of this has been pretty problem-free. That’s just the way I perceive it.
K: Yeah, this is the first big fest I’ve ever worked on and it’s been an amazing experience.

W: Has it been difficult to fund the festival or find venues? I’ve never worked on putting together a festival like this, so I’m curious about the behind-the-scenes aspects of it.
K: No, I don’t think it was all that difficult.
S: I think the biggest challenge for us was that we really wanted to do an all-ages space, and that’s a dying breed in Chicago. We got really lucky in getting the Galaxie.
K: Which is woman-owned!
S: It’s pretty crazy, we’ve got women involved at all levels on this. But the owner was actually a bit reticent at first.
W: Was it because of the word “clit,” or the fact that you were specifically a punk rock festival?
S: I think it was a little bit of both. She’s done some punk shows there before where things got a little out of hand. Part of the space is like a dance studio, and at this other show, the mirror got broken, someone put a hole in the wall… so she knows what’s coming! But just between us talking to her and the community of people involved in this, it’s making her feel a lot more comfortable. So thank you, Leigh! It was actually a really interesting turn of events... after I went to go see her about booking the space, I walked away wondering if she was going to say yes. But the next day I ran into her on the train, and she told me that a lady had called her and wanted to have her wedding reception the night of our festival! And I was like, “Auugh! No, no, she can’t do it!” She said we had squatter’s rights, since we talked to her first. It’s that kind of stuff, when it works out, it’s crazy.

W: Did you have to get insurance or anything like that?
K: No, the owner is insured.
S: That was the problem with some of the other all-ages spaces we were looking at. We would have had to get our own insurance, which would have been a huge undertaking.
W: Well, the whole promoter’s ordinance came about while you guys were planning the fest.
K: Yeah, that was a little bit of a scare.

W: For everyone in the city, I think! So it’s completely woman-run, but what about the bands? Are they exclusively all-girl, or girls and guys? Who do you have playing the festival?
S: We decided after a lot of discussion that it would be great to say it can only be bands with all women, but we could have done that on a Sunday afternoon in my backyard! Ha, ha, just kidding.
K: We have four or five bands that are all-female, out of 17 total bands.

W: Are you gearing the fest towards mostly girls?
K: Everybody!
W: Everyone who can legally get into the show?
K: Exactly.
W: But it actually is at an all-ages venue, right?
K: Right, the Galaxie is all-ages, that’s where the Friday and Saturday shows are. And then Sunday is a house show, so all three days are all-ages.

W: Isn’t Sunday the guys’ show?
S: We talked about doing that initially, but it didn’t ever turn out.
K: We just had too many bands! So we had to do another day for the bands with women in them.
W: Oh, no, too many girls in bands want to play your festival! That's so sad!
S: Ha! Yeah, it worked out pretty well! We’re really happy about it.

W: So we talked about challenges, but what have been some of your favorite things about putting on Clitfest? What is it that keeps you going, and keeps you coming back to meetings? Is it (co-organizer) Val’s cupcakes?
S: Yeah!
K: That’s a huge part of it, I’m not gonna lie.
S: Those cupcakes have funded like 90% of this festival. She’s our den mom! Honestly, for me it’s the chance to get to know some of the women involved in a more meaningful, intimate way. I mean, you can be here and live in a city like Chicago and be a part of the scene and never know everybody. So that kind of stuff is more valuable to me than anything. I mean, I think the show is going to be really good, but moreso, it’s this feeling of knowing everybody and meeting these people I’ve been seeing for years and actually seeing what makes them tick… that’s been awesome.
K: I got into it because I really wanted to know more people. I’ve been going to shows in Chicago for a while, but I just moved into the city a couple years ago. Right now I am just so excited because we’ve come together so well. There are so many details that the women involved have made happen… it’s just so amazing.

W: So there’s never been a Clitfest in Chicago before, and you weren’t involved in planning the previous incarnations, but is there anything that you’re trying to do differently? Anything from the other Clitfest shows that you’d like to learn from and either continue and/or improve on?
K: Personally, I thought the workshops kind of sucked, so we’re trying to make ours better for this year’s fest.
S: I don’t know much about the workshops at the other Clitfests, but I think we’re so lucky in Chicago to have such a broad base of different people. I think that musically, there will be a lot of diversity, and you’re going to hear a lot of bands that sound very different from each other. I know the organizers of the other Clitfests brought people in from out of town, and for me, that’s very important to continue. There are bands that we love and couldn’t have, but as I’m sitting here looking at the flyer, every day of this fest is awesome, and there are bands every single day that I’m excited to see. I can’t think of very many festivals I can say that for!
K: We have bands coming from around the world: Banjax from Japan, Cojoba from Puerto Rico…

W: Wow, are they flying in on their own dime, or were you able to help bring them in?
S: They contacted us and said they wanted to play! They’re going to book some other shows around Clitfest, so anyone who reads this and hears of a show for a band called Banjax, go see them and give them money, ‘cause they’re from Japan, and they’re not asking for anything! There’s also a band called The Brat
from California who is getting back together to play the show, and there are two bands coming from Boston… But as far as money, we’re going to donate a portion of the proceeds from Clitfest to the Chicago Women's Health Center.

W: What made you select the Chicago Women’s Health Center as a beneficiary over any other organization?
K: Well, a lot of us have gone there, and a lot of us know people that work there.
S: And it seemed like the Chicago Women’s Health Center reached the greatest number and greatest variety of women in Chicago. If we don’t get behind that, what can we get behind?

K: We’re going to be selling t-shirts, we’re having a raffle… all the proceeds from that go to the Chicago Women's Health Center. We’ve had so many amazing people in the community that have donated for this raffle. We’ve also got cds, a Men of Clitfest calendar…
W: Is this a blue calendar?
S: Yes! It’s men of the Chicago punk scene.
K: Some more exposed than others!
S: It’s just our hope that everyone buys a ticket, and everyone comes to the shows and watches the bands, and everyone walks away happy.

Clitfest is happening this weekend, Friday and Saturday at the Galaxie (2603 W. Barry) and Sunday at Ranchos Huevos (2966 S. Archer Avenue). For a full schedule of bands and events, please visit their website or the Clitfest profile on Myspace.

Mixin' It Up @ Rock For Kids' Music Mixer - TONIGHT!

Several years ago, when Elizabeth was employed by a domestic violence shelter, she called me one night after work in distress. It was about a week and a half before Christmas, and the shelter had received an influx of moms with kids - more than anticipated, and more than the shelter's holiday gift budget could support. That day, Elizabeth had a conversation with two little girls who told her not to worry, that they "understood why Santa wouldn't be coming this year" because they lived in a shelter. I told Elizabeth I knew just the folks who could get a message to Santa - Rock For Kids. A few phone calls later, Elizabeth was talking to Santa's elvish helpers at Rock For Kids, and what do you know, the reindeer's GPS system found the kids' new address at the shelter... now that's what I call a Christmas miracle!

Rock For Kids is a charity started by members of Chicago's music community twenty years ago with the goal of bringing Christmas gifts to children living in homeless shelters. They're so much more than just holiday gifts, though today. Over the last two decades, Rock For Kids exponentially increased its services to include its flagship music education program, Youth Jam. Youth Jam brings free year-round music education to underprivileged and homeless children throughout the Chicago area. Through free music lessons Rock For Kids works to improve the self-esteem and confidence of the students, while introducing them to the joy of music.

Tonight, Rock For Kids once again presents their most fun party of the year: The 6th Annual Music Mixer. Join Chicago's music community as they auction off one-of-a-kind mix CDs and raise money to support Youth Jam. Some of the folks contributing mix CDs this year include staff of Metro, Threadless, Schubas and the Onion, artists The Redwalls, Jon Langford, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir and Robbie Fulks and much, much more. It all kicks off at 7pm at Smart Bar, 3730 N Clark Street. A $5 donation is suggested.

I'm honored that I was asked to contribute a mix CD again this year - actually, I've made a double-CD mix. My theme is "Alphabet Soup", and per the rules of the auction, that's all I can say until the winner is announced... but trust me, it's awesome! Hope to see you tonight!

Playlist 8/12/08 Women On Women Music Program - tune in every Tuesday on 88.7fm/wluw.org!

Thanks for listening! Remember to tune in every Tuesday night from 8pm to 10pm (Chicago time) to 88.7fm, or listen online at wluw.org!

Playlist 8/12/08:
Francois Hardy - "Oh Oh Cheri" The "Yeh-Yeh" Girl From Paris! (Vogue)
Mavis Staples - "You Must Have That True Religion" V/A: I Believe To My Soul (Rhino)
Neko Case - "Deep Red Bells" Blacklisted (Anti/Epitaph)
Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden - "Faster Than Cars Drive" S/T (Red Valise)
Rilo Kiley - "The Execution of All Things" Under the Blacklight (Warner Bros.)
Pasty Cline - "I Don't Wanna" S/T (MCA)
Kirsty MacColl - "They Don't Know" Galore (IRS)
Yo La Tengo - "Our Way To Fall" And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (Matador)
Tegan and Sara - "City Girl" If It Was You (Vapor)
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - "All The Heart That You Wear On Your Sleeve" I Bet You Say That to All the Boys (Fashion Brigade)
Imogen Heap - "I Am In Love With You" Speak for Yourself (RCA Victor)
Cat Power - "Cross Bones Style" Moon Pix (Matador)
Magnetic Fields - "No One Will Ever Love You" 69 Love Songs Vol. 2 (Merge)
The Breeders - "Huffer" Title TK (4AD)
Sleater-Kinney - "By The Time You're Twenty-Five" Get Up (Kill Rock Stars)
The Butchies - "More Rock More Talk" Population 1975 (Mr. Lady)
Essential Logic - "Collecting Dust" Fanfare in the Garden (Kill Rock Stars)
Ani DiFranco - "Grey" Revelling: Reckoning (Righteous Babe)
Doria Roberts - "Perfect" Restoration (Hurricane Doria)
The Gossip - "Confess" Movement (Kill Rock Stars)
Dresden Dolls - "Half Jack" S/T (8Ft.)
She & Him - "Sentimental Heart" Volume One (Merge)
Rose Melberg - "Take Some Time" Cast Away the Clouds (Double Agent)
The Kills - "Wait" Keep on Your Mean Side (Rough Trade)
Poster Children - "Accident Waiting To Happen" New World Record (SpinART)
The Donnas - "Too Fast For Love" Get Skintight (Lookout!/Mordam)

Why We (or, at least I) WOW

I got back to Chicago from New York a few weeks ago and have been slowly readjusting to Chicago life: slower than a snail public transport, chilly summer nights, an abudance of fried/dead food and riding in cars. In New York, I knew no one who had a car and here it is pretty commonplace.

Something that frequently comes with riding in a car is listening to the radio, an activity I rarely partake in unless it is tuning in to the WLUW webcast. On a recent trip to the suburbs, I had the pleasure of listening to commercial radio for TWO HOURS. And guess what? In those two hours, I heard one band that had a female member (The Talking Heads).

When I tell folks that I co-host a radio show that only plays bands with women in them, a response I frequently get is "Why? Isn't it, like, reverse discrimination? " or "How can you play a show of just women's music?! Women aren't monolithic!".
Ok, so no one has actually used the word monolithic, but you get the idea.

And my response to that - and why I continue to do the show - is that two hours of radio with only one band with only one woman in it is ...well, it stinks. And it stinks because it is true - women aren't monolithic! There is so much music out there made by women that there really isn't any excuse to exclude them.

So until commercial radio (and, let's be honest, independent radio) gets on board with gender equality, we'll be here with two hours of diverse, lady filled jams.

WOW Setlist, 8/5/08

The Gossip - "Listen Up" Standing in the Way of Control (Kill Rock Stars)
Stars - "The Ghost of Genova Heights" In Our Bedroom After the War (Arts & Crafts)
Feist - "My Moon My Man" The Reminder (Interscope)
Portishead - "Nylon Smile" Third (Island)
Peaches - "Operate" Fatherfucker (Kitty-Yo)
Broken Social Scene - "Hotel" S/T (Arts & Crafts)
Mates of State - "The Re-arranger" Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk)
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - "Keep on Looking" 100 Days 100 Nights (Daptone)
Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators - "Blues Downtown" Keep Reachin' Up (Light in the Attic)
Laura Veirs - "To the Country" Saltbreakers (Nonesuch)
Mary Timony Band - "Killed by the Telephone" The Shapes We Make (Kill Rock Stars)
Meg Baird - "Riverhouse in Tinicum" Dear Companion (Drag City)
Keren Ann - "Lay Your Head Down" S/T (Blue Note)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Kiss Kiss" Is Is EP (Interscope)
Rasputina - "Choose Me for Champion" Oh, Perilous World (Filthy Bonnet)
Charlotte Gainsbourg - "Everything I Cannot See" 5.55 (Because Music/Vice)
Imogen Heap - "Goodnight and Go" Speak for Yourself (RCA Victor)
The Raveonettes - Do You Believe Her?" S/T (Columbia)
Bratmobile - "I'm in the Band" Girls Get Busy (Lookout!)
The Runaways - "Queens of Noise" The Best of the Runaways (Mercury/Polygram)
The What Four - "I'm Gonna Destroy That Boy" V/A - One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found (Rhino)
Headlights - "Market Girl" Some Racing, Some Stopping (Polyvinyl)
The Kills - "Last Day of Magic" Midnight Boom (Domino)
The Breeders - "Regalame Esta Noche" Mountain Battles (4AD)
Le Tigre - "Mediocrity Rules (41 Small Stars Mix)" Remix (Mr. Lady)

Don't forget to enter our caption contest! You could win a mix cd lovingly made by one of the WOW djs. We'll announce the winner on the show next week!

WOW!

Are you ready for the show tonight?

Tune in to the Women on Women Music Program, every Tuesday evening from 8 to 10pm, on WLUW!

Rock over London (wluw.org), rock on Chicago (88.7fm).

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Also! We're having a caption contest for the above image. The best entry (leave a comment below) gets a mix cd from one of the lovely ladies of WOW. We'll announce the winner on next week's show.

Lollapalooza - Beat The Heat

Lollapalooza opens their gates in just minutes, and its headed towards the 90s today weather wise, so here are two simple pieces of advice:

1. Don't be a fool - use common sense in sunny, hot, crowded weather. Refer to our previous tips on festival-going.

2. If you can't handle the heat, or don't have tickets, sit back in your air-conditioned apartment and watch from home. Just be prepared for censorship from AT&T, a la Pearl Jam's episode last year.

Be safe and have fun!