 photo by SAM BORTNICK |
BY LIZ BROWN |
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Sleepover, the Kirby Grips, Joy Pop Turbo Satyricon 125 NW 6th Ave., 243-2380 10 pm Thursday, Sept. 24 $4. Petting
Zoo, Darth Vader's Daughter, The Spinsters Has
the Heroine Been Kissed?, Little Champions, Stella Maris, Amy Annelle,
The Adding Machine It's tough to keep from being cynical as record labels are cashing in more than ever on the cute-girl, singer-songwriter thing. Last night I saw something on VH-1 that made me want to laugh and cry at the same time: Alanis Morissette, circa 1990, gallivanting awkwardly around a stage on some cable access-like show, sporting huge hair and a hideous get-up and singing uncontrollably with a horrifying voice. It was hilarious but frustrating, too, when you consider how many records she's sold with a couple of glossy videos and music-industry makeovers aplenty. The Girlpowered Showcase, organized by Christine Darling of local band Sleepover, offers an alternative to the cookie-cutter images of women in music that abound in pop culture. Don't be misled by the title; it isn't a politically motivated riot-grrrl roundup, nor has it anything to do with overpriced festivals where opportunistic companies hand out free tampons to the female masses as they pour through the gates to hear Jewel or the Indigo Girls. Rather, it's a three-day showcase of Northwest female soloists and bands featuring women. The inclusion of coed bands sets this lineup apart from other women-oriented fests. After all, role models like Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and Poison Ivy of the Cramps--two of Darling's biggest influences--played seminal roles in their respective bands, and rock music in general, without being in strictly female groups. This classification of "girlpowered music" may seem confusing or maybe even pointless, but the idea is that while gender divisions do exist in music, we should highlight what women are doing. Get it? Good. Darling's mission is to foster community in the regional scene and to offer fans a sampling of the music that women of the Northwest are exploring. Drawing on her experience organizing Girl Shock (inspired by the annual Garage Shock fest) at Western Washington University in Bellingham, she got the word out to old friends about playing Girlpowered. The result is a mixed bag of mostly Seattle and Portland bands and singer-songwriters playing at three local venues. You won't find any Sleater-Kinney or Team Dresch here; many of the acts are at the early stages of development, and most count demo tapes as their only "releases" thus far. Still, there's a nice variety of some worthwhile music, beginning with a pop-heavy bill at Satyricon on Thursday. The appropriately named Joy Pop Turbo will start off the show with melodies sweeter than your favorite breakfast cereal. Heather Savoy's girlish vocals lend a frosty coating to very catchy treats, including a recent single, "Tailspin," produced by Tony Lash. Pete Ficht of State Flowers plays bass and sings in the band, too. (See, it's not all girls.) Next up are San Francisco's the Kirby Grips, who have garnered some decent regional press for the bizarre brand of pop on their self-released CD The Celery Stalks at Night. Their songs are power-chord-heavy, and the lyrics tend toward the wacky (odd film and food references, for example). Some of their '60s girl-group harmonies work well, but there's usually a bit of sloppy punk vocals to keep things from becoming too pretty. Sometimes it works; sometimes it's whiny. Sleepover fittingly plays last (though you can't actually sleep over) with sing-along, simple pop and traded-off guy/girl vocals. Things get a bit heavier on Friday at the Tonic Lounge, with Petting Zoo headlining. The band, featuring the illustrious Kat on bass, lays down some energetic, Quasi-inspired indie rock. Darth Vader's Daughter is still Semi-Sweet style-wise, and the band should ease the transition from somber openers the Spinsters to the livelier, more aggressive headliner. All-agers get a chance to check out some girlie music on Saturday at 17 Nautical Miles, beginning with Amy Annelle, a former Chicagoan who crafts folksy, clever abstract pop but plays with the passion of John Lennon or Patti Smith. (Darling describes Annelle as the possible love child of Liz Phair and Syd Barrett.) Stella Maris ventures south from Seattle to bring its dreamy, synth-heavy dirges, then Little Champions indulge in some sonic experimentation, a nice departure from the showcase's concentrated sweetness. Granted, this event is not representative of all that's going on with women in music, in the Northwest or anywhere else, but it doesn't pretend to be. There's a whole slew of local bands featuring talented women that aren't involved in this event. Some of the acts need a little refining. They may not be the next Rebecca Gates or Courtney Love (one's enough), but it's refreshing to hear the expression of influences like PJ Harvey, Joan Jett, Sonic Youth and the Go-Go's. Hopefully, this will drown out the Spice Girl-derived schlock that, god forbid, we may be in for a few years from now.
originally published September 23 , 1998
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