About
I started this blog for three reasons.
1. While I’ve followed print and on-line music publications for many years, I’ve often been dissatisfied with how popular music is traditionally covered, particularly ignoring, marginalizing, or tokenizing the contributions made by women and girls.
2. It turns out, a lot of my feminist/queer friends feel the same way and often avoid music journalism for that very reason. Yet, some of them feel out of the loop and want a communal space to find out about and discuss popular music without dealing with boys’ club politics.
3. After completing my master’s degree in spring 2008, I didn’t get into a PhD program to continue my studies. However, rather than blame the academy or the economy (or myself — an old script!), I wanted a space where I could think, research, write, and critique contemporary music culture from an explicitly feminist perspective. I also wanted to create a space where anyone interested in gender and music culture–regardless of educational training–could follow along and participate.
4. In fall 2011, I began my studies as a PhD student in UW-Madison’s Media and Cultural Studies program. Now I’m finally getting paid to do what I love. This blog is an extension of that.
You can also follow me on Twitter (@ms_vz) or join this blog’s Facebook page.
Thank you for reading. I’m so happy that you’re here. Feel free to comment, though please be respectful.
Funny, I also started my music blog as an outlet after not getting into grad school and not being able to find a regular writing or videography gig with this economy. Keep on bloggin’!
Thanks very much. You keep on bloggin’ as well!
Thanks for making this blog! Check out my band, my mostly girl, very feminist punk rock band. We’re The Furiousity and our new album is going to be ready this fall!
myspace.com/thefuriousity
Allie — thanks for reading. Your band sounds great and I love the name! Keep rockin’!
Hey! Love your blog. Check out my site. We have a lot in common. Hmmmm. Collaboration?
xo, Tom Tom Magazine: A Magazine About Female Drummers (Mindy)
Mindy — thanks for the snaps! I like your Web site too. I’d love to collaborate on something. Also, there’s always room for guests to post entries on records/musicians/concerts/etc., that made them a feminist.
Also, you might wanna touch base with Caitlin, who wrote an entry here about female drummers. Her blog is called Dark Room and you can access it from my blogroll.
I am so happy to have found your site. I used to write about music for a women’s website where I had to provide links to other women writing about music. There were so few us then I wish I’d found you sooner.
Thanks for reading, Kathy! Glad I’m carrying on the same tradition as you.
Hi Alyx,
Just stumbled upon your blog after doing a search for PJ Harvey, looking for some info to include on my blog. Looks like you have a wonderful blog here and I am looking forward to exploring it further. Although male, I share your love and respect for female musicians. Over the past few years my tastes have gravitated more and more toward female musicians. Their voices reach me in a way that few male musicians seem to. I wonder if you are aware of a couple of my very favorites… Hannah Fury and Sarah June? Both amazing women and artists. Hannah has her own record label and writes and records all of her own material. Sarah is on an indie label but also writes and records (at home) her own material.
Best of everything for you and the blog!
Steve
http://www.sarahjune.com
http://www.hannahfury.com
My Blog (it is new be kind
http://www.runrunaway.wordpress.com
I would really like to include you in a story I’m doing for CultureMap Austin on the top music bloggers in Austin. If you are interested can you please reply or send me your email address? Thank you!
I just read and enjoyed your post about early women’s music. I would’ve replied there but couldn’t figure out how to do it. As someone who enjoyed women’s music of the 70′s and 80′s firsthand, I appreciate your input. A couple of corrections though – The Weavers were not a country group but rather, folk. Also, only the Michigan festival has a woman-born-woman policy. The National festival and many others welcome trans women. If you’d like to read more about early women’s music, I’ve got a couple of entries at my blog. Probably my most popular is http://jamiebobamie.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/seeking-the-fire-early-days-of-womens-music/ Since you mentioned Fanny: http://jamiebobamie.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/when-fanny-rocked/ I was able to find all of the original members and interviewed them. In addition, I’m writing a book about women’s music that’ll be out in the next couple of years.
As a die hard riot grrrl fan and lover of all things feminist, I guess I just found my Mecca. (Have you done a Regina Spektor post yet?! PLEASE TELL ME YOU’VE DONE A REGINA POST!) Kudos being able to intertwine gender politics and art so seamlessly. I flicked the “follow” button without a second thought. By the way, i’m new in WordPress Town with a blog that is one parts race politics, one part feminism and a dash of pop cultural sass. Stop by when you get the chance: http://negress.wordpress.com/
So glad I found your blog! I am very much into 70/80s/90s singer songwriter bands and find myself not posting on forums because they are so male dominated. Even my favourite magazine, The Word, is all football football football at the moment. My 2 favourite bands Steely Dan and Prefab Sprout are famous for being male fan dominated and their forums reflect that. So many times I see ‘My girlfriend/wife hates Steely Dan’, ‘My girlfriend/wife doesnt understand Prefab Sprout’. Then a woman does post and then its ‘oooh, are you single???’
I have a blog and I’ll be writing more about this issue in coming weeks.
http://www.steamerheaven.wordpress.com
Keep up the good work
Miranda