Obviously I am psyched about this because there are musicians that I like all playing at one time for one reason. Cool. But why do I like these particular artists?

Ladyfest is the not-so-corporate Lilth Fair. Many of the artists and bands you may not have ever heard or even heard of! Fear not! Radio play does not equal artistic worthiness. I myself (being a bit of a musical snob), pick artists who are unique in their style and approach. I wanna pay Patti Smith for the rousing performance she gave, not organization X for owning the venue, distributing the tickets, promoting the records, on and on and on.

Here's how it should work: Cat Power is a woman named Chan Marshall who writes songs, sings, and performs on the guitar and piano. She records for the record label Matador and you pay $9.99 for her brand new CD, "The Covers Record." Anyway, because of the nature of Cat Power's recording label, a small private school like Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania could afford to hire her to play. No Ticketmaster, no tickets. And the audience gets to see Cat Power up close in a small intimate venue. The kind of power a musical situation like that has. I was blown away.

So the next night, my friends and I heard that the Rondelles (another band playing Ladyfest) were in town. We were interested in seeing them because they have a fun, girly sound (think Elastica or Verucca Salt). We found our way into a room with a bunch of food on a table and some girls sitting around talking. Later we found out when those two girls got on stage that they were The Rondelles! It was so cool how candid the whole thing was, the girls were our age and there was hardly any division between us. We could be them if we wanted!!

It's all about the Benjamins in this world, and many of these artists have chosen to stay out of the mainstream, which means they are dealing with smaller companies, smaller paychecks and smaller audiences. In this Net-centred world, we have the power to communicate and spread the news about good music (how do you think I heard about Ladyfest? From a Cat Power fansite!). This gives us the power to undermine the big record companies and open up more options to the artists and the listening public. Before you know it, new trends are in full swing, and the big guys at the top are scrambling to keep up.

Recently, sexist song lyrics have been on the rise in mainstream music and many are linking them to the Woodstock '99 rapes. Ladyfest will challenge these claims. Also, boys can be a part, too!! And beleive me, guys, there's nothing more attractive than a boy who understand Bikini Kill lyrics.

Here's the part that I'm most excited about, the part that we SHOULD only need to be concerned with...the MUSIC!!!! Ladyfest 2000 will feature performers such as Sleater-Kinney (arguably the best girl band out there today), Bratmobile, Bangs, The Need, Neko Case (awesome roots country singer with a punk/bad girl twist), Lois, Sarah Dougher, Cat Power, Frenchie and the German Girls (including Tobi Vail of Bikini Kill), and Mary Timony (Mary Timony plays with Helium and has a solo record out now. You saw her in that wierd commercial with William Shatner when he was freaking out with a band. She was on keyboards while Corin Tucker from Sleater-Kinney played guitar. There were boys in Helium with her, but in the studio she laid down most of the tracks herself. She plays everything!!). Visual artists include: Cynthia Connolly, Lisa Darms, Audrey Marrs, and artist Nikki McClure. In addition to the concerts nad exhibits workshops, open mics, guerilla art, and impromptu performances will take place.

And the second-best part...no greedy, chauvinst, cigar-smoking record-execs = no sky-high prices. Cool. A full pass is $55 US and a partial one is $30 US.
If you are on the west coast, bust a move! I'd be there if I could, and I'm anxious to hear your reviews. Lilith was a good thing, but women also need to show that we can stand on our own (just like any other do-it-yourself, anti-corporate organization) that we don't need big-time sponsorship to succeed. Damn the man and dig the music!! For more info, check out the ladyfest site or write to ladyfest at:
PO Box 1784
Olympia, WA 98507
360-252-2086

If you're going to Lady fest 2000 and would like to write a review, send 3 good reasons to the Lady Fest Auxiliary Committee ladyfest@evemag.com.

Some Lady-like Links: Cat Power's site Girl bands with attitude Bikini Kill

• To praise or trash this article, write to Martha motel at marthamotel@evemag.com.

Discuss this topic on Eve's Message Board.

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