Bath me in Badu, wrap me in Regina, cover me in Costa, dress me in Joplin, tangle me in Thao, pamper me with Patty, rock me with Rilo, move me with Mirah, seal me with Simone, and deliver me to the dance floor. Yep, the word is out: I love me some female musicians. It takes no more than a shuffle of my iPod, a glance at my bookshelf, and a flip through my concert stubs: the evidence is ubiquitous, and it smells like lady rock.
From 2005 to 2008, I hosted a radio show on KWCW, a student and community run radio station at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. The name? “Estrogen on the Airwaves.” The inspiration? Pink circular labels. Of the hundreds of records passing through KWCW, very few featured women musicians and/or vocalists. So few, in fact, that the albums of female artists were marked with a pink sticker – think: Scarlet Letter meets music snobbery.
So, once a week, I would race my little red bike to the Student Center with a laptop tucked tightly under my arm, threading fire hydrants and dodging air-born frisbees as if carrying the last female-focused DJ set known to humankind. For one hour, I let loose on 90.5 FM, soaking in the sweet sounds of college radio elitism. I liked to think that someone, somewhere in one of Walla Walla’s conservative corners was quietly whispering, “Girl, this is my jam.” If nothing else, I did what a good college radio station is supposed to do: make people uncomfortable. Silence at the dinner table? Filled…with a clip from The Vagina Monologues. Soundtrack for your high-school-parking-lot-make-out session? Try Ani DiFranco’s “Swan Dive.” Toes tapping or faces blushing, female musicians were being heard.
After a three year hiatus, I have decided to revive the girlie ghost of KWCW past by featuring Northwest female musicians via the Flying Salmon. All featured artists will have created the foundation for their music in the PNW: current residents, born or raised, matriculated or graduated, etc. Stay tuned tomorrow for the first lady in a long line of Northwest rock.