In this entry I will attempt to cover a few basic topics:
Observations and ramblings on the night of February 24th
April 5k as new contributor to the Free Press Houston paper
The Ghost Mice show was the first all ages show I have attended in ages. I realized the unbridled enthusiasm and enchanted eyes of the youth were what is missing from the up-against-the-wall-indie-rockers mentality that affects even the truest of Houston music lovers. All ages shows need to happen more often. The elderly hipsters and music lovers should welcome with open arms confused and overly excited youth. The music made that night bridged gaps instead of the usual construction of chasms by the elite elders around when the Pik and Pak was hoppin', before Ashby High rise was a zygote in the mind of developers. I noticed the more prominent members of the Houston music scene only came by for a split second, as if to say "Hey I was at that show. I think I saw you." Hannah and Chris continue to create honest music that is covers what was five years ago, what we are today and what we can "grow up " to be.
Speaking of refreshing, good friend and intense rocker, April 5k stepped up to the plate early this year by becoming the newest contributor to the music scene. She writes for Free Press Houston, a newspaper that sponsored Recession Thursday at Numbers and the ever popular Westheimer Block party that happens every spring and fall. In her most recent article she acknowledges women in the Houston scene. A breach from the usual male/power chords/ambient/noise/indie pop-with-token-girl format that has long supported this newspaper. The topic was "To be a female musician in Houston". She begins with a very positive " I never had the notion music was only for boys". I love the way she is always empowered. I have admired her for her Amazon strength and rugged wit. But I cannot help but disagree. I held back for years, secretly covering fifties classics and old folk songs on my guitar until I was about 19 or 20. Then I wrote my first song with chords. I felt empowered and also shy. I have come a long way since then but I remember internal battles and times when I had to say "Well I am a musician too" in the middle of discussions where males would base their responses on "because I am a musician". I have noticed many women in the past couple of years stepping on stage in Houston. It offers something else to work from and a different viewpoint and diversity in the music scene. The more women I see in bands with boys or working solo, the more I think it is possible for myself and other women who hold back. I think the battle I have been fighting all these years is mainly with myself and my own insecurities as a musician.
The next women in music series will be asking the question: "What is your role (as a woman) in the scene? What drives you? What interests you? I plan on writing and submitting to April for this articles although I never really thought I had a role in the music scene. Perhaps it is time to claim one?
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