One-Eyed Doll: You’re A Vampire (Awesome song. Equally awesome video. who says cute girls and Sunday picnics can’t coexist with blood and guts and vampires?)

Bella Novela: Dead Sea (If you’re a fan of old school horror movies, this video should help make your day. )

Be Your Own Pet: The Kelly Affair (Attn: Bands–be careful which house parties you play. You never know when your band could turn from local indie band documentary to campy cult classic horror flick)

Lesbian Bed Death-Bela Lugosi’s Back (If the band name and the name of the song hold no interest for you….well, you’re just hopeless….Awesome band name. Awesome song. That’s all you need to know)

Before today, I’d never seen this video by mr. Gnome. I would like to say right here, right now, that this video wins for freakiest video I’ve ever seen. EVER. Enjoy.

(This is day 6 of my blog-a-day challenge! Still goin’ strong!)

When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution will be an exhibitor at the Utah Humanities Council’s 14th Annual Book Festival! How exciting is that? A celebration of books + A celebration of words and writing? I can think of no better way to spend a day.

For those of you unfamiliar with the When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution open mic–we are an open mic that meets once a month with a focus on encouraging and supporting the voices of women and the trans community. When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution is an open mic dedicated to being there for those who have felt marginalized and those who are ready to start a creative revolution within their own lives. For more information, feel free to check out this interview I did with Gavin Sheehan, of City Weekly’s Gavin’s Underground.

And the Book Festival is going to be amazing. The big day for the festival is the 22nd of October, but keep in mind that events will be going on statewide for the entire month! Check the website for more information and to find out if your favorite authors will be hitting your town!

A few things:

In readiness for this awesome opportunity, When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution will be having our first zine! For Salt Lake/Utah artists and writers–SUBMIT YOUR WORK!! If you believe in the mission of When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution–I want you! If you believe in creative revolutions–I want you! If you believe that feminist art is an important aspect of the larger art/creative scenes–I want you! Submit your stuff NO LATER than Sunday the 16! (please!) The email to send it to: rebelgrrrl.theblog@gmail.com

I’ll also be looking for people interested in helping with tabling on the big day, Saturday October 22! If you’re free to be around, please let me know! It’ll be a super fabulous day and I’m so excited to be a part of it!!

(PS: This is Day 5 of my blog-a-day challenge!)

I have a terrible admission to make.

I have practically nothing to write about. I actually had something all planned out, but you know how the best laid plans never quite work out?

Yeah, today is one of those days. So I’ll have to save that plan for tomorrow. Or the weekend. We’ll have to see. I can tell you it’s going to be about music. Astonishing, right?

Since I can’t do what I originally planned, and my thoughts aren’t running all that coherently right now, I’ll make this an entry something of a treasure chest of cool things that you should know about. I promise a more interesting post tomorrow.

Rose By Any Other Name – An excellent webseries that you should absolutely be watching if you’re not already. I’m linking you to the first episode of the first season so you can get interested! The premise of the show: What happens when an openly out lesbian and an openly straight man suddenly find themselves having feelings for each other? Talk about a complete shift of identity! This is a great Bisexuality 101-primer with some excellent moments. So yeah. Go forth and watch!

The Guild- another excellent webseries that has caught my attention and held it! I love this show. So much. It’s a show about gamers, and one of those gamers happens to be the AMAZING Felicia Day. You can catch up online on their homepage or watch a few seasons uninterrupted on Netflix (where they tie each season into one episode that’s about 40 minutes long). Why watch? A)Felicia Day B)Gamer-related hilarity C)Mass hilarity in general D) Felicia Day. Oh. And Season 5 has some epic celebrity cameos.

The Sucker Punch soundtrack-I don’t care what you thought about the movie. I don’t care if you hated it. I know that a lot of reactions to the movie resulted in an “okay….wait, what??” kind of attitude, which is fine. That was my reaction. One thing was absolutely clear though. I knew upon first watch that the soundtrack would be epic. And now that I have it, I can definitively say that it is a soundtrack worth having. Just check out the first track, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), a cover done by Emily Browning. It has everything you could want in this song, and it’s officially my favorite version of the song. Sorry Marilyn Manson. Anyway. Find it. Listen to it. Get inspired.

Okay. I think I’m done for today. I’m sure I could say more, but we’ll leave it here. More tomorrow. What sort of stuff has you excited these days? Feel free to comment, it might give me some stuff to write about tomorrow!!

In yesterday’s post I started to compile a playlist of queer friendly and queer-positive songs in light of the fact that it was National Coming Out Day. Today there will be even more songs for your listening/viewing pleasure. And feel free to suggest your favorites in the comments or on the official When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution facebook page!

In addition to more music, I did want to reflect a bit more on why these songs are so important, and why I feel it’s important for musicians to embrace queer and feminist themes in their music…so here goes!

Thirteen years ago today, Matthew Shepard was killed as the result of an brutal, anti-gay attack. His death is not the only death associated with bullying for being different. Hate crimes have not disappeared, despite the best efforts of LGBTQ community centers throughout the nation and campaigns like “It Gets Better.” As much progress as the LGBTQ community is making, there are still vast inequalities and there are still a lot of myths about the LGBTQ community that continue to exist despite our best efforts to dispel them. We are still too often thought as “other” and in situations with new people, the chances that we will be asked “do you have a boyfriend/husband” if you’re a girl or “do you have a girlfriend/wife” if you’re a guy continues to perpetuate our conversations. Heteronormativity is too often assumed, especially once we leave the comfort of our queer, radical, feminist circles.

We can do everything we want within our own communities to make a difference and to promote acceptance, but sometimes the most important thing that we can find is a reflection of ourselves. Somewhere. Take music, for example. It doesn’t have to be a perfect reflection, just enough of one that we can listen to it and feel like we are not alone. And with that realization we our lives, our work can come back into focus. That is why Melissa Etheridge’s decision to come out in the 90s was so important. Yes, she made good music even before she was vocally out, but the radical act of coming out allowed her to be who she was as a musician and allowed her fan base to connect with her in a deeper way. For those who identified under the LGBTQ umbrella, it gave them someone to look up to and, more importantly, someone to relate to.

While I believe in music for music’s sake, I do think musicians and the industry at large needs to promote a greater acceptance for queer artists speaking it like it is. Artists like Athens Boys Choir could do an infinitely better amount of good than artists like Ke$ha (and do, without the big record label), and could go a much longer way in the promotion of acceptance as well as queer visibility. The same thing goes with books and the book industry at large. In September of this year two authors came out with what should be a startling truth, but in the heteronormative world we live in, isn’t as shocking as you’d want it to be. They were told by their publishers to straighten the gay characters. Terrifying? Yes. True? Also yes. Check out their whole story here. (and be part of the solution with floating YA Diversity Book Clubs here)

We all find pieces of ourselves sprinkled throughout our favorite songs. Music–and other art forms–are not just products to be consumed. They’re something deeper than that. And as such, we should be able to relate to songs and books. And those songs and books should be able to relate to us.

Now. Onto the music, yes?

1) MEN-”Off Our Backs” and “Who Am I to Feel so Free”: If you’re looking for radical electropop to suit your dance shoes and your politics, look no further. JD Samson–who you might recognize as one of the Le Tigre band members–has not stopped making radical music, and she continues to be on the frontlines of excellent beats with hard-hitting messages that you don’t often expect in electro-pop tunes.

2) Boyskout-”Back to Bed”  Boyskout was an all girl San Francisco band with openly queer themes throughout their music. Their music is both catchy and irresistable, and this has been one of my personal all time favorite videos since discovering it a few years ago.

3)The Butchies-”Send Me You”-If you don’t know who the Butchies are then you need to visit google. Immediately. And learn everything you can. I can only hope to see the Butchies live one day, with their random-seeming reunions….

4)The Gossip-”Heavy Cross”–this is another band that I’m going to have to say if you don’t know, you must look up. Immediately. Since their appearance, Beth Ditto and co have been taking over musical landscapes. From punk rock with attitude to pop-heavy tunes with a lot of soul, The Gossip is one of those bands that has to be on your radar.

5)Bitch-”Pussy Manifesto”-It is impossible for me to put into words how much I love Bitch. She is a colorful musician with mad skills on the violin and her wordplay is unmatched. Unapologetically feminist and 100% musical badass, she’s someone worth paying attention to. check her out if you are for some reason not already familiar with her. And if you get the chance to see her live–don’t miss it. Seriously.

6)Agent Ribbons-”Chelsea, Let’s Go Join the Circus”: I’ve written about Agent Ribbons and my diehard love for them before. And while I’m not sure where the band and the LGBTQ community fit in together, this video has adorable queer fairytale written all over it.

Ending notes:

“Origin of Love” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Today is (inter)national Coming Out Day. It’s one of those days that is important for everyone, whether you identify as bisexual, transgender, lesbian, gay, queer, or anywhere under the queer umbrella. It’s a day where we under that umbrella can feel proud that we have grown up into the wonderful, colorful people that we’ve become and feel good about loving who we want to love. Because ultimately, love is a driving force in our society. Our relationships, our friendships–these are the elements that help keep us going. It’s not the money. It’s not the stuff. It’s the people. Whether you admit it or not.

To everyone who identifies under the spectrum of the queer umbrella–YOU ROCK. Today is your day. Celebrate yourself. If you haven’t already come out of the closet and can safely do so today, DO IT. What are you waiting for? There is no time like the present to embrace yourself. If you cannot safely come out of the closet, remember that there are resources for you to access and people to talk to. You don’t have to tread the path alone.

In the spirit of the day, I’m going to come out. Depending on how you look at it, I’ve been out as a bisexual for a good four years. The levels of “out” have definitely been varied. I’ve been out to my friends far longer than my family. It’s easier sometimes. In my experience, friends have been a lot easier to share the information with. They don’t have the expectations that families often have. I am currently in a relationship with a woman, but have dated both men and women. Let me put it this way. I enjoy people. Gender is about as relevant as hair color. What matters to me when I am considering dating someone is who they are. What do they like? What passions drive them? Can we spend hours on end in deep conversation? Can we relate on some deeper level? These are the things that matter to me. Call me biased all you want, but I think bisexuality is the real home of romanticism.

Also in the spirit of the day, I’ve decided to create a queer positive music video playlist. Music by bands/musicians who are not only out in the music scene, but refuse to stay quiet about it. Music is an art form that on one hand transcends labels–a good song is a good song no matter how the artist identifies/what s/he believes. Yet at the same time, we as a music audience often look to find ourselves reflected in what we consume. I know that I enjoy a good revolutionary anthem. So here you go. This will be part one what is sure to be an epic playlist. Make sure to bookmark the page if you can’t watch all of them and check back tomorrow for more videos! Enjoy!

1) Athens Boys Choir: “Fagette”–The Athens Boys Choir–despite the name–is a one man proect featuring spoken word artist/musician Katz. He travels the country speaking the “good word” and throws down hard hitting spoken-word pieces that deal with the issues of gender, politics, love, sex and everything in between.

2) Team Gina: “Butch/Femme”–Team Gina was made up of two fierce femmes: GINA BLING and GINA GENIUS and was a performance art pop duo combining dance music with feminist analysis and queer content. While Team Gina disbanded in 2010, you can still find Gina Young doing her thing.

3) Hunx & His Punx: “Lovers Lane”–Hunx and His Punx might be the first ever “girl group” fronted by a flamboyant gay male whose dream in life is to sound like a girl. They have created a unique new sound they refer to as “Young Oldies,” a mixture of 50s teenage rock ‘n’ roll, 60s girl groups and bubblegum pop.   

4) Joan Jett: “AC/DC”– If I have to tell you anything about Joan Jett…well then, you haven’t been paying attention. Jett’s been one of the most influential women rockers and from the Runaways to her solo projects to her label, Blackheart Records, she knows how to get around and get her name recognized. The real question we must ask as human beings on this planet is this: What would Joan Jett do? And given that question and this video, it’s clear that bisexuality is definitely okay!

5) Lesbians on Ecstasy: “Sedition”–Lesbians on Ecstasy is one of those bands who were thoroughly underrecognized in their time. Combining efforts to create dark, irresistible dance/club tunes out of old school lesbian protest anthems, they created something magic. Check it out for yourself with this video. And just remember, the lesbians are totally coming! Watch out!

6) The Cliks: “Dirty King” The Cliks are the brainchild of frontman Lucas Silveira. In 2004 he took the dive away from his singer/songwriter roots and created a band whose mantra was change. Lucas remains the only constant member in the Cliks, while others act as a collective force which finds a home in the new and edgier/rock based material–for a time. Silveira is an out trans man and activist.

How could it not? When I started this, all young and idealistic and excited about everything, writing here became an adventure. And when days started to pass without writing, followed by weeks, followed by months, I felt like I was disappointing the readers who had stopped by, the connections I had made, and most importantly, myself–and that younger, more idealistic self. And with that disappointment came a new feeling–a reluctance to write here for fear that the good things that had been built over the years would be destroyed by my newer thoughts. I’m not the same after all. Things have changed. I’m in Utah now, far, far away from the haven that Chapel Hill, North Carolina provided. And I have been questioning my motivations and second guessing myself almost every step of the way since I’ve moved here.

That’s about to change. Finally. Last month I participated in an unofficial write-15-minutes-a-day challenge, and it turned out to be one of the best things I’d done.  It got me writing, which–as it turns out–was an invaluable step forward. My journey as a writer has really only recently been reclaimed, as of August of this year. I have done varied writings here and there throughout the year, but it wasn’t until that fateful August day when I picked up one of my journals I’d started (the last entry was dated November 2010) and gave it a full reboot that my writing sessions were restored, and the practice was back in place.

Well. That exact thing is what I’m going to do here. Which means for 30 days from now until November 8, you won’t know what to expect from my writings. It could be completely rant heavy, to enthused entries about new albums/musicians I’ve discovered, to entries about the writing process itself to any number of things. The one thing you will know to expect is an entry. I can’t promise it will be the greatest written word has to offer–in fact, I’m not going to. But it will be a fun process. As I’m writing this, I’m getting more excited about the potential this has to unlock interesting subjects, and as a way to unlock my voice–so to speak.

I’m going to end this entry here for today. It will serve as purely an introduction to the 30-day madness that shall ensue. Wish me luck. While I’m determined to make this happen, good wishes won’t hurt!

But I really can’t help it right now.

It used to mean something to be a fan of Lisa Jane Smith and her work. A whole group of us grew up on the works of LJ Smith–from The Vampire Diaries to Dark Visions to the Forbidden Game Trilogy to the Nightworld and everything in between.

The struggles of characters like Cassie and Jenny and Jezebel were ours and their adventures provided us with endless entertainment and amusement. The characters that ran around in these books were made up of strong, powerful characters. These characters weren’t blank slate characters like Bella from Twilight. No. These girls fought for their due and won the boys on their own terms.

I have been a long time LJ Smith fan. I’ve been reading and rereading her books since my middle school days back in the 90s. Before Twilight came out, I was reading the Vampire Diaries and Nightworld and the Secret Circle and I was recommending them to anyone who’d listen.

Now anyone who’s familiar with LJ Smith’s early career knows that she disappeared sometime when she was just about on the verge of finishing the Nightworld series. The series is made up of several interconnected books (though many of them could be read on their own) that all were set in this alternate reality where vampires, witches, werewolves, shapeshifters and any manner of supernatural creatures lived among us. And oh yeah, the apocolypse was coming. And there were four wild powers who were supposed to fend off the end of the world. Three of them had been revealed. The fourth was supposed to be revealed in the final book of the series, Strange Fate, which was originally set to be released in Spring. Of 1998.

SPRING. OF 1998.

13 years later and Strange Fate has yet to be released.

The good news is that the popularity of Twilight brought LJ Smith back. When Twilight initially came out and was making a splash, I hoped that the domino effect would happen, and that LJ Smith’s brand of YA Supernatural/Romance would come back into circulation. 

And it did.

As a fan of LJ Smith and her works, I am so happy to see her back. I am happy that a whole new generation of fans is discovering her work and falling in love with Julian and Jezebel and Keller and her whole cast of amazing characters.

Honestly–it’s overdue. She deserves recognition.

What she doesn’t deserve, and what drives me crazy is the utter lack of respect for her original works on the CW. I never cared to follow the televised version of the Vampire Diaries. It followed to closely on the heels of the immense wave of love (misplaced in my opinion) for Twilight. I expected them to trade in ideas for money. So I let that battle go. Especially since LJ Smith herself was (originally) on the production staff and if she was happy with it, that’s really all that counted. Right?

That’s what I figured.

But then.

Oh then.

They decided to go on with the destruction of the stuff I treasured and created another LJ Smith inspired show on the CW. I say inspired because having watched the first episode of the Secret Circle premier last night–It was inspired by LJ Smith. The show itself clearly has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the original LJ Smith series. The commonalities end at character names, and even the characters have been changed to suit the production staff–and I will add right now that I am NOT impressed by the executive producer, Kevin Williamson, of the Secret Circle. Why? In a supposedly harmless ad for bing and the CW’s Secret Circle, he managed–in a VERY short time–to denounce the entire history of the Secret Circle and LJ Smith’s career. Call me overly sensitive all you want, but the way he acted like the idea for the Secret Circle came out of a magic vacuum and was a whole new idea did NOT work for me. It only infuriated me.

I shudder to think of what will happen if this trend of exploitation continues. Sure. The books that LJ Smith wrote will always be there to hold their own, but as much as the CW is screwing up everything about the original stories….they could just as easily get lost because of not being trashy enough on paper as they are on the CW.

As a long time fan of LJ Smith and her work–It’s impossible to not be hurt by the developments. An entire segment of my youth is being turned into garbage by producers who have no respect for the original works. I love LJ Smith. I love that she’s getting new readers. I hope she’s making good money from these shows that have her titles/characters attached to them. I hope that she continues to gain exposure.

I really do wish I was happier with what her work is being turned into. But I’m not. And I’m having to learn what it means to reconcile the real/the good/the amazing with the absolute drivel that the CW is creating.

I don’t like it.

To those out there who feel similarly/who have said it better than even I’ve said: Thank you. I’m glad to not be alone.

To those of you who are longtime fans of LJ Smith and can embrace the CW’s televised versions: Thank you to you to. LJ Smith definitely needs fans like you!

To those of you who are brand new fans of LJ Smith and are discovering both the books and the TV shows and enjoying both–Thank you as well! Enjoy the sense of discovery! LJ Smith has some great stories and even better characters.

To those of you who’ve stuck through to the end of this rant….You deserve a reward. Go pick up the Forbidden Game trilogy and have fun.

In addition to an online presence, When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution meets in real life every fourth Saturday of the month at Mestizo Coffeehouse (unless otherwise noted) for an open mic. All forms of performable arts are welcome including–but not limited to–poetry, prose, music, dramatic readings, etc. The open mic strives highlight the voices of women and trans artists, but it an inclusive event dedicated to supporting and encouraging all works of art in a safe space.

When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution is dedicated to encouraging everyone to find their own voice, and to highlight the voices that need to be heard.

Want to be part of When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution as a reviewed or featured artist/open mic participant? Speak up! Email rebelgrrrl.theblog@gmail.com

For more information:
Facebook (Group): http://www.facebook.com/groups/126964847317806/
Facebook (Blog Page): http://www.facebook.com/pages/When-She-Speaks-I-Hear-the-Revolution/212697184047
Website: http://rebelgrrrl.wordpress.com
Twitter: @rebelgrrrl

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For those of you who have been longtime followers of the blog, you’ve probably noticed (how could you not?) the scarcity of frequent/consistent posts. It’s been a rough couple years, as I’ve emphasized in many other entries. This isn’t meant to be an excuse. I could have posted and didn’t. But sometimes it takes a rough patch and falling off the wagon to make you remember exactly what you’re missing out on. With the renewed mission statement and with the renewed sense of dedication to this path, I intend to bring back the original purpose of this blog: Highlighting bands with kickass women musicians who you may or may not have heard of and letting you have a front stage pass to why women in rock/pop MATTER so much in the music industry.

I’m excited to be back. The time is now.

I also created another 8tracks mix for your listening pleasure. I will add the disclaimer that it’s pretty heavy on the metal/rock side. If you’re not interested in the heavier genres, this might not be your favorite mix ever. But if you’re a fan of metal/hard rock, then do feel free to check this out. It’s by no means comprehensive. It doesn’t even scratch the surface. I may actually have to make this a series.

SHE’S BADASS: Playlist on 8tracks

(Artists included on this mix include My Ruin, Otep, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Kittie, 7 Year Bitch and a few others. Check it out!)

I apologize for not embedding the mix onto this page–I actually haven’t been able to figure out how to make it work (tragic, right?!?). I personally love women in hard rock/heavy metal. I think metal is one of those genres that boys still try to hold onto pretty tightly. Arguments like “boys will be boys” and “far too aggressive for women” are thrown all over the place, but the fact is, women are just as there as the guys. The beauty of metal is found in the direct hard-hitting power, and the idea of only men being powerful is not only ludicrous, it is wrong.

Happy Weekend.

Rock’n'Roll.

For some, rock and roll is fun. Good background noise. For others, rock and roll is LIFE. It’s the breath that is required to exist.

What does music mean to you? Who are your favorite musicians and why? What makes a song matter/what songs have changed your life?

We will be taking donations (not required!) to help fund Ladyfest SLC 2011! Hope to see ya’ll there! (costumes are super encouraged!!)

As always, When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution is an open mic that is dedicated to focusing a light on the voices of women and the trans community in Salt Lake City! This open mic is intended to be a safe and inclusive event for everyone. All are welcome to attend and be a part of When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution.