ROCKRGRL
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ROCKRGRL Magazine (1994-2005) and the ROCKRGRL Music Conferences (2000 & 2005) were groundbreaking touchstones for women in music. With a goal of increasing the number of female musicians, making sure women have a voice at all levels in their career and dispelling the myth that women rockers are a novelty, ROCKRGRL was the first organization to serve as an advocate for female artists within the music industry.
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[edit] ROCKRGRL Magazine
ROCKRGRL is a magazine started by Carla DeSantis in 1994 in Seattle, Washington as part of the 'zine movement to provide a third-wave feminist perspective on women in music. It started out as a 14-page, black-and-white photocopied ‘zine. It's first issue which hit stands in 2005, featured Gretchen Seager on the cover along with articles about That Dog, Go-Go's, Queen Latifah, and Au Pairs. In 1999, ROCKRGRL became a full-color glossy bi-monthly magazine.[1]
ROCKRGRL bills itself as, "a real departure from the condescending and patronizing tone found in other "women in music" magazines and web sites. No beauty tips or guilt trips here — just shop talk with fascinating artists."
Throughout it's lifespan, many famous and influential women appeared on the cover, including Justine Frischmann, Shirley Manson, Veruca Salt, Tori Amos, Johnette Napolitano, Courtney Love, Kathleen Hanna, Joan Jett, Kat Bjelland, Samantha Maloney, Tegan and Sara, Jessicka, Aimee Mann, Sleater-Kinney and Marianne Faithfull.
For 11 years DeSantis, one of the nation's leading advocates for women in rock was publisher and editor-in-chief of the ground-breaking and award-winning ROCKRGRL Magazine, the only national publication for female musicians.
ROCKRGRL Magazine has been lauded in feature articles in The LA Times, New York Times, Seventeen (magazine), JANE, Seattle Times, Mercer Island Reporter, Village Voice, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Rock, Asbury Park Press, Chicago Tribune, The Stranger, Bitch (magazine), and Bust (magazine).[2]
In the Fall of 2005, DeSantis announced that issue number 57 would be the final issue of ROCKRGRL. Although single issues, merchandise and Discoveries CDs could be purchased through the site, they were no longer accepting subscriptions. However, full sets, all 57 issues of ROCKRGRL are now part of the collection at The Smithsonian in DC and other prestigious colleges and institutions including Harvard, Duke, Cornell, UCLA, University of Washington, Radcliffe Institute, Smith, Oberlin, Rutgers, University of Texas Austin, the New York Public Library and many others.
[edit] ROCKRGRL Music Conferences
Carla has also produced two highly successful and critically-acclaimed ROCKRGRL Music Conferences which took place in Seattle in 2000 and 2005 respectively as well as ROCKRGRL Day at Musicians’ Institute in Los Angeles in 2003.
The goal of the ROCKRGRL Music Conferences, (much like Ladyfest) were to promote, encourage and celebrate women's achievements in the music industry. With two nights of music showcases featuring female artists in all styles, a special Woman of Valor award dinner, two full days of panels, workshops and an artist-friendly trade shows, the ROCKRGRL Music Conferences were unique and innovative events in order to allow women in music to meet, mix and mingle in the beautiful city of Seattle.
The resulting first model, the “Daisy” guitar, debuted in November 2000 at Seattle’s ROCKRGRL Conference, and Daisy Rock Guitars was launched as a subsidiary of Schecter Guitars.
The diverse line-up of speakers and performers at the ROCKRGRL Music Conference have included such musical luminaries as Patti Smith, Bonnie Raitt, Courtney Love, Ronnie Spector (Ronettes), Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Ann Wilson, Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde), Kathy Valentine (The Go-Go's), Wanda Jackson, The Gossip, Jessicka (Scarling. / Jack Off Jill), Exene Cervenka and hundreds more.
[edit] References
- ^ McCann, Chris."Carla DeSantis - Nada Talks With THE ROCKRGRL" Nada Mucho.com feature, November 10, 2005.
- ^ [1] Carla DeSantis bio, April 20, 2006.
