Womens

[twasadark]

I was listening to the rock and alternative rock tabs on last.fm today and after about 2 hours I realized that I had not heard even one female artist yet. What the HELL?? Surely there are SOME women rockers, right????? It kinda pisses me off in general how few women make it in the arts anyhow. Writers, musicians, actors - one day we'll have some sort of equality with men, right? I mean, I like me my mens but women have so much to offer.  Are we damned to obscurity in this male-dominated world?  *shakes fist*  

Who's your favorite female musician? I'm curious. This is kinda a crappy vid and the song isn't rock nor alternative rock, but this is my favorite song by a female artist lately. I found it off of someone's fanmix. I wish I could remember whose ...

Comments

[notthebigspoon.livejournal.com]

kaRin from Collide. She's got a lovely voice and their songs make me wanna do naughty naughty things.

... I'm sure you needed to know that.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I love that song.

I personally like female rock singers. I love Nightwish, Flyleaf, Within Temptation, Leaves' Eyes, and Lacuna Coil. All those bands have female lead singers. I guess there's a power to it that appeals to me.

One of my favorite subjects!

[cmsieg.livejournal.com]

I love music, lots of music. There are so many to choose from. This is just something of a "short" list. Some I haven't found new music from in a while, or liked some of the things that they have put out, but......Alanis Morissette, Ani DiFranco, Drill (early nineties alt, female lead singer), Evanescence, Gwen Stefani, Heart, Jordis Unga (she was a competitor in RockStar), Kelis, Kelly Clarkson, Lacuna Coil, Lita Ford, Pink, Paramore, PJ Harvey, Toni Braxton, Tori Amos, Within Temptation, 4 Non Blondes

[bloodnfire.livejournal.com]

*Points at icon* AMANDA PALMER AMANDER PALMER AMANDA PALMER. Yeah, my love for her knows no bounds, the woman is just amazing.

Um who else? When I was fifteen I was completely and utterly in love with Amy Lee from Evanescence. I like Neko Case, Emilie Autummn, Siouxie Sioux from Siouxie and the Banshees, Shirley Manson from Garbage, Alanis Morissette... I'm sure there's more I'm not remembering here.

[pandarus.livejournal.com]

Eh, I don't know that I listen to Rock, particularly - I listen to all sorts. But I listen to WAY more women than men, across all my genres of music. Um.

So, awesome women I'm listening to lots lately: Pink, Tori Amos, Catatonia, Elastica, Concrete Blonde, Velvet Chain, Neko Case, Heather Nova, Lisa Gerrard, Evanescence, Annie Lennox, Katie Melua, K T Tunstall, Eddi Reader (probably my favourite), Nina Simone (because the lady Did Not Take Any Shit, and was made of pure, unbridled awesome), Ella Fitzgerald (by Desert Island Disc), Barbra Streisand (shut up), Joan Osborne, Alannis Morrisette, India Arie, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Lily Allen, Tanita Tikaram, Regina Spector, Holly Palmer, Paula Cole, Aretha Franklin, Charlotte Church, Kirsty McColl, Rasputina, Madelaine Peyroux, Corinne Bailey Rae, Allison Kraus, Suzanne Vega, kd lang, Bjork, Emiliana Torrini, Fiona Apple, The Moaning Myrtles, The Pussycat Dolls, Melissa Ferrick, Indigo Girls, Michelle Shocked ...I hear good things about Martha Wainwright and The Gossip too, fwiw.

[we-are-parallel.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. The other day, a friend and I were discussing how it seems the majority of songs deal with love and/or heartbreak... and the ratio of male to female artists, who make music actually worth listening to, is definitely skewed.

In terms of rock bands with female leads that I like and can think of off the top of my head are The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ida Maria, Shiny Toy Guns, Garbage, The Donnas, Metric and Pat Benatar :D As for just female artists I really like? It's a toss up between Ingrid Michaelson, MoZella, Dido, Feist, Anna Nalick, Holly Conlan, Missy Higgins, Pink and Missy Elliot... also, I'm of the belief that you can never have enough Kylie Minogue on your zune :P

[jya-bd-cp-ttgb.livejournal.com]

Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge. Enya, Enigma....*gets distracted by the news and loses train of thought*

[bellatemple]

Man, women in rock -- that's been a huge thing for me for years. I've got a helluva lot of respect for the Tori Amoses and Sarah MacLaughlins and Ani DiFrancos and even the Jewels and Fiona Apples of the world, but I love me a good face melting electric guitar, and female musicians just don't do that, in general. Women have yet to be welcomed properly into the world of rock, they're all supposed to be crooners and balladiers and such.

In the indie rock world, most of my favorite female musicians are paired into bands with men (New Pornographers, Jenny Lewis before Rilo Kiley broke up, Sons and Daughters, to name a few). Sleater-Kinney might not be rocking out these days, but they were a prime example of a good, face melting girl band with some occasionally gothic tones (Call the Doctor is my current favorite). Pretty Girls Make Graves are sort of the same thing sound-wise (but also fun, This is Our Emergency is a favorite there). For a much gothier (and slightly poppier) sound, there's Bat for Lashes (Prescilla is on my work in progress "girl hunters" SPN inspired fanmix). I know people who swear by Cat Power (and Crossbones Style is a fabulous song), but I prefer Thao Nguyen at the moment (Swimming Pools being my favorite -- I love the folk flavor without giving into the urge to go totally croony or pretty on people -- and the lyrics! *swoons*). And lastly, for folky/jazzy fun (with a harp! A jazzy harp!) I love Joanna Newsom. She's got an odd sound, but it totally grows on you. My two favorites by her are Peach Plum Pear (harpsichord! And lots of Betty-Boop-ish vocals!) and The Book of Right On (I could watch her play that harp all day).

I've got more somewhere, but I'm not thinking of them right now. I'll have to get to work on that fanmix.

ETA How could I forget The Hazzards? They've got boys backing them up, but a rock ukelele is nothing to sneeze at. And I have to be in the right mood for Cibo Matto or Puffy Ami Yumi (J-pop anyone?), and while we're international, I still love Nena (she of 99 Luftballoons fame).

[hi-falootin.livejournal.com]

seconding Ida Maria (obviously--that's her in my default icon!) and also mentioning Patti Smith. Love her!

OH MAN I ALMOST FORGOT LIZ PHAIR! But only her older stuff. New Liz Phair is really ehhhh which makes me sad :(

[lunaste.livejournal.com]

I listen to a lot of singer songwriters and electropop, and there are a LOT more females in that corner ;)
LOL TVTropes even has a name for it (I read that entry yesterday): the Suzi Quatro Principle (meaning if there are females in rock bands they are always the singer or the bass player).

Let's see, some of my favorite females are
Martina from Dragonette (electropop and SO FIERCE oh my god)
Regina Spektor (sort of alternative singer-songwritery and so good)
Feist (my iTunes classifies it as either rock or alternative but I find her more singer-songwritery as well)
Kate Nash (pop with a twist)
Lily Allen (fiiiiiierce)
Yelle (electropop)
ROBOTS IN DISGUISE HOLY CRAP WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THEM UNTIL NOW they are so amazingly awesome, listening to 'Girl' always makes me feel that it's unbelievably awesome to be female

And atm I'm kind of embarrassingly into La Roux although I hated her at first.

So no rock, but enough amazing females in music anyway!

[drgaellon]

Joan Jett. Janis Joplin. Allison Iraheta will be a huge star very shortly.

[july-july-july.livejournal.com]

Joan Jett. All the way. Can't go wrong with Joan Jett. Also, I happen to have a couple on hand...

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. LOVE LIKE BURNING. Their new CD, "It's Blitz", is definitely work paying for. LOVE.
Zero
Hysteric
And every other song on that album. For real.

Tegan and Sara:
I Know I Know I Know
Nineteen

Regina Spektor:
Samson
Apres Moi

Also, Metric (Calculation Theme, The Lifestyle)...and Cat Power (Good Woman, Maybe Not)...and Missy Higgins (The Special Two, Sugarcane), if you're feeling a little dramatic Australian accent.

[vamp-ress.livejournal.com]

Favourite female musician? Erm, that's kinda hard, because I have a few: Loreena McKennitt, Sarah McLachlan, Bif Naked, Tarja Turunen (sacked singer of Nightwish).

I do understand what you mean. With literature I'm always under the impression that a male writer's novel is considered literature (for everyone) while a female writer's novel is supposed to be read only by women - even though I doesn't necessarily have to be a romance. It bugs me.

[martinemonster.livejournal.com]

Amanda Palmer from Dresden Dolls: http://www.dresdendolls.com/main1.htm

Regina Spektor, Aimee Mann and Shirley Manson are close seconds.

But you're right. There's still a predominant view among musicians especially from the classical tradition that women are not as good as men at playing. And strangely enough, though there were only 4 boys in our 35 member orchestra when I was little, somehow all the girls quit and all the boys stuck with playing.

[dr-kittym.livejournal.com]

I primarily listen to dudes myself so I can't say much here but I will say

I love Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Sinead O'Connor, Old school Madonna, I recently was introduced to Flyleaf and they seem pretty okay, and The Cranberries.

But other than that, I'm strictly a male rocker fan. *shrugs*.

[sarah-charade.livejournal.com]

okay, so I'm late, but I haven't checked lj in FOREVER and I couldn't resist adding to the list. I love female singers/screamers, although I don't know if screamers were what you were looking for. I've had a thing about women in metal and rock for a long time now. Check out In This Moment, Unsun, Arch Enemy, The Agonist, possibly Otep, Walls of Jericho, The Vincent Black Shadow, Epica, The Birthday Massacre, and The Creepshow. :)