The sentence “I don’t really listen to female musicians” has been revoked. It’s cancelled. It is no longer acceptable in 2019. Women have been a force in music from the beginning, both behind the scenes, at the forefront and in manufacturing. If you are someone who consumes music, in any form, it’s imperative to recognize the accomplishments, tenacity, and essence of women in music every day. But, March 8th is as good a day as any to celebrate a little louder. This International Women’s Day, we’d like to introduce you to a range of female musicians who you might not be listening to, yet.
GuitaristsAYLA TESLER-MABE
It seems as though wunderkind, Ayla Tesler-Mabe came out of nowhere but is adeptly ready to take over the music world. At 17 years old, Ayla plays lead guitar in rock band Calpurnia as well as funk-jazz band, Ludic. Influenced by the likes of classic artists including The Velvet Underground, The Beach Boys, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, BB King, and Jimi Hendrix, Ayla has taken stimulus from them to hone her guitar skills, proving she's not only proficient but wildly versatile.
SHANNON SHAW
Soloist as well as co-vocalist and bassist of garage punk/rockabilly band, Shannon and the Clams, is the incomparable Shannon Shaw. With the ease of Roy Orbison and the soul of Dolly Parton, it’s a surprise that she isn’t a household name. Shannon combines the wantonness of 60s girl groups (think Shangri-Las) combined with doo-wop elements (think Martha Reeves & the Vandellas) in powerful, catchy hooks layered on achy lyricism.
CLEMENTINE CREEVY
Alt-indie group, Cherry Glazerr is fronted by singer-guitarist, Clementine Creevy. Toeing the line of alluring fuzz pop with a raucous punk underbelly, Clementine knows how to work a song as well as she does a stage. With sharp hooks that mask poignant, satirical messaging, Cherry Glazerr under Clementine’s tutelage has shifted from a cult-following, to main-stage band.
RACHEL AGGS
Post-punk Londoner, Rachel Aggs of the band, Shopping, is a self-taught musician taking a new approach to punk. Lead by her experience as a queer woman of colour, Rachel (and Shopping) create twangy, groove-based music with no shortage of distortion.
ADELINE
Vocalist and bass player, Adeline is a woman of many hats, musically. She’s a classically trained singer creating synthy-funk in the vein of 90s era R&B. With the ability to facilitate contrasting layers of sounds in a remarkable, unwavering fashion, at times Adeline feels like the answer to disco the world has secretly been waiting for.
NAI PALM
Whether it be with band Hiatus Kaiyote or in her solo efforts, Nai Palm's eclectic musicology remains predictably supreme. Her expertise lay in knowing how to produce neo-soul, jazz-infused music that somehow aligns perfectly with electronic style dance music. Within her guitar playing, Nai Palm provides freshness, calling upon golden-era hip-hop as reference and inspiration. Not to mention, she masters homogenization between vocal and guitar harmony.
Shop guitars: here.
DrummersLAURA KELSEY
Technically slated as garage rock, Death Valley Girls’ drummer, Laura Kelsey, camouflages her tom-style drumming in an early to mid 90s Pacific West Coast punk style. She is the keystone to the band’s thunderous beat, keeping them afloat in their fun brand of cacophony.
KAVKA SHISHIDO
Japanese/Mexican drummer, Kavka Shishido is a solo pop-rock act. On the surface, Kavka can be mistaken as another bubblegum pop outfit, which is great. But once you dive deeper her chops become glaringly evident. As with her lyrics, Kavka’s drum style combines angst in power pop, for a quintessential yin and yang.
LELAH MAUPIN
Backing one of the more vibrant garage-rock bands, Tacocat, is Lelah Maupin. And while she’s technically in the back on drums, her presence is never dulled. Lelah’s evident drum style is uniquely her. She brings the vigour to every track, elevating Tacocat from your standard garage sound to surf-rock.
JULIE EDWARDS
Power duo, Deap Vally is made up of Lindsey Troy on vocals and guitar and Julie Edwards on drums, though you would never guess that it was just the two of them. If 70s-inspired steady, power drum beats are your thing (and how could they not be?!), look no further than Julie. She is quintessential to Deap Vally’s brand of blues-inspired rock.
MEYTAL COHEN
Roland drummer, Meytal Cohen is power incarnate. With a penchant for heavy metal and hard rock, Meytal does the unthinkable of marrying precision, vigour and grace.
Shop drums: here.
VocalistsMITSKI
Singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist, Mitski, is vocally dazzling. She can structure a song with the virtuosity of a well-seasoned vet. Not that she hasn't been around the block, but on her most recent album release, Be the Cowboy, Mitski gets to show off her version of shoegazey indie-rock, that has the capacity to make a person dance or weep.
NONAME
Rapper Noname is doing something acutely special. She is using her neo-soul infused hip-hop to tell an honest story of blackness, and womanhood, with a keen eye on reality. She teeters on fragility and frankness, always remaining soothing. Noname is inadvertently breaking boundaries.
MAGGIE ROGERS
Maggie Roger is that art-pop singer-songwriter who got her start when Pharrell was blown away by her talent, who you’ve likely heard murmurs about. Possessing a Florence Welch type of cadence, Maggie’s pseudo-dance-pop album, Heard It In A Past Life, was released this year, proving she’s not just a pretty voice. A strong vocal range accompanied by an impressive variety of instrumental work, Maggie is clearly just getting started.
CAROLINE ROSE
When you aren’t a comedy band, it can be tricky to heavily lean into satire. Caroline Rose, however, does so with perfection. Her indie-pop/rock songs are dripping with relatable wit, and backed by vibrant beats. There is a refreshing level of honesty to her lyricism and an overwhelming likeability to her entire persona.
HALEY HEYNDERICKX
Haley Heynderickx makes emotional, melancholic music that isn’t reserved for sad times. From her vocals to tender musical touches, it’s observable that Haley’s music is meant to be taken seriously, even when she is singing about collecting bugs. Her music evokes a very specific mood, consistently emoting beauty at every turn.
NAO
London based singer-songwriter, Nao, has the noteworthy talent of weaving her distinguishable vibrato through synth-heavy R&B. Nao’s most recent album release has been accurately described as cinematic. Always complex, Nao creates stunning, fleshy, vocally present music.
Shop recording: here.
DJ/Audio Production
LEA BERTUCCI
Counteracting her New York City existence is triple threat, Lea Bertucci. As composer, performer and sound designer Lea aims to create a minimalist realm where biological facets can exist in acoustic magnitude. Creating heavily with the use of a variety of woodwinds, brass and PA, Lea produces a specific realm of beauty.
LAFAWNDAH
An expert in multimedia, Lafawndah reigns supreme in the subtly epic. Seemingly taking a similar approach to that of jazz composition, Lafawndah challenges the norm by using her arsenal of controllers and synths and other varying electronic instruments to create a kind of introspective mood.
NKISI
Nkisi is a bold DJ and highly proficient in the world of audio production. Levels are the backbone of her operation. She raises momentum through staggering ambient sounds offset by stammering kick drum. There is an ever-present push and pull on each of her tracks, which eventually becomes mesmerizing. It’s addictive, hyper and relaxed all in one complex package.
DAME DJs
DAME is a collective of Vancouver DJs who specialize in women and non-binary DJ events. But it doesn’t end there, the collective also trains, mentors and creates opportunities for new DJs, while nurturing an arena of inclusivity.
NUZI COLLECTIVE
As an important new facet to west coast culture, NuZi is a music collective dedicated to providing a platform for trans people, and women of colour within the BC electronic music scene. They are based in Vancouver, where they strive to promote and strengthen the culture surrounding peoples of colour.
Shop electronic: here.
--
Written by: Danica Bansie
Design by: Lorelle Kjarsgaard
The sentence “I don’t really listen to female musicians” has been revoked. It’s cancelled. It is no longer acceptable in 2019. Women have been a force in music from the beginning, both behind the scenes, at the forefront and in manufacturing. If you are someone who consumes music, in any form, it’s imperative to recognize the accomplishments, tenacity, and essence of women in music every day. But, March 8th is as good a day as any to celebrate a little louder. This International Women’s Day, we’d like to introduce you to a range of female musicians who you might not be listening to, yet.
Guitarists
AYLA TESLER-MABE
It seems as though wunderkind, Ayla Tesler-Mabe came out of nowhere but is adeptly ready to take over the music world. At 17 years old, Ayla plays lead guitar in rock band Calpurnia as well as funk-jazz band, Ludic. Influenced by the likes of classic artists including The Velvet Underground, The Beach Boys, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, BB King, and Jimi Hendrix, Ayla has taken stimulus from them to hone her guitar skills, proving she's not only proficient but wildly versatile.
SHANNON SHAW
Soloist as well as co-vocalist and bassist of garage punk/rockabilly band, Shannon and the Clams, is the incomparable Shannon Shaw. With the ease of Roy Orbison and the soul of Dolly Parton, it’s a surprise that she isn’t a household name. Shannon combines the wantonness of 60s girl groups (think Shangri-Las) combined with doo-wop elements (think Martha Reeves & the Vandellas) in powerful, catchy hooks layered on achy lyricism.
CLEMENTINE CREEVY
Alt-indie group, Cherry Glazerr is fronted by singer-guitarist, Clementine Creevy. Toeing the line of alluring fuzz pop with a raucous punk underbelly, Clementine knows how to work a song as well as she does a stage. With sharp hooks that mask poignant, satirical messaging, Cherry Glazerr under Clementine’s tutelage has shifted from a cult-following, to main-stage band.
RACHEL AGGS
Post-punk Londoner, Rachel Aggs of the band, Shopping, is a self-taught musician taking a new approach to punk. Lead by her experience as a queer woman of colour, Rachel (and Shopping) create twangy, groove-based music with no shortage of distortion.
ADELINE
Vocalist and bass player, Adeline is a woman of many hats, musically. She’s a classically trained singer creating synthy-funk in the vein of 90s era R&B. With the ability to facilitate contrasting layers of sounds in a remarkable, unwavering fashion, at times Adeline feels like the answer to disco the world has secretly been waiting for.
NAI PALM
Whether it be with band Hiatus Kaiyote or in her solo efforts, Nai Palm's eclectic musicology remains predictably supreme. Her expertise lay in knowing how to produce neo-soul, jazz-infused music that somehow aligns perfectly with electronic style dance music. Within her guitar playing, Nai Palm provides freshness, calling upon golden-era hip-hop as reference and inspiration. Not to mention, she masters homogenization between vocal and guitar harmony.
Shop guitars: here.
Drummers
LAURA KELSEY
Technically slated as garage rock, Death Valley Girls’ drummer, Laura Kelsey, camouflages her tom-style drumming in an early to mid 90s Pacific West Coast punk style. She is the keystone to the band’s thunderous beat, keeping them afloat in their fun brand of cacophony.
KAVKA SHISHIDO
Japanese/Mexican drummer, Kavka Shishido is a solo pop-rock act. On the surface, Kavka can be mistaken as another bubblegum pop outfit, which is great. But once you dive deeper her chops become glaringly evident. As with her lyrics, Kavka’s drum style combines angst in power pop, for a quintessential yin and yang.
LELAH MAUPIN
Backing one of the more vibrant garage-rock bands, Tacocat, is Lelah Maupin. And while she’s technically in the back on drums, her presence is never dulled. Lelah’s evident drum style is uniquely her. She brings the vigour to every track, elevating Tacocat from your standard garage sound to surf-rock.
JULIE EDWARDS
Power duo, Deap Vally is made up of Lindsey Troy on vocals and guitar and Julie Edwards on drums, though you would never guess that it was just the two of them. If 70s-inspired steady, power drum beats are your thing (and how could they not be?!), look no further than Julie. She is quintessential to Deap Vally’s brand of blues-inspired rock.
MEYTAL COHEN
Roland drummer, Meytal Cohen is power incarnate. With a penchant for heavy metal and hard rock, Meytal does the unthinkable of marrying precision, vigour and grace.
Shop drums: here.
Vocalists
MITSKI
Singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist, Mitski, is vocally dazzling. She can structure a song with the virtuosity of a well-seasoned vet. Not that she hasn't been around the block, but on her most recent album release, Be the Cowboy, Mitski gets to show off her version of shoegazey indie-rock, that has the capacity to make a person dance or weep.
NONAME
Rapper Noname is doing something acutely special. She is using her neo-soul infused hip-hop to tell an honest story of blackness, and womanhood, with a keen eye on reality. She teeters on fragility and frankness, always remaining soothing. Noname is inadvertently breaking boundaries.
MAGGIE ROGERS
Maggie Roger is that art-pop singer-songwriter who got her start when Pharrell was blown away by her talent, who you’ve likely heard murmurs about. Possessing a Florence Welch type of cadence, Maggie’s pseudo-dance-pop album, Heard It In A Past Life, was released this year, proving she’s not just a pretty voice. A strong vocal range accompanied by an impressive variety of instrumental work, Maggie is clearly just getting started.
CAROLINE ROSE
When you aren’t a comedy band, it can be tricky to heavily lean into satire. Caroline Rose, however, does so with perfection. Her indie-pop/rock songs are dripping with relatable wit, and backed by vibrant beats. There is a refreshing level of honesty to her lyricism and an overwhelming likeability to her entire persona.
HALEY HEYNDERICKX
Haley Heynderickx makes emotional, melancholic music that isn’t reserved for sad times. From her vocals to tender musical touches, it’s observable that Haley’s music is meant to be taken seriously, even when she is singing about collecting bugs. Her music evokes a very specific mood, consistently emoting beauty at every turn.
NAO
London based singer-songwriter, Nao, has the noteworthy talent of weaving her distinguishable vibrato through synth-heavy R&B. Nao’s most recent album release has been accurately described as cinematic. Always complex, Nao creates stunning, fleshy, vocally present music.
Shop recording: here.
DJ/Audio Production
LEA BERTUCCI
Counteracting her New York City existence is triple threat, Lea Bertucci. As composer, performer and sound designer Lea aims to create a minimalist realm where biological facets can exist in acoustic magnitude. Creating heavily with the use of a variety of woodwinds, brass and PA, Lea produces a specific realm of beauty.
LAFAWNDAH
An expert in multimedia, Lafawndah reigns supreme in the subtly epic. Seemingly taking a similar approach to that of jazz composition, Lafawndah challenges the norm by using her arsenal of controllers and synths and other varying electronic instruments to create a kind of introspective mood.
NKISI
Nkisi is a bold DJ and highly proficient in the world of audio production. Levels are the backbone of her operation. She raises momentum through staggering ambient sounds offset by stammering kick drum. There is an ever-present push and pull on each of her tracks, which eventually becomes mesmerizing. It’s addictive, hyper and relaxed all in one complex package.
DAME DJs
DAME is a collective of Vancouver DJs who specialize in women and non-binary DJ events. But it doesn’t end there, the collective also trains, mentors and creates opportunities for new DJs, while nurturing an arena of inclusivity.
NUZI COLLECTIVE
As an important new facet to west coast culture, NuZi is a music collective dedicated to providing a platform for trans people, and women of colour within the BC electronic music scene. They are based in Vancouver, where they strive to promote and strengthen the culture surrounding peoples of colour.
Shop electronic: here.
--
Written by: Danica Bansie
Design by: Lorelle Kjarsgaard