Females in Metal Book

[usaprogmusic]

Hello fellow ProgPower people!
I am going to be writing a book that delves into the experiences of and celebrating women in metal. I will be interviewing numerous influential women in the genre, as well as those who are just getting their feet wet. This is not just about the singers, but it's about any involvement women have in metal music (instrumentalist, artist manager, publicist, promoter, booking agent, journalist, photographer, merchandiser, tour manager, fan, etc.). It will eventually be published in a photojournalistic manner, with lots of photos from a fellow Progpower photographer - Michelle Feingold (Minerva Photography), interweaved with stories/quotes from women in metal.


The reason why I am posting this here, is I'd like to hear from the "fans" - who would you like to see featured? Do any females here want to be interviewed for the book about your own experiences?

Thank you for your input! Please follow the evolution of the book and my own experiences at my blog: www.progpowergrrl.com

 

[J-Man]

Olivia Berka - Infinite Descent(formerly of Polaris)
Sloan Robley - Silenced Within
Colleen Gray - No need to say more

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

Elisa Martin - ex-Dark Moor, Dreamaker


This sounds cool, just pleaseeeee don't end up using some sexist term that isn't a real genre, e.g. "female fronted metal", or try to pigeonhole the feminine aspect as that which makes a band 'goth'. uke:

If you like you could get a few words out of Ashley Flynn, who plays keyboards and does backing vocals in my band, SKYLINER. You can hear her work in the link in my signature. We try to keep away from the really 'expected' ideal that drooling freaks expect female performers to be, so she's just a normal person and does not look/act like Amy Lee or Simone Simons.

 

[SkylinerKeyboardist]

I love that you're writing a book about this! So many things besides power metal (math, science, etc.) are predominantly male so it's cool that you're trying to get more women out there. It can be really intimidating just going to an event (like a concert) where there are mostly men. You feel like you stick out, and not in a good way. To actually take it a step further and PLAY at a concert filled/performed with mostly men, is also really nerve-wracking. One of the hardest things about it is that everyone notices you, and you start to feel like you represent the entire 51% of women on that stage. If you mess up, then the men will think that women as a whole aren't worth their time, musically speaking. If you do well, you might help start a paradigm shift. I've often had girls come up to me after a show (sometimes somewhat timidly) and tell me they really liked seeing me perform. But I think the unspoken words behind that are, "I really loved seeing someone like me up there." As far as listening to metal goes, I really think a lot of women see it as 'men's music' and for that reason they tend to avoid it. Large groups of men freak out women sometimes. So for that reason I think they tend to go for genres that are more mixed or predominantly female.

 

[usaprogmusic]

This sounds cool, just pleaseeeee don't end up using some sexist term that isn't a real genre, e.g. "female fronted metal", or try to pigeonhole the feminine aspect as that which makes a band 'goth'. uke:

Quite the opposite of my intent. My intent of this book is to celebrate Women in Metal & let them tell their stories, who are just normal women, not sex objects. Although the book will have a lot of photos because I like a lot of photos to "show" not just tell the story - it's more to show the everyday beauty, strength and courage of women who are involved in METAL - all metal music whether it is black, death, symphonic, prog, power, thrash, doom, etc. It will not just be about "female-fronted" metal. It also won't be written like a history book. Everyone can read that on wikipedia or the Internet somewhere. I hope to find an angle that will really entertain and empower.

 

[GameFreac]

Kat Katz - ex Salome/Agoraphobic Nosebleed
Runhild Gammelsæter - Thorr's Hammer

 

[AeonicSlumber]

This sounds cool, just pleaseeeee don't end up using some sexist term that isn't a real genre, e.g. "female fronted metal", or try to pigeonhole the feminine aspect as that which makes a band 'goth'. uke:

I hate that term too. It's like, nobody calls Black Sabbath "male-fronted metal"...

 

[PureXul]

so she's just a normal person and does not look/act like Amy Lee or Simone Simons.

This confuses me...aside from being in an international touring band, is Simone less normal than your keyboard player?

 

[OrbWeaver]

Birgit Öllbrunner - bassist for Midnattsol
Zuberoa Aznárez - Diabulus in Musica
Jennifer Sowle - auditioned for Nightwish. Sang on that Saana: Warrior of Light thing Timo Tolkki did
Tal Wilkenfeld - bassist
Anastasia Greco - friend of mine, was in California-based Artisan (not to be confused with Artizan, or the cover band with the same name), Rapture, has played in a lot of local bands, like Soul Joke, Blue Razor Rust, etc.. I can get you her contact info if you want to talk to someone who isn't remotely famous. If not, I understand.

Of course, I'd love to hear from the obvious choices too - Doro, Floor Jansen, Tarja, Simone Simmons, etc...

 

[J-Man]

I second the Jennifer Sowle suggestion!

 

[sh0kr0k]

Slymenstra Hymen (ex-GWAR)

 

[Wishmaster]

Simone Dow - Voyager guitarist

 

[J. Golden]

Slymenstra Hymen (ex-GWAR)

Now that would be interesting.

 

[AngraRULES]

Elisa Martin - ex-Dark Moor, Dreamaker


This sounds cool, just pleaseeeee don't end up using some sexist term that isn't a real genre, e.g. "female fronted metal", or try to pigeonhole the feminine aspect as that which makes a band 'goth'. uke:

If you like you could get a few words out of Ashley Flynn, who plays keyboards and does backing vocals in my band, SKYLINER. You can hear her work in the link in my signature. We try to keep away from the really 'expected' ideal that drooling freaks expect female performers to be, so she's just a normal person and does not look/act like Amy Lee or Simone Simons.

So you know Simone and Amy and "how they act"?

 

[mattbrood]

Simone Dow - Voyager guitarist

+1

 

[Prog_Please]

So you know Simone and Amy and "how they act"?

He never said he knew either of them. I'm not some "in the know" hotshot, but I can still see how they act:



Jump to ~0:50. Perhaps he meant his keyboardist doesn't prostitute their band's music to gain fans. Everyone has their own opinions on it, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what point he was trying to make regarding his own band member. Unless their band has video footage of their keyboard player lying on her keyboard gazing up at the camera or something


As an off topic aside, are there any male singers who come off as "prostituting" their music? Roy Khan comes to mind, but he never gets tooooo bad.

 

[Pellaz]

Slymenstra Hymen (ex-GWAR)

Danielle would be a GREAT interviewee, I've a feelin'....

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

thank you Prog Please, it's good to know I can rely on the fact that someone will exercise critical thinking instead of me having to slog in here with a point-by-point. Unfortunately I'm going to have to anyway, just to illustrate that I shouldn't even have to defend something I say.

Really, some people - look..... if the living stereotype of the woman always in the corset, being always the member wayyyy up front in band photos, always having runny makeup...on every album cover.....always being the "Beauty" to some other member's "Beast".....etc...... all so that people can go to a show to watch her instead of see the band...............if that's enough for some people...then ok............but I just kind of feel like it's 2011 and there's a lot more to women in metal music. You know, like image - which is 100% tied to sex appeal, for men - being second, and musicianship being first. I'm not selling a beer ad. I'm selling music, and art, and if you like how we look (as a band, I'm not a woman), then maybe that helps complete your understanding of our expression. The way things are now with most of the "female metal" stuff sucks. If everyone else gets to swoon over it, I should have equal rights to puke over it...don't like it, tough. And that's the last I'll post on it because this is absurd. Go usaprogmusic!

 

[AngraRULES]

He never said he knew either of them.

Yeah, I know that. I can read.

Perhaps he meant his keyboardist doesn't prostitute their band's music to gain fans. Everyone has their own opinions on it, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what point he was trying to make regarding his own band member. Unless their band has video footage of their keyboard player lying on her keyboard gazing up at the camera or something

Perhaps - but it's one thing to take advantage of the image and another thing completely to "prostitute" oneself. This argument was made on another thread a little while back - someone was saying Elize from Amaranthe was being slutty on their last video, which was ridiculous. I can tell you one thing though - Simone did come off as a bit of a diva in the beginning, but she's not the type to "prostitute" her image to gain fans. It's a plus, but Epica's music speaks for itself.

As an off topic aside, are there any male singers who come off as "prostituting" their music? Roy Khan comes to mind, but he never gets tooooo bad.

You know, I've actually thought of that before... but again, I wouldn't use "prostitute", so much as use their image and appeal... not a singer, but a musician that comes to mind is definitely Jani Liimatainen, former Sonata Arctica (current Cain's Offering) guitarist.

 

[dcowboys311]

I think it'll be pretty hard to find male band members who 'prostitute' their image for sex appeal to a predominately male style of music......


Back on topic:
Liz Buckingham (Electric Wizard)
Jo Bench (Bolt Thrower)
All of Derketa
Jex Thoth
Dr. Mikannibal (Sigh)
Jinx Dawson (Coven)