Grrrlz Rock will kick off at Luckey's Club Cigar Store Nov. 6. Illustration courtesy of CINDY INGRAM/ Grrrlz Rock

Those Grrrlz keep on rockin'

Local female performers entertain at many venues throughout November

By: Scott Hartman

Posted: 10/30/08

The sounds of independent music will join forces with underground acts to create Eugene's third annual Grrrlz Rock Concert Series going on throughout the month of November in the Eugene area.

Though some venues will be 21-and-over, many shows will be accessible to all ages.

The month-long event was created in 2006 to bring the Eugene community together to support women. To be a participant of the Grrrlz Rock Concert Series, each act has to showcase at least one female.

A variety of different acts will perform. There are speakers as well as dance groups, a wide range of musical groups and performers, stand-up comedians and a film series.

One of the acts this year will feature LCC instructor Jonnie Mazzocco, who teaches creative writing in the English department. Mazzocco is coordinating the Grrrlz Rock Film Event.

"There's around 250 people that are participating this year," Cindy Ingram, creator of the Grrrlz Rock Concert Series, said. Ingram is the leader of this project and put the word out about Grrrlz Rock by using Internet sites Craigslist, Myspace and the Grrrlz Rock website.

The concert series originally started as five shows with 17 acts in 2006.

This year's concert series will have 22 shows with a total of 52 acts. As the concert series has progressed, more involvement and support has been offered through sponsorships and participation.

"As the shows have been getting bigger and bigger, there have been more complaints that we are being sexist," Ingram said. "But we love guys, too." Some men have even regarded the concert series as militant feminism.

"Its hard to explain the cause when we simply just want to show our support for girls who rock," Ingram continued.

Nearly 50 female-led groups will be on the stage sharing their talents. There will be many men participating in the concert series as well.

The concert series will kick off Thursday, Nov. 6 at Luckey's Club Cigar Store open mic and jam session.

The shows continue Nov. 7 at Cozmic Pizza. "This show is usually a big turnout, around 300 or so people," Ingram said. This show is open to all ages.

"I think it's great that more women are getting involved," Thaddeus Moore, sound engineer and drummer for one of the acts, said.

"The music industry is a man's game and we're losing out … It could be a much richer industry with more women involvement. I believe Cindy is doing her best to do a good thing," Moore said.

Moore's band, Circa Vitae - loosely translated, means the experience of life - will be performing at the WOW Hall on Saturday, Nov. 29. Moore credits some of their sound to the influences of Tool, Radiohead, The Police and A Perfect Circle.

Moore's music studio company, Sprout City Studios, will offer recording help for the live performances and for those interested in working in a studio.

A lot of the shows are happening at separate venues to correspond with particular genres and the appropriateness of their crowds.

Some of the shows include a DJ dance party at Davis' Restaurant. Ingram mentioned that this venue should be a packed house. The dance party won't start until around 11 p.m.

Other shows include a new addition, "hula hoop troupe," and two hip-hop dance groups.

Some other names appearing in the Grrrlz Rock lineup are the Emerald City Roller Girls, Scrambled Ape, Iron Mango Orchestra, DJ Layla and DJ Moonvoid.

The Pacific Northwest Women's Comedy Festival will be held on Nov. 14 and 15.

There will be a comedy show as well as two musical parties. The musical parties will be at Luckey's on Nov. 16 and 23. Local drummer, Matrisha Armatige, hosts these events.

There are many venue locations around Eugene that the Grrrlz Rock Concert Series will attend including one at the Axe and Fiddle in downtown Cottage Grove.

The Emerald City Roller Girls will host the grand finalé at the WOW Hall on Nov. 29.

During the Grrrlz Rock Concert Series there will be a raffle drawing for a Daisy Rock star-shaped bass guitar. This is a specialized guitar that is lightweight, with a narrower neck than the average bass.

Raffle tickets for the star-shaped bass will be $2 for one and $5 for three.

Daisy Rock is one of the leading female-owned guitar manufacturers and are a sponsor of the Grrrlz Rock Concert Series. Their company is located in San Francisco, Calif.

All money raised during the Grrrlz Rock Concert Series will go to paying the performers, and all extra funds will be donated to the Emerald City Roller Girls Jr. Gems for new uniforms. Last year, the event was able to make around $300 in extra funds.

VIP passes are available for participants, sponsors and volunteers for the Grrrlz Rock Concert Series. A VIP pass grants one person access into all the shows for free and the comedy show for half price.

"We would love some help from some outgoing people. Theater people would be great for being the MC for the shows," Ingram explained.

Anyone can volunteer by helping sell raffle tickets, working the door, serving as security and MCing the venues by livening up the crowd and thanking the sponsors.

E-mail Cindy Ingram at awecindy@efn.org for volunteer information.

For any other questions concerning schedules and times of the events go to the Grrrlz Rock web page at http://www.grrrlzrock.com or check out their Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/grrrlzrock.