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In its 16th incarnation in Atlanta, Ladyfest finally overcame one of its biggest flaws: the lack of visibility of women of color on all fronts (organizers, performers and attendees). With the exception of Ladyfest San Francisco, which had a sizable presence of Asian and Pacific Islander participants, the roving fest has largely been what some attendees have dubbed Whiteladyfest. But with Doria Roberts and other women of color among the main organizers of the Atlanta fest October 10 - 13, indie "southern belles raisin' hell" were treated to four days of an incredibly diverse selection of music, spoken word, visual art,film and theatre.
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Chicagoans at Ladyfest
pix by Cheryl Coward |
Events on the first few days of the fest were held mostly held in venues within a few tight walkable blocks of each other in the kitschy-hip neighborhood of East Atlanta Village. At the slick Echo Lounge, a club known for stellar alternative and indie concerts, highlights included performances by the Ember Swift Band, Amy Ray and the Butchies, Doria Roberts and a fierce set of spoken word by several women of color including Chicago's own C.C. Carter, Atlanta's Robin G. White and Boston's Letta Neely. On Friday evening, Amy Ray and the Butchies performed their tour staple scorching cover of Tom Petty's "Refugee." However, at Ladyfest South, their rendition of the rock classic was made even sweeter with a surprise appearance by Emily Saliers. The other half of the Indigo Girls emerged from the audience, picked up a guitar and proceeded to keep the audience in a frenzy even after the sing-along yell to "Lucy Stoner." Sarah from K's Choice was also in the audience as well as a few other nationally known Atlanta-based musicians.
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Sunday Gazebo Spectators
pix by Cheryl Coward |
Less than 100 feet from the Echo Lounge, spoken word artists and grrls with guitars performed at Earthshaking Music including Chicagoan Elon Cameron. Also representing the Windy City was Tammy Cresswell whose film "Coup d'etat" opened the fest's film program. Down the street from Earthshaking indie bands graced the stage at the scenester restaurant/bar/club The Earl. Audience favorites there included Coco and LipKandy. But the band that stole the show was The Kitty Kill from Boston.
The fest wrapped up on Sunday in the southern lesbian mecca of Decatur. There was heartfelt yet edgy spoken word at the JavaMonkey coffeehouse and a well-attended outdoor music showcase in the town square gazebo featuring the all-female group Jazz-o-Rama; the "all-sistah" dance, percussion and vocal ensemble Giwayen Mata; and the smooth violin grooves and vocals of Latonya Peoples. (Peoples also performed with Doria Roberts the night before and jammed with fellow violinist Lyndell Montgomery of the Ember Swift band in an amazing impromptu session onstage.) The day ended with a Drag King show at My Sister's Room. There were many other stellar acts that performed at Ladyfest South. For more information, check out the fest's artist page, http://www.doriaroberts.com/ladyfestsouth/links.html
The beneficiaries of Ladyfest South are: Refuge House (Tallahassee, Fla.) and Project Safe (Athens, Ga.), social service organizations that help survivors of sexual assault and Domestic Violence.
Interviews of artists who performed at Ladyfest South:
Cheryl Coward http://cherylcoward.com is a Chicago-based freelance writer and novelist. Her work has been published in such publications as the Chicago Tribune, the Village Voice, Essence and Black Enterprise.
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