In today’s society, a lot of popular female artists and groups would not think twice before ‘baring all’ for the media, leaving a lot of talented underground musicians overshadowed and overlooked. I worry for future generations when young girls and adolescents are more or less worshipping burlesque dancers with no musical talent or depth. The following women that I myself admire and have chosen to write about, are talented musicians/vocalists (many being multi-instrumentalists) and song-writers.
PJ Harvey is a true example of an extremely talented women and multi-instrumentalist. Not only is she a celebrated guitarist, but she can also play an almost endless list of instruments, including piano, keyboard, bass, harp, violin, cello, percussion and the harmonica! She is an artist who constantly changes her sound and pushes boundaries, with no two albums of hers sounding the same. I admire her eccentricity and her attitude to what she does. She has collaborated with many musicians over her career and was rated number one female rock artist by Q Magazine in a 2002 readers poll – a fully deserved title!
Another incredibly talented woman is one of my favourite artists, Melissa Auf der Maur. Although most famous for briefly being the bassist in iconic rock bands The Smashing Pumpkins and Hole, she is also a multi-instrumentalist and most admired by me for being an amazing solo artist. Her debut album is amongst my favourites of all time and on it, she performed guitar and keyboards as well as bass and lead vocals. She also has experience of playing trumpet, piano and the harpsichord. Her highly anticipated album, OOOM, is due to be released very soon and the concept behind it (being the heart connecting everything) combined with her unique alternative sound and vocal-style will surely make for some interesting listening!
A female musician who is fairly new to me, but has made a big impression on me in recent months is Natasha Khan (a.k.a. Bat For Lashes). She is another talented multi-instrumentalist, able to play the piano, harpsichord, autoharp and bass, as well as being a song-writer and having a beautiful voice. I think what I like most about her is the ethereal feel to her music and how different she is to many artists today. She is not afraid to do her own thing and be eclectic. I find her lyrics fascinating as she combines primitive and dream-like images to create an out of this world listening experience, which is different to a lot of music today.
Another women I really admire is Ani DiFranco, a singer-songwriter, guitarist, accomplished visual artist and feminist icon. Much of her material is strongly political, concerned with contemporary social issues such as racism, sexism, sexual abuse, homophobia, pro-choice abortion rights, corruption in American government, poverty, and war. She seems to be constantly working, releasing at least one album a year & touring almost continuously. She founded Righteous Babe Records in 1990 and produces all her own albums independently. I think she is fantastic and definitely the type of women in music to look up to.
Georgina Prebble (more commonly known as Grog) is an English vocalist and bassist. She was in the band Flinch in the early 1990s and in 1995 formed her own band, Feline. When they were dropped by EMI in 1998, she formed Ultraviolet which over time became Die So Fluid. I was first introduced to the band in 2005 but I really became of fan of theirs when I saw them as a support band in 2007. Grog was an impressive vocalist live and had amazing stage presence – it’s great to see such strong woman who can sing and also rock on the bass! Her lyrics are also very interesting, focusing more on the dark side and the supernatural. Not what you would expect from someone who has guest performed bass guitar for Melanie C and Kelly Osbourne!
Last, but certainly not least, is another of my favourite musicians: Amanda Palmer. She is probably best known for being the front woman and pianist of The Dresden Dolls but in the last year or so has made a name for herself as a brilliant solo artist. She is open, honest and not afraid to talk about taboo subjects in her lyrics. As well as the piano she can also play the ukulele, and she has also collaborated with a number of musicians. Despite an ongoing feud with her record label about her image and appearance (which sparked the fan movement ‘The ReBELLYon’) and being branded controversial due to her song ‘Oasis’, she continues to fight for what she believes and express herself how she pleases.
I suppose although the women I have discussed could be described as ‘adult alternative’, I know that I would much rather have them as role models for my (hypothetical) children than a lot of what is popular at the moment.
Sarah Glover is the creator of Soul Drift, an alternative music blog which brings to light new and unsigned bands and news on more established bands through reviews, interviews, and quality content.
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