Women at the Helm

This has been an awesome week for women musicians, at least in the Kayleigh files. On Wednesday, I had the good fortune to see St. Vincent play with Andrew Bird, and it really made my heart clap to see Annie Clark lead a group of boy-men in a band. I think it's somewhat rare to see the "Blondie" model of things, with a female lead singer, but what makes St. Vincent better is that she actually shreds the guitar. No folks, there's no lead guitarist, it's just her. So it's even better than a female led band, because she does two things. And her songs are awesome.

This is an oldie, but a goodie. (Oh, and did I mention that she's gorgeous???? Nothing's more awesome than a beautiful, feminine lady SHREDDING a guitar and having lovely vocals. Seriously. Just check out My Brightest Diamond or Shara Worden).

In the classical realm, I was delighted to see the Pacifica Quartet yesterday, after a very successful year for them, what with the Grammy and whatnot. And it made me super happy to see their first violinist, the only lady in the group, rule. They played Mozart Dissonance Quartet and Janacek's "Intimate Letters" quartet, the latter of which has always been a favorite of mine. It was awesome to see two amazing ladies rule the roost, musically speaking, and it gave me courage that there are women out there fighting the noble battle. Rock on!