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A history of riot grrrl, from “Rebel Girl” to “Racist, Sexist Boy”

In 1991, Anita Hill testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee about being the target of sexual harassment from African-American judge Clarence Thomas at his Supreme Court confirmation hearing. The hearings were televised, and Hill’s lurid testimony sent bolts of shock and disgust across an America yet to become completely tabloidized. When this all-white, all-male committee […]

10 bands that prove why Misfits endure, from Metallica to My Chemical Romance

Misfits are the very model of an influential punk band. Which was most likely not Glenn Danzig’s goal when he formed them in 1977 in his native Lodi, New Jersey, naming them for Marilyn Monroe’s final film from 1961. After initially being driven by Danzig’s distorted electric piano, Misfits became known for sludgy power chords […]

20 books written by or about women musicians to add to your reading list

When searching a bookstore for music memoirs, it’s likely that the shelves are packed with men such as Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash and Keith Richards. While it may seem that there are fewer books written by or about women musicians, they are growing in numbers. Women in the music industry refuse to be silenced, and, […]

20 bands keeping the riot grrrl spirit alive in their own unique way

The riot grrrl underground feminist punk movement began in the early ’90s in the Pacific Northwest before expanding to the rest of the world. Credited by some for kick-starting third-wave feminism, riot grrrl was a scene where women could express themselves through music.  Many bands were influenced and started because of riot grrrl, with the […]

Here are 10 frontwomen who killed the boys’ club in rock

Since the inception of the alternative music scene, men have been at the forefront. Historically, they have determined who can participate and are allowed in their spaces, creating a “by men, for men” mentality. As a result, the “boys’ club” of the indie, punk and the alternative underground emerged. Since then, women have had to […]