Nikki of Total Trash wrote me to share the following news of an AWESOME event happening soon in Portland, OR:

The Not Enough! Queer Music and Arts Festival is presenting the Night Of Possibilities on June 11th starting at 8 p.m. at the Fleetwood Shac (127 NE Lombard). The Not Enough! Queer Music and Arts Festival is a do-it-yourself & do-it-together grassroots festival started by a group of Portland-based queers who had the desire to see more support and experimentation in the queer art and music communities of Portland. The festival encourages participants in the festival to follow three guidelines when submitting music and/or artwork to show: collaborate, make new work specifically for the festival, and have any time-based projects or bands be under 25 minutes in length. Last year’s festival included over fifty bands, artists, film-makers, performers, poets, and participants. Hundreds attended and many volunteered to help out in the festival, creating a participatory and community-building atmosphere for all of those involved in the Not Enough! “happening.” In the spirit of collaboration and to help those who might be seeking other artists, musicians, performers, writers, film-makers, etc. find their matching partner(s), the Not Enough organizers are throwing a queer art social known as the “Night of Possibilities.” Portland queers (and those who fall in the queer spectrums) are asked to come and meet others with similar interests and to have dialogue about possible projects or band-ideas. There will also be an opportunity to submit your project into this year’s Not Enough! festival happening September 17th & 18th. This endeavor is an organic one that can only occur with the time and effort of the queer communities of Portland. Therefore, people are invited to participate in any way they can, and bring their ideas to this festival. The Night of Possibilities, like the festival, is all-inclusive, welcoming over everybody, all-ages, and accessible. Bring your instruments, your films, your ideas! We want you to show us who you are! For more information please visit: http://notenoughpdx.tumblr.com/.

Are you mad at me? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be away so long.

It’s just that I’ve been really caught up launching the International Girl Gang Underground compilation zine, co-edited by Kate Wadkins. It’s been a frigging dream come true! I’m really proud of it, and I’ve been putting a majority of my extracurricular energy into the debut and into plotting next moves.

Fantastic writers and artists like OSA ATOE (Shotgun Seamstress), HADASS BEN-ARI (Fallopian Falafel – אשת חיל), CARLA DUARTE (Histérica), BILLY CHEER (This is Fag City), KATIE CRUTCHFIELD (P.S. Eliot, Bad Banana), LO (HEARTSREVOLUTION), and MIMI THI NGUYEN (Evolution of a Race Riot, Punk Planet) contributed. We’ve seen interest and support from folks all over the globe (even Kathleen Hanna). And there’s talk of expanding the scope to make IGGU zine into a global diy feminisms empire. (Kidding–Sort of.)

So, I hope you’ll forgive me that I’ve been a bit distracted.

I also hope you’ll visit girlgangunderground.org to keep up with developments, and maybe even to buy the zine. (We’ll be releasing the zine in a digital edition soon, but you should get your paws on the print copy ASAP.) There’s also the ability to add to our Directory, and we’re still soliciting folks to review bands (hint hint).

I’ll return to semi-regular updates here soon. In the meantime, I’ll see you over at girlgangunderground.org!

Full disclosure: My homegirl/co-editor of the International Girl Gang Underground zine (out next month!) Kate Wadkins has a new band, Very Okay, and they pretty much rule. Enjoy!!

Very Okay
Small Loud EP (2011)

1. Dead Horses
2. Where You Go
3. Soil
4. The Hole
5. Blue of Distance
6. No One Kicks You Here, Bruno

[Download at Quote Unquote Records]
[Very Okay blog]

Womb Raider
Demo 2010

1. Get Your Bats (Warrior Women)
2. Make Waves
3. Fuck Men Get Money
4. Take Control
5. Our Choice

[Download & Lyrics]

10. Sta-Prest : Vespa Sex (1995)
9. HOMOCORE Zine (1988-1991)
8. Fifth Column : Boy/Girl 7″ (1983)
7. The Go Team : Donna Parker Pop (1988)
6. The Anti-Valentines Day Riot Grrl Cover Band Show (Event)
5. Record of the Week: Deathrats : s/t 7″ (2009)
4. DJ D Lefty Parker f/ Katey Red, Sissy Nobby, and more : Sissy Bounce Mixtape (2009)
3. Fifth Column : To Sir With Hate (1985)
2. Pagan Babies : 4-track demo (1986)
1. Why 2010 will be the year of the Riot Grrrl revival (if we want it to be)

* Results via Google Analytics

Top Ten Memories

Founding the IGGU Zine with Kate Wadkins, internet, January

Sissy Bounce rave with Vockah Redu at the House of Yes, Brooklyn, February

Gaining a new spiritual hometown, Oakland, April

Deleting my Facebook account, internet, May

Camping in Big Sur, Big Sur, August

Waking up in West Glacier, Montana, September

Shooting a gun for the first time, San Rafael, October

Best Date Ever, San Francisco, October

Line dancing to Lady Gaga in a gay bar, San Diego, November

Robyn at the Warfield, San Francisco, November

Top Ten Records

Robyn: Body Talk (Pt. 2) (2010)

Robyn: Body Talk (Pt. 1) (2010)

Noun: Holy Hell (2010)

Canary Sing: Boss Ladies Mixtape (2010)

Nobunny: Raw Romance (2009)

Layers/Quake: Tape 2009 (2009)

Dolly Parton: The Bluegrass Collection (2003)

The Runaways: Queens of Noise (1977)

Beach House: Teen Dream (2010)

Grass Widow: Past Time (2010)

Thanks to each and every one of you readers who made 2010 a great first year for SOUL PONIES. Here’s to a frigging amazing second year (and beyond)! – S

(c) Corky Berlin

DC ladycore scene stalwart Jaime (ex-Cuddle Circle, ex-deathrats) wrote in to tip me off to a demo by her new band, Hot Mess. She says:

Two of the best ways to describe us are by a) Our patch that features a cutesy/raunchy DIVA cup spilling out it’s bloody contents to spell out the name “Hot Mess” and b) When playing a show at a dive bar in Baltimore, we were consistently annoyed by ignorant asshole dudes all night and the lead singer KC said to them “I fight harder than you and I fuck harder than you”…and yeah, well I think that speaks to our attitude pretty well.

They rage about sex workers rights, boring white dudes, and pretty much all the shit that would piss off your average feminist punk. Which is to say: I’m in love.

Hot Mess
Demo (2010)

1. bored of you 01:32
2. consent 01:31
3. damage 01:56
4. laissez-faire 02:00
5. scream so they have to hear you 02:06

[Download at Bandcamp]

Des Ark – which one of you assholes ate christmas!!! from If You Make It on Vimeo.

I happened to find a leak of the new Des-Ark album today (Don’t Rock the Boat, Sink the Fucker, due out next month on Lovitt Records) and it has made this Christmas a bit more introspective and moody than usual.

How did you spend your holiday? I went and saw Tiny Furniture and ate some delicious Chinese food in Berkeley. (Jew!) Tell me about your day.

I hope it was splendid.

Disemballerina
Demo (2010)

Saturn’s Return
Theive’s Oil
The Walking Dead
Drown
Hex

Hat tip Myles and Cosmic Hearse!

[Download]
[Myspace]
[Facebook]

Psych-garage outfit and riot grrrl/queercore Olympia scene vets Broken Water are playing San Francisco on Friday (tomorrow!) at Fivepoints Arthouse (72 Tehama St.). While I will be unable to make it to the show (boooooooooo!), YOU should go! If you aren’t in the Bay Area, you can still catch them on their West Coast tour through November 15.

BROKEN WATER WEST COAST TOUR 2010

Check out their Myspace for more info!

On the weekend of October 22nd through October 24th, A Broader Vocabulary Collective and QZAP present Girls to the Front Fest.

Girls to the Front Fest is a three-day event dedicated to the legacy and persevering spirit of the Riot Grrrl movement. This movement was an important moment in forming identities of fierce feminists, queer warriors and community minded leaders. Throughout the weekend, we will hold several events which include music, activism, poetry, discussions, art, workshops, and films. Opening night kick-off will feature a reading and discussion by Sarah Marcus, author of Girls to the Front: the True Story of the Riot GRRRL Revolution. Central to the event will be several concerts featuring female and queer bands from Milwaukee and surrounding cities. Girls to the Front will also host events featuring groups such as the Pedal Pushers Society, The Miltown Kings, and the Brew City Bruisers.

Looks like they’re also going to have a showing of the Le Tigre documentary and riot grrrl karaoke. What a dream!

Check out the schedule at the GTTFF website, ok? This is going to rule.