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All of us here at Lip Service have a bit of a soft spot in our hearts for rock musicians. They are, as the expression goes, “the music-makers and the dreamers of dreams.” How drab and colorless would our lives be without the contribution of generations of rockers, who bleed their creative lifesblood on tape and, in the process, make our lives that much richer for it?
Sadly, one doesn’t need to look very hard to notice that, when it comes to rockers, all is not equal in the world of music journalism. Far too often women in rock often don’t receive the respect or credibility they deserve in the mainstream press. Frequently, they’re relegated to the status of glorified pin-ups, babes with axes, instead of the talented creators they are. How often is the focus of an article about, say, Metallica or Black Sabbath aimed squarely at their looks or wardrobe? Now, how much more often is Joan Jett’s hotness given as much, if not more, emphasis than her music or creative process?
Instead of bemoaning the sexism of the press, we’d rather just do what we think they should. We’ll give women musicians the mic to talk about their music and craft. Each month (on the 3rd Wednesday), we’ll feature prominent and up-and-coming female musicians in the webzine with Iron Maidens, articles and interviews without the usual side of misogyny.
Who better to shine the spoitlight on women in rock than Kim Kelly, a writer, music publicist, and promoter working in the trenches of metal? You might have seen Kim’s monthly columns in Terrorizer (UK), Loud! (Portugal), and Metal Hammer Norway. You may have also read her work in NPR, The Atlantic, Pitchfork, Invisible Oranges, Brooklyn Vegan, Metalsucks, Metal Maniacs, Hails & Horns, and other notable magazines and websites.
More About Kim:
Kim Kelly is a New York-based writer, music publicist, and promoter. Born in the wilds of the South Jersey Pine Barrens, she now splits her time between her just-grimy-enough Brooklyn neighborhood and the open road, either on tour hustling merch for bands like Corrosion of Conformity or traversing the globe on various riff-related adventures. She has written about extreme metal and the culture surrounding it for Terrorizer, NPR, The Atlantic, Pitchfork, Invisible Oranges, Brooklyn Vegan, Metalsucks, Metal Maniacs, Hails & Horns, and many more. She writes monthly columns for Terrorizer (UK), Loud! (Portugal), and Metal Hammer Norway, runs an independent publicity company, Catharsis PR, and promotes killer metal gigs in the NYC area. Read more of her work and follow her exploits on her personal blog, Ravishing Grimness – http://ravishinggrimness.blogspot.com/ – or on Twitter – @grimkim.
Q n A
We had a chance to ask Kim a few questions, so you can get to know her better. Here are the highlights of our conversation.
Webmistress: It must be asked, so let’s kick off with the must-do, what are your top 10 songs or albums of all time (of any genre)?
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Kim Kelly: The first five are easy:
Bathory – Under the Sign of the Black Mark
EyeHateGod – Dopesick
Drudkh – Autumn Aurora
Dissection – The Somberlain
Satanic Warmaster – Carelian Satanis Madness
The next few get a little trickier, but I managed to narrow it down:
Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness
Amebix – Arise!
Warning – Watching From A Distance
Black Sabbath – Masters of Reality
Necros Christos – Black Mass Desecration
On top of that, the entire collected works of Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, David Allan Coe, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
WM: What are you listening to now? Who should we be listening to?
KK: My tastes run more towards the old school, but there are a few newer bands that have really been blowing my mind, like Pallbearer, Negative Plane, Dead Congregation, Barghest, Pilgrim, Altar of Plagues, Coffinworm, Weapon, Salo, Grave Miasma, Occultation, Sabbatic Goat…Revenge’s new record is insane, I’m really digging the Obolus EP…there are so many amazing bands out there!
WM: How much do you listen to classics and roots music versus current releases? Which aspects of your favorites are consistent through different eras and which differences do you enjoy most about older and newer music?
KK: Most of my favorite records are at least a decade old, and besides loving the classics like Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Coven, Judas Priest, etc, I’ve also got a massive soft spot for old country and Southern rock records (which is about as rootsy as you can get). Honestly, it all comes down to the riffs!
WM: The advent of the internet has drastically changed the face of the music industry. How do you think the ability for independent distribution and promotion has benefited and/or inhibited artists?
KK: I think it’s hurt the labels and actual business of music tremendously, but in turn released a great deal of power and autonomy into the independent artist’s hands. The rise of affordable home recording and production equipment and proliferation of sites like Bandcamp mean that it’s easier than every to make a record and get it out into a public space. The trick is getting people to listen to it.
No one needs a record deal anymore – they just need the proper tools. Good networking skills, an understanding of social media, some legal know-how, good distribution, a rigorous tour schedule, and, most importantly, a quality product are the biggest necessities. Engaging the services of a smart publicist and savvy booking agent is a far more beneficial move than simply sitting around and hoping that Whatever Records comes knocking, and getting your ass off the couch and into the van is the absolute best thing a young band can do. Tour hard, build your fanbase, make connections with bands and promoters and people along the way. No matter how many Twitter followers you might rack up, they don’t mean a thing when you’re tired and broke in Little Rock, Arkansas, playing to three people and the sound guy. If you want to be heard, bring your music to people who will listen.
It’s nice to come to the gunfight armed with an in-depth understanding of the ins and outs of mechanical royalties or 500,000 Facebook Likes, but as a wise man once sang…
“Mister, can you make folks cry when you play and sing,
Can you pay your dues, can you moan the blues
Can you bend them guitar strings?
Boy, can you make folks feel what you feel inside?
‘Cause if you’re big star bound, let me warn you it’s a long hard ride…”
WM: Your column aspires to be a more in-depth look into the creative spirit of women in rock, without the superficial focus often seen in rock journalism. How much, do you think, does an emphasis on looks and fashion impact the perception of female musicians?
KK: I think it has a terribly detrimental effect upon that perception. There should be no distinction between male and Image may be NSFW.
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female musicians; gender has no effect on a person’s ability to rip a sweet solo or wail the blues, yet our society is hellbent on keeping those lines drawn. It doesn’t help that the media is obsessed with sexualizing and objectifying female musicians, and that abominations like, for example, Revolver Magazine’s “Hottest Chicks in Metal” issue even exist. An overly strong emphasis on a female musician’s looks or wardrobe takes the focus off of her musical talent and abilities, and reduces her to little more than window dressing. Rockstar Barbie. “Show us yer tits!”
If a woman choses to convey a feminine, sexual image, that is her prerogative, and her right as an artist, just as much as if she choses to eschew that type of image. It is no one else’s right to judge or make assumptions, to label, slander, or sneer at a female musician for choosing to show some cleavage – or to perform in a shaved head and combat boots. Male musicians seem to face much less scrutiny over their wardrobe choices and public image; it barely even enters the discussion. It would be wonderful to see this issue disappear from the conversation altogether. Who cares what you look like naked or who you want to marry, as long as you can shred like a maniac?
WM: Rock is seen as a bastion of testosterone, teeming with aggression, lust, and bravado. Are we not ready, as a society, to allow women a greater level of autonomy or sexual freedom? Do you think this fear is at the root of women’s issues with being recognized fully as artists and creators rather than manufactured images?
KK: That’s an interesting question. In the grander scheme of things, I’d absolutely agree with the statement that our society is just not ready to allow women to express their independence and sexuality at an equal level. Look at the battle over reproductive rights and women’s health that’s currently raging in our country; when the lawmakers and statesmen of your homeland are actively waging a war on women, when public slut-shaming and verbal abuse is taken as just another talk radio segment and a woman’s right to choose is, somehow, a matter of public discourse instead of an unassailable statement of fact, it doesn’t leave much hope for “equality,” does it?
Some people are only comfortable with the Susie Homemaker or Jenna Jameson tropes, and are horrified at any kind of woman who refuses to slip neatly into either role. Well-behaved women rarely make history – especially not rock history! I think that the social pressure to be a “good girl” is often a factor in keeping greater numbers of girls from getting involved in agressive music, but that also makes it all the more commendable and badass when a young woman bucks the trend, picks up a guitar, and starts screaming along to Black Flag or Napalm Death. Women have been throwing the horns, worshipping the devil, causing riots, breaking strings, and screaming for vengeance for decades, and no matter how much certain segments of the population dislike the fact, it’s definitely not going anywhere. If anything, more and more ladies are geting involved! It’s a beautiful thing.
WM: In your opinion, who have been the biggest trailblazers, and which artists are creating new opportunities now for future female musicians?
KK: Speaking as a metal fan, I cannot lay enough praise upon the altars of Doro Pesch (of Warlock/Doro), Jinx Dawson (Coven), Jo Bench (Bolt Thrower), Girlschool, Runhild Gammelsæter (Thorr’s Hammer), Liz Buckingham (Electric Wizard/13/Sourvein), Chiyo Nukaga (Noothgrush), Hellsukkubus (Antaeus/Hell Militia), Marissa Martinez (Cretin), Jex Thoth, Wendy O Williams, Melissa Jaded Lungs (Adorior), and newer participants like Anahita from Janaza/Seeds of Iblis and Grace Perry (Landmine Marathon). Throw in the ladies of Mythic, Ludicra, Acid King, Antediluvian, Fuck the Facts, Disrupt, Appalachian Terror Unit, Estuary, Anguished, Nuclear Death, Monarch, Mares of Thrace, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Voetsek, Darkestrah, Arkona, Derketa, Funerus, Gallhammer, Flagitious Idiosyncrasy in the Dilapidation..the list goes on and on!
- What, do you think, is the biggest hurdle women in rock face?
KK: All the same hurdles men in rock/metal face, with an added helping of sexism.
WM: What are you up to, any projects in the works we should know about?
KK: I’m always up to something: currently working on neverending list of writing projects, as well as keeping busy with work and touring, and keeping a nervous eye on my ever-expanding record collection. Plans are tentatively being made to begin my first book. I’m about to head overseas for all of April to cover a few festivals, visit some friends, and drown myself in Irish whiskey, and will surely come back with a story or two to tell!
WM: Do you have a web page or blog where we can find more of your work online?
KK: Sure: ravishinggrimness.blogspot.com for writing, grimkim.tumblr.com for nonsense, and Twitter @grimkim for a combination of the two!
Iron Maidens – Debuts April 17th
Don’t Miss Kim’s debut feature, Iron Maidens, here in the LS Webzine on April 17th.
Think we should cover your favorite rock or metal artist in a future Iron Maidens feature? Tell Kim about them and she just might.