I know many of you are already looking forward to the soccer dyke fest of Labor day weekend but for those of you less interested cleats, balls and sweat and more into fists, guitars and wallet chains (ok, maybe those are over) B.A.B.E. Fest actually starts this weekend.
Ths week’s Willy article gives a pretty good overview of the mania, although I take great exception to the implication that Patti Smith is known more for being female than for her groundbreaking music. (Great way to perpetuate the stereotype Willy.)
Tandemnation’s Emily KinganIn the spirit of punk that’s less blue-haired pop than it is dark grindcore, B.A.B.E. Fest (Breaking Assumptions and Barriers for Equality) brings the females not just to the downtown club Satyricon with The Vonneguts, Order of the Gash, Anon Ramora, Massive Meat Split, Scary Bear and Dipossessed on Saturday, but to the queer punk stronghold of NE basements on Friday. I’m particularly excited to see if queer cyclist thrashers Tandemnation can make me want to mosh into the low ceiling at The Ranch (NE 15th & Emerson, 8p). Also playing are Sleepwalkers R.I.P.!!!!, Landlord (Flagstaff), Cull, and Sick Sick Sister.
But even though we come for the rawk, there’s a lot to talk about. Even in a scene that is so activist based there can be a shocking amount of sexism and homophobia. So the daytime workshops are an essential part of the weekend. There are several topics of interest including the Consent Workshop, Women of Color in the Punk/DIY Scene (facilitated by Osa of the New Bloods), and Alcoholism and Feminism in the Punk Scene. But my fav has got to be Saturday’s very first intro to the mixing of business and pleasure: Dudes Making Lunch.
