Podcast appearances and mentions of cris williamson

It's been a whirlwind of a week chez Gundlach and I find myself at the end of it without a new episode ready to post. In addition to that, we are already halfway through Pride Month and I realized this morning that I had no new queer material up my sleeve. So I'll tell you what I'm gonna do: I am going to get to work on a brand new episode which will post sometime early next week. But in the meantime, I'm going to do my own Listener's Favorite episode, one which I posted during the very first season of Countermelody, a wondrous compilation entitled “Sisters in Sappho.” It features not only two of my favorite mezzos of all time (Tatiana Troyanos and Brigitte Fassbaender – both of whom happen to have been lesbians); but also a sampling of the key figures in the Women's Music Movement of the 1970s, including Meg Christian, Cris Williamson, Margie Adam, Holly Near, and Deidre McCalla. In celebrating these pop icons, I also pay tribute to those who, in turn, paved the way for them, including icons Janis Ian, Dusty Springfield, and Ronnie Gilbert, as well as tipping my hat to two of the queer Black singers (Toshi Reagon, Meshell Ndegeocello), that followed in the wake of these women. We all owe an enormous debt of gratitude to these extraordinary artists, who paved the way for us, their musical and artistic descendants, at the same time setting standards that will stand the test of time. Vocal guest stars include Janet Baker, Ileana Cotrubas, Cecilia Gasdia, Nicolai Gedda, Margaret Price, Gundula Janowitz, Arleen Augér, and Reri Grist. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.

Part one of a rich assortment of guests & original music of some Winter Holidays, like the Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Year.

Alley Theater "Dead Man's Cellphone" -- Lesbian activist Ginny BersonWe speak with Todd Waite about the Alley Theater's production of "Dead Man's Cellphone". An incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet café. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man. So begins Dead Man's Cell Phone, a wildly imaginative comedy by MacArthur “Genius” Sarah Ruhl (The Clean House). An off-the-wall play about the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world. GUEST: Todd Waite https://www.alleytheatre.org/plays/production-detail/dead-mans-cell-phoneThen, we speak with Ginny Z Berson. Ginny Z Berson is a long-time political activist driven by a longing for justice. She was a member of The Furies-- a radical lesbian feminist separatist collective in Washington, D.C. that lived and worked collectively to develop lesbian feminist political thought and philosophy. The group produced a newspaper, The Furies, that had a significant impact on women's groups in the U.S. Ginny was a contributor and member of the editorial staff. Ginny and her partner, the musician Meg Christian, were the initial driving force behind the creation of Olivia Records, the national women's record company. Olivia produced records by Meg, Cris Williamson, BeBe K'Roche, Linda Tillery, Teresa Trull, Mary Watkins, a poetry album by Pat Parker and Judy Grahn, and Lesbian Concentrate—a “lesbianthology” in response to a rising wave of homophobia. GUEST: Ginny Bersonhttps://www.ginnyzberson.com/ 

Lesbian comedian Fortune Feimster -- Activist Ginny Z BersonWe speak with lesbian comedian Fortune Feimster. Stand-up comedian, writer, and actor, Fortune Feimster, is one of the busiest women working today. She first became known as a writer and panelist on E's hit show Chelsea Lately, and then starred as a series regular on The Mindy Project for Hulu and Champions for NBC. She has gone on to have many guest appearances on TV shows including Claws, 2 Broke Girls, Workaholics, Glee, Dear White People, and Tales of the City, as well as recurring roles on Showtime's The L Word: Generation Q and CBS's Life In Pieces. She's had memorable roles in the movies Office Christmas Party, Social Animals, and Father of the Year. She also recently voiced the role of Evelyn on The Simpsons, she's the voice of Brenda on Bless the Harts for Fox, and she voices Ava on Summer Camp Island for the Cartoon Network.GUEST: Fortune Feimster https://www.fortunefeimster.com/Then, we speak with Ginny Z Berson. Ginny Z Berson is a long-time political activist driven by a longing for justice. She was a member of The Furies-- a radical lesbian feminist separatist collective in Washington, D.C. that lived and worked collectively to develop lesbian feminist political thought and philosophy. The group produced a newspaper, The Furies, that had a significant impact on women's groups in the U.S. Ginny was a contributor and member of the editorial staff. Ginny and her partner, the musician Meg Christian, were the initial driving force behind the creation of Olivia Records, the national women's record company. Olivia produced records by Meg, Cris Williamson, BeBe K'Roche, Linda Tillery, Teresa Trull, Mary Watkins, a poetry album by Pat Parker and Judy Grahn, and Lesbian Concentrate—a “lesbianthology” in response to a rising wave of homophobia. GUEST: Ginny Z Berson https://www.ginnyzberson.com/

This interview was recorded by Angela Denise Davis on October 14, 2021, via video conference. Deidre McCalla sat down with Angela to talk about McCalla's early life in New York, her start in music, the herstory of her place in the women's music movement, and the way the COVID-19 pandemic changed her life. The music heard in the interview was used courtesy of Deidre McCalla. You can enjoy the full tracks on YouTube at the following links: Walk Me Down to the River https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZEY7idOCAc I Do Not Walk This Path Alone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhNnJx6Cd58 Deidre's website: https://deidremccalla.com/ Photo used in episode art: Irene Young   Playing For Keeps is an apt title for the latest cd from singer/songwriter Deidre McCalla. From the moment Deidre takes the stage, her engaging presence and irresistible blend of folk, country, rock, and pop seize the listeners by the heart and won't let go. Deidre McCalla came of age in the fiery blaze of NYC's folk heyday - a time when Greenwich Village clubs were filled with the likes of Dylan, Baez, and Ochs; a time when Motown ruled the top of the charts and the streets of America screamed with anger and civil unrest. Her first album, Fur Coats and Blue Jeans, was released when Deidre was 19 and a student at Vassar College. With a theater degree tucked under her belt and an acoustic guitar tossed in the back of a battered Buick station wagon, Deidre McCalla hit the proverbial road and never looked back. Deidre later majored in jazz guitar at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and released three albums with the pioneering women's music label Olivia Records. The Miami Herald affectionately dubs her a "dreadlocked troubadour." From Maui to Maine, college coffeehouses to Carnegie Hall, Deidre McCalla is a much beloved performer in both folk and women's music circles and has shared the stage with a long list of notables that includes Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman, Holly Near, Odetta, Cris Williamson, and Sweet Honey in the Rock. With five critically acclaimed albums to her credit, Deidre McCalla remains the ever seeking road warrior, her words and music chronicling our strengths and weaknesses and celebrating the power and diversity of the human spirit. A single parent residing in Georgia with her son, Deidre has taught Performance at Warren Wilson College's Swannanoa Gathering. Deidre's work has been published in Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology, The Original Coming Out Stories, and Chrysalis: A Feminist Quarterly, and she is featured in The Power of Words: A Transformative Language Arts Reader. Deidre is a proud member of AFM Local 1000 and the North American Folk Alliance.

Co-host Jeremy brings a fantastic thrift store find: this 1975 folk rock album by Cris Williamson. Everything from Williamson's role in women recording artists taking agency over their music to her importance in the LGBT movement is discussed.   If you like us, please support us at patreon.com/idbuythatpodcast to get exclusive content (episodes on 45s!), or tell a friend about us. Broke and have no friends? Leave us a review, it helps more people find us. Thanks!

June Millington, director Bobbi Jo Hart and Face2Face host David Peck talk about their fun, engaging, long overdue new film Fanny: The Right to Rock. They touch on sexism in the industry, liberation, your inner compass, poetry, safe spaces and role models, racism and why it’s so important to play it forward.“Revivify Fanny. And my work will be done.” David BowieTrailerTo learn more about the band and their work head here.For more information about IMA go to www.ima.orgSynopsis:Fanny: The Right to Rock opens with the words of David Bowie, bemoaning the band’s fate: “One of the most important bands in American rock has been buried without a trace.” The film then takes us deep into the woods of Goshen, Massachusetts, where we discover the Institute for the Musical Arts. It’s an underground music camp and recording studio for girls and women only, where Fanny lead guitarist June Millington, 69, has been teaching young girls to rock out long before rock camps became “a thing.”There, she and fellow Filipina-American bandmates, including her bass-playing sister Jean and drummer Brie Darling, celebrate their 50-year reunion with a new rock record deal -- cheekily titled Fanny Walked the Earth. If the stars align, it’s a chance to right the wrongs of music history.Fanny: The Right to Rock juxtaposes an intimate, cinema verité journey of Fanny’s uphill battle to complete and release their new album, with the fascinating herstory of the band’s improbable journey during their 70s heyday. Their controversial, self-penned lyrics dared embrace the newfound freedom of birth control as well as the trauma of the Vietnam War.Discovered early on by the secretary of legendary producer Richard Perry and signed as teenagers to the epic Warner/Reprise label,Fanny honed their signature sound in edgy L.A. clubs like The Troubadour. Fanny Hill, hosted regular jam sessions with visitors/crashers including Joe Cocker, Little Feat, and Bob Dylan’s The Band. There, serious rock & roll comingled with sex, drugs and skinny dipping.Fanny toured extensively across North America and Europe with major groups including Slade, Chicago and Ike & Tina Turner. They toured while writing, recording and releasing a new album every year from 1970 -75. They performed live and gave interviews on major network TV shows with Dick Cavett, Sonny & Cher, Helen Reddy and The Tonight Show, as well as the famed BBC show “The Old Grey Whistle Test”.The movie includes testimonials from Kate Pierson of the B-52s, Bonnie Raitt, Cherie Currie of The Runaways, Kathy Valentine of the Go-Gos, and Bowie bassist Gail Ann Dorsey. Male music icons also sing their praises including Todd Rundgren, Charles Neville of The Neville Brothers, The Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott (who unveils a Fanny flexi-disc he has saved for 50 years, since he discovered the band at age 12).About June Millington and Bobbi Jo Hart:Bobbi Jo Hart is an award winning American/Canadian documentary filmmaker with Adobe Productions International, based in Montreal, Canada. With a career that has spanned 25 years, Hart has filmed in countries as diverse as Pakistan, Russia, Guatemala, Australia, Scotland and Zimbabwe — with subjects ranging from women’s professional soccer and tennis to classical music, comedy, dance and manic depression. Her documentary films have the most common thread of revealing untold stories of marginalized girls and women, weaving universal threads of dreams, family, love, loss, happiness, sadness, success, failure and determination. Her intimate, cinema verité style results in thought-provoking films that ultimately celebrate our shared humanity.Her most recent feature documentary I Am Not A Rock Star premiered at dozens of worldwide film festivals and was broadcast on networks in many countries, including BBCFour, SVT Sweden, ABC Australia, Documentary Channel. Music in the film included Jack Johnson & Patrick Watson. This film won many festival awards as well. Hart’s previous award-winning films include SHE GOT GAME: Behind-the-Scenes of the Women's Tennis Tour (LIFE Network, Starz), which had exclusive access during over a year on tour. Hart is currently starting the festival tour for her exclusive theatrical documentary celebrating Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Documentary Channel, ARTV).June Millington “one of the hottest female guitarists in the industry” wrote, Guitar Player Magazine has been making music since she was a child playing ukulele in her native Philippines. Having moved from Manila to California in the early sixties, she and her sister bassist Jean turned in their folk guitars for electric and formed a succession of all-girl bands. By ‘69 they were in Hollywood with their band Fanny, which was one of the first all-women’s rock band to be signed to a major label (Reprise). Through five successful albums and extensive touring of Europe and North America, Fanny served notice that women could do more than simply sing, they could write and play passionate rock ‘n roll. As David Bowie said of the group in an interview with Rolling Stone (RS January 2000): “They were extraordinary: They wrote everything...they are as important as anyone else who’s ever been, ever....”Fanny played with major artists like Chicago, BB King, Dr John, the Kinks, the Staples Singers, Ike and Tina Turner, & Chuck Berry - and recorded an album at Apple Studios with Geoff Emerick, the Beatles engineer. June left the band in 1973 and continued to record and perform with her sister and on a number of solo albums. She played in the genre of women’s music for many years, and produced records by artists Cris Williamson, Holly Near, Mary Watkins, Melanie DeMore, and Bitch and Animal, among others. She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the non-profit Institute for the Musical Arts [IMA], an internationally known teaching, performing and recording facility supporting women and girls in music and music-related business. Founded by June, along with partner Ann Hackler, activist/writer Angela Davis, and engineer/producer Roma Baran, IMA expanded into a 25- acre campus in Goshen, MA which runs five residential summer programs for girls and young women from 9-24 and hosts shows and workshops with established artists the rest of the year.Millington has received numerous awards for her achievements including the Audio Engineering Society’s Lifetime Achievement award, the Bay Area Career Women’s LAVA award for being a “leg- end of women’s music,” the Outmusic Heritage Award and in 2007 she, along with the other members of FANNY, received the Rockrgrl Women of Valor Award at Berklee College of Music. In 2013 she received New England Public Radio’s (NEPR) Arts and Humanities Outstanding Individual of the Year Award, the Veteran Feminists of America Award and, along with her partner Ann Hackler the Outstanding Activist Award from the Living Kindness Foundation. In 2015 she was given an award for her contributions by the National Women’s Music Festival.June released her autobiography Land of a Thousand Bridges: Island Girl in a Rock ‘n Roll World in June of 2015 and has received a great deal of press, including articles in MS Magazine, Pitchfork and Newsweek as well as on NPR. Millington continues to perform, write and record and teaches at IMA as well as colleges and universities around North America.Image Copyright and Credit: Adobe Productions International and Bobbi Jo Hart.F2F Music and Image Copyright: David Peck and Face2Face. Used with permission.For more information about David Peck’s podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here.With thanks to Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hilary talks with June Millington of Fanny (the first “all-female” rock band signed to a major label in 1969) about the Institute for the Musical Arts, how playing guitar is like being a nun, and music as a tool for overcoming shyness.  [replay interview] New content: Hilary covers the problem with “nagging wife” guitar memes. Huge thanks to this episode's sponsors!  https://www.earthquakerdevices.com/ (EarthQuaker Devices)- extra special effects pedals made by hand in Akron, OH! https://skylarbatz.wordpress.com/ (Studio 121)- recording, production, beats and more in Providence, RI! http://distrokid.com/vip/midriff (DistroKid)- simple online music distribution service! (use this link for a 7% discount!) http://stompboxsonic.com/ (Stompbox Sonic)- personalized pedal curation and sales in Somerville, MA! BIO June Millington “one of the hottest female guitarists in the industry” (Guitar Player Magazine) has been making music since she was a child playing ukulele in her native Philippines. Having moved from Manila to California in the early sixties, she and her sister, bassist, Jean, turned in their folk guitars for electric and formed a succession of all-girl bands. By '69 they were in Hollywood with their band, Fanny, which was one of the first all women's rock bands to be signed to a major label (Warner Brothers). As David Bowie said of the group in an interview in Rolling Stone: “They were one of the finest fucking rock bands of their time… They were extraordinary: They wrote everything and they played like motherfuckers… They are as important as anyone who's ever been, ever.” (January, 2000) Fanny played with major artists like Chicago, BB King, Dr. John, the Kinks, the Staples Singers, Ike & Tina Turner, & Chuck Berry- and recorded at Apple Studios with Geoff Emerick, the Beatles' engineer. June left the band in 1973 and continued to record and perform both with her sister and on a number of solo albums. She has also produced many artists including Cris Williamson, Holly Near, Mary Watkins, Melanie DeMore, Bitch and Animal, and Joel Zoss. She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA), a non-profit organization for women and girls which hosts Rock 'n Roll Girls Camps in the summer. June released her autobiography “Land of a Thousand Bridges: Island Girl in a Rock 'n' Roll World” in June of 2015 resulting in articles in Pitchfork, MS Magazine, Newsweek, and NPR. She continues to perform, write, and record and teaches at the IMA, as well as colleges and universities in North America. JUNE'S MENTIONS Angela Davis / Roma Berin / Laurie Anderson / Leslie Ann Jones / Skywalker Sound / LeeAnne Ungar / Kathryn Willmore / Carol Kaye / The Svelts / Sister / Rosetta Tharpe / Gibson / Fender / Richard Perry / Jeff “Skunk” Baxter / Lowell George / Sneaky Pete Kleinow / Elliott Randall / Steely Dan / Kent Henry / Stepphenwolf / Holly Near / Cris Williamson / Bonnie Raitt / Maria Maldar / Isis / Birtha / May Pang / John Lennon / Pete Seeger JUNE'S LINKS https://www.facebook.com/donate/497382177936570/10225236566842813/ (June's IMA Fundraiser) https://www.facebook.com/groups/489538768244638 (Induct Fanny Into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame FB Group) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/music-in-our-veins-conversations-june-millington-friends/id1516856491 (June's Podcast) https://www.ima.org/ (Institute for the Musical Arts) MID-RIFF LINKS http://hilarybjones.com/midriffpodcast (Website) http://instagram.com/midriffpodcast (Instagram) http://facebook.com/midriffpodcast (Facebook) https://hilarybjones.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=43bb95b305fb0c7d53fbc8d3a&id=146b44f072 (Email Newsletter) https://www.hilarybjones.com/blog (Blog) Thanks for rating/reviewing on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mid-riff/id1494997227 (Apple Podcasts)! OTHER LINKS MENTIONED https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists (Psychology Today Therapist Finder)...

A fascinating conversation with über-musician, singer/composer Barbara Higbie. We met through the women's music movement in the early 80's, although she'd already made inroads in the music business through Windham Hill Records, initially with Darol Anger. (https://barbarahigbie.com/) But what a road!, absolutely fascinating with twists and turns that, honestly, seem ordained in retrospect. I've always had the greatest respect for Barbara, and although we brushed wings many times at IMAWest (where she performed in various ensembles, all stellar) and at festivals, I never really knew her well. No reason, really, she's extremely engaging and we've shared many situations and enduring stories but it's like we're part of the same fabric ~ very familiar, like stars flashing in the night in some way. I guess this conversation was just waiting! Some quick memories ... riding on the same bus with her and Teresa Trull (with whom she did an album) into the Michigan Women's Festival grounds; a show she did with us in Bodega with David Balakrishnan (they were in the group Turtle Island together) that was absolutely astounding, off the chain in virtuosity; hearing Barbara, Cris Williamson, and Teresa Trull rehearsing backstage on an Olivia cruise we all performed at, April 2018, and being knocked out by that phenomenal blend and sound. I thought to myself, "This is American music!" And to me that really means something. It ties in to my respect for the many races and cultures who have brought the mix that itself created new styles of expression, and so many hit songs. Nobody else has created so much, for so many years, that sold so phenomenally. Even the Taliban sings Motown! (in some reputably reported instances). Thing is, I learned so much during this conversation, and had a blast. If you already knew about Barbara, enjoy learning more. If you didn't, welcome to the world of a magical, dedicated musical chameleon who holds her own. Thanks Barbara! xx June --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/june-millington/support

In 1975 I met Cris Williamson ~ she had known about me, I knew nothing about her. But that was all about to change! We became friends instantly as she was embarking on her life-changing (and affirming) record, "The Changer and the Changed." I had no idea what I was walking into! But that turned out to be a critical period in my life, when my rock 'n roll experiences were to overlap with feminism and the genre women's of music. For me, nothing was ever the same. So this is a conversation (Pt I, and may there be more in the future) between old friends, here at the Institute for the Musical Arts (www.ima.org) in Goshen, MA. She had just done a show, which seems like such a luxury now ... I assumed nothing about what you may or may not know, but dove into our lives, intersections, and old stories. May this greet you as an old friend as well. And thanks Cris! xx --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/june-millington/support

Hilary talks with June Millington of Fanny (the first all-female rock band signed to a major label in 1969) about the Institute for the Musical Arts, how playing guitar is like being a nun, and music as a tool for overcoming shyness. Plus, the socioecological model for making change. BIO June Millington “one of the hottest female guitarists in the industry” (Guitar Player Magazine) has been making music since she was a child playing ukulele in her native Philippines. Having moved from Manila to California in the early sixties, she and her sister, bassist, Jean, turned in their folk guitars for electric and formed a succession of all-girl bands. By '69 they were in Hollywood with their band, Fanny, which was one of the first all women's rock bands to be signed to a major label (Warner Brothers*). As David Bowie said of the group in an interview in Rolling Stone: “They were one of the finest fucking rock bands of their time… They were extraordinary: They wrote everything and they played like motherfuckers… They are as important as anyone who's ever been, ever.” (January, 2000) Fanny played with major artists like Chicago, BB King, Dr. John, the Kinks, the Staples Singers, Ike & Tina Turner, & Chuck Berry- and recorded at Apple Studios with Geoff Emerick, the Beatles' engineer. June left the band in 1973 and continued to record and perform both with her sister and on a number of solo albums. She has also produced many artists including Cris Williamson, Holly Near, Mary Watkins, Melanie DeMore, Bitch and Animal, and Joel Zoss. She is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA), a non-profit organization for women and girls which hosts Rock 'n Roll Girls Camps in the summer. June released her autobiography “Land of a Thousand Bridges: Island Girl in a Rock 'n' Roll World” in June of 2015 resulting in articles in Pitchfork, MS Magazine, Newsweek, and NPR. She continues to perform, write, and record and teaches at the IMA, as well as colleges and universities in North America. JUNE'S MENTIONS IMA / Angela Davis / Roma Berin / Laurie Anderson / Leslie Ann Jones / Skywalker Sound / LeeAnne Ungar / Kathryn Willmore / The Svelts / Fanny / Sister Rosetta Tharpe / Gibson / Fender / Richard Perry / Jeff “Skunk” Baxter / Lowell George / Sneaky Pete Kleinow / Elliott Randall / Steely Dan / Kent Henry / Stepphenwolf / Holly Near / Cris Williamson / Bonnie Raitt / Maria Maldar / Isis / Birtha / May Pang / John Lennon / Pete Seeger JUNE'S LINKS https://gf.me/u/yb6hwr (Jean Millington Go Fund Me) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/music-in-our-veins-conversations-june-millington-friends/id1516856491 (June's Podcast) https://www.ima.org/ (Institute for the Musical Arts) MID-RIFF LINKS http://hilarybjones.com/midriffpodcast (Website) http://instagram.com/midriffpodcast (Instagram) http://facebook.com/midriffpodcast (Facebook) https://hilarybjones.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=43bb95b305fb0c7d53fbc8d3a&id=146b44f072 (Email Newsletter) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf30SPDFMCBl2EVuzKCxadIG9toYfeRZeCGkp1k2kR24Cc5aA/viewform?usp=send_form (Changing Our Tune Workshop Registration) http://wiki.preventconnect.org/socio-ecological-model/ (Socioecological Model) Thanks for rating/reviewing on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mid-riff/id1494997227 (Apple Podcasts)! CREDITS June's Bumper Track: “https://www.reverbnation.com/junemillington/song/8468026-play-like-a-girl (Play Like a Girl)” by June Millington Theme Music: "Hedonism" by https://towanda.bandcamp.com/ (Towanda) Artwork by https://www.juliagualtieri.com/ (Julia Gualtieri)

The first of my two Queer Pride episodes is devoted to a group of pioneering lesbians in the 1970s and beyond, in both classical and pop music. Two iconic mezzo-sopranos whose careers began in the 1960s and extended through the 1990s are the Greek-American Tatiana Troyanos and Brigitte Fassbaender, daughter of the German baritone Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender. I explore the similarities and differences in the repertoire and career paths of these two unique artists, and share examples of them singing repertoire from Handel to Weill, Scarlatti to Penderecki, with particular focus on Fassbaender’s Lieder performances and Troyanos’s work in bel canto. Then I turn to key figures in the Women’s Music Movement of the 1970s, including Meg Christian, Cris Williamson, Margie Adam, Holly Near, and Deidre McCalla, while also paying tribute to those who, in turn, paved the way for them, including Janis Ian, Dusty Springfield, and Ronnie Gilbert. We also acknowledge the work of queer African American singers, including Deidre McCalla, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Toshi Reagon. We all owe an enormous debt of gratitude to these extraordinary artists, who created a world of possibility for their musical and artistic descendants, at the same time setting standards that will stand the test of time. Vocal guest stars include Janet Baker, Ileana Cotrubas, Margaret Price, Nicolai Gedda, Gundula Janowitz, Arleen Augér, Cecilia Gasdia, and Reri Grist. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.

ABOUT JUNE MILLINGTON June Millington and her sister Jean have been playing music since they were children strumming ukuleles in the Philippines. When they moved to the US in the ’60’s they turned in their acoustic guitars for electric and formed a succession of all-girl bands that eventually became Fanny, one of the first all- female rock bands to be signed to a major label. Fanny soon began recording and touring worldwide with bands like Chicago and Dr. John. It was while recording in major studios with engineers like Apple’s Geoff Emerick that Millington began to study the art of sound recording and producing. After Fanny, June became involved in the women’s music movement when she was asked to play on and tour behind Cris Williamson’s The Changer and the Changed, which would become the defining album of that genre. “Women’s music” quickly evolved into an independent feminist music network that included (often collectively run) production companies,venues, festivals, record labels, and distribution networks. It was in that genre that Millington began to produce albums for, among others, Williamson, singer-songwriter Holly Near and jazz pianist and composer MaryWatkins. June and Jean continued to record and perform throughout the 80’s and 90’s – with Jean taking time off to raise her two children and June, together with her partner Ann Hackler, founding the Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA). The Institute is a teaching, performing and recording facility dedicated to supporting women and girls in music and music–related business. Millington is the Artistic Director of IMA, which, as part of its mission, runs summer rock PROGRAMS for girls and young women. June and Jean’s latest CD, Play Like a Girl is for the girls. http://www.junemillington.com

This week's music hour features music by Barbara Higbie, Teresa Trull and Cris Williamson in honor of their Reunion Tour. They've been gracing various venues along the east coast these last several weeks. I saw them this past weekend! It was great fun to witness powerful women sharing power so reminiscent of how things were done at MichFest and other womyn's music festivals. They really set the bar for that particular Feminist value! I'm so grateful for continued modeling of that Gyn/affection wherever possible, so I offer a musical version of it here in the next hour. Hope you enjoy! Playlist: In background to intro: Playtime Teresa Trull & Barbara Higbie Playtime Tip the Canoe Barbara Higbie Hills to Hollers Flow Teresa Trull Flow Hieroglyphics Cris Williamson The Essential Cris Williamson Sway of Her Hips Teresa Trull & Barbara Higbie Playtime Signs of Life Barbara Higbie Alive in Berkeley Songbird Cris Williamson The Essential Cris Wings Teresa Trull & Barbara Higbie Playtime Woman Loving Women Teresa Trull Lesbian Concentrate Azulao Cris Williamson The Essential Cris Why Wait Teresa and Barbara Playtime San Francisco Bay Blues Barbara Higbie, Linda Tillery, Laurie Lewis Shine Cris Williamson Pray Tell Getting Some Fun Out of Life Teresa and Barbara Playtime True Story Barbara Higbie Variations on a Happy Ending Lullabye Cris Williamson The Essential Cris

Phoenixx is a WLRN listener with a large women's music collection she would like to share with her sisters. Take a listen to this 2nd episode of the WLRN Music Hour! Playlist for WLRN Music with Phoenixx October 2, 2017 Body Hair, Anne Seale, sample record with Hotwire, Jan 1993 A Touch of Menopausal Anarchy, Carolyn Hillyer, Weathered Edge Sway of Her Hips, Teresa Trull, Playtime, 1997 Womanly Way, Linda(Tui) Tillery, album same name, 1977 Brown Like Me, Washington Sisters/June Millington writer, Understated, 1987 Big, Big, Woman, Regina Wells, Rashida Oji Bledsung Live at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Polly Wood, Music for Metaformic Theory, 2008 The Bloods, Debbie Lemke, Berkley Women’s Music Collective, 1977 Ode to a Gym Teacher, Meg Christian, I Know You Know, 1974 Tomboy Girl, Tret Fure and Cris Williamson, Radio Quiet, 1999 Untitled, Pat Parker, Every woman’s blues, Women’s Prison Concert Collective, 1976 Feral Children, Beth Orton, Comfort of Strangers, 2006 3000 Miles, Tracy Chapman, Where You Live, 2005 Be Careful, cover by Cris Williamson (written by Patti Griffin), Motherland, 2017 Old Woman, Linda Shear, A Lesbian Portrait, 1975 Phoenixx is a 50 year old, post-menopausal, able-bodied, middle-class white Dyke/Lesbian Separatist of Spirit. I love wimmin and our Radical Feminist music through Time, as it foregrounds the Gynocentric Background (Mary Daly’s articulation) and pushes back the onslaught of phallocentricity that pitifully tries to pass as everything. I offer these bi-monthly arrangements of Women’s Liberation Music as Female magic to continue to undo what has been done to all of us through time and space for millennia under male supremacy and to link us to the Gynocentric Goddess-honoring world that came before. "The connections between & among women are the most feared, the most problematic and the most potentially transforming force on the planet." Adrienne Rich

Cris Williamson has played an important role as one of the prominent voices of feminism and lesbians, including her part in founding the first women's record label. With more than 20 CDs, Cris has been prolific and fertile for many hearts. And, of course, her song has been our theme music since day 1.

Holly Near is a singer, songwriter, activist, philosopher; one of the significant bards of our time. Holly returns to Paradigms to discuss life on Earth, and her new CD Peace Becomes You. Music by: Holly Near, Cris Williamson, and Ferron. The post Holly Near: Musician appeared first on Paradigms Podcast.