Admittedly, Ladyfest, setting up shop at both Smith College and Flywheel in Easthampton April 15-17, was created by—and predominantly features the talents of—women. But not to invite males to the multi-band shindig… well, that just wouldn’t be ladylike, or remotely in keeping with the spirit of the event, as it turns out.
“Not only are males welcome to come, but several of the bands do have men in them,” says Tessa Simonds, one of three Flywheel volunteers spearheading the local incarnation of the internationally known series. “For us, Ladyfest is about empowering and celebrating women in DIY music and culture, which we hope men want to get in on, too!”
Considering the pool of talent Simonds and fellow organizers Erika Elizabeth and Meghan Minor have amassed for this weekend (including Noho’s own Horse Bladder and Honey Suck, D.C’s Hot Mess and Beantown’s Banditas), Ladyfest certainly has all the makings of an event that will know no boundaries in terms of appeal, gender or otherwise. And if that’s not enough, every show and workshop is open to all ages, too.
*
In other news, School for the Dead (schoolforthedead.com) “headmaster”/mastermind Henning Ohlenbusch says that the venue he has selected to commemorate his band’s decade of existence literally speaks volumes about what they hope to accomplish.
“We are known to put on energetic, loud and intense concerts at times, but at the Montague Bookmill, we’ll play the level we practice at,” Ohlenbusch says of his auspicious April 16 engagement. “We’ll play so each note of each instrument can be heard, as can every word of every song ,so that we can freely communicate with the audience.”
Kicking off the festivities this Saturday will be Hampshire College-based Andrew Emmons. Though best known for his work with the band Homer and Langley, the multi-instrumentalist is presently focused on his new solo effort, Homebones, due out this summer.
*
While the Dead-heads dampen the volume so as to ensure every note is audible, the 13th annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival—occurring April 14-16—promises to deliver mind-melting decibels as just under 100 of the world’s heaviest bands occupy the stage of Worcester’s Palladium in a 72-hour span. Leading the charge are recently reunited metal-core purveyors Biohazard, making their festival debut on Friday, April 15.
“It’s been years since we played anywhere in New England… 15 with the original band, so this show will be off the hook for our old-school friends,” notes Biohazard’s Billy Graziadei. “I’m [also] looking forward to playing in front of those people who have never seen us—only heard the stories from the older brothers and sisters back in the day.”
Other Hardcore Fest heavyweights include Hatebreed, Attack Attack, Between the Buried and Me and Blood for Blood. For full schedule and ticket purchasing options, kindly point your browser to metalandhardcorefestival.com.
*
Similarly celebrating the 10-year musical milestone are The Raveonettes, a Danish indie rock duo comprising Sune Rose Wagner and Sharon Foo that has been credited by New Music Express with sparking “America’s pop renaissance.” It is slated to perform at Noho’s Pearl Street Nightclub (iheg.com) April 18 in support of its recently released fifth studio effort, Raven In The Grave.
Four days prior to that (April 14, for those number-weary after pulling all-nighters to finish their tax returns), Gary, Ind. native Freddie Gibbs brings his South By Southwest Festival-tested rhymes to Pearl Street. Of course, considering that Michael Jackson claimed the same home town, Gibbs knows full well he may never be the biggest thing to come out of blue-collar Gary. But in a recent CNN.com interview, he was quick to point out at least one major difference between himself and the King of Pop: “[Michael] and I came from two different Garys,” he explains. “He came from the pre-crack era, I was born in the crack era… so I’ve got a whole different story to tell.”
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, PO Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to:(860) 394-4262 or e-mail Garycarra@aol.com.
