The Scene Summer / Girl Power Edition 2018

FREE! Music, Art & Entertainment

The

Take One

girl P wer

EDITION

Summer Outdoor Shows Schedule PAGE 4 Album Review Brandy Carlile PAGE 5

Girl Talk with Maddy O’Neal PAGE 6 I’m Every Woman: Panel Discussion on How Live Music Empowers PAGE 10 PHOTO BY CAIT FLAC

Music, Art & Entertainment

C O N T E N T S

A Note from the Editor............................................................................................... 2 Summer Outdoor Shows Schedule................................................................................ 4 Album Review - Brandy Carlile..................................................................................... 5 Girl Talk with Maddy O’Neal......................................................................................... 6 I’m Every Woman: Panel Discussion on How Live Music Empowers....................................10 The “Wild Woman” - An Endangered Species, and How to Find Her....................................16 Want to Empower Women Around the World? Here Are 6 Organizations You Can Donate To.....18 Photo Page...........................................................................................................19

From the Editor Stevie. Beyoncé. Joni. Aretha. Annie. Etta. Madonna. Diana. Janet. Cher. Chaka. Janis. Lauryn. Cyndi.

Alicia. Carly. Erykah. Tori. Macy. Dolly. Gloria. Joan.

Some of music’s most innovative, inspirational and memorable voices have come from women.

But this issue isn’t just a tribute to the women who make the music. It’s a celebration of the women who enjoy it – who dance to it side by side until the sun comes up because it heals them and fills them with joy and electricity and makes them feel brave and beautiful. Here’s to you.

In this edition, you’ll learn about electronic pioneer Maddy O’Neal, get a taste of Brandy Carlile’s new album, learn what a “Wild Woman Retreat” is and read about six female concert fanatics and why they love live music. You’ll also read about six wonderful organizations that empower women around the world and, of course, get a list of upcoming shows you can’t miss.

Who runs the world?

Girls.

Rock on, ladiesJessica Reynolds

2

| The Scene

|

ENTERTAINMENT

SUMMER 2018

Published by The Daily Star, The Scene is your guide to arts and entertainment in Central New York. Free copies are distributed throughout Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie and Chenango counties. www.thesceneonline.com or check us out at www.facebook.com/OTownScene/ 102 Chestnut St., P.O. Box 250, Oneonta, NY 13820 DIRECTOR Chad Ritchko critchko@thedailystar.com (607) 441-7239

EDITOR Jessica Reynolds reynolds.jessica1926@gmail.com (607) 437-5007

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Tracy Bender PUBLISHER Fred Scheller fscheller@thedailystar.com (607) 441-7214

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Valerie Secor vsecor@thedailystar.com (607) 441-7235

Member of The Associated Press and CNHI News Service

SUMMER OUTDOOR

o f Sh ows

August

SCHEDULE

September

SPAC

NORTHWELL HEALTH at JONES BEACH THEATER

Home to the New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center hosts concerts in an acoustically ideal amphitheater surrounded by hiking trails, geysers and natural mineral springs.

An outdoor amphitheatre at Jones Beach State Park, this venue is one of two major outdoor arenas in the New York metropolitan area, along with PNC Bank Arts Center.

Saratoga Springs, New York

Aug. 21 | Godsmack with Shinedown Aug. 22 | Pentatonix Aug. 23 | Chris Stapleton with Marty Stuart, Brent Cobb Sept. 14 | Ringo Starr Sept. 15 | Kid Rock with Brantley Gilbert, Wheeler Walker Jr. Sept. 23 | Willie Nelson with Neil Young, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lucas Nelson Sept. 29 | Zac Brown Band

CMAC

Canandaigua, New York Renovated in 2006, the Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center’s state-of-the-art facility features 5,000 covered seats and lawn seating for up to 10,000 guests with a pristine view of Canandaigua Lake.

Aug. 29 | Earth, Wind and Fire Aug. 31 | Steve Martin and Martin Short with Steep Canyon Rangers, Jeff Babko

MONTAGE MOUNTAIN Scranton, Pennsylvania

A world-class concert venue, ski resort and water park, Montage Mountain is home to popular music festivals Camp Bisco and The Peach.

Aug. 25 | Pentatonix Aug. 31 | Shinedown with Godsmack, Red Sun Rising Sept. 14 | Willie Nelson with Van Morrison, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lucas Nelson

BETHEL WOODS Bethel, New York

Located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts includes a Pavilion Stage amphitheater with seating for 15,000, an intimate 440-seat indoor Event Gallery, the award-winning Museum at Bethel Woods, and a Conservatory for arts education programming.

Aug. 19 Aug. 24 Sept. 1 Sept. 2 4

| O.A.R. with Matt Nathanson & The New Respects | 311 & The Offspring with Gym Class Heros | Steve Martin & Martin Short with Steep Canyon Rangers, Jeff Babko | Deep Purple & Judas Priest with The Temperance Movement

| The Scene

|

SUMMER 2018

(Formerly Nikon Theater) Wantagh, New York

Aug. 22 | Counting Crows with Live Aug. 25 | 311 and The Offspring Aug. 28 | G-Eazy and Lil Uzi Vert with Ty Dolla $ign, YBN Nahmir, P-Lo, Murda Beatz Sept. 1 | Deep Purple & Judas Priest with The Temperance Movement Sept. 2 | Godsmack and Shinedown Sept. 6 | Breaking Benjamin with Five Finger Death Punch, Bad Wolves Sept. 8 | Ozzy Osbourne with Stone Sour Sept. 12 | Niall Horan with Maren Morris

ST. JOSEPH’S HEALTH LAKEVIEW AMPHITHEATER Syracuse, New York

The Lakeview Amphitheatre opened in 2015 to bring the best summer concert tours into the upstate New York area. The views from around the venue are spectacular. The Lakeview Amphitheatre box office is located at 490 Restoration Way on the Great New York State Fair Grounds in Syracuse, New York. The venue has 5,000 reserved/covered seats and capacity for another 12,000 on the lawn.

Aug. 22 | Breaking Benjamin with Five Finger Death Punch, Bad Wolves Aug. 23 | Pentatonix Aug. 24 | Lynyrd Skynard with Hank Williams Jr., 38 Special, Marshall Tucker Band Aug. 29 | Godsmack with Shinedown, Red Sun Rising Sept. 1 | Ozzy Osbourne with Stone Sour Sept. 14 | Kid Rock with Brantley Gilbert, Wheeler Walker Jr.

DARIEN LAKE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Darien Center, New York

The Darien Lake Performing Arts Center was opened in 1993 to be the main venue at the Darien Lake theme park to draw the hottest summer concert tours. The box office has access to 21,600 seats to every show. You can purchase Darien Lake PAC tickets without actually visiting the theme park.

Aug. 24 | G-Eazy and Lil Uzi Vert with Ty Dolla $ign, YBN Nahmir, P-Lo, Murda Beatz Sept. 3 | Breaking Benjamin with Five Finger Death Punch, Nothing More, Bad Wolves Sept. 5 | Deep Purple & Judas Priest with The Temperance Movement Sept. 7 | Niall Horan with Maren Morris Sept. 28 | Kid Rock with Brantley Gilbert, Wheeler Walker Jr.

w e i v e r album Brandi Carlile

u o Y e v i g r o F I , y

By The Wa Fans of Brandi Carlile shouldn’t be disappointed with “By The Way, I Forgive You,” but the singer-songwriter’s efforts on her sixth album may not be enough to win over new converts,

By Emily Popek either.

“By The Way, I Forgive You” kicks off with “Every Time I Hear That Song,” showcasing Carlile’s ability to bring an unexpected wildness to even the most ordinary melody or lyric. It’s only this that keeps tracks like “Every Time I Hear That Song” from being completely forgettable.

On “The Joke,” a piano ballad, it almost doesn’t matter that the chorus of “Let ‘em laugh while they can/Let ‘em spin/Let ‘em scatter in the wind” doesn’t inspire, because Carlile’s soaring vocals are enough. Still, it does make you wonder what she could be capable of if she was given material with the same fearless grit as her voice.

We get a taste of this on “Hold Out Your Hand,” which opens with Carlile almost spitting out the words of a rapid-fire, upbeat ditty that swells into a chorus with echoes of Guided By Voices. Carlile’s rawness bursts forth, too, on “Whatever You Do,” a down-tempo tune where she hints at a relationship gone by, but keeps her truths close to the vest when she sings “There’s a

road left behind me that I’d rather not high point of the album. Just as strong speak of,” leaving the listener to fill in is the last track, “Party of One,” which the blanks. begins with a Tori Amos-like piano riff but veers sharply into Billy Joel territoOn “The Mother,” a tuneful ballad ry with the opening lines, “Waiter send with acoustic guitar, Carlile is at her this to the table/to the party of one/the Indigo Girls best, the rawness washed only other lonely soul on this place.” out of her voice by sweetness. Every parent will understand what she Carlile is at her raw, wild best as means when she sings of her daughshe laments how painful love can be, ter, “She filled my life with color/cansinging “I don’t want to throw stones celed plans and trashed my car/but anymore/I don’t want to take part in none of that was ever who we are.” the war” with a desperate fierceness.

When she sings, “I am the mother The song ends on a note of, if not of Evangline,” Carlile captures both hope, at least beauty, as strings swell the joys and frustrations of parenttoward a delicate denouement rich hood with both poetry and directness with feeling. on one of the standout songs of the All told, “By The Way, I Forgive You” album. has a few great moments, but the Sometimes, though, the words and spaces in between them suffer from the music seem at odds, such as the mediocrity. However, a few tracks here rousing “Sugartooth,” which finds point the way to what could be posCarlile employing tired metaphors to sible from Carlile, if only her material sing about someone losing his life to matched her abilities. ¯ addiction, and the strangely upbeat “Fulton County Jane Doe,” a tribute to an anonymous woman found murdered in Fulton County, Georgia, with “not a living soul to guide you/and Jesus tattooed on your hand.” Both songs are pretty, but their brightness feels out of place, mismatched to the darker notes sounded in her lyrics.

The same juxtaposition is at play in “Harder to Forgive,” but here at least Carlile is allowed to be interesting. The close of this track, which shifts to a rousing drumbeat and wailing vocals reminiscent of The Killers, is a BRANDICARLILE .COM

The Scene | SUMMER 2018 | 5

girl talk with Maddy O’Neal

Denver DJ Maddy O’Neal has started a new chapter with the launch of her new self-titled project ‘Maddy O’Neal,’ breaking free from the past and stepping out on her own for the first time in her music career. She is determined to become a female leader in a male-dominated live electronic genre.

Maddy’s rock n’ roll family roots and growing appetite for oldschool hip-hop give her a versatility that sets her apart from other artists in the scene.

It’s this versatility, paired with her meticulous ear and effortless mixing style, that allows Maddy to connect with her audience. By incorporating influences from across the genre board, Maddy’s production are full of melodic overtones, driven basslines and jazzy hip-hop. Laying her heart and soul out every time she hits the stage, her undeniable passion gives her a massive appeal that any music junkie can relate to.

PHOTOS BY CAIT FLAC 6

| The Scene

|

SUMMER 2018

Here’s what Maddy has had to say about making a name for herself as one of electronic music’s most-celebrated female artists:

“

No matter how much you believe in equality, women still have to prove themselves. People are always waiting to see what you can do. It’s crazy to see the flip-flop of how people treat you beforehand and after seeing you play. Being a female making electronic music is a bit of a double-edged sword, because it’s given me an opportunity to be this mentor, but I also know I have to prove myself wherever I go. … We underestimate the value of seeing something done just to know it’s possible, like seeing a female DJ on stage.”

– Denver Westword, December 12, 2017

ä

“

I’m doing a lot of experimenting with my sound right now, and I’m definitely moving a little bit away from sample-based music because I want to be able to actually put it on Spotify and not worry about having clear samples and everything. I’m still kind of figuring out which direction I want to go in.

I’m doing a lot of different experimenting, but a lot of my influences aren’t going to change. …It’s challenging me because I taught myself music through sampling, and now I’m creating original samples.”

– 303Magazine.com, October 24, 2017

“

I get to be a role model in a sense and try to help empower women to get into the scene or just in general. I was raised by a very feminist mother, and I think it’s really cool that I can not only do what I love and share my music with people on that scale but that it also feels like it’s attached to something bigger—in empowering other females by being a force against the stereotype so to speak. Most times, I don’t even really think about the fact that I am such a rarity in the industry because I try to think of myself on the same level as everyone else regardless of gender.”

– Live for Live Music, April 26, 2017 8

| The Scene

|

SUMMER 2018

“ “

Well, my mentality approaching anything in my life is the more knowledge you have the better off you’ll be. And if you show up, be professional and know what you’re doing, people will treat you no different whether you are a male or female etc. I don’t necessarily categorize myself as being a “female producer” or try not to at least. I wanted to be respected as an artist in general for the same reasons everyone else is.”

– Odyssey Online, Oct 17, 2017

“As soon as I broke out on my own and my mom could really see how my music was empowering me, she saw how my career was attached to a larger idea of female empowerment and it really helped her get on board and see the bigger picture of what I was doing. … My whole goal in this in general is to be able to inspire others. Some of my proudest moments of being a female in the industry has been getting feedback from my fans at shows telling me that I empower or inspire them.”

– wysidio.com, January 23, 2018

To hear Maddy’s beats and find a show near you, visit www.maddyonealmusic.com ¯

People are twice as likely to pay attention to you at first because you are in that small percentage of women in an otherwise male-dominated industry but also twice as likely to write you off as well, or underestimate the amount of work you do and the talent you possess. I really hope that I can be a part of that push in dispelling some of the stereotypes with what I am doing in some way or another, or inspire other females to get into the scene as well, like some of the women in the industry did for me. ill-ésha has been a huge influence to me as a friend, musician and mentor. … Some other women that I have been super inspired by are Anna Lunoe, Clozee, Megan Hamilton, Alison Wonderland, and Mija. All killing it right now!”

– Sound Fix, July 11, 2016

CASS AN DR A LLY E N N O C

E

ROMAND IN A O TE IS R H

K A T

Jaime lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and can’t live without the beach. Her hobbies include petting every dog she sees and going to as many Phish shows as possible.

WOMAN Six Women Share Their Thoughts on Live Music and How It Empowers Them

AMY SHERI D A N

- Jaime Funk

I’M EVERY

C

I have met my closest friends through live music. These women and men from all over the country love me for my weird, silly and imperfect self. I don’t have to worry about anything else but being authentic Jaime. We can get together when our favorite bands tour the country, and it is our safe place together. The music transports you to a place of total strength coming from a heart connection. It touches your core and allows your senses to move you to just be - to just trust yourself. As a woman, you know you are confident because you are part of the music.

Being with an entire group of people just becomes a giant wave of love and acceptance that you can ride. We are grooving with the music, having the time of our lives and just being ourselves. It’s a gift emotionally to be able to feel the music, not just hear it.

JU LI A Y OD O M

I

n a world where women are judged by what they wear, what they look like, their job and if they have a family, being at a live show crushes all of those judgements completely. I can go to a live show wearing glitter on my face, a sequined skirt, crazy socks and looking absolutely ridiculous, dance like a lunatic, and feel right at home. Being able to go to a show and completely lose myself in the music is a feeling that I don’t get to have in my everyday life. Being in a crowd of people where everyone is locked in with that feeling and enjoying the music is where I’m most at home.

SE U O H

JAIME FUNK

I

have been going to concerts as long as I can remember, and my taste in music has constantly evolved to reflect my circumstances.

Consistently, though, live shows have provided a means for me to have a form of self-expression, both in terms of the style of music that I was listening to and how I used that as an extension of myself. It is easy to be inspired at a concert not only by the others that surround you – each genre’s crowd with its own aesthetic and personality – but also by the finesse and craftsmanship of the performers on stage. The music itself is such a huge part of the experience and when the quality is there, it can transport you.

Jon Fishman talks about being able to use the experience of live music as “food” and “nutrition” and to take that with you after a show and bring it back to the real world. This holds true in my experiences. Finding the jam scene, in particular, has given me a sense of community.

To go to a show, covered in glitter, and dance your heart out listening to music that you love surrounded by others doing the exact same is unparalleled. It creates a safe haven in a world where this isn’t always easy to find, and you become enraptured by the feeling. The freedom of mind and body in this environment is sublime, and when you reemerge, it allows you to be more at peace and use that strength to be confident in every other realm. The acceptance and the unity among my fellow live music lovers have given me the conviction necessary to return to the “real” world with sureness in myself.

- Julia Moody Julia works in the fine art industry in New York City and can’t live without the Grateful Dead!

ä 10

| The Scene

|

SUMMER 2018

The Scene | SUMMER 2018 | 11

L

ive music has empowered my life for many years. I suppose I could track it back to when I was 9 and saw my first concert Bruce Springsteen in his Born In The USA tour. Or maybe I have Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir to thank when I saw The Grateful Dead at MSG on September 16, 1993. Maybe that was the beginning of allowing live music to empower me. In any event, it’s safe to say that live music has empowered me all of my adult life.

After Jerry Garcia died, I started

going to raves and listening to the burgeoning brand of House Music.

Between the Deadheads and the rave kids, music has introduced me to the majority of my friends over the years. Hell, when Peter Shapiro opened Brooklyn Bowl nine years ago, I found an amazing group of people I will be friends with forever. I always thank Peter for that... for I don’t know where I would be without those very people. Through the Brooklyn Bowl posse, four of the ladies created a monthly NYC Music Ladies Potluck, which has now grown nine years later to 60 people.

My love for live music has also allowed me to work in music. I worked for five years at the beginning of my career at MusicVision, the company that has the digital rights for NSYNC, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson etc.

In the last 12 years, I have owned a Digital Advertising Agency.

Sadly, recently, I have gone through a personal tragedy and my brother passed away very unexpectedly in January. He was only 39. I

spent many weeks with him while he was unconscious in the hospital.

While I was there, I thought a lot about how fleeting life is, also, that this minute we are living is the only thing that is guaranteed. I had this idea. In my work, I own and have launched hundreds of websites; however, I didn’t own one music website, even though it was my passion and hobby. I realized in the hospital room that I needed to let live music empower me once again, so I started a website which aggregates the daily live music webcasts or live streams. I launched Fangeist.com.

My team and I have been working very hard in creating content - writing, taking pictures and curating daily live music streams.

- Amy Sheridan Amy owns the NYC-based digital marketing agency Blue Phoenix Media, Inc. She also runs Fangeist.com, an online live music portal for fans.

ä

12

| The Scene

|

SUMMER 2018

T

he live music experience empowers me bands really spark my creativity and I’ve by giving me a place I can most be been known to make my own merch and myself and feel truly connected to give it away at shows. Whether it’s tank source. It allows me to express love tops for me and my Widespread Panic energy in a different way than I do in homegirls, the 300 ‘Fuego’ fans I my everyday life. Live music creates gave out during Phish’s Baker’s Dozan environment where I feel more en run, or the hundreds of Planet comfortable with my body and judge Love stickers and magnets I gave myself less. At shows, I love to go out on Jam Cruise, I love coming up crazy and wear funky clothes and with ideas and sharing the love in the wigs and costumes. It’s very freeing! form of a gift. I truly believe the gift is I also love traveling to places I haven’t in the giving. been before to experience music with I’ve been seeing live music since I different people from around the world. was a teenager, but I consider myself a late Music creates an instant connection. bloomer when it comes to the jam band Live music also inspires my creativity scene. I only discovered it about 10 years - Christein Aromando and makes me want to give! Give more ago and it is a very big part of my life now.

Christein is a television love. Give more of myself. And make There’s nothing better than having an editor living in Brooklyn, things and give them away! I’ve always incredible shared experience with peobeen a big fan of band merch. I can ple you love and taking that love energy New York. Live music feeds hardly think of a show I’ve been to where you’ve created back into the world with her soul.

I haven’t bought something. But certain you. It’s magic.

ä

The Scene | SUMMER 2018 | 13

L

ive music empowers me on two levels; when I perform live, and when I attend a live show.

M

usic is one of the only things in life that has a completely even playing field between men and women.

If you are dedicated, driven, focused and curious, you have the potential to be the best version of yourself in a realm that has a steep and endless learning curve. Music as an art form taps into catharsis quicker than any other. It is how we process and it is how we grow. And in the meantime, we connect to community, love, and then back into ourselves.

- Kate Connelly After working for three years as a lighting designer for live concerts, Kate enrolled in a MFA program at the Academy of Art university in San Francisco. She graduated with a degree in fashion design with a focus in sustainability. She has been based in San Francisco for the last 3.5 years but is looking forward to her upcoming move to NY.

For me, the latter is essential to existence in a way. At least my own, and for many others I know. I believe the release of singing along, dancing to, or just riding the wave of sound at a live show creates both a healing power on an individual level and an unparalleled comradery between all of the people sharing in the same live experience. As a musician, I also gain a crazy amount of inspiration by watching and listening to live shows, and I learn many things about performing I couldn’t quite get in any other way. Watching live shows teaches me about confidence, about being able to be flexible in the moment, and how to have fun. It’s so powerful to be able to feel the energy in a given room or at any venue.

I feel like, at a live show, the music changes according to what the energy provides in the moment, between audience and artist. The feeling is genuinely authentic and can only be achieved by being in that moment. Something I think we are

missing in a lot of other facets of our lives now. Live shows are an invitation to pause, reflect and live in the absolute now. That is completely priceless in my opinion.

I am lucky enough to be able to know both sides of this crazy experience, and I am always counting my lucky stars for that.

As a live performer, the audience does most of the empowering, I’ve found. When you are performing your own music, or even music you have rehearsed for a long time, the songs become second nature. Not that it is boring at all, but the ZING! effect has all but worn off. Or so you think. Then there is an energy field that is created, like a little unspoken agreement between audience and performer, that can make the music come to life in an unexpected way. Both parties mirror each other’s energy, and if it is volleyed the right way, can transform the way you act, sing and play.

It really is truly wonderful. Live music is one of the rare things these days that is pure magic, vulnerability and, ultimately, a very powerful healer for all involved.

- Cassandra House Cassandra is a Long Island-based singer/songwriter whose unique folk rock sound has been described as soulful, earnest & raw. Her new album, ‘the Roam’ was with the help of acclaimed & Grammy winning producer/engineer Ben Wisch, and is available on iTunes, Apple Music, CD Baby, Spotify and at cassandrahouse.net. ¯ 14

| The Scene

|

SUMMER 2018

girl P wer Music, Art & Entertainment

checkitout

www.thesceneonline.com or The Scene on Facebook

The Scene | SUMMER 2018 | 15

RIPTIDE PHOTOGRAPHY

The “Wild Woman”

– An Endangered Species, and How to Find Her

By Taraleigh Weathers Author of RockingLife.com Instagram: rockinglife__ 16

| The Scene

|

When asked to write a piece on women’s empowerment in the music scene, I wondered for a moment if it might be a difficult task for me. Our society has made it normal for us to look out only for ourselves, and when women compete, it’s celebrated by most who are witnessing. This paradigm is shifting drastically from competition to collaboration, and I’m so grateful to be a rider on that wave.

From Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes: “Within every woman there lives a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. She is the Wild Woman, who represents the instinctual nature of women. But

SUMMER 2018

she is an endangered species.”

We retrieve, examine, love and understand the “Wild Woman,” and hold her against our deep psyches as one who is both magic and medicine.

A woman’s DNA is made to be wild, but there are so many forces out there trying to silence her. Sometimes it’s one of our own doing the hushing, and the music scene is no exception.

Not all of the ladies have had a drink of the ‘we’re all in this together so we might as well help each other’ Kool-Aid, but more and more women are chugging it keg standstyle, and it’s my favorite thing to cheer on.

One woman on the scene rocks female empowerment so hard that it’s intoxicating to all who’ve witnessed her in action on and off the stage. She embodies the wild woman and inspires others to do the same.

Who is this goddess? Her name is Hayley Jane, and she’s a lady igniter!

A few years ago, Hayley and I decided to collaborate together and co-host a women’s retreat in Vermont.

We felt a strong calling to gather with other women, even though we didn’t know exactly what would happen, what it would look like and who would come to it. All we knew was that it’s really hard being a badass, powerful lady in this world, and we wanted to be a support system for others who felt an urge to step up, speak the truth and howl at the moon.

What happened was nothing short of miraculous. Fifteen women traveled from all over the country to Vermont to get weird and wild with us in the woods. We sat in circles and shared our truths. One woman shared her story of abuse - one so traumatic that she had never shared with another living soul. As the words oozed out of her mouth and tears flowed down her face, every woman there held her with their unconditional love.

After she completed her share, I asked, “Who here personally experienced some sort of abuse from a person that they loved and can relate to what she just shared?”

Almost every female hand shot up.

We’ve all been disempowered in some way by

someone who loved us, and most of us were afraid to say the words aloud.

I’ve recently learned about how trees have a mycelium network, and through their roots they share information with each other in a natural and intelligent way.

If a fellow tree is struggling (fires, drought, destruction), they all band together and communicate to send resources to try to help that tree. Humans are not much different and innately want to support and help each other too. Collaboration has made a resurgence. Thank goddess!

If you’ve seen a Hayley Jane and the Primates show, you’ll get to witness women working together in action. At some of her shows, she has a tribe of goddesses on stage with her called the Interstellar Dancers. These women are powerful, brave and strong, and it’s clear in every move they make that their mission is to lift each other up.

When it comes to choreography, Hayley listens to, fully embraces and respects everyone’s ideas and brings them all to the stage. Some of the subject matter of the songs she writes are really

intense and the dancers dive head-first into the darkness. Hayley’s words are brought to life through movement, and as a spectator, it’ll move you too. You can witness the healing happening on stage, and it transpires onto the crowd.

Hayley has a song called, “I Can Do It” in which she coaxes the crowd to sing the mantra with her. When you do, you’ll start to believe that maybe you can do it too, because if she can, her dancers can and all the other people singing can, it’s possible. We can do it!

Hayley brings the concept of the mycelium network into everything she does. After the Tumbledown Festival in Burlington, VT the last weekend in July, she asked Elise Testone (who has one of the most powerful voices in the music scene) to join her on stage to sing the Primates’ final song together. These two women could easily be each other’s competition and be intimidated by one another, but that’s not the choice they made.

Instead, they lifted each other up. You can tell just by looking at them that they must struggle with others trying to dim their lights and

make them feel smaller because they’re women trying to make it in a man’s world.

Joining forces, their lights shine brighter and bolder. Their root system is so strong that it would be next to impossible to knock them down, no matter how hot the storm rolled in. This is what it’s all about. This is how we empower one another.

If you identify as a woman, the next time you see a woman in her power and feel like you want to devise a plan to bring her down a notch, know that she’s probably a lot like you. Likely, she has similar insecurities and “stuff” she’s struggling with. Instead of trying to dim her light, think about how you can work together to shine even brighter.

If you identify as a man, are you consciously or subconsciously being sexist?

Are you putting bands with females on your rosters? Are you treating female artists the same as you are the males? Are you an ally to all the ladies in your life? I challenge you to really think about this and try to do better.

Women are amazing! ¯

Taraleigh and Hayley are hosting another Wild Woman Retreat this September in Vermont at This Wonderful Place (Taraleigh’s retreat center that she owns with her husband). Read all about it and reserve your space here: www.taraleighlovesyou.com/experiences/ wildwomanretreat

The Scene | SUMMER 2018 | 17

Want to Empower Women Around the World?

Here Are 6 Organizations You Can Donate To It’s safe to say that “girl power” has become more than just a trend. Every day, women are gaining more and more confidence to use their voices. The narrative has also shifted to helping other females rise up instead of knocking each other down. (See you never, cat fights!)

This is easy to do in our everyday lives. After all, compliments and encouragement can go a long way. But what if you want to spread that empowerment even further?

By donating to organizations that support women, it’s totally possible. The best part is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home. With just a few clicks, you can empower females across the globe. Here are a few options to get you started:

1. Fashion & Compassion

that promote female empowerment include a self-help group for $72 and a small business launch for $365. You can also feed a woman’s family by donating a gift basket with livestock like sheep and chickens. These animals will provide milk, eggs and wool that can be sold for regular income.

4. CARE

By Kirsten Nunez Lifestyle journalist, editor, author and past contributor to Verily Magazine, CureJoy Inc and Time Inc. K-Nunez.com

fashionandcompassion.com Fashion & Compassion, a nonprofit organization based in North Carolina, empowers impoverished women by teaching them how to make jewelry and crafts. And for just $19, you can sponsor an artisan in one of their U.S. projects. The funds are enough to cover costs for one week! In their international projects, the same $19 will support the costs for an entire month.

2. World Vision donate.worldvision.org/gift-catalog/girls-women World Vision has a variety of gifts that empower girls and women. The donations also vary in price, so it’s easy to find something that fits within your budget. For example, $25 will buy a girl a bicycle, while $120 will provide a small business loan for women. A new mother and baby kit can be gifted for $150.

3. Heifer International heifer.org/gift-catalog From education to sustainable farming, Heifer International offers several ways to help women across the globe. Gifts

18

| The Scene

|

SUMMER 2018

gifts.care.org/womens-empowerment Like World Vision, CARE has an assortment of gifts that fall under different categories.

Many options help women start their own businesses, such as toy-making workshops for $45 and soap production materials for $25. Just $22 is enough to provide startup funding for a bakery business! Other empowering gifts include female mentorship clubs, leadership training and school scholarships.

5. I Support the Girls

isupportthegirls.org Even if you’re unable to give a monetary gift, it’s still possible to help. Support the Girls, a Maryland-based nonprofit organization, collects and distributes new and gently used bras to women and girls around the country and world. They also give out sealed tampons and pads, ensuring that females have sanitary products. Support the Girls has already gifted items to over 180,000 women who are homeless or refugees, or who have escaped domestic violence. Donations can be shipped to: I Support the girls, Attn: Dana Marlowe, P.O. Box 2736, Wheaton, Maryland 20915.

6. International Rescue Committee gifts.rescue.org/shop/women-and-girls-charity-gifts International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid and relief nonprofit organization. Through IRC, you can fund a safe birth for $24, three newborn baby kits for $63, or school clothing for girls for $105 – just to name a few. Aside from these gifts for women and girls, IRC also has opportunities to aid emergency relief efforts. ¯

PHOTOS BY CHAD RITCHKO