WAKE-UP-GRRL

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT 2009

2009-11-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

Take Back The Night is an internationally held march and rally intended as a protest and direct action against rape and violence against women. Take Back The Night originated in 1973 in Germany as a response to a series of sexual assaults, rapes, and murders that occurred that year. Today, this protest has expanded world-wide, and is now organized internationally by local communities. As part of the movement, women will walk out without the fear of the night and demand that perpetrators of this violence are held accountable for their actions and that systmes and policies that support violence against women be made to change.

This year's Windsor, Ontario march is occuring TONIGHT (November 6th, 2009) from 8pm until 10pm starting at Dieppe Park.

From the facebook event: "This year we have decided to change the route, and format of the evening. We will begin at Dieppe Park on Riverside Dr, starting with opening remarks from our MC Ashley Degrandis, followed by Bhavin Billimoria from the White Ribbon campaign, who will speak about the reason men do not march with us, followed by our keynote speaker Charlene Senn which will be followed by a luminary memorial for the 500 Missing Aboriginal Women. We plan to venture through much of downtown Windsor, hitting some key spots. With the help from our very own Radical Cheerleaders we will walk down to Riverside, up Ferry, turning on Chatham to Pelisser rallying past the strip clubs. Pelisser will lead us to Wyandotte and to Ouelette. We will walk down Ouelette that will lead us back to Dieppe Park for a closing performance by the Radical Cheerleaders.

We will also be hosting a Bake Goods and Hot Chocolate Sale to raise some money to continue the TBTN events."

Back in action after a loooooong summer hiatus.

2009-09-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Wake-Up-Grrl started out as a school project, but as the semester progressed, I started receiving feedback outside of the classroom from all over the world, and I vowed to keep this blog going once the class came to an end. Unfortunately, I found myself in an unmotivated rut over the summer. I'm not sure if I was just pooped from school, busy with work, traveling and hanging out, or what, but my motivation to write here suffered quite a bit. Even my photo blog is currently not up to date (but I've been taking photos everyday, I promise!).

But, now that I'm back in school, my life is a bit more organized and structured once again, so I've decided that it's time for me to WAKE-UP and revitalize this blog! So for any of you loyal readers who have been wondering "what the hell happened to Cristina over the last four months?" I'm back! You can be expecting a new post either later tonight or early this week!

What exactly have I been up to, you ask? I got the amazing opportunity to study with the University of Windsor in New York City at NYU for three weeks in May and June. It was an amazing experience. There were some low points of the trip, and by the end of it, I was ready to come home, but besides that, the trip was a great learning experience. I also went to Calabria, Italy to visit family and friends for a couple of weeks in August. The photos are all up on my other blog, if you care to check them out.

I've been working like mad, which is good. Also, doing a lot of projects and activities with Broken City Lab. This summer we spent a lot of time creating planters out of recycled plastic bags. They will be featured in Fuse Magazine in 2010. We finally found some projectors, and are planning to get the Cross Border Communication project off the ground soon.
Tomorrow (Monday, September 14th, 2009) we're holding a psychogeography walk of the West End/University campus, entitled "Welcome To The Neighbourhood." If you're from Windsor, please come and check it out!

And I guess what's most exciting, is the project that we have lined up for this upcoming weekend in New York City! When I returned from NYC this Summer, Justin of BCL sent me a link to ConfluxCity2009 and suggested that we come up with some kind of proposal for their festival. After thinking it over one loooong day at work, I thought, "hmm...what if we proposed some kind of algorithmic psychogeography walk in the Subway system of New York?" Justin was all for it, so we wrote up a quick proposal and sent it in. Sure enough, we we're accepted into the festival, so Justin, Michelle, Danielle and I are heading down to The Big Apple this coming Friday. What's even more exciting is that we were also just chosen as one of the featured projects!

In terms of my radio life at CJAM. I've moved up from being an occasional host of Milk and Vodka (Part of the Women's Radio Collective), to the co-host of the roots/Americana show Steel Belted Radio with Jim Meloche (taking over for Dale Jacobs) and the co-host of indie rock/punk show The Washing Machine with Clara (taking over for Nicole Markham). Excitement!

So, there's my list of excuses as to why Wake-Up-Grrl has been neglected. At least I was keeping busy, right? Real posts to come! In the meantime, tell me what's been up with you!

Milk and Vodka with Cristina and Kate!

2009-07-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

ESL - Prove Me Wrong*
The Sick Lipstick - Go To Bed*
Language Arts - Welcome to the Words You Want in Your Life*
Mika Miko - Wild Bore
Matt and Kim - Cinders
Sonic Youth - Little Trouble Girl
Shapes and Sizes - Alone/Alive*
Tanya Donelly and Dylan in The Movies - The Lovecats
Screaming Females - Starving Dog
Pack A.D. - Pilot's Blues*
Miss Tk and The Revenge - Nowhere to Go
Mirah and Spectratone International - Community
The Unsettlers - No No No Yes*
Teenage Fan Club and Donna Matthews - Personality Crisis
X - Sugarlight
Hole - Jennifer's Body
The Maynards - Dance Fight*
Vivian Girls - No

* Canadian Content

You can download/stream it: here!

Virginia Woolf, anyone?

2009-07-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

LOL!

What the fuck Calvin Klein!?

2009-05-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

I leave for New York in approximately two and a half days. Not gunna lie, but as excited as I am to check out all of the awesome museums and art there is, I'm especially excited to check out all of their street art, and all the 120 illegal billboards that have been repainted with original works by New York artists.

However, apparently these artists missed a billboard on the corner of Houston and Lafayette, because THIS:
is what catches you attention as you're crossing the street. REALLY CALVIN KLEIN!? That girl is like, 15. Max.
Gross.
There's a huge difference between "provocative" and just plain raunchy.

CANFEMCON!

2009-05-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today Nicole and I hosted a special all Canadian Milk and Vodka!

Tracklist:
Bad Flirt - Mad, Mad Madeline
The Barmitzvah Brothers - Thrift Store Owner
Aspirations - Accident Prone
White Lung - Breaking Boxes
Tara Watts - Sunlight
Megan Hamilton - Moth
Immaculate Machine - The Neighbours Don't Mind
The Pack A.D. - June
Crystal Castles - Love and Caring
Lioness - What You Do Will Come Back To You
Dandi Wind - Bang of the Hounds
Mother Mother - Dirty Town
Shapes and Sizes - Island's Gone Bad
Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees - Trust Fund

If you missed out on all the awesome can/femcon, check out the archives at www.cjam.ca - May 4th - 5pm!

SMASH THE GLASS 2009 - PUNK NIGHT PHOTOS!

2009-04-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

Cold White North

Brass Knuckles

Empty Hands

The Love and Terror Cult

Two Hand Fools

Screaming Females!

2009-04-16T03:32:00.000-07:00

New video.

THIS IS ME PROCRASTINATING AT 6:30AM!

I'm going to see Screaming Females in Detroit and in New Jersey.

Smash The Glass 2009 - Phog Night Photos!

2009-04-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Floral Prints

Erica Di Maio

A Young Wife

Perilelle

Lioness

FAM PRESENTS: Through Women's Eyes & Voices

2009-04-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

Through Women's Eyes & Voices is a photography and music showcase happening at Milk Coffee Bar throughout the entire month of April. This event acts as a celebration of women's artistic output in our community.

Musical Showcases:
-All Shows: All-Ages/10PM/$5

Saturday, April 4th:
Corrina Keeling
Monique Belanger

Friday, April 17th:
Two For The Cascade
This Is Me, As A Woman

Saturday, April 25th:
Perilelle
Tara Watts

Photo Show & Sale runs the entire month of April and features the works of:
Roxi D-Lite
Alishia Fox
Anna Frenette
Bree Gaudette
Julia Hall
Corrina Keeling
Cristina Naccarato
Juliana Schewe
Melissa-Rae W
Tara Watts

Quick Reminder!

2009-03-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

TONIGHT! (March 26th, 2009)
Indie/Folk/Electronic Night of SMASH THE GLASS @ Phog
TOMORROW NIGHT! (March 27th, 2009)
Punk/Hardcore/Ska Night of SMASH THE GLASS @ The Chubby Pickle

The SMASH THE GLASS 2009 ZINES are printed and ready. Pick up a copy tonight for FREE or ask me for one.

SATURDAY NIGHT!
PLAYBOY MANSION PARTY @ THE UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR PUB
Ew. Seriously, what the fuck?
Don't go to this.

Go to see Walls of Jericho at The Chubby Pickle On Sunday!!
Candace Kucsulain tears shit apart. She's super bad ass.

Amy Franceschini: Futurefarmers Cultivating Consciousness Since 1995

2009-03-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

Amy Franceschini of San Francisco, is a contemporary American artist and designer who's practices span from drawing, painting, sculpture, design, net art, public art and gardening. She teaches media theory and practice courses at both Stanford University and San Francisco Art Institute.

In 1995, she founded Futurefarmers as a way to bring together multidisciplinary art practitioners to bring together new work. They are, "teachers, researchers, designers, gardeners, scientists, engineers, illustrators, people who know how to sew, pattern makers, cooks and bus drivers with a common interest in creating work that challenge current social, political and economic systems." Amy Franceschini explains, "The name [Futurefarmers] is a product of my childhood," explaining the influences of her father, a corporate farmer and owner of a pesticide company, and her mother, a New Age type devoted to the notion of organic farming.

Her Futurefarmers are comfortable with both traditional and new media, allowing them to employ a fertile approach to all of their projects. They also have an Artist in Residency Program, and have housed 19 artists from 8 countries who have created experimental and client based projects along with the Futurefarmers.

You can check out all of their projects on their website, but I figured I'd give you a taste by posting some their eco-friendly art projects for you.

CIVIC CYCLE 2008

Civic Cycle is a temporary bike share program, a public bike pump and a public forum to present existing city bike share programs as well as an open discussion to gather input on what San Francisco’s city bike program might look and operate like. The goal of this project is to cut traffic, reduce pollution, improve parking and enhance the city’s image as a greener, quieter, more relaxed place.

RAINWATER HARVESTER/GREYWATER FEEDBACK LOOP

A water saving system made from salvaged materials storing two types of water–water that normally runs away while becoming hot and rain water. The water is stored in the 3 small recycling bins which can also be used as benches to sit upon. The hand crank device on the right is used to pump stored water back to the sink to be used at a later time. The sink is equip with a variable drain allowing you to decide to let your water run back into the storage units, into the greywater system to the garden or out to the city system.

VICTORY GARDENS

An ongoing project being developed with the City of San Francisco. The program began as a utopian proposal and has now become a pilot project that supports the transition of backyard, front yard, window boxes, rooftops and unused land into food production areas. Victory Gardens has the mission to create and support a citywide network of urban farmers by (1) growing, distributing and supporting home gardens, (2) educating through lessons, exhibitions and web sites and (3) planting demonstration gardens in highly visible public lands; garden at city hall, schools and Golden Gate Park.

Amy Franceschini is a perfect example of a strong and independent woman who is blending her creativity and eco-awareness to create artistic activism and strive for change.

Smash The Glass 2009

2009-03-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Smash the Glass; a non-profit musical showcase entitled to empower women. Smash the Glass is a response to the lack of support towards female musicians in our city. "Smashing the Glass," comes from an understanding of the glass ceiling theory that describes the fact that women are limited as to how far they can advance up organizational ranks, the 'ceiling' is glass because it is transparent because limitations are not immediately apparent.

This DIY project started as an idea in April, 2007, while Sonia Nizzer was sitting in Nancy Gobatto’s Generation X, Third Wave Feminism class and was brought to life by herself and a close group of friends. We are back this year, to offer a stage, a podium, a foundation of motivation, support and ambition to those women who just want a chance to show YOU what they've got! We encourage men and women, all ages, to support this event. This is about celebrating and encouraging the females around us!

The festival will be two days this year, starting March 26 @ Phog Lounge and moving to the Chubby Pickle on March 27th. We hope that all who enjoyed last year's event come out again this year to recognize women in music! Tune into CJAM 91.5fm from 5 to 6 tonight for a special Smash The Glass segment of Milk and Vodka by myself and Nicole Markham (performer). We'll be chatting about the festival and playing the artists who you should come and check out this weekend!

Each Night is $5
Doors at 7pm for both shows
First night is indie/accoustic/electronic
Second night is punk/hardcore/etc
All proceeds going to the Well-come Centre for Human Potential

March 26th - Phog Lounge - 19+

Lioness - Toronto Electronic
Perilelle - Windsor Triphop
A Young Wife - Toronto Indie Folk
Erica Di Maio - Windsor Acoustic
The Floral Prints - Windsor Indie Acoustic

March 27th - Chubby Pickle - All Ages

Two Hand Fools - Kent Ohio Folk Pop Punk
The Love and Terror Cult - Mississauga Experimental Grind(?)
Empty Hands - Kitchener Hardcore
Brass Knuckles - Windsor Ska
Cold White North - Columbus Ohio Folk Punk

FitnessFirst: Using Public Humiliation To Up Their Gym Memberships!

2009-03-22T17:58:00.001-07:00

Imagine, after a long stressful day at work or school, you head over to the bus stop dying to sit down and breathe for a minute. Just as you sit, eager to rest your legs, you discover that the bench you're sitting on is actually hooked up to a SCALE that's displaying your weight to EVERY passerby in big, red, glowing numbers.

Fitness First, a gym chain in the Netherlands launched a new ad campaign, where they've hooked up the benches of bus stops to a scale that displays your weight to the public, and if you don't like what you see
, it tells you directly below where you can go to fix that problem.

Melissa on The F Word stated, "We’re sure Fitness First is expecting a huge spike in membership from this, but the effect is ruined the moment two people share the seat. That and, you know, trying to win people’s business by humiliating them."

Enough is enough! Not only are these people being publicly humiliated, but think about the damage this is doing to their self esteem. Like there aren't enough public advertisements ridiculing women who aren't a perfect size 2 (ie. facebook advertisements that are specifically targeted to women).

Many people let this issue slide because it's "health" related, but these are the issues that make girls develop eating disorders younger and younger, and quite frankly, I think we have enough little girls starving themselves trying to look like the photoshopped women they see in magazines.

International Women's Day Recap

2009-03-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

Sonia and I baked 70 cupcakes, and we didn't have a single one left over.
Here are a few black and white photos I took from the event.
You can find some alternate photos on my photo blog, or in my flickr.

Nicole Markham

Bree Gaudette

Erica Di Maio

Amour Amour Tara Watts Perilelle

This is Me as a Woman Thank you, everyone who came out to Phog Lounge on Sunday night to help us celebrate International Women's Day!
Also, Nicole and I joined Kyle Lebel on his CJAM show, "Juxtaposition Jukebox" and played a special Women's Day track list. You can check out the set list here.

Barbie Gets Inked!

2009-03-08T09:39:00.001-07:00

Remember my earlier post celebrating Barbie's 50th birthday, where everyone seemed to agree with my statement that little girls use their Barbies as a creative outlet? Remember when EVERYONE commented or came up to me and told me (outside of the blogosphere! omg!) that they used to draw tattoos on all of their barbies too? Well, Apparently Mattel has picked up on this 'popular' trend and created, Totally Stylin' Tattoo Barbie, which allows little girls to not only put little sparkly tattoos all over their doll, but on themselves as well.

As you can imagine, this new line of Barbie that comes complete with cutesy butterfly, hearts and flower tattoos has caused a lot of controversy, and parents world-wide have been filing complains stating Tattoo Barbie will make their little girls grow up too fast.

In this really hilarious and terribly written article, Robert Elessar states, "I don't know about the idea of little girls thinking about getting permanent tattoos before they graduate from medical school."
...WHAT? Yes Robert, all girls choose a path toward medical school, and they should wait until they've graduated to put ink on their bodies...???? How specific can you get?

Jenn Alcayaga, a parent from Sacramento, California, in a much more legit argument states, "It's attracting kids too young to want to expose parts of their body to show off tattoos."

In one way I think it's kinda cool, taking the MOST popular girl driven product and having her sport something that is usually seen as taboo. According to the Bitch Blog, only 1 in 4 women have tattoos, so essentially, this could create a giant shift in perspective. Plus, they're just moving a long with the changing times. It's not like they're giving Barbie tattoos of guns and spiders (like in these two photos where someone decided to give their own twist to tattoo barbie), it's still very innocent.

With that in mind, you also have to remember that Barbie is Mattel, and Mattel is a corporation who is obviously feeding off of the huge insurgence of tattoo culture and taking this opportunity for a little bit of corporate appropriation. Mattel argues that Totally Stylin' Tattoo Barbie, "let's children express themselves and be creative."

What do you think? Yay or nay?
Would you buy your kid Totally Stylin' Tattoo Barbie?

P.S. Happy International Women's Day! Don't forget to come celebrate tonight at Phog!

International Women's Day!

2009-03-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

Mark your Calenders! International Women's Day (IWD) is fast-approaching!
March 8th is the global holiday celebrating the economical, social and political achievements of women. It started off with a political and human rights theme in Russia and other Soviet Bloc countries. The theme was initiated by the United Nations and looks toward raising social awareness of women's struggles worldwide.

The celebration takes place in many different countries, who hold diverse initiatives and events that are brought about and planned by women. The global women's organization, Aurora has even created a worldwide register of all the IWD events happening. But, be sure to keep your eyes peeled and your ears opened for all of the fem-related events happening in our city!

CJAM's Women's Radio Collective will be hosting ten hours of special programming next Sunday. There will be tons of music and spoken word shows with various female hosts. All the content will be related to women's issues and kick-ass ladies, so be sure to tune in. That week, many other CJAM shows will also be featuring all-women setlists for their shows.

Sonia and I will also be hosting, "International Women's Day Jam" at Phog Lounge that night.
We're gathering up all of our local lady talents for a fun night of celebration and music!
With Smash The Glass coming up in just a few short weeks, we figured getting a few of the Windsor women musicians together would be a fun way to kick things off.
We've got a few local favorites, as well as a few that you may have not heard yet!
Joining us, we have Tara Watts, This is Me as a Woman, Steph Copeland (Perilelle), Amour Amour, Bree Gaudette, Erica Di Maio and Nicole Markham.
Be sure to stop in, tune in, celebrate, etc! This is a day for the ladies!

The Washing Machine Celebrates Their One Year Anniversary!

2009-02-25T20:11:00.000-08:00

If you have yet to check out The Washing Machine, you're really missing out. Nicole Markham and Clara Muska play a great variety of indie and punk rock, and tomorrow they're celebrating their one year anniversary on CJAM 91.5fm!
Be sure to tune in from tomorrow (Thursday, February 26th) at 10:30am - noon, and stop by the station for some free cupcakes!
Stay awesome, girls!

Phog Lounge: The Number One Live Music Venue in ALL OF CANADA!

2009-02-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

In the heart of our Downtown hub sits the small 60-seater bar, Phog Lounge who was just named THE BEST LIVE MUSIC CLUB IN CANADA! Today is a proud day for all of us Windsorites...especially the creative class!

Back in early February, CBC Radio 3 created a contest sending out their "searchlight," encouraging their listeners to vote for who they believed to be the best live music venue in Canada. The list started off with 114 clubs, and as the voting began to narrow down the list, the creative class in Windsor grew more and more excited as Phog was bumped to the Top 50...and then to the Top 10! It's been a long and exciting wait, but today at approximately 4pm EST, our little Phog was announced THE WINNER!

This undoubtedly will create a HUGE impact on Windsor's music scene. CBC also announced they will be presenting Phog with a line-up of "huge Canadian acts."

Phog has been such an encouraging and inspiring place when it's come to feminist and girl related events. Well-known Windsor musician Tara Watts hosts the open mics every Monday, they hold craft nights, women run fashion events AND Phog also just happens to be where Smash The Glass: Night One, and International Women's Day Jam will take place! So exciting!

Congratulations Phog Lounge!
We are all so proud of you!

Blurt: Celebration of the End.

2009-02-19T21:32:00.000-08:00

flyer by yours truly

February 20th, 2009.
A very sad day in the Windsor punk scene.
I know this has nothing to do with my topic, but as a frequent show-goer, I can safely say that Blurt's shows are THE ONLY punk shows in Windsor (or anywhere I've been really) where there is an extremely large female populous who not only attend, but get right in on all of the action.

Joining them on stage are W!nslow (Montreal), The Gutter Hearts, Mick and Jeremy of StereoGoesStellar, and Guilt Trip (Special Reunion).
The show is all ages, and is free.

Come help Blurt die.

KM Stitchery: Wearing Feminism

2009-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've all seen 454298572 (approx.) t-shirts with a photo of Che Guevara, or other revolutionary men, but what about all the awesome women revolutionaries? What if I want to walk around with Audre Lorde or Bell Hooks hanging out on my chest?

Browsing through The Bitch Blog earlier this morning, I came across an article entitled "Wearing Your Feminism On Your Sleeve," that showcased the Minneapolis-based, indie fashion designer, Lindsay Keating-Moore. She runs the clothing line, KM Stitchery, which showcases stenciled portraits of famous feminists on all of her pieces. The shirt above features one of my personal favorites, Gertrude Stein.

All of her clothing is recycled. She hits up thirft stores and buys overstock shirts in various sizes, and then uses water based, non-toxic paint for the stencils. She ALSO uses recycled cereal boxes to make her business cards and tags! Talk about an eco-veg friendly feminist!

She sells all of her stuff on Etsy.com, but she also keeps a blog about all of her endeavors. What's also great about her Etsy, is the "Who's that lady?" section she includes for each shirt!
So cool.

Some of the ladies she's stenciled include, Susan B. Anthony, Simone De Beauvoir, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and the list goes on.
Keep in mind that my birthday is quickly approaching ;-)
Also, If you missed the Genesis episode Kate and I put on last night about Burlesque, you can read her blog entry about it, or listened to the achieved version.

Genesis Does Burlesque

2009-02-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

I was going write a well thought out SECOND post on Burlesque, because myself and Kate are hosting a special edition of Genesis tonight about the topic, but then I figured you should listen for yourself tonight, and THEN I'll post all the issues we discussed.

Burlesque is a form of theatrical entertainment involving parody and exaggeration. It's rooted within nineteenth century vaudeville theater and was later resurfaced in the early twentieth century as a blend of satire, performance arts and adult entertainment.

We're going to be looking more into the origins of the art, look at why it is NOT stripping, how it can be looked at as a feminist enterprise, and highlighting some of the contemporary burlesque dancers and how it has been adapted into our everyday culture!

Be sure to tune in tonight from 8:30pm - 9pm on CJAM 91.5fm, or stream it live from www.cjam.ca

Milk and Vodka with Cristina Naccarato and Nicole Markham!

2009-02-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

Nicole and I had a very successful show tonight! Aside from a few minor technical difficulties, everything went really well. We had no set theme tonight, instead we went through our favorite femcon stuff and shared it with the world!
You can listen or download the show...here!

TRACKLIST!
Cristina's picks
Nicole's picks
Request!
* Canadian

Nanuchka - Madam Ching
Catlow - Added Up *
Dandi Wind - Drawing Straws *
Astrid Oto - Can't Farm In The Rain
Yoko Ono and Le Tigre - Sisters o Sisters
Bikini Kill - Rah-Rah Replica
Be Your Own Pet - Blackhole
Citywide Vacuum - Sweet Kraut *
Elbow Beach Surf Club - Our Hood *
Yelle - Amour Du Sol
Lemuria - Hours
Lemuria - Mechanical
Lemuria - Get Some Sleep
The Bran Flakes - You Can Do Most Anything
Miss TK and the Revenge - Fake Italians Aint No Stallions
Stereo Total - I Love you, Ono
Land of Talk - All My Friends *
Jenni Omnichord - The Old Prince *

Lemuria: Get Better

2009-02-16T03:16:00.000-08:00

I remember seeing Jay Reatard a few months back, and some dude was was either pissed about being at that show, or just wanted to get Jay all riled up (kind like that time he punched a kid), but he went up to the stage, and placed a note next to Jay's set list that read, "Pop-punk sucks, go to hell." I laughed, but the truth is there's nothing that can make my heart skip-a-beat faster than my semi-unhealthy obsession with the energetic, jovial sound of pop punk. As cheesy as that sounds, it's totally true...but probably not exactly what you're thinking of either. By "pop-punk," I'm not referring to Blink-182, Green Day, or more contemporary mainstream stuff (though I love that stuff too), I'm talking about the likes of The Descendents, Screeching Weasel, The Queers, The Ergs, etc. just to name a few.

Sheena Ozzella fronts Buffalo, New York pop punk band, Lemuria along with Alex Kerns and Jason Draper. They've been around since the fall of 2004, leaving a lasting impression on all of their audiences. They have two full-length releases on Asian Man Records and their catchy, sing-along sound, mixed with Sheena's super cute, girly voice has instantly made them one of my new favorites.

Their two LPs include, The First Collection, which has all of their tracks from previous EPs and splits compiled onto one convenient album, and Get Better which is their newest effort, released in 2008.

Can You See The Sunset's review said:

Get Better takes the best parts of rough-edged pop-punk and washes them with little bit of indie rock into something catchy, earnest, believable. Sappy, a bit off-kilter, and unrefined rough around the edges, this shouldn’t work but it does. Get Better is unpolished and better because of that.

The female/male dual vocals of Sheena Ozzella and Alexander Kerns are filled with tension and are the “it” factor that makes this album totally amazing. Kerns vocals are subdued and restrained while Ozzella’s are much brighter and way more in-your-face and together (especially when harmonizing) it is so f’ing good that I’m struggling for words to describe this.

I agree. If you like pop-punk remotely, or even if you're into indie pop, girl vocals, whatever, there is something in this album that everyone can get into. The other night, Janine and I went up to London to go to a show. We we're in a room with around 80 people. Give or take 20 we're female. It's SO great to see a woman fronting such a male-dominated music genre, and doing such an awesome job while she's at it.

This video is pretty low-quality if you actually want to check out what they sound like. BUT, this video shows them in all of their punk glory. Tons of sing alongs. Tons of stage dives...and tons of high-fives. You can also see how much Sheena rips at guitar. I'd suggest checking out to their myspace for better recordings, OR you can tune in to Milk and Vodka tomorrow night (Monday, February 16th) from 5-6. Nicole and I are going through some of our favorite femcon for the show, and I'll slip in a few Lemuria tracks for all of your listening pleasure. LISTEN! www.cjam.ca

Plastic Fantastic: Barbie Turns 50!

2009-02-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

Barbie is the most iconic, popular and controversial doll of all time. Approximately 3 barbies are sold every second of the day, bringing in $3.6 billion in revenue every year. Just about every North American girl has owned one at some point in their lives. At 50 years old, Barbie is still maintaining her banging, and completely unrealistic dimensions, which have (thankfully) been widened from the original 36-18-38, 5'9 stature.

Barbie's body has been under criticism ever since her creation. She instills an image of false womanhood in the eyes of little girls, which has even inspired eating disorders and low-self esteem. According to Robert Dobson's article in The Sunday Times,

“These ultra-thin images not only lowered young girls’ body esteem but also decreased their satisfaction with their actual body size, making them desire a thinner body.”

Dr Margaret Ashwell, science consultant and former director of the British Nutrition Foundation, said: “These results are very important and show that children can be influenced at a very early age. We need to be aware of that and take the appropriate action.”

In 1965 the creation of "Slumber Party Barbie" hit the stores. She came with a book entitled "How to Lose Weight" that suggested, "Don't Eat." She even came with a cute scale that was stuck on 110lbs. Approximately 35lb lighter than any healthy woman would be at 5'9. Adorable! Right?

Even though Barbie has the "perfect" body that any 14 year old, prepubescent teenage boy would swoon over, she's also been depicted in a variety of different ways other than her tall-blonde-decked-in-hot-pink self. She has had a wide array of powerful careers over the years. You can buy Doctor Barbie, Astronaut Barbie, Rockstar Barbie, PRESIDENT Barbie, and she has never been seen as a woman who has been pressured to marry or procreate. So why is Barbie an object of such feminist scorn? Shouldn't she also be regarded as an empowering play figure for young girls?

Carol Oakman, an Art professor at Williams University did an Interview with The Economist about her extensive research on Barbie, and she believes Barbie is not seen as female empowering because, "ultimately, it's the fact that people think a woman can't look like that, and be so obsessed with her appearance without being a bimbo... Barbie's origins in that time makes it hard for her to ever escape the thinking that formed her, which was less empowering for women."
As adults, it's easy for us to write off Barbie from a much more critical stand-point, but in the eyes of a young girl, Barbie encompasses a world of endless possibilities. Barbie can be used as a form of escapism and an outlet of creativity. Personally, I know when I was younger, I never looked at Barbie as a "hero" or "role model" hoping one day to grow torpedo breasts and dye my hair platinum blonde. Instead I used to chop off all her hair, draw little pictures to put around her house and constantly change her outfits. I admit, her unrealistic body is definitely problematic, but Mattel has been making the necessary changes. Barbie's body has since been redesigned to look more realistic, as well as more inclusive to different races of young girls.

Cristy C. Road is CROADCORE: Questioning Gender Through Illustration and Writing

2009-02-07T00:40:00.000-08:00

I first discovered Cristy C. Road way back in the summer of 2006 while leafing through a bunch of books, postcards and zines at The Trumbullplex in Detroit. I don't know if it was the super-relateable auto-bioesque prose or the detailed, thought-provoking artwork that caught my attention first, but after picking up GREENZINE 14, I was hooked and have been religiously following Cristy's ever since.

Cristy C. Road is a Cuban-American from Miami, Florida who has been drawing since she's been able to hold a pencil. She blends, "the inevitable existence of social principles, cultural identity, sexual identity, mental inadequacies, and dirty thoughts; thriving to testify the beauty of the imperfect." She attended Ringling School of Art and Design where she grew fervently upset with the commercial view and representation of the media's ideal women. In reaction to that she began writing, illustrating, and publishing GREENZINE at the age of 14 and kept it going for ten solid years. GREENZINE focused on "the politics of punk rock and honesty of adolescence," while also mixing in ideas of race, gender, and sexual liberation.

I just finished re-reading Cristy's coming-of-age illustrated memoir, INDESTRUCTIBLE, which I seem to be able to relate to more and more with every time I pick it up (this would have been my third time). Her flowing, descriptive prose alone can paint a vivid picture in the minds of any reader, but added with her killer, gritty artwork, the novel is an instant page turner. She gives a voice to every frustrated teenager, and a trip back down memory lane to any adult who has ever questioned their roles, or tried to defy the norms. The entire novel looks at gender bias and promotes all youth to question what is "acceptable." She reminds all women that they're still powerful and beautiful no matter how "different" they are.

Cristy's most recent work, BAD HABITS: A LOVE STORY, is another auto-biographical novel, but this time she's retelling how she overcame an abusive, manipulative relationship and her realization that self-love is the most important love you can find.

Her artwork alone would attract someone to pick up one of her books. DISTANCE MAKES THE HEART GROW SICK, a die-cut book of post cards features a whole slew of her best illustrations that you can rip out and share with your friends.

Though I don't know Cristy personally, I feel as if she's one of my closest, most inspirational friends. Her stories and artwork have not only inspired me, but also encouraged me to keep doing what I do, because no matter WHAT you do, or who you are, someone will always care, and someone will always feel exactly the same. Cristy reminds us we're never alone and that we should all continue to question our roles in society, otherwise nothing will change.
Ray Suburbia said it best, "So much of the world is bullshit. But yours doesn't have to be if you don't want it to. Cristy's writing reminds you of that."

Beyoncé: Na-na-na Diva is a Female Version of a Hustla?

2009-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

As you probably already know, I'm not much of a "top-40" kind of girl, but whatever, Beyoncé is fly as hell. Even Bitch Magazine called her the "female King Midas." She's constantly injecting everything she touches with a healthy dose of female empowerment...and shiny Gold accessories to match!

Think about it! From day one, Beyoncé has been pumping out chart-busting hits with strong messages to the ladies, such as "Survivor," "Independent Women," "Irreplaceable," "Upgrade You," etc.

B recently released her third solo album, I Am...Sasha Fierce on November 18th, 2008. The first two singles off the album, "If I Were a Boy," and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," play a bit with gender-politic, addressing female stereotypes and questioning what's heteronormative, but they're not nearly as "fierce" as her more recent single, "Diva."

Beyonce - Diva (New)
by Le-Tour-2Lor

The first time I saw this video, I was a bit confused. Okay, so... a diva is the same thing as a male prostitute? What?
After a bit of research (thanks wikipedia!) I discovered that "hustler" in hip hop terms means, "someone who gets by in life any way that they can."
As the video states, a diva is "a sucessful and glamorous female performer," but unfortunately the word has been adapted into a slang put-down for women who are too-self absorbed.
Beyoncé is reclaiming "diva" and making it a badge of honor for all women who are not afraid to pursuit the money, fame and power.

Before I go any further, envision a hip-hop video.
Got one in mind?
Twenty bucks says the video includes some pimped out car with a bunch of half naked women hanging out it in. Am I right? If you pay close attention to the very beginning of the video, B walks by a "pimp-mobile" with a bunch of cut up women mannequins just chillin' in the back. A powerful metaphor showing how women are treated as objects in rap videos. She destroys this common hip-hop image by blowing up the car at the end, and walking away from it without looking back once.
Ehren Gresehover points out that she even bends rigid gender roles in the warehouse dancing scenes. Her moves aren't exactly "sexy," adapting exactly to the way men dance in hip-hop videos.

This video is a new step for Beyoncé. Though all of her other videos do "up the ladies" in one way or another, they've never so overtly done so in the past. Hopefully B continues in this direction, because it's time the mainstream media has a strong, independent, female role model for all the little divas to look up to.

CJAM's Women's Radio Collective presents...

2009-01-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

Two new shows with rotating themes and female DJs!

The music show, Milk and Vodka, which I've mentioned in a couple of my previous posts, airs on Mondays from 5pm to 6pm.

If you missed the two shows I briefly highlighted earlier, fear not!
You can still check out the archived versions of The Slits episode that Nicole and I collaborated on, or today's Crass show, that I hosted with Jill.

There is also a new spoken word show, Genesis, that will be highlighting different women's issues on a weekly basis. You can catch it Wednesday nights from 8:30pm til 9pm.

On this week's installment, Nicole and her friend Rachel will be discussing menstruation, which is always a fascinating topic that I plan to look into more in a later post! They're also featuring an interview with University of Windsor Women Studies professor, Nancy Gobatto. Ashley also wrote a very informative post about the Diva Cup in her blog, No Soap For Sale, that I recommend everyone checking out!

If you want more information on CJAM's Women's Radio Collective, you can visit their brand new Blog, that actually has zero information up currently (because it was just created today), but soon enough it will be OVERFLOWING with copious amounts of fem-related content, show updates and the like!

If you're interested in becoming a member of the Women's Radio Collective, you can sign up on the CJAM bulliten board, which is located in their lobby (which is located in the basement of the CAW)!

Happy listening!

CRASS: In My Red High Heels, I've NO CONTROL!

2009-01-25T19:50:00.001-08:00

Crass was a British anarcho-punk band that formed in 1977. Their complex music subverted dominant culture with songs containing lyrics connected to anti-war movements, anti-racism, and feminism. They played a large roll within their musical scene, who viewed female punks as sex symbols. When men wore the ripped, tight, dominatrix-inspired outfits characteristic of early punk, they were simply subverting the system-but when women donned similar attire, along with heavy black eyeliner, it became an excuse for sexual harassment.

Despite the overwhelming amounts of masculinity within the punk scene, many women decided to join together and create gender-free spaces for feminist politic. They were often seen as “angry feminist punks” but their display of anger and expression in itself was a form of counter-action against how women in society were taught to act, and in this alone they managed to create a political statement.

Eve Libertine and Joy De Vivre decided to express themselves and their political stance by writing the Crass album, Penis Envy. The album was named after the Freudian theory concerning sexuality. It was written as a reaction to the male-dominated, “macho” punk scene at the time. Their lyrics to each song provide a comment on feminist politic and women representation.

Myself and fellow CJAMmer, Jill Bishop are hosting this weeks Milk and Vodka. So tune in tomorrow from 5pm to 6pm (91.5 fm or www.cjam.ca) as we highlight more Crass and give you a taste of Penis Envy.

Here is a fan made video of Berkertex Bribe:

OBAMA '09: This is what a feminist looks like. This is what a feminist sounds like.

2009-01-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

In light of the Obama Inauguration, and Sonia's recent Smash The Glass post, I'm going to take a step back from feminist ideology in the creative world and move over into the realm of politics.

According to Elanor Smeal's article, "Is Obama What a Feminist Looks Like?" featured in the Huffington Post,

When the chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation board, Peg Yorkin, and I met Barack Obama, he immediately offered "I am a feminist." And better yet, he ran on the strongest platform for women's rights of any major party in American history. Feminist Karen Kornbluh, the platform's principle author, ensured women's rights, opportunities, advancement, and issues were addressed throughout the historic document.

It's not everyday that a man is featured on the cover of a feminist magazine, and as you can guess, this has struck up a lot of controversy. As you can see in the image above, Obama is in a Superman stance, with a shirt that reads, "This is what a feminist looks like." Many feminists believe that this image is problematic because it's suggesting that women are looking toward a male superhero in order to "save feminism," when women are capable of taking care of themselves.

Here is a CNN video showing how Ms. Magazine has been criticized, and also a defense from the editor.

In my opinion? These "feminists" need stop thinking that feminism is an exclusivity club, and realize that feminism is about PEOPLE who believe in women's rights. The Americans haven't broken the presidential "glass ceiling" quite yet, but I do not see this cover as anti-feminist in the least. I don't believe this cover is in any way showing that feminism needs to be rescued by a man, and it would be completely irrelevant if they showed a photo of Clinton or Palin (as the video suggests) on the cover of the "Inauguration Special." Also, NOT ALL WOMEN ARE FEMINISTS! *Cough* PALIN *cough*
I think the American feminists should be excited and happy that they are being represented by someone who exercises their rights and freedoms, regardless of gender or sex.

Going back to my first introductory post.
FEMINISM = EQUALITY
The fact that feminism is being represented by a MAN in this photo reinforces the progression of feminism. Isn't progression what we want? Don't we want our rights to be viewed as equal by all?

Apparently some people have forgotten.

It's important to remember that feminism is no longer a group of organizations or leaders. It's the expectations that parents have for their daughters, and their sons, too. It's the way we talk about and treat one another. It's who makes the money and who makes the compromises and who makes the dinner. It's a state of mind. It's the way we live now. - Anna Quindlen

We Want Revolution GRRL Style Now!

2009-01-20T16:33:00.000-08:00

I originally wanted this to follow the introductory post, but I've been so side-tracked by all the awesome fem-content that has been happening in Windsor this past week that I didn't want to bombard you all with a million posts a day! So, before I go any further, I think a brief introduction into "riot grrl culture" is essential to all of you who are not familiar with this revolutionary movement that began in the early 1990's.

As you've noticed, I decide to name my blog "Wake-Up-Grrl," rather than "Wake-Up-Girl." The "Grrl" is taken from an underground feminist punk movement called Riot Grrl. It addressed itself with notions of second and third wave feminism and the bands of it's era addressed issues of femininity, female empowerment, domesticity, and sexuality. Besides the pro-fem music that was being produced, the women involved also began promoting a D.I.Y (Do It Yourself) ethic through art, zines, political action, etc.

The entire movement was basically fueled off the fact that these women felt underrated and unnoticed within the male-dominated punk rock scene. So they decided enough was enough and put their DIY ethics into good use and decided to change the way their community saw them.

The movement's origins has often been credited to bands Bikini Kill and Bratmobile.
Bikini Kill's lead singer Kathleen Hanna (also of Le Tigre and is pictured above) played a large role in getting the whole thing moving. At the time, she opened an art gallery in Olympia and started putting on shows there, and eventually formed Bikini Kill (as I mentioned before) in a reaction to the lack of women musicians.

The whole "riot grrl" idea has been fostered into feminism since it's origins. It presented feminism in a new and interesting way. Most people at the time thought of feminism solely in the context of "if I want to get a job in a corporation, feminism will let me make the same amount of money as a man." This movement emphasized the creative capabilities of women, and laid relevant women issues out on the table for the world to see and recognize. It's played a large role in influencing the progressive feminist thought, and continues to embed itself within underground culture to this date.

The Slits: Who invented the typical girl? Who's bringing out the new improved model?

2009-01-18T15:45:00.001-08:00

The Slits are anything but "typical girls." This all-girl experimental punk-rock quartet from the UK formed in 1976, releasing two albums, "Cut" and "Return of the Giant Slits" and then called in quits in 1981. After a VERY long hiatus and several line up changes, they decided to reform 2006, releasing "Return of the Killer Slits," touring the US, and continuing to work on stuff together today.

Their dub/punk fusion was considered to be very "avant-garde" compared to the sound other punk bands from their time were producing, and because of their uniqueness they still remain one of the most influential bands of all time.

I remember the first time I heard The Slits. My friend Nicky made a mixtape for me way back in tenth grade. She put on the song "So Tough" and I was instantly drawn to their genre-bending sound.

If you haven't heard them yet, you're in luck! Myself and fellow classmate/CJAM volunteer Nicole Markham are hosting the Women's Radio Collective's "Milk and Vodka" tomorrow night from 5-6 and it's going to be a complete hour dedicated to The Slits! We're going to be going through their discography and playing our favs, so be sure to tune into CJAM 91.5fm.

Roxi Dlite: Using Burlesque as a Source of Female Empowerment

2009-01-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Burlesque is a form of theatrical entertainment involving parody and exaggeration. It's rooted within nineteenth century vaudeville theater and was later resurfaced in the early twentieth century as a blend of satire, performance arts and adult entertainment.

Dayna Renaud, or better known by her stage name, Roxi Dlite, is Windsor's leading Burlesque dancer. She blends performative art, elaborate costumes, old-timey music, story lines and even aerial acts into her shows. She has been performing since 2004, and since then she has been featured in many Burlesque shows and festivals all over Canada and the United States.

Roxi Dlite's shows, consist largely of a female audience. She claims that "Burlesque has become gender friendly....I think the main reason why women are drawn to burlesque is because it's a form of empowerment." Burlesque is also constantly redefining beauty because women of all body sizes are featured.

Thanks to Kate Hargreaves for allowing me to pick out some information and quotes from her article, "Roxi Dlite Shakes It Up By Stripping Down," which was featured in the October 2008 issue of WAMM magazine, as well as her feminist zine, "Hysteria."

You can find out more about Roxi Delite from her website or watch videos of her live performances on her youtube.

But, if you want to check out her performance LIVE, she's playing TOMORROW night, January 16th, 9:30pm at The Chubby Pickle with punk band, The Gutter Hearts and Ska band, Brass Knuckles.

She's so very...I don't care

2009-01-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

"We Don't Need Another Wave" by: Cristy C. Road

Feminists are not bra-burning nutcases, birkenstock-wearing fascists or "man hating, job stealing, god defying lesbians."
The "idea" of feminism is often misconstrued as the hatred of men, amongst a slew of other things. So first and for most, I should clarify what exactly feminism is.

Feminism: The belief in the right of women to have social, economic and political equality with men.

There you have it. Feminism = equality.
Easy.

You'd think that after nearly a century of progressive feminist thought, society's apathetic view of women would have shifted it's gears, but we're still stuck within in a male-dominated culture that needs to WAKE UP and take a look at all the rad females who are changing our world. WAKE-UP-GRRL is dedicated to all the women musicians, writers, zinesters, photographers, cinematographers, artists, crafters, designers, publishers, whatever! You name it.
Some you've heard of... some you have not. They're all doing their part in keeping "grrl culture" and "DIY ethics" alive and strong in our society and deserve to be recognized.
Everything from girl related issues, to feminist perspectives and most importantly, an homage to all the strong, fierce, artistic women of today.

As for myself, my name is Cristina, and I'm a third year English student at the University of Windsor. I'm involved with CJAM's Women's Radio Collective, write for The Lance, and am VP of Generation Magazine and The Art's Society... so needless to say, I've been heavily involved within Windsor's art community for the past however many years. I've noticed that there is a lack of women representation not only in our city, but within the whole scope of art/music/etc. Myself and a few friends put on an annual music festival, Smash the Glass, here in Windsor that showcases all of our lovely lady talent and put an end to all apathy toward women artists!
But...more on that later.

Welcome to WAKE-UP-GRRL! An homage to feminism and the arts.
- Cristina

"You don't have to be anti-man to be pro-woman." - Jane Galvin Lewis