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Skin

Skin

Photo: Nick Pickles/WireImage.com

Feature
Skin, Lzzy Hale, Reba Meyers On Women In Metal skin-lzzy-hale-reba-meyers-women-rocking-metal-world

Skin, Lzzy Hale, Reba Meyers On Women Rocking The Metal World

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The women making waves in rock and metal are carrying the torch for heavy music and sparking change with no compromise
Elizabeth Ramanand
GRAMMYs
Mar 22, 2018 - 2:22 pm

In the mid-1960s, Janis Joplin broke the mold of what people thought a female singer was supposed to be. By 1969 the David Bowie-endorsed Fanny came on the scene and became the first all-female rock group to score a major label album release. The Runaways, another all-female band active in the late '70s, further turned the rock scene on its head.

Watch One Take With Halestorm

Jump decades ahead and women have been making waves — and continue to do so — in the heavier genres of hard rock and metal.

As today's women blaze new trails, there's one unfortunate, bothersome question that continues to rear its head: Is rock and roll dead? According to Lita Ford, former guitarist for the Runaways who continues to successfully tour as a solo artist, this question just needs to go away already.

"I hate that saying more than anything," Ford says. "I heard Gene Simmons say it but he says things for attention. It sucks. It's not dead. You don't hear people walking around going, 'Jazz is dead!' or 'Piano's dead!' It's just ridiculous. Rock has never been more alive."

Ford is also confident that female artists are doing a good job of carrying the torch for women in rock and roll today, ensuring the longevity of the genre. Take, for example, lead singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, who became the first female-fronted band to earn a GRAMMY for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance at the 55th GRAMMY Awards.

"For me, I joke about how rock and roll chooses you, you don't choose it. That feeling hasn't gone away," says Hale.

The Pennsylvania native grew up with her dad's music, including a lot of Alice Cooper and Ronnie James Dio. But it was her mom who bought her a Heart album, which led her to discover Pat Benatar, Joan Jett and Joplin, who she refers to as the "foremothers of rock."

Halestorm will be part of a much-anticipated summer 2018 tour package, including her good friend Maria Brink of In This Moment and newer female-led bands Stitched Up Heart and New Year's Day.

"It's so much more than a career choice or a dream or a life goal — it's an extension of me and my personality. I don't think I would be me without rock and roll," says Hale.

From Amy Lee of Evanescence to Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil, Hale named many women who are making a current mark in the genre. Hale gave a special shout-out to Reba Meyers of Code Orange.

"I love her on guitar and I love the fact that she is literally anti-trend. She gets up there in a black T-shirt, no makeup, rocking in her own corner of the world," Hale says. "I've never seen a band live that attacks a crowd like that."

Code Orange, who earned their first career nomination for the 60th GRAMMY Awards, aren't typical rock or metal — they have a sound and energy completely their own. Guitarist Meyers is a force of her own, headbanging relentlessly onstage at any given moment. She credits her influences outside of music, including her mother, with helping her become the strong woman she is.

"As a kid, I was treated the exact same and, for the most part, I never had any doubts about it and I didn't really have any female role models in heavy music. I wasn't searching for it," says Meyers. "I just liked the bands that I liked."

One thing she doesn't like is seeing women in bands just for the sake of it.

"I just hope that people don't force this kind of a thing — I see bands with girls in them and I get the wrong vibe from the men. I meet a lot of men who put women in bands for the sake of putting a woman in their band and that makes me furious."

"We're just voicing what we have to say and I think if you do that you become equal." — Floor Jansen

Onstage and off, Meyers is the epitome of authenticity when it comes to passion for music.

"There's no other genre of music that has a community and that's also what pulled me in," says Meyers. "You get hooked immediately and you can't really turn away once you're into it when you are young."

Despite a diversity of sounds, ethnic diversity among women in heavier sub-genres has proved elusive. However, guitarist Diamond Rowe of Tetrarch, Jada Pinkett-Smith of Wicked Wisdom and Alexis Brown of Straight Line Stitch are flying the flag, specifically for black women. So why aren't there more women of color in heavier genres of music?

"I feel the progression is not in the favor of minorities, in general, and they probably don't seek it out. I got the tip of the iceberg with my friend who was into Nirvana but I liked it so much that I explored more," says Rowe, who adds that her race and gender are blessings in disguise.

"I know that maybe I do have to work a little harder and be better and that's fine but I haven't seen any kind of negative responses. It's been nothing but positive vibes. I just like playing guitar and I want to be the best at it and, if not, better than these boys."

For singer Skin, an open woman of Jamaican heritage with a penchant for screaming her head off, it's a different story. Growing up in Brixton, London, Skin had no support from her family to pursue her passion for rock music. Though she got flak from fellow women of color, she didn't let that deter her.

"I don't care what people think, I really honestly don't care. They might say, 'She's a black girl playing rock music, that's not cool,' or 'She's not black enough'," says Skin, the voice and vibrance of the British punk-rock band Skunk Anansie. "I was told once by a black woman, 'I don't like the fact that you don't play the music of your people.'"

Sending love to all my favorite Women on International Women’s Day! (sorry don’t have pics of everyone- @slaxxmax @dellatobias ) More than ever we need to keep fighting and supporting Women and Girls around the world living in dire circumstances! Stand your ground then fight for others! Onwards and upwards! #imafeminist #internationalwomensday #festadelladonna

A post shared by skin_skunkanansie (@skin_skunkanansie) on Mar 8, 2018 at 3:10am PST

Skin is also one of the few artists who represent the LGBTQ community in punk, rock and metal along with musician, writer and activist Otep Shamaya. Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! and Mina Caputo of Life Of Agony have also been influential women in the transgender community.

"My focus is just [to] give each other a break and let each other be who we are. Don't judge one another or be catty or competitive. It's not a competition," says singer/bassist Mlny Parsonz of Atlanta rock band Royal Thunder, whose message of being nonjudgmental is crystal clear. "We're making art, we're expressing ourselves, so just do your thing and be happy for people."

From Royal Thunder down to South America, where Brazilian thrash metal band Nervosa are battering eardrums, bassist/vocalist Fernanda Lira can speak to the good, bad and the ugly about being one of the few Latinas in metal.

"I always felt like whenever I got onstage I had to prove something but with time it got better. You go to a venue and people don't believe you're in a band. They think you are groupies trying to get into the venue and stuff like that," says Lira, who is surprised there aren't more women part of the metal scene in the States and Europe.

"Before I played in the U.S. or in Europe I thought because Brazil is a third-world country and [the U.S. and Europe are] first-world countries and there are more feminists, there would be more girls in metal. I was surprised that there weren't more women at shows and there weren't more women in metal playing in bands."

As for the rest of the Latinas in metal? Lira says there are plenty in South America.

"Latin girls, we've got a lot of attitude and it's difficult to make a living. Every country down here [in South America] is very sexist so I think we're kind of used to being against the system. That's why I think there are more girls playing in bands in Latin America [than in the states and Europe]. We just want to prove people wrong."

Floor Jansen, Nightwish's new lead singer, grew up in the Netherlands and currently resides in Sweden. She is optimistic the #MeToo movement will make the entertainment industry more level and equal for the next generation of women, which includes her own daughter. But it won't happen with silence.

"We [as women have] … been too sweet, we've been too cute, we've been run over. It's time to change that and I think it's happening," says Jansen. "Strong women in the past started this a long time ago, but maybe we got a little bit too comfortable.

"We are strong and that's OK. You're not a b**** if you're a strong woman or you can call yourself a b**** and just be fine with it. Often times, strong women are seen as that and we're not. We're just voicing what we have to say and I think if you do that you become equal. I've always felt equal with the guys in my band and the people I work with."

While rock and metal are still male-dominated, the growing number of women in the genres are present and powerful. These women are true to themselves and they do exactly what they want — which is the spirit of rock and roll. For Ford and Hale to Meyers, Jansen, Skin, and more, every month is Women's History Month. And every time they hit the stage is an opportunity to carry the torch for the societal and sonic movement of women in music.

Foremother of rock and roll Joplin said it best: "Don't compromise yourself, you're all you've got."

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

(Elizabeth Ramanand is an arts and entertainment journalist who has a passion for music, especially hard rock and heavy metal. With over 2,000 published articles under her belt, she has written for publications like Billboard, Loudwire, Ultimate Classic Rock, The Boombox, PopCrush, Taste Of Country, and many more.)

Halestorm

Halestorm

Photo: Roy Rochlin / Contributor

News
Halestorm, In This Moment Add Tour Dates halestorm-moment-extend-female-fronted-tour-fall

Halestorm, In This Moment Extend Female-Fronted Tour This Fall

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The tour, which includes New Years Day, adds more U.S. dates this fall
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jul 23, 2018 - 2:56 pm

Women have been rocking the stage hard thus far during Halestorm's summer tour with In This Moment. Now the GRAMMY-winning band have announced they are adding fall tour dates to continue the "badassery."

FREAKS! The female-fronted badassery is continuing this fall with @officialitm and @NYDrock! We're stoked to be bringing our new record VICIOUS and a whole lot of rock and roll to your city!

General on-sale is Friday, 10am local. pic.twitter.com/hFKCwEuEW8

— Halestorm (@Halestorm) July 23, 2018

"The female-fronted badassery is continuing this fall," Halestorm tweeted out along with a reminder that their new album, Vicious, will be out soon (July 27). The tour will continue with In This Moment, fronted by Maria Brink, and New Years Day, fronted by Ash Costello.

When the tour was announced in February, Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale talked about the significance of a female-fronted tour. 

"We are a few of the hardest working women in rock, so the fact that we are all on the same stage every night is something not to be missed!" Hale said. "This lineup is a beautiful display of what it means to be a strong female example for rock fans everywhere."

Hale is not new to breaking down barriers for women in rock. When Halestorm won Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for "Love Bites (So Do I)" at the 55th Grammy Awards, she became the first female to win the GRAMMY in the category.

New Years Day has been opening shows so far on the tour, and Costello told Consequence Of Sound touring with Hale and Brink is the best touring experience she has ever had.

"I am lifted up and supported by the amazing women of this tour, and everyone feels as if they are family who are rooting for each other to kill it every single night,” she said.

The fall leg of the tour will start Nov. 16 in Norfolk, Va. and end Dec. 16 in St. Petersburg, Fla. For more information on tour dates and tickets, see here.  

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Lzzy Hale of Halestorm

Lzzy Hale

Photo: Greg Doherty/Getty Images

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Who's On Tour With Halestorm This Summer? halestorm-moment-announce-blistering-american-tour

Halestorm, In This Moment Announce Blistering American Tour

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New Year's Day and Stitched Up Heart round out the lineup of female-driven rock bands heading out on the road this spring
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Feb 20, 2018 - 2:55 pm

Four of rock's most dangerous female-driven rock bands are teaming up for one remarkable tour this summer. GRAMMY-winners Halestorm team up with In This Moment, New Year's Day, and Stitched Up Heart for a 14-date U.S. tour kicking off in Jacksonville, Fla. at the Welcome To Rockville festival on April 27.

Bands Share Their Inspirational Fan Moments

"We've been wanting to put together a tour like this for a long time," Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale told Loudwire. "We are a few of the hardest working women in rock, so the fact that we are all on the same stage every night is something not to be missed! We support and love each other, and we are representing our genre. This lineup is a beautiful display of what it means to be a strong female example for rock fans everywhere."

Halestorm took home the GRAMMY for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for "Love Bites (So Do I)" at the 55th GRAMMY Awards from their 2012 album The Strange Case Of… In This Moment has spent the last decade honing their powerful brand of melodic industrial metal and their stunning stage show to match. Featuring frontwoman Maria Brink's fallen-angel vocals, this evolution culminated in their acclaimed sixth album, 2017's Ritual.

We are excited to be touring with @Halestorm, @OfficialITM and @stitchedupheart this coming spring!! Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 am. See the full list of dates at https://t.co/CowleWmzT9 pic.twitter.com/JS5JeS4yX4

— New Years Day (@NYDrock) February 20, 2018

Fronted by the multi-talented Ash Costello, New Year's Day have also been active for over a decade. Their most recent album, 2016's Malevolence, cracked into the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 45.

Riding high on their explosive 2016 full-length debut Never Alone, upstarts Stitched Up Heart round out the tour's impressive lineup. Lead singer Mixi admits, "This is our dream lineup. Every single band on this bill is a huge inspiration to us and unbelievably talented. We are beyond excited for this run!"

Tickets and VIP packages for the tour are available now via Halestorm's website.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Ozzy Osbourne photographed in 2014

Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images

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Is Ozzy Osbourne Retiring From Touring? ozzy-osbourne-farewell-world-tour-launch-2018

Ozzy Osbourne: Farewell World Tour To Launch In 2018

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GRAMMY winner plots two-year trek that will mark his final global tour
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Nov 6, 2017 - 7:53 am

Following a final tour with Black Sabbath that wrapped earlier this year, GRAMMY winner Ozzy Osbourne has announced he will embark on a solo "farewell world tour" in May 2018.

Black Sabbath: Recording 13

The two-year tour will feature a set list that pulls from Osbourne's entire career, including Black Sabbath favorites and solo classics such as "Crazy Train," "Bark At The Moon," "Flying High Again," and "No More Tears." And while the jaunt will mark the end of global touring for the iconic frontman, select live shows will still be in order.

"People keep asking me when I'm retiring," Osbourne said via staement. "This will be my final world tour, but I can't say I won't do some shows here and there."

Osbourne's farewell global trek will begin in May 2018 with concerts in Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. He will then perform dates in Russia and Europe, including appearances at major summer festivals. Osbourne will then head to North America for a headline tour produced by Live Nation, with specific details to be announced in 2018. 

Osbourne's band will feature longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson, drummer Tommy Clufetos, and keyboardist Adam Wakeman.

Dio Returns: Ronnie James Dio Hologram Tour Coming To U.S.?

GRAMMYs

Lzzy Hale of Halestorm

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'Tour Stop(ped)' But The Show Must Go On tour-stopped-show-must-go-laura-jane-grace-lzzy-hale-more

'Tour Stop(ped)' But The Show Must Go On: Laura Jane Grace, Lzzy Hale & More

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MusiCares & the Recording Academy Florida & Chicago Chapters host a candid discussion between top rock acts on mental health and adapting to life without the rush – or revenue – of touring.
Lior Phillips
GRAMMYs
Oct 29, 2020 - 5:27 pm

"I miss airport coffees. I miss sleeping in a bus bunk. And I miss being part of a team," Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace said with a melancholy smile, followed by knowing nods from her colleagues. Even before the pandemic sent countless hearts and minds into a heady darkness of isolation, the importance of frank discussion of mental health for musicians had come to the foreground. Suddenly taking away sources of revenue, of connection, of support, of stability, of routine, from people already facing the challenges of the life of an artist. Presented by Recording Academy Florida and Chicago Chapters with MusiCares and bringing together a variety of Recording Academy members to share their perspective on it all, Tour Stop(ped) opened the floor to the essential conversation regarding the value of self-care and strategies for thriving as an artist unable to hit the road.

Tour Stop(ped): Honest Talk With Touring Artists

"You're basing your life on connection to people," explained rising English rocker Yungblud. "I want to be out there causing chaos but now I'm just looking at the walls, watching the paint dry!"

Stephen Gibb served as the perfect moderator for the conversation, a familiar face in a cozily familiar studio setting, keeping the conversation focused and spirited. As a member of hard rock bands such as Black Label Society, Crowbar, and Saigon Kick, Gibb is intimately familiar with tour life. And as current host of the podcast Addiction Talks, his deft hand with sensitive conversations encouraged openhearted conversation, first focused on a general sense of how everyone was coping with this strange new reality. In addition to Yungblud, veterans Grace and Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, and new wave experimentalist KennyHoopla contributed an array of perspectives on Tour Stop(ped), both in terms of their careers and their personal experiences, offering viewers a variety of valuable lessons.

Hale found herself stumped by the first chunk of time without a gig on the schedule since the band's founding. "Even when I was 13 I had a gig at the bowling alley lined up," she laughed, framed in her home studio by racks of her distinctive Epiphone Explorer guitars. From her home in Chicago, Grace reiterated the confusion that comes from utter stillness after decades of constant movement, but with a sense of contentment. "This very well might be one long manic episode," she laughed. "I've been doing this for 20 years, and in a way it was 20 years of wondering when it was all going to go away. And that it did, but not because of anything I did, something totally out of my control, was calming."

A large part of the conversation focused on strategies to ensure that musicians can feel creative and fulfilled in this time, to keep from falling into unhealthy ruts. As an artist still early in his touring career, KennyHoopla has seen the inability to perform as an opportunity for reflection. "I'm just trying to catch up to myself," he said. "To use this time to hone the fragile parts of me and make them stronger."

Grace, meanwhile, compared the time to Bob Dylan's self-imposed years off from touring, saying she was similarly using the pandemic as a period of woodshopping and working on her craft. "Being an artist is about being creative, and we're in a situation right now that's asking us all to be our most creative selves to make this work and to make the best of this," she mused.

Gibb and the panelists elaborated on the importance of maintaining a connection with fans—as a way of keeping the audience engaged, of garnering financial support for new projects while tour revenue is gone and of maintaining the necessary emotional support. When the pandemic necessitated canceling gigs, Yungblud was already in the midst of a global tour. When he got home, he immediately knew he'd need to put together a livestream event and to stick close to his social media accounts. "Luckily, I love being online and I love social media. That's our stage right now," he said. "Everybody's in the same boat, feeling that need, like, ‘I'm going to mosh my head off, I'm going to go crazy, I'm going to release my energy even if it's in my bedroom with my cat.'"

Read More: Yungblud Talks Turning His Tour Postponement Into An Online Rock & Roll Variety Show

While the panelists were all musicians, the entire music industry, Gibb noted, are struggling through this pandemic. Countless individuals are having their livelihoods hit hard by the inability to work in crews, sell merch, and promote tours, among countless other outlets. "My heart is breaking for my friends and family, the techs, lighting guys, riggers," he said, holding back the tears. "We're in the fun business, the happiness business. We bring joy and we connect with people on a visceral, emotional level. It's heartbreaking for there not to be any end date to this."

The panelists provided fascinating and refreshing perspective on what might happen when touring does start to kick back into swing. "If everyone is going to try to tour at once, then the market will be completely flooded and it's going to be just as much pandemonium," Grace insisted. "[We need to be] figuring out a strategic way through this and a strategic way out of this for the community that we have spent so long building that is collapsing around us."

As life, and this year, have shown us difficult times can manifest surprising moments. Two surprise guests dropped into the conversation as well in order to ask questions that hit close to their hearts. Frontwoman of legendary LA hard rockers L7, Donita Sparks popped in first ("I don't know if I'm a guest or a Zoom bomb!" she grinned). Her question centered on what the artists missed most; for Sparks, it was her tour family, the larger crew beyond the band, and how artists can keep that connection while at home. "I always feel invincible because I know they have my back," she said.

On top of lamenting the inability to connect more personally with his fans, Yungblud encouraged everyone on the call to let out their most raucous shout, a release of pent-up punk-energy inspired by Sparks' iconic spirit. Experimental songwriter Grandson popped in later (first thanking the "music Illuminati" for the invite), and then offering a succinct and powerful explanation of the importance of gratitude. "Set your goals internally to make the best art you can, be the best friend you can, and let the things that are out of your control remain that way," he said.

https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad/status/1321852899614355456

TODAY 🎶Join our @MusiCares conversation on self-care, juggling career strategies and adjusting to life off the road with @LZZYHALE, @LauraJaneGrace, @KennyHoopla, @yungblud, @StephenGibb, and @grandson.

⌚️ 4pm PT / 7pm ET
📍#RecordingAcademy Facebook
📲 https://t.co/jxfcsCbB9F pic.twitter.com/BUg03FNOTd

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) October 29, 2020

Naturally, the conversation wound its way through to coping mechanisms, strategies which the individual musicians would recommend for keeping their mental health strong. Aerobic exercise as a replacement for long nights on the stage were a common refrain. Hale added that an herb garden had become a centering activity and Gibb extolled the virtues of meditation, while Grace vouched for long baths with epsom salts and apple cider vinegar. Yungblud's solution was endless jamming at the exasperation of his neighbors, while KennyHoopla's suggestion for boosting spirits focused on one word: love.

"Having time to elaborate on my love for everyone in my life and loving myself... just putting out love as much as I can and continuing to give myself to the universe," he said. "When you give yourself to the universe, it will always return."

In addition to the panelists' discussions of their own experiences, the event featured video interludes. In the first, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman highlighted the Academy's collaboration with MusiCares, noting that the organization had already assisted nearly 20,000 individuals in the music industry and dispersed over $19 million, whether for helping cover rent, fixing broken instruments, organizing doctor's appointments for uninsured members, and even establishing cyber support groups and addiction and rehab counseling.

Later, Chief Advocacy Officer of the Recording Academy Daryl Friedman led a conversation regarding how artists can help in the fight to sustain independent stages. Throughout, short videos from Academy members sharing stories of their favorite venues and what they missed on the road reinforced not only the community aspect of the music industry, but also the Academy's commitment to bringing everyone together in the fight to make lives better until things can get back to a relative normal.

But then even this very panel showcases just how important that community feeling can be, the four panelists exchanging their own biggest takeaways. "Laura said earlier, you have to do things quickly [because] when you have time you can overthink things," Yungblud reiterated. "Right now, what the f*ck do I have to lose? Why not push my boundaries?"

KennyHoopla had been meant to open for Yungblud on a series of tour dates, and the two naturally bonded during this time over their joint focus on pushing boundaries during pandemic. "There's this sense of urgency because people are relying on you to give them a sense of escapism and a high," he said. "I've gotta keep going and keep providing art and putting myself out there."

As the conversation neared its end, Hale insisted that when they were all back out on the festival circuit, they'd need to find a way to get together for a hug and a beer -- a simple pleasure that's somehow turned into a transformative dream. And after all of the sage advice dispensed throughout the evening, Grace offered perhaps the most important three-word signoff: "Just stay alive."

Recording Academy's 'Pass the Aux' Forms a "Zoomchella" Community

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.