Author | MichelleKing
You shouldn’t be reading this right now. Really.
What you should be reading is Meredith Graves’ essay on the double standard applied to female musicians in today’s culture. Spoken at the Basilica Soundscape Festival last weekend, the address questions the differences in how males and females in the music industry are perceived and judged by fans, the media, and even each other.
Citing Andrew W.K. and Lana Del Rey as examples, Graves contrasts how their respective public images are viewed, while comparing the similarities in the nature of said “image”. Namely, that it is a manufactured one. She points out that while both personalities are to some degree fictitious, Andrew W.K. is praised for his act while Lana Del Rey is ridiculed.
You can read the piece in it’s entirety at The Talkhouse and then come back to check out some tunes from Graves’ incredibly awesome musical project, Perfect Pussy. (She also discusses similar topics of gender bias in her interview with StyleLikeU for their What’s Underneath project, which you can watch below.)
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Probably the most badass band to come out of Rochester, NY, Perfect Pussy began in 2012 when Meredith Graves was asked to put together a fake ensemble for a movie. She recruited a couple local musicians to write one song, and next thing they knew they had birthed one of the most powerful, aggressive, and outspoken bands of our generation. As you can probably gather from her speech at Basilica, Graves has something to say. Many things, in fact, and she’s not shy about presenting those ideas with her music.
As a person who claims not to like heavier music or anything involving screaming, it took me some time to get around to listening to Perfect Pussy, but when I did, I was floored. It might be hardcore, it might be noise rock, or punk or what have you, but the energy and intensity in Graves’ delivery is so much more honest than I typically find in artists associated with those genres. She’s not screaming for the sake of screaming; she’s screaming out of necessity. The inherent potency in her words just can’t be cooed.
Their debut LP Say Yes To Love was released on Captured Tracks last spring, and I highly recommend you check it out. It’s an album worthy of listening to with the lyrics sheet nearby.
Michelle King is a music fiend currently residing in Athens, GA. While her business card will tell you she is executive manager and director of publicity at Noisy Ghost PR, you can also find her blogging at She Turns the Tables, racing for Reality Bikes, and going on adventures with her awesome dog.
Follow Michelle on Spotify for up to the minute musical suggestions!
