Who Does Lilith Fear?

01/14/1999 2:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Bryan Reesman

As much as Sarah McLachlan is a goddess, and folky newcomers like Jewel, Dayna Manning and Tara MacLean are promising talents, the concept of Lilith Fair lacks that certain spark which would make it more than another mammoth Summer tour. Now, I'm not saying that as a typical snooty music insider, and I'm not dissing it because it's cool to put down major concert events. It just seems that this particular event is lacking.

That's not to say that presenting a whole bunch of female performers in one big show is a bad thing. Quite the contrary; we can all learn a lesson from the chutzpah McLachlan has demonstrated as the festival's organizer. My main problem with Lilith is, simply, the music. Granted, the Fair made strides in '98 with grittier artists like Litany, Autour De Lucie, Meredith Brooks, Joan Osborne and Drugstore, but somehow the program still came off as an estrogen stereotype. It presents a troupe of sensitive female artists the same way Ozzfest offers a clichéd, testosterone-laden rage bonanza for the overly tattooed and pierced. (And that's coming from a big heavy metal fan.) One's gender should not dictate how one expresses oneself. It almost seems like the Lilith ladies are afraid to be really confrontational.

We here at LAUNCH thought it would be fun to explore some different options for a women's festival, one that could expand on McLachlan's concept. Thus the idea of Lilith Fear--the touring women's showcase with an edge--was born. The agenda here is not who's cool and popular, but who's generally interesting and groundbreaking. And who can make you uneasy. After all, if you're going to promote women in music, why not show the world just how much female musicians are truly capable of?

SECOND STAGE

All the big music events seem to have two stages. I don't know why, but I guess they figure more people will come. In the case of Lilith Fear, the Second Stage would be a collection of quirky artists bubbling under the mainstream:

RASPUTINA - Three women in Victorian underwear and tight corsets playing distorted cello rock--now that's a cool concept. Luckily for us, it also works. Frontwoman Melora Creager's dainty vibrato adorns unvarnished feminist statements on such tunes as "You Don't Own Me," "Why Don't You Do Right?" and the wonderful DeBeers commercial parody "Diamond Mine," which mocks the greed and shallow values that jewelry company endorses. At a recent show, the band's male drummer was encased behind glass panels--no doubt to avoid bleed-through into the cello mics--but Creager humorously noted it was to keep his evil pheromones from spreading into the audience.

AETHER - This Bay Area duo--vocalist Diana Trimble and cutting-edge harpist Barbara Imhoff--fashion some luscious jazz-pop tunes. The music's dreamy, the lyrics are poetic, the harp work's unconventional, and the group's appeal is undeniable. Narrow-minded critics would call this "New Age," but Aether's album The Smoke Of Vanished Kisses (City Of Tribes) is nothing of the sort. Trimble and Imhoff capably and easily move from slow, smoldering tunes to dancier, energized numbers, which adds to their attraction.

GATHERING - Okay, so only one of the six members of the band is a woman, and she's the singer, but what a voice she has! Within the world of this Dutch outfit, wispy beauty and heavy guitar power have no trouble coexisting. Instead of screaming like many metallions or quietly cooing like many etherealites, singer Anneke Van Giersbergen lets her voice soar powerfully above the music at some times and gracefully simmer at others, never losing its beauty or power. And her lyrics, which reflect a fascination with love and nature, are highly unusual for the group's chosen genre.

WENDY CARLOS - One of the pioneers of electronic music, Carlos recently released a new record, Tales Of Heaven & Hell, and is in the process of reissuing many old works, including original music written for, but not included on, the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange. In a field dominated by men, Carlos is an important figure, crafting epic, neo-classical compositions for those who like their electronic music with depth. She also would lend this event some atmosphere. If her performance echoed the new record, she could be the spooky Phantom Of Lilith. Cool.

SWITCHBLADE SYMPHONY - This quartet could become an important link between Goth and the mainstream. With a spooky nursery-rhyme style akin to Edward Gorey and an affinity for dark rock and trip-hop grooves, Switchblade have become a popular live act, opening in the past for the Sisters Of Mercy and Type O Negative. The two women of the band--vocalist Tina Root and keyboardist Susan Wallace--have been called "Barbie dolls" by their label (shame on you, Cleopatra Records!), but they're more interesting than that.

LISA GERRARD - All right, I admit that Ms. Gerrard was supposed to play 12 dates on Lilith this past Summer but cancelled due to a film soundtrack commitment. It would have been great to see her there, because she would have brought some needed mysticism to the event. (But fear not, Dead Can Dance are supposedly working on a new record.) On my ideal tour, Gerrard is headlining the Second Stage, bringing us her beguiling blend of liturgical, medieval, and world musics. And percussionist/ collaborator Pieter Bourke is alongside her, pounding out those groovy rhythms.

MAIN STAGE

It's difficult setting up two stages to compete against each other. That's not the intent, but it's the end result when you've only got so many hours in the day and so many acts you can stuff on the bill. The Lilith Fear Main Stage would represent major artists as well as established veterans who may not be gold or platinum status but are still important, not to forget a couple noteworthy newcomers:

DOLLSHEAD - Why not start things off with a bang? On their debut Frozen Charlotte, singer Sierra Swan and guitarist Graham Edwards (and their production mates) crafted some damn catchy techno-rock music. While we're now being bombarded with endless, faceless DJs--I await the arrival of DJ Pac-Man, DJ Pop Rocks, and DJ ABC--DollsHead are taking "electronica" to another level by molding it into a rock/ pop format. Bristling lyrics like "don't call me a metaphor, don't call me a little whore, I'm not your girl" slap you in the face even as you hum along. If the alluring Swan is this beguiling at age 19, she's gonna blossom into something great.

PATTY LARKIN - This experienced singer-songwriter has an established fanbase but has had trouble getting the wider recognition she deserves, probably because she labors under that pesky old "folk" classification. (Meanwhile, so-called music critics champion the newest and lamest indie-rock singer-songwriters.) The topics of Larkin's songs range from relationship analyses to music video parodies to thoughts on "The Book I'm Not Reading," and her energetic concerts prove that her talents easily cross over live. Who says folk can't rock?

DRAIN STH - So the idea of four women in a metal band sounds like a joke to some of you, eh? Well, men's jaws reportedly gape open when these four Swedish goddesses take the stage, and then those jaws hit the floor in reaction to the overwhelming cacophony that follows. You can check it out for yourself on their recently-reissued debut Horror Wrestling (Mercury). A good way to move from the amiable folk of Patty Larkin to the eerie persona of Diamanda Galas. Plus, I'd worship their drummer any day.

DIAMANDA GALAS - This operatic demon (and pianist) scares the sh-t out of some people with her sinister vibrato. Just what the doctor ordered! Such confrontational, scream-filled works as the AIDS-inspired "Plague Mass" are plenty creepy, but she can also be more, um, "conventional," as evidenced on the recent Malediction & Prayer. And for those of you who scream, "Mainstream credibility, please," she collaborated with Led Zep bassist John Paul Jones on The Sporting Life. Maybe they could perform together for this tour.

ANI DIFRANCO - I actually know very little about Ms. DiFranco's music. But this I do know: She's held her own against record company sharks by releasing her music on her own label and never giving in to any dealmakers. She really represents the spirit of punk by living the ideal musician's dream--releasing your own music the way you want it and pocketing the profit rather than giving it to the middlemen. Unlike the faux-punk poseurs of the '90s, this folk-punk artist gives D.I.Y. a good name.

TORI AMOS - She may seem like an obvious choice, but somehow I don't think she'd fit in with those Lilith gals. (Although I hear she was offered a slot.) For one thing, this redheaded siren is too confrontational and too personal. She's a gifted performer and songwriter, but she doesn't always make things easy for her audience, and they like it that way. Her frequent journeys to the edge can even make some fans reluctant to jump off with her. Amos's concerts can be spellbinding, and lyrical retorts like "just because you can make me come, it doesn't make you Jesus" elicit screams and cheers from her fanatic female following because they genuinely mean something.

So ends the Main Stage lineup for Lilith Fear. It may not have the overt mainstream appeal of Lilith Fair, Ozzfest, Lollapalooza, or any other festival you may care to mention, but I'd say (and I hope you agree) that it's a lot more challenging.

			Aether - "Lipstick Traces"
			Drain STH - "Serve The Shame"
			Rasputina - "Diamond Mine"

But what if some men were to get jealous of the whole Lilith thing? Interestingly enough, producer/ musician Marvin Etzioni is right now gathering male singer-songwriters together for a prospective package tour he's dubbing Venus Envy. "It's a real simple idea," he states. "When I was working on the Tom Freund album, about a year-and-a-half ago, I had thought of working with Tom. And I thought that that would be where things were going to go, that there would be more attention on male singer-songwriters, because I felt that as soon as there are so many [magazine] covers in a row that go to the attention of female songwriters, this is going to somehow address itself differently in the next year or two."

That has yet to happen, but then the female singer-songwriter "trend" (heaven forbid female performers should be reduced to that) is still going strong. Perhaps Venus Envy can balance the gender equation in the singer-songwriter sweepstakes. For now, the potential mini-fest is still in formulaic stages. "I'll have to see how it grows and develops," says Etzioni. "The cement is very wet, there's nothing really written in stone on how this thing is going to evolve."

Let's hope the same can be said for future Lilith Fairs.

Participants, promoters, or anyone else interested in Venus Envy can call 323-662-5435 for further info, or fax 323-662-2245. Another contact for this future event is Mike Hobson at 323-466-9694, extension 14.