If you are follower of music and the arts in San Diego, then this article may be of particular interest to you. San Diego is fortunate to be able to enjoy a diverse and unlimited depth of talented artists, writers and musicians, who by happy accident happen to be women.

Lindsay White agreed to share with me some of the details of the group she founded to empower these artists. Rather than focus on a single artist as I have done previously, this article will focus on the whole, with links.

So…grab your favorite beverage and enjoy.

Lady Brain Collective founder/organizer Lindsay White is an intersectional feminist whose focus with this group is not only to support and empower women-identifying artists in the San Diego area, but also to dismantle the patriarchy.

In addition to examining the ways our system/society is set up to oppress women as a whole, she is committed to acknowledging, confronting, and utilizing her own privilege to help shine a light on womxn whose voices are traditionally unheard or silenced.

Lindsay shared her motivation behind the festival and the Lady Brain Collective in general. “Our members are all about taking action to create opportunities where they don’t normally exist. Since male-fronted acts routinely get the lion’s share of festival bookings, we brought forth a festival that challenges those norms while celebrating intersectional Lady Brain talent that is inclusive of a range of ages, cultures, sexualities, and music genres.”

Lady Brain Presents is the public iteration of Lady Brain Collective, a local collaborative whose vision is to reject the notion that womxn-identifying artists must compete or hoard information in order to succeed in their respective fields.  Lady Brain Collective supports each other through community gatherings such as Lady Brain Fest, members-only meet-ups, shared resources and online support, member-generated press, and more. To find out more, please visit www.ladybrainpresents.com.

Lindsay said “A common question I get is how many members we have. The answer varies depending on how/where you’re measuring. We have about 50 with web profiles and about 80 in our private Facebook group. Membership is very relaxed; you basically are going to get out of it what you put into it. Another common question I get is if we are all musicians. While the majority of our membership is comprised of musicians, we welcome those pursuing any creative career path, and some of our membership includes photographers, videographers, painters, podcasters, writers, poets, and more.”

As 2018 came to close, a group of local lady artists gathered together to share their experiences of independently pursuing careers in the arts in San Diego. “We typically only present a sliver of the real picture on social media, so this was an opportunity be open, honest, vulnerable—and um, human. Hearing these stories was not only inspirational and empowering, but it also crystalized the fact that we face so many of the same roadblocks. As a group, we decided it would be wonderful to not only continue these meet-ups, but also pool our resources together via shared contacts and community gatherings.”

Vision
“Our vision is to reject the notion that women-identifying artists must compete or hoard information in order to succeed in their respective fields.” Lady Brain Collective believes that women are excellent at building communities, celebrating creativity, sparking inspiration, and taking care of each other. Based on the foundation of service, members openly and willingly offer their unique skills, knowledge, ideas, and talents to their fellow sisters in order to develop creative and collaborative opportunities for each other, thereby transforming the definition of what it means to be a successful artist. A rising tide lifts all boats, and the Lady Brain Collective is indeed a rising tide.

Mission
Lady Brain Collective supports each other through:
•monthly meet-ups & discussions (members only)
•monthly community gatherings (everyone’s invited!)
•shared resources/online support (help with booking, job opportunities, press, social media engagement)
•member-generated press (blog, podcast, etc.)

Diversity/Inclusivity
Lady Brain Collective embraces diversity in all forms—age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender identification, religion, artistic expression, etc.—and commits to creating an open and safe space for all members.

Lady Brain Fest Lineup Announced and Tickets On Sale

The official lineup has been announced for the first annual Lady Brain Fest, which will take place on Sunday, July 7 from 12-7pm at Heritage Ranch in Encinitas, CA. The all-ages festival is hosted in partnership with Listen Local Radio.

The event will feature music from 20 womxn-fronted musical acts (all of which include at least one Lady Brain member).

Listen Local Radio’s Cathryn Beeks and festival co-organizer is excited to bring the community a “multi-stage nonstop music festival featuring a plethora of genres and styles, all coming together to celebrate sisterhood.”

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in the following ways:

• Through participating Lady Brain members ($10)
• Online ($12)
• At the door ($15)

Musical Lineup

Lady Stage (Full Bands)
12:30pm – Voxy
1:30pm – Lindsay White
2:30pm – Corina Rose
3:30pm – Gaby Aparicio
4:30pm -The Banduvloons
5:30pm – Becca Jay Band
6:30pm – Tori Roze & the Hot Mess

Brain Stage (Songwriters in the Round)
1pm – Mary Bee and Cici Artemisia
2pm – Ren Daversa and Carissa Schroeder
3pm – Mayzie Jean and Naiomi
4pm – Rosy Dawn and Chris Avetta
5pm – Astra Kelly and Heather Marie
6pm – Jessica Lerner and Marie Haddad

Additional activities and entertainment will include poetry readings by Lizzie Wann, interactive art stations, special guest performers, local vendors, and a kids zone. Food and drinks will also be available for purchase.

I encourage all San Diegans and those passing through to purchase a ticket and come out to see some amazing musical performances from some of the best female musical artists making their base here in San Diego.