This Friday at 12th & Porter, Anna Haas will debut her monthly Women Who Rock showcase series. Highlighting four female-fronted bands (three local, one touring), Haas is creating a new platform for female musicians in the Nashville music circuit. "Upon moving back to Nashville from New York, I noticed that there were a lot of showcases around town primarily focusing on roots and Americana-- which is great! And the couple of chick singer nights that I hopped onto tended to be primarily country. I wanted to provide a showcase for female-centric bands who are trying something a little more progressive, and may feel frustrated at times that what they're going isn't 'very Nashville,'" says the singer-songwriter and Nashville native.
With writer's nights filled to the brim with sad girls with guitars singing songs about ex-boyfriends, Haas saw a space to create something different for female songwriters in Music City. "It's been a journey, trying to figure out where my sound fits in this scene. I get a lot of people trying to fit my band in a box, and it's difficult. I figure, instead of resisting that, I'm excited about being a part of this cultural and artistic shift that's beginning to take over the city." So she contacted some of her favorite local female musicians and started to put together the lineup for her first Women Who Rock showcase.
In addition to featuring female voices that are confident and unique, Anna Haas wants to create an environment where women don't feel the need to compete against one another to get ahead in an industry already known for being typically cutthroat. "I was talking to Caitlin from The Broadcast about how discouraging it can be when other bands or women put off this competitive energy. It's important to be strong women, but we don't need to be competing. There's plenty of room for all of us, and I want this showcase to help bring women in the industry together to help, support, and encourage each other."
Though the showcase debuts on Friday, Haas has some bad ass lineups in store. This Friday, 12th & Porter's stage will feature Frances & the Foundation, Hot Mess Loves You, Asheville's The Broadcast, and Anna Haas, along with her band, the Effect. "I'll go out and see a bill and a rock venue typically, and if there's a female-fronted band in the mix, a lot of the time there's this feeling of 'Whoa! A chick singer! Yes!' I just want a whole night of that. I think it will be really exciting."
The night kicks off at 12th & Porter @ 8 pm on May 24th. For tickets and more information, click here. –Brianne Turner
