In my heart of hearts, I really do think that this was the most successful edition of WOSMAW thus far. A lot of hard work and tireless dedication went into organizing, writing, and planning for this event. This is a labor of love, and it gives me a chance to show readers like you what this blog is really about.
Everywhere around the world, there is some young girl picking up a Les Paul, a microphone, or a pair of drumsticks for the first time, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of their rock idols. If any of the women I have interviewed and honored here has introduced those girls to a whole world of underground music that they had never known about before, then I have done my job.
Extra special thanks are given to Stephanie of Tinsel Teeth and Michelle Temple of Black Skies, both of whom went as far as to schedule whole new photo shoots for their interviews and publicize WOSMAW IV to a broader audience. More thanks go out to the women on the British sludge/doom scene for being tireless messengers for my work, and also to Lori from Acid King for being so patient as I poked and prodded her relentlessly for an interview (Hey, sometimes it’s what you’ve got to do!). Until WOSMAW V comes along (which will likely be in September or October of this year), here’s a recap of the “Trailblazers” features and the five-question interviews I did this time around:
TRAILBLAZERS:
Runhild Gammelsæter (Thorr’s Hammer)
FIVE-QUESTION INTERVIEWS:
Kathleen Stubelek (Circle Takes The Square)
Amy Holifield (House of Capricorn)
Andrea Black (A Storm Of Light)
1. Name: LORI S
2. Bands you’ve played in:
GNP (Gross National Product) 1st Chicago Punk
Bhang Revival - 2nd Band all girl -Started pop punk then turned heavy and everyone quit!
Acid King - 19 years together!
3. What are your favorite songs to perform live?
War of the Minds is one of my faves, also Electric Machine and 2 Wheel Nation.
4. Did you have any female rock idols growing up? Who were they?
Growing up not so much. There were none! It was a man’s world! Later on in life, after growing up, Kelly Johnson from Girlschool number was #1!
5. Your advice to girls that want to start their own metal band is:
Do what comes from the heart. Experiment! Your first band may not be original, but as you keep playing, you will stop sounding like your influences and come into your own. Make sure you are ready and a good enough player and song writer to be in front of a crowd, don’t be in a rush to play out live before you’re ready. Don’t be a girl, be a musician!
Here’s a list of the women who have already jumped on board for my interview series this time around:
- Andrea Black (Formerly of Howl, now the guitarist of A Storm Of Light)
- Dani Hawkins (Vocalist of UK doom metal outfit Ishmael)
- Michelle Temple (Bassist of North Carolina sludge outfit Black Skies)
- Stephanie (Vocalist for Providence, RI sludge/noise outfit Tinsel Teeth)
- Mindy Kern (Bassist for Portland, ME doom outfit Stasis)
- Lori S. (Legendary front-woman of Stoner Metal greats Acid King!!!)
- Jenn Kilburn (Vocalist/Bassist of Toronto doom outfit Sister Caravan)
- Ami Holifield (Guitarist of New Zealand sludge/doom outfit House of Capricorn)
My other interview subjects have yet to give a response, but there’s still two more weeks to get interviews in. I’m quite excited!
Just to clarify what the Women of Sludge/Stoner/Doom Metal group is all about, here’s what we look for:
Sludge grrls (Laura Pleasants, Kylesa)
Stoner grrls (Lori S., Acid King)
Doom grrls (Stevie Floyd, Dark Castle)
Post-Metal grrls (Julie Christmas, Made out of Babies)
Crust grrls (Amy Miret, Nausea)
Grunge grrls (Courtney Love, Hole)
Riot grrls (Kathleen Hanna, Bikini Kill)
No Wave grrls (Jarboe, Swans)
Noise/Experimental grrls (Stephanie, Tinsel Teeth)
Pioneers/Influential grrls (Jinx Dawson, Coven)
Got it? Good. JOIN US.
Great sludge/stoner/doom metal albums featuring powerful vocal performances by great front women.
Jucifer, L’autrichienne
Dark Castle, Spirited Migration
Acid King, III
Bloody Panda, Summon
Damad, Burning Cold
Kylesa, Static Tensions
Made out of Babies, Trophy
Rwake, Voices of Omens
Neurosis & Jarboe, Self-Titled
Mares of Thrace, The Moulting
Bad Vision - Acid King
First Acid King song I ever heard…and my jaw dropped.
If anybody ever wanted to know what kind of band I want to form, it would sound a lot like this. Down-tuned, fuzzy guitars and spacy, Freja-bellowing-from-the-heavens vocals.






