THERE ARE some extraordinary women running Portland music right now. Not to brag, but from the queer vampire goth-punk of Mira Glitterhound’s band Sweeping Exits to the Last Artful, Dodgr’s self-described “retroterrestrial” hip-hop to the Chicana folk-pop of Luz Elena Mendoza’s long-running project Y La Bamba, our city’s kind of overflowing with talent.
Luckily, there’s a one-day festival dedicated to celebrating these artists’ invaluable contributions to Portland music: Girl Fest, founded by Madison Sturdevant as a 501c3 non-profit.
“Years back, I was writing for a couple of blogs in Portland and Seattle,” Sturdevant says, “and I became very frustrated with the ratio of male to female artists I saw getting their due attention in Portland, especially at shows. I wanted Girl Fest to become a platform to support and spotlight the creative, talented ladies I saw making noise in our region.”
This year is the third annual Girl Fest, hosted by 2016 alum and local R&B superstar Blossom. Sturdevant describes 2017 as a “turning point,” and is excited about the dynamic array of genres represented, from hip-hop to jazz to indie rock.
“After this year’s show we will have seen around 20 bands across our stage,” she says. “If we can just keep promoting more and more female artists and inspiring young artists, I’ll be happy.”