Power to (all) the people
Women are making inroads on the still-male-dominated Vans Warped Tour
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
June 30, 2005
Siouxsie Sioux, Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth, Patti Smith and bassist Kira from Black Flag waved the punk banner back in the day. A few newcomers – Agent M from Tsunami Bomb, Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and Melissa Auf Der Maur – carry on the tradition.
But with few exceptions, guys have historically dominated the punk scene since its birth in the '70s. Even though the stage has been tough to crack for the ladies, punk draws tons of female fans. From thrash to pop punk, women make up a good percentage of punk's fan base.
The savvy people from the Vans Warped Tour realize women want to buy tickets to punk shows, too. In the 2005 version of the tour, organizer and founder Kevin Lyman has included a single stage devoted to female artists (Shiragirl Stage) and a female-focused extreme sports exhibition (the All-Girl Skate Jam).
"All of a sudden, we have a bunch of ladies stepping up, everyone from Shiragirl to the girls in the Girlz Garage," says Lyman from a Vans Warped Tour stop in Kansas City. "Shiragirl with her crazy pink stage: I hope it makes it across the desert and doesn't burn up. The ladies are out there, and there's a good presence of them out there. I don't think people realize that our audience is equal parts boys and girls coming to the show."
Shira (www.shiragirl.com) is setting up her own stage; Girlz Garage (www.girlzgarage.com) is setting up a tent full of everything girl-centric; and the All Girl Skate Jam (www.allgirlskatejam.com) features the top female skaters along with a two-hour skating lesson for female fans. Skaters include Cara-Beth Burnside, Jessica Starkweather, Nicole Zuch, Heidi Fitzgerald, Kim Peterson, Mimi Knoop, Holly Lyons, Vanessa Torres, Apryl Woodcock and Sasha La Rochelle (visit the AGSJ Web site to sign up for a skate lesson).
Along with the shifting demographics, the Warped Tour makes an effort to include old school punkers, like former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt, along with the young lions. After 21 years of running the touring "punk summer camp," Lyman realizes the need to include bands for everyone.
"If it was just my tour, it would be just Rancid and Pennywise and NoFX," says Lyman. "Every year it would be just us hanging out in the parking lot playing poker and getting older.
"You're always going to see those roots involved in the tour. I think that's important. Our average audience is 13 to 18. Being 44 (years old) now, I need to pay attention to wht's current, to what everybody is listening to. It's good because you can mix in the big bands like the Transplants and The Offspring with more new sounds, like Atreyu and My Chemical Romance."
The tour has always fostered a "come let us gather and beat each other up in a mosh pit" mentality. So you'll have hip-hop guys from the Code of Tha Cutz stage hanging out with the Dropkick Murphys and punk rock pioneers like Watt passing along hard-earned advice to young guys like Tim Armstrong and Travis Barker from The Transplants.
"I think it's really important to get the young guys talking with some of these older bands who've been around," says Lyman. "Maybe they'll realize (success) doesn't just depend on radio. You gotta go out and work hard and tour."
This balancing act between musical genres, boys and girls, young and old keeps the Warped Tour true to its roots while looking to the future.
"I think nowadays, punk is a frame of mind, whether you're doing hip-hop or any other type of music," said Lyman. "I see the punk mentality in everyone that's out here: getting out here everyday, excited about their jobs and everyone feels like part of a big family out here.
"It's more like a punk tribe now. There's the hip-hoppers, there's the girls, there's the reggae guys. It's not just defined by the music anymore."
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Who's on tap at the Warped Tour
Don't miss these bands at today's Vans Warped Tour at Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista:
The Transplants (North Stage): After the turn of the millennium, Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong enlisted MC/vocalist Rob Aston and drummer extraordinaire Travis Barker (blink-182, Box Car Racer) for a new project: The Transplants. Experimenting with hip-hop, retro rock and thrashy mid-tempo punk, the trio's wildly diverse 2002 eponymous release found fans and favor outside of the bastions of punk rock. With guest appearances by the Boo-Yaa Tribe, Rakaa from Dilated Peoples, B-Real and Sen Dog from Cypress Hill, the Transplants new album "Haunted Cities" (Atlantic, 2005) looks to turn up the hip-hop quotient.
Mike Watt & Peter DiStefano (Hot Topic Stage): Former Minutemen bassist Watt and Pornos For Pyros guitarist DiStefano team up for a series of Warped Tour shows (DiStefano's brother, Carl, joins on drums). San Diego is the first of five stops as the tour rolls up the California coast. These old schoolers should teach the young lions on the tour the meaning of punk. In keeping with his D.I.Y. punk ethics, Watt still travels from gig to gig in his own Chevrolet Econo van. Why is touring in the van important? " 'Cause I can keep more control, and I have fewer people to blame if things do go wrong," said Watt. "I can keep things Econo. It's easy to park. I got the wheel in my hand. I'm kinda incognito." Says Warped promoter Kevin Lyman: "It's cool to have a couple of legends."
The Art of Safecracking (Hot Topic Stage): The members in L.A.'s the Art of Safecracking – Lance Webber (vocals, guitar), Melanie Webber (bass, synth), Garey Snider (drums) and Farzad Sharif (guitar, percussion) – make tangled, complicated rock complete with loud vocals and growling guitars. The band's influences include San Diego bands like Drive Like Jehu, the Locust and Hot Snakes.
Bedouin Soundclash (Maurice Stage): The inclusion of bands like Bedouin Soundclash represents the Warped Tour's ever-evolving, inclusionary attitude toward different genres. This Canadian trio seamlessly blends punk, reggae, dancehall, world, dub, jungle and two-step. Said Lyman: "They have more reggae roots. They played the after party last night, and the next thing you know everybody is talking about getting together and jamming."
Shiragirl (Shiragirl Stage): Shiragirl is an all-girl electro punk crew from L.A. led by singer Shira and D.J. Lava. Said Kevin: "Shira's this nutty girl I met a few years ago. Last year, she just barged the tour in her pink and black motor home. They had a little P.A. out the back and they would get out and do their thing. They live in this motor home. They travel around the country. They play shows. They play parties. They play anywhere. I like that. I like a person that's taking control of their own destiny."
– Chris Nixon
