Studio 52 is a community artist space located in the heart of Allston, and is proud to support the Boston music scene and local artist community.
A new kind of Femme Fatale is coming to Boston, and no, there’s no kind of Britney Spears event involved. DrinkThink and Xperience Creative have partnered to coordinate the Femme Fatale summer concert series, with support by Women in Music Boston , which launches tonight (June 7) at Kingston Grille & Bar in Boston.
Enlisting a mix of women singers, rappers, comics, DJs, and spoken word poets from New England, the inaugural event features performances from DJ Slick Vick, Hech Rhymes, Reece Cotton, Jireh Calo, Ava Sophia, Einstein, Queen, Gladys Teresa, Shania Wilcox, Nonye Brown-West, and Michelle La Poetica.
The free, women-focused event kicks off at 8 p.m., with DJ sets from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and midnight to 2 a.m., and 20 minute sets in between from each performer.
“I’m always going to fight to get women recognized for their work,” says Lisa Finelli of Xperience Creative. “Now, more than ever, light is being shed on very dark areas of the industry. I believe women are having a major moment, we are taking back power, control, and opportunity. This event in particular is curated, booked, and managed by a team of women. The event’s official sponsor, DrinkThink, has a female VP of Marketing and Women in Music Boston is helping to promote the event. There is no stronger representation of queens supporting queens in Boston. We’re also feeling a lot of support from men in the industry who respect this concept.”
Finelli, who is also the Vice-Chair of Communications for the Boston chapter of Women in Music, says that the goal of the series isn’t just to feature female musicians, but to congregate a variety of performance styles on one bill. Since implementing the more diverse Women in Music Boston showcases, Finelli says that she’s already seen an increase in shows with similar varied lineups around the scene.
“I’m surrounded by a very diverse group of Boston artists, and I really wanted the lineups to represent how people listen to music,” she explains. “I am excited to see many more multi-genre shows in Boston and opportunities for artists to perform in unconventional spaces. I’m also seeing hip-hop and R&B artists being booked at bigger venues, which is great, but not as frequently as I would like.”
To take the event to an entrepreneurial level, tonight’s show also celebrates the launch of the app DrinkThink, and will ask guests to nominate women entrepreneurs and local female-owned businesses to be recognized with a $25 gift card.
Following tonight’s concert, the series continues on July 12 to honor Xperience Creative’s three-year anniversary, and on August 16 to celebrate industry appreciation night.
“I have high hopes for Femme Fatale Boston, I want the city to actually come together and support these artists,” Finelli says. “We don’t always support one another the way we should — here’s my attempt at bridging the gap.”
FEMME FATALE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES:: Thursday, June 7 at Kingston Grille & Bar, 25 Kingston St. in Boston, MA :: 8 p.m., 21-plus, free with registration :: Facebook event page :: Featured DJ Slick Vick image via her Soundcloud
