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ROCKRGRL:
Carla A. DeSantis
by Brenda Kahn |
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| ROCKRGRL
Magazine is the brain-child of former musician, Carla A. DeSantis.
X-bass player DeSantis read an article one day in Rolling Stone
that asked women artists about their favorite perfumes but neglected
to ask about their music. After searching for a positive alternative
in the print media, she eventually started her own magazine, and
ROCKRGRL was born. Last year Carla set out on a new project, the
ROCKRGRL Music Conference Nov. 2-4 in Seattle, WA. Carla shares
with us how the conference came about and what it takes to be the
main ROCKRGRL. |
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WOMANROCK:
How did the idea for the ROCKRGRL Music Conference come about?
CARLA:
My partner, Louis Meyers, was one of the founders of SXSW. He's
really helped bring my dream to fruition. Louis had been doing a
conference in New Orleans called LMNOP. I attended last year. He
was doing a "women in music symposium" and I thought that
was a great idea that could be expanded into an entire conference.
He agreed. We thought Seattle would be a great place to do this
as the community is very active and there are many amazing women
here and in the outlying cities.
WOMANROCK:
Are you a musician or just a big fan of music?
CARLA:
I played bass professionally for about 10 years with a few breaks
in there.
WOMANROCK:
Are you happy with the artists who are playing the conference?
CARLA:
VERY thrilled. A lot of my all-time favorites are going to be here.
I won't know what show to go to first.
WOMANROCK:
What made you choose Ronnie Spector as the keynote speaker?
CARLA:
Ronnie was the covergirl of an issue a few years ago and I have
kept in touch with her manager (who is also her husband) ever since.
They have been great supporters of ROCKRGRL and really didn't hesitate
to say yes when I asked them to come to Seattle for the conference.
Amy Ray from the Indigo Girls is also a keynote speaker and another
woman I greatly admire. She has been extremely supportive of ROCKRGRL
over the years and was also wonderful to interview. She's very down
to earth, a devoted activist and she really walks her talk.
WOMANROCK:
What has been the most challenging aspect of putting together this
conference?
CARLA:
That no matter how far in advance you plan, everything sort of piles
up at once near the end. I was also stunned by how many people applied
to perform this first year -- nearly 700! I never intended for the
showcases to be a "contest" because I never imagined there would
be such an outcry for an event like this. But there were not nearly
enough slots for everyone and unfortunately, there were some hurt
feelings as a result, by some people who were not selected.
WOMANROCK:
Tell me about the inception of ROCKRGRL Magazine. How did you build
it into a print magazine with national distribution? What's the
circulation of the magazine?
CARLA:
Well, it's taken 6 years of very slow but steady growth. The circulation
is around 10,000. I was a musician for many years and always shocked
by some of the dumb comments I heard. I didn't know many other women
who were playing music for a living, but once I started meeting
them, we all had similar stories. It's a weird analogy, but like
AA or any other support group, the success of the group is in making
people feel less isolated - that's what I've tried to do for women
who play music.
WOMANROCK:
How has your work with the magazine affected your views of the music
industry?
CARLA:
I've come to see that most people get into the business because
they just love everything about music. And it's been interesting
to meet many of the people whose work inspired me to be a musician.
WOMANROCK:
Who have been some of your favorite interviews? Are they archived
on the site?
CARLA:
I actually haven't been doing a lot of interviews myself, but some
of my favorites in the magazine have been a recent interview with
Wendy & Lisa and my two year old interview with Ani DiFranco, who
really made me think.
WOMANROCK:
Any message for artists at WOMANROCK.com?
CARLA:
Any woman who is serious about playing music as a career should
be here for this conference, no matter what it takes. Radio has
forgotten us and it's time to take back the airwaves, which is what
we intend to do.
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_________________________________
Check out ROCKRGRL at: http://www.rockrgrl.com |
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_________________________________
Brenda Kahn
is a New York recording artist and the editor of WOMANROCK.com.
Past notes from the Editor. |
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