The Women Who Rock Eastwood
To celebrate International Women's Day 2018, we highlight some of the wonderful women who have been rocking our guitars recently. If you don't know all of them yet... make sure to check them out!
Make no mistake - the music industry is still dominated by men. When or if this will ever change, who knows? But the importance and influence of women has always been monumental - and we're not just talking about being the inspiration for many popular songs!
Since the early days of Rock'n'Roll, women have played an important whole as some of the best and most influential musicians, singers and songwriters, and if this fact is not always appreciated - well, International Women's Day is always the perfect opportunity to remind people.
Women In Rock: A Brief History
Everyone knows about Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard. But, even now, it's still surprising that not everyone knows about Sister Rosetta Tharpe - one of the true pioneers of rock'n'roll, having come before and inspired both Elvis and Berry.
Wanda Jackson was another important name that lay almost forgotten for many decades - until she was re-discovered by a new generation thanks to one of her biggest fans, Jack White, who produced her comeback album on his Third Man record label ('The Party Ain't Over', from 2011).
Of course, those are just two notable examples from the early days of rock music.
We can't forget all the singers, songwriters and musicians who came after and without whom the whole face of modern music wouldn't have been the same: Carol Kaye from the Wrecking Crew (one of the greatest bassists ever!), Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Delia Derbyshire, Mo Tucker, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Marianne Faithful, Kim Gordon, Françoise Hardy, Patti Smith, Mamma Cass, Ronnie Spector, Siouxie Sioux, PJ Harvey... the list goes on.
What about today?
Today, there's more women than ever before rocking out and making great music worldwide, and no one will feel surprised or shocked to see a woman ripping it on guitar. And yet... there's still a long way to go.
The recent #MeToo movement also highlighted the abuse and inequalities in the music industry, and there are still serious questions about harassment at gigs - if girls can't feel safe at gigs, then inevitably less of them will feel like going out to see bands and be inspired to make their own music, surely?
But things will change, and are changing. Every woman who goes on stage and performs with style, confidence, great songs and attitude is doing her bit to change things for the better, and we all can only benefit from that.
The Women of Eastwood
Here's our tribute to some of these women - highlighting ten female artists who've been rocking Eastwood guitars in the past year.
Maired O'Connor (The Moonlandingz)
The Moonlandingz were one of our artist highlights from last year, and guitarist Mairead has been rocking a few of our guitars, stepping on a Tone Bender fuzz with her high-heels. Mairead has used an Airline Bighorn and a Eastwood Spectrum 5 Pro at gigs.
Visit: http://www.themoonlandingz.com
Anna Frances Meyer (Les Deuxluxes)
Canadian band Les Deux Luxes are almost like a showcase for our tenor guitars, thanks to singer/guitarist Anna Frances Mayer's predilection for our models, including the Warren Ellis Tenor, Astrojet Tenor and Flying TV tenor.
Visit: http://lesdeuxluxes.com
Lucy Rose
Lucy is a talented singer-songwriter who's toured worldwide as well as recently opening for Paul Weller on his latest North American tour. She plays her trusty Airline Jupiter Pro Dallas Green Signature - which, we're told, never fails to get her some great compliments!
Visit: http://www.lucyrosemusic.com
Demi Demitro (The Velveteers)
The Velveteers are a brother-and-sister duo from Boulder, CO, and singer/guitarist Demi rocks a Sidejack Baritone DLX, and making a glorious racket for just two people. They've just released a new EP and we've mentioned them as one of our bands to watch this year.
Visit: http://www.thevelveteers.bandcamp.com
Jess Eastwood (Calva Louise)
Calva Louise are a popular band in the new London music scene, and singer/guitarist Jess really rocks out onstage with her Airline 3P and some mean fuzzy grunge pop riffs. If you're in the UK, make sure to catch them live!
Visit: https://www.facebook.com/calvalouise/
Ailbhe Reddy
Ailbhe is a tireless Irish singer-songwriter from Dublin. Touring often, playing festivals gigs and even being featured on Spotify playlists, Ailbhe is often seen with her Airline Tuxedo - a perfect match for her songs, given its rich, warm tones.
Visit: http://www.ailbhereddy.com
Tammy Shine (Dressy Bessy)
Tammy is the guitarist with punk band Dressy Bessy from Denver, CO. She plays a Sidejack DLX guitar, which became not just an integral part of their sound, but also of their look!
Visit: https://www.facebook.com/dressybessyband
Cameron Briley (The Skeleton Krew)
The Skeleton Krew are a alternative blues/rock band from Jackson, TN, and have influences as diverse as White Stripes and Tom Waits. Bassist Cameron totally rocks the Airline look - playing a discontinued Airline bass sometimes, and, on most occasions, choosing an Airline MAP bass.
Visit: https://www.facebook.com/killingflowerofficial/
Christina Cassette (Run Into The Night)
Run Into The Night are a new duo from Glasgow, who've been attracting an increasing number of fans at their gigs, thanks to their own brand of stripped down, almost atmospheric garage rock. Though usually seen playing guitar onstage, singer/guitarist Christina is now also playing our Saturn IV bass.
Visit: http://www.runintothenight.com
Erin Frisby (FuzzQueen)
Erin is the outspoken singer and guitarist in FuzzQueen, a band based in Washington, DC - and it's no wonder they say that their music mirrors and confronts the political climate through sonic exploration.
To help her in that exploration, Erin uses a faithful friend - her Eastwood Ichiban.
Visit: http://www.fuzzqueen.com
