All Things Go: A Blueprint for Gender Diverse Music Festivals
Photo of St. Vincent taken by Laura Nicaise
For many, a chilly, rainy Saturday in mid-October may mean blankets and books inside, but for music lovers in the greater Washington DC area, it means singing along to your favorite songs at Merriweather Post Pavilion at the All Things Go Music Festival. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, live music enthusiasts have been craving the experience of being back in a crowd. Luckily, the widespread availability of vaccines and COVID-19 testing has now afforded us the opportunity to safely re-enter these spaces.
What better way to re-enter the live music scene than with a lineup as strong as this one. From hyperpop songstress Charli XCX, to Zimbabwean-Australian rap star Tkay Maidza, to bedroom pop songwriter Girl in Red, the All Things Go lineup satisfied a variety of tastes. One notable aspect about the All Things Go lineup, is that many of the acts were women. “When I spoke to the festival’s Partner, Paul [Vallimarescu], he said he and his team noticed the gender divide years ago and didn’t want to contribute to the problem,” says Kristina London, Founder of Amplify Her Voice. With this in mind, All Things Go took measures to include more women in their lineup, ranging from 52-81% women (solo artists or bands with at least one woman) since 2018, significantly higher than the national average of 19%.
Photo of Lili Trifilio of Beach Bunny taken by Laura Nicaise
These women are lauded lyricists, singers, multi-instrumentalists and multi-hyphenates, whose music resonates with many. A special kind of atmosphere is created when fans of these artists come together. Kristina London reflected on the camaraderie and connection she felt with fellow concert-goers stating, “It was like [they gathered] all of the girls who had ‘alternative’ music taste in high school, threw them into a festival with all their fave artists and let them thrive.” DC natives, SHAED took to the Club Pride Stage as a surprise guest, performing crowd favorites like “I Know Nothing” and “Trampoline,” with lead singer Chelsea Lee delivering stunning, powerhouse vocals. St. Vincent electrified the main stage crowd with her striking set, smoothe choreography, and astounding guitar skills. HAIM closed out the night with a set that left Maria Janush in awe of the sisters’ diverse musical ability saying, “They all know four instruments each so it was just really cool to see them switch it up and be amazing at each one.”
Photo of Sophia Allison of Soccer Mommy taken by Laura Nicaise
There are many factors that go into creating a festival like All Things Go, but it all starts with the music, the artists, and the teams of people who believe in those artists. All Things Go kicked off the weekend on Friday evening, with a Creator Summit at Eaton Hotel in Washington D.C., highlighting the women in music and media that make the industry go round. The first panel of the night, Women x Music, was moderated by SiriusXM on air host Madison, and featured SHAED’s lead singer, Chelsea Lee, MBK Entertainment’s Jeanine Mclean, SiriusXM and Pandora’s Jennifer Lieweke, and Artist Partner Group and Women in Music’s Nikisha Bailey. The second panel was moderated by The New Yorker’s Jia Tolentino, and featured Pitchfork’s Editor-in-Chief Puja Patel, SiriusXM and Pandora’s CMO Denise Karkos, and IMP and NIVA’s Audrey Fix Schaefer. This inspiring evening gave reassurance, hope, and clarity to a room full of young professionals, starting their careers in the music industry. From journalism, to PR, to management and more, these highly accomplished panelists shared the wisdom they’ve gained from their respective disciplines, showing us how each of them helps to support the artists we love, and how we can do the same. The sentiments of the weekend were so greatly summed up by the following words from Nikisha Bailey.
“[In order to really disrupt the status quo,] it has to be intentional. [Whether it’s] ‘I need to hire a woman, I need women acts, I need this.’ And that kind of just has to be your focus in order to really make a change.”