Sunday, July 13, 2014

"Voodoo Chile" - Orianthi (video)

This is another of the rock girl guitarists on parade so here's Orianthi who has spent a lot of time playing / learning with Steve Vai.




One of the rarest things in music, a woman playing real lead and not just the notes.  She absolutely leads the band and she does it effortlessly.

The fact that Orianthi is of such a rare breed shows a sociological phenomenon I don't understand very well.  This is very different from the treatment of women in the workplace as, in that environment, there is very little choice.  In music, Orianthi made her own choice and stayed with it during what was likely some substantial opposition.

The extent of the opposition is what fascinates me just now as I had never thought of this idea that 'guitars are for boys.'

When there is such an obsession with plastic breasts, purple lipstick, and getting a mushroom tattooed on your butt, how did Orianthi avoid it.

Another example is Bonnie Raitt as she has been playing blues forever and she must have been hammered for that.  How did she stand up to it.  Bonnie Raitt is also interesting in this context as she unquestionably leads her band.

How exactly did these women avoid what beats other women down and what exactly is doing the beating.  Maybe it's pointless to ask but it seems important to me.

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