By Jordan Stovka
In an age littered with male musicians in the indie-DIY scene, the 9:30 Club will bring three influential female artists to the stage Oct. 17.
Memphis, Tennessee, singer/songwriter Julien Baker will headline the night, supported by fellow female acts Half Waif and Petal hailing from Williamstown, Massachusetts, and Scranton, Pennsylvania, respectively.
Both Nandi Rose Plunkett of Half Waif and Petal’s Kylie Lotz bring with them bold character and feminine confidence. Last June, Esquire published an essay by Plunkett about sexism in the music industry, from her perspective as being “The Girl In The Band,” as a keyboardist and vocalist of Pinegrove.
Lotz’s sweet vocals weave words of pride and strength into her themes of longing and heartache, providing a punch to her mellow tones.
Baker’s debut studio album “Sprained Ankle” (2015) gradually gained national attention, and her growing fan base has been anxiously awaiting her next project. Within the past year she has released three taunting singles, making the wait for “Turn Out The Lights” (set to come out Oct. 26) that much more unbearable.
Her latest of these three, “Appointments” is a moving ballad about mental health and hope, with Baker vowing to “not miss anymore appointments.” Like her other works, the emotional content and powerfully empathetic lyrics pull the listener into a whirl of harmony, delay and healing, harking back to her melancholy yet empowering “Sprained Ankle” tracks like “Something” and “Blacktop.”
As a self-professed queer Christian from the south, Baker’s charm and humility add rich personality to every chord she strums and chilling note she belts. Studio recordings exude this to a degree, however, her stage presence does far more justice, making her fall tour a spectacle not to be missed.
Ticket information can be found here.
Featured Photo Credit: Courtesy of Julien Baker’s Facebook page.
Jordan Stovka is a junior journalism and graphic design double major and can be reached at jstovka@icloud.com.
