LTATM Ep 10 Women Drumers
LTATM 10 Women Drummers
In Episode 10 of Let’s Talk About The Music (LTATM), host Shels L Pixi talks with Ripley from Juliet Tango and Evita from Way Past Midnight about the special challenges and successes of being women drummers in the music industry.
Reference links
Episode 10: Women and Drumming
Drums. It’s possible that no other instrument evokes such a primal reaction in us. Drums have been around since prehistoric times, with one of the oldest specimens dating back to 6000 BCE. Drumming has traditionally been used in civic ceremonies, message transmission, and particularly in religious services all around the world. They have been constructed from a variety of materials and in many different shapes, although the cylindrical form is most common. Even today, many cultures utilize drums in their sacred rituals.
While modern drummers have been stereotypically male, women drummers are emerging into the spotlight in greater numbers. In fact (according to X8 Drums), we can make the argument that drums are essentially female. Their rhythm and power represent the heartbeat of our mother earth, and women are particularly able to tap into these primal inner cadences. Women have been drumming for centuries, often within their own private ceremonies, and are slowly but emphatically becoming mainstays within the modern music scene.
Modern Times
There is no reliable record of the first modern female drummer, as they were seldom placed in the spotlight or even hired in popular music groups. However, Viola Smith performed in swing bands and orchestras from the 1920s all the way to 1975 and is one of the earliest known professional drummers; she played multiple times on The Ed Sullivan Show, in movies, and for Broadway. In the 1960s, Karen Carpenter broke onto the scene as “the drummer who sang,” followed by Honey Lantree, Moe Tucker, and many other talented and hard-hitting women up into our own time.
What follows is a list of many of the top women drummers in 20th and 21st century music. They are not mentioned on the podcast, but any one of them is worth a lookup online, as they are the pioneers that paved the way for current-day female drummers to take the stage.
List of Drummers: Can you match the names to the pictures below?
Viola Smith
Karen Carpenter of The Carpenters
Moe Tucker of Velvet Underground
Samantha Maloney
Sandy West
Sheila E
Gina Schock
Patty Schemel
Cindy Blackman Santana
Janet Weiss
Meg White
Evelyn Gelennie
Terri Lyne Carrington
Chaka Khan
Mercedes Lander
Meytal Cohen
Hannah Welton
Anika Nilles,
Senri Kowaguchi,
Sarah Thawer,
Jody Linscott,
'Bobbye Hall,
Georgia Hubley,
Linda Pitmon,
Claudia Gonson,
So… How many women drummers are there?
More About Our Guests
Ripley from Juliet Tango
https://www.reverbnation.com/juliettango
Ripley is half of the electric duo Juliet Tango, along with her husband Joe. She’s been playing drums for about six years now, but came to it by a very circular route and quite by accident. A musician since age three, Ripley has experience on piano, guitar, bass guitar, and violin. Although she never set out to be a drummer, she loves the drums and is proud to represent the growing number of women on drums.
Prior to Juliet Tango, Joe had a band which was scheduled to play shows at South by Southwest in Austin, TX. His goal was to tour on the way down and on the way back to the PNW. Unfortunately, the other band members wanted to skip touring and fly to and from the event. Joe wasn't too cool with that and asked Ripley if she was a musician—and the rest is Juliet Tango history.
Evita Belmonte - Way Past Midnight
https://waypastmidnightmusic.com/about
LTATM also welcomes back Evita Belmonte of Way Past Midnight. Evita began drumming in her childhood elementary school and played throughout her high school career. Like Ripley, Evita has mastered multiple instruments, first adding trumpet to her repertoire to “just learn somethiing different.” She was part of a drum and bugle corp that marched in the St. Patrick's Day parade and other local parades throughout her community.
Evita eventually became a member of the soul/rock/musical theater crossover group, Life USA. Their goal was to model themselves after Sly and the Family Stone. Life USA sustained a long and illustrious career, and was the gateway for Evita to perform in concert as the first trap drum player for the famous Chuck Berry. She has a wealth of wonderful and interesting stories, as well as being a recipient of several awards, so check out the podcast as she shares her experiences.
LTATM Sponsor
Niche Sites Made Easy
Learn step-by-step how you can create and sustain an income through blogging about topics you are passionate about.
Podcast on Audiboom
Podcast on YouTube
Please subscribe to my channel! For every 1,000 subscribers, I will release all new Member only podcast.
LTATM Guests
WayPast Midnight Music
Evita
Drummer for Way Past Midnight
Juliet Tango
Ripley
Juliet Tango
Check out LTATM’s other blogs.
Music Review:
New Story coming soon
Festival Review: new story coming
LTATM Survey
How is LTATM doing?
Please fill out the LTATM Survey. It helps me understand how I'm doing and what to focus on for season 2.
Tribute to the Music: more coming soon
