Rock has always been perceived as a boys’ club. For years, rock has catered to a mostly male audience with music mostly played by men and for men. But when it comes to real rock music, there only needs to be some guitar, drums and true emotions.
It only seems crazy to believe that men are the predominate proxies for what rock music should look and act like. In an era where people are beginning to question the relevancy of rock music, it has actually been countless women that have demonstrated that rock will stay connected to the social and musical consciousness for the foreseeable future.
Some women today have been keeping to the tradition of rock while naturally taking it to new heights. St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, is one of the best examples of a woman who has expanded on rock and taken it to a progressive forefront. She is a veteran musician, whose newest album, “MASSEDUCTION,” has her add sharp, thrashing beats to her grand vocals and masterwork guitar shredding.
Clark veers more into pop with this album, but she keeps her rock sensibilities throughout with the musical structure in all her songs. Her last album won a Grammy, and her newest one only proves how lasting she will be in rock.
Another artist who glides rock into the future is Courtney Barnett. She recently teamed with other rocker Kurt Vile to release a collaborative album called “Lotta Sea Lice.” She performed on all the tracks and wrote three songs. All the songs have such a bar brawl sound, it’s so refreshing to see someone attack this genre of music. Barnett’s witty, ironic and personal lyrics amplify her songs to a idiosyncratic degree.
The albums that Barnett has released alone are more intimate acoustic and electric jams that have garage rock quality sentiments. Her inspirations are based on rock of the '60s and '70s that had simple production elements and diary-entry-like themes. The best part about Barnett is when she only has a guitar. You can hear her add to rock’s repertoire, but also reinvent it in the subtlest of ways.
But rockin' women aren't just solo acts. HAIM is a Grammy nominated band that consists of three sisters. Their two albums show off their strengths by having them not be afraid to pull from a range of genres and eras of rock and pop to create music that anyone can find enjoyment in listening to. The root of a lot of their infectious hooks come from their studious effort to steady drumming and funky bass line progressions. HAIM spaces out their music production by making the multitude of instruments being played at once each come alive differently. Their vocal harmonies are a bright mark on their work. Female vocals have always stood out to great effect when placed against rock music.
The sisters are smart enough to know when to hold back their exuberance or let it explode. With an eagerness to hone their skill in all steps of making music, HAIM is proving their stay power as one of rock’s best acts.
Each of these artists have made rock into their own image. All stay within the rock genre as a whole, but deviate enough to each bring their own imprint on it. Rock still has a wide audience of fans with vastly different backgrounds who each may gravitate towards certain artists depending on who they are.
St. Vincent, Courtney Barnett and HAIM are just a few examples of women in rock who are making it clear that there are no limits to what it takes to make it big. There are countless others who are making a name for themselves as well. These women, though, are proof that if you have talent, luck and your own unique vision on how you can make music, then you can find success.