Nearly 4,600 females from across the globe—from grandmothers to newborn babies—gathered on The Land Aug. 3-8 for the yearly celebration of women's music and culture known as The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival ( MWMF ) . Smaller by about half from its peak attendance years in the 1990s, the 650-acre no-man's land still teems with the sights and sounds of a community and culture that has grown steadily more diverse over the decades.
Rhonda Tullis, a founding member of Chicago's Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles, began attending MWMF as a college student in 1989. She's been back every year since, observing a multitude of changes from improvement in the famous vegetarian cuisine—"Twenty years ago I brought my own spices; [ now ] I admit to loving nut loaf"—to the open-air showers where the once ice-cold water is now warm, but lines are longer.
There are fewer craftswomyn. Many of the old-time favorites—including Sweetwater Pottery, Goddess Gowns and Feminist Forge—are gone, perhaps retired, for many years. But the bazaar still boasts a plethora of womyn-made products from silver jewelry, silky sarongs and the ubiquitous tie-die to eco-friendly goods made from recycled and reused stock and natty attire for urban hipster dykes.
In 1989 workshop offerings weighted toward the spiritual and political. Attention grabbing titles from that year's program book include "Lesbian Separatism," "Networking for Witches," "Feminist Group Process," "Channeling the Universe," "Amazon Cellular Memory," and "Sex After Patriarchy"—listed in the Politics section.
While this year women could still enjoy "Peruvian Chakra Healing" and explore "Internalized Misogyny" the emphasis was on participatory personal growth and celebration. Those who were game could take workshops in yoga, belly dance, drumming, African dance, hooping, drumming, ballet, kickboxing, painting, breakdancing, knitting and more drumming. And, those over 18 could gather to discuss "the topography of the clitoris."
For many young people the festival has become summer camp. Including the boys five years and up in Brother Sun, festival organizers report 262 pre-registered children. Toddlers and infants do not need a ticket, so there is no official count on that demographic, but it is clear that vast numbers of children are being raised by two moms—or one—and yes, the kids are all right.
The children have brought some changes. A sign is posted along the path as you approach "Sprouts Family Camp," a day care facility for the 0-4 set staffed by work shift volunteers. The sign reads "Shh…babies sleeping!" There is also a special kitchen line for moms with small children.
"Twenty-two years ago, I remember only one woman who had children with her," said Tullis. "Now, babies, toddlers, tweens and teens are a significant part of the community. Some of the girls have been attending for most of their lives. A 'Teen Tent' was added within the last several years. Not always the case years ago, sexually explicit workshops and activities are now held in areas designated for those 18 years old and up. Though it wasn't terribly common back in the day, now you won't see women sporting strap-on dildos in line getting Haagen-Dazs at Night Stage." Even MichFest has become family-friendly.
Despite accommodating for the younger and more sensitive viewers ( and their vigilant moms ) , self-expression and the full and complete range of gender expression is not only tolerated but celebrated in today's Michigan.
While the "older generation" is still present and respected—women who for the most part embody the values and perception and display the fashion and gender statements of late 20th-century lesbian feminism, the stereotyped view of Michigan is giving way to a newer, more radical and diverse gender expression and politic that encompasses genderqueers, bois, femmes, dykes, butches and everyone in between.
"MichFest is so multifaceted and whatever someone's reasons for attending may be, it's clear there are thousands of unique experiences and thousands of unique identities surrounding you," said Jess Weida, a Chicago graphic designer and artist who supports the inclusion of transwomen at the festival.
"The potency of the whole, of what MWMF aspires to be, and of all the possibility we each create and embrace on the land and take with us beyond, is definitely no better for the long-standing effort of policing a handful of those ( possible ) experiences/identities," continued Weida. "Good faith, unquestioning respect, lack of judgment and simple tolerance from everyone are essential ingredients which make Fest possible in the day-to-day and I believe that each should be extended to any woman who decides she should be at Fest, regardless of her origins."
The debate around transgender inclusion is not new, but the balance of support is shifting, mostly along generational lines, with a likely majority of twenty- to thirtysomething festivalgoers allied with the transgender inclusion movement. A number of young women sported "Trans People Belong Here" T-shirts, and there was a silent action during a night stage when transgender-supportive signs were displayed.
"The women-only [ woman-born-woman only ] policy has fostered the presence of before unseen women bassists, drummers, sound engineers, lighting engineers, crew carpenters, and plumbers," noted Tullis. "Until women do not defer to men when they are present, then providing one week per year of women-only space is essential to the magic that happens at Fest. Over the last few years, dialogue has started taking place in order to incorporate trans-inclusion while keeping this magic. I believe trans-inclusion is eventually coming."
These important and ongoing dialogues, as well as those around racial diversity, disability access and a host of other issues with which our communities continue to struggle, did not dampen the feeling of sisterhood, the atmosphere of celebration and the sense of carnivale. Plus, there was the awesome entertainment lineup.
From founding mothers of women's music Holly Near, Chris Williamson and Ferron to the hard-driving Afro-Caribbean rhythms of CoCoMama and the rock reunion of the Butchies, the range of music kept the crowd dancing and singing. Bitch, Erin McKeown, Sia, Sistas in the Pit, Laura Love, Slanty-Eyed Mama, Nedra Johnson, Toshi Reagon and a host of other talents rocked the house. Headliners Indigo Girls and Saturday night's multi-performer Chix Lix tribute to the music of 1976 ( the first year of MWMF ) were also standouts. Poet/performance artist Staceyann Chin tore hearts out at the acoustic stage with her powerful autobiographical work and the charismatic Ubaka Hill led her Drumsong Orchestra as festigoers danced and sweated in the noonday sun. MC/comedians Karen Williams and Elvira Kurtz were topical, incisive, snarky, sexy and absolute laugh riots.
Women's music is eons from the old days of "Girl with Guitar." Sophisticated composition, top notch musicianship, professional confidence and sexual power have brought the artists, from folkies to world fusion to rockers, into their own. Michfest too, continues to grow and evolve, meeting the sensibilities of younger audiences while continuing to treasure and preserve the magic that happens in the Michigan woods each August.
Kristine W to
release jazz album
Singer Kristine W may be known for her myriad dance hits—in fact, the former Miss Washington holds the world's record for most consecutive #1 Billboard club hits—but, come Sept. 14, she will be releasing the double-CD jazz set Straight Up with a Twist.
"Straight Up with a Twist took four years to complete," explained Kristine W in a press release. "I insisted on bringing in the best musicians to the project. Scheduling studio time with these busy artists was complicated.
"This was my first foray in recording a Jazz album," she said. "I figured if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right. The end result is proof positive the wait was well worth it."
In the 30-track set, Kristine transforms several of her club hits into smooth jazz ballads, including "Wonder of it All," "Save My Soul" and "Stronger." The jazz version of "Feel What You Want," Kristine's first career release and first Billboard Dance #1, will be the debut single from the album. See www.KristineW.com .
Find more music on page 17.
