A YOUNG WIFE

I am pleased to announce ALLIE T! aka A Young Wife the newest addition to the Phog lineup!!

Excitment is in the air people, this is beyond good news! The more things come together the more at ease I feel.
Every year around Smash the Glass I go through a little crisis where I think everything is going crumble and no one will care about my cause etc etc, just pre-show jitters.
This year is different though, I am less nervous and more proactive. I'm really fighting for this festival this year, it is so important for YOU the audience, the reader to get involved and be part of the change; the message.

A Young Wife can be found at this link: www.myspace.com/youngwifeyoungwife

It's even more exciting when the artist really identifys with the message Smash the Glass is trying to send and make a statement out of.

"I want you to know that I support this cause deeply, and even if I cant make it, I will be pushing others to attend." Allie T

I love people, and everyone that is helping me do this. I seriously wouldn't have surived three whole years of this if I didn't have the support that I do.

THANKS GUYS! I LOVE YOU"

UPDATE!

Well ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that The Love and Terror Cult from Mississauga will be joining the list of great Canadian bands to be performing during Smash the Glass.

www.myspace.com/theloveandterrorcult

GET PUMPED

They will be playing an all ages punk/hardcore inspired show at the Chubby Pickle on March 27th.

Stay tuned for an entire line up sometime in February.

CJAM'S WOMEN RADIO COLLECTIVE PRESENTS...

MILK AND VODKA!
A music show that promotes and celebrates women musicians.
You can tune in tomorrow from 5pm to 6pm on 91.5 fm or Cjam.ca. Tomorrow, myself (Cristina) and fellow Cjammer, Jill Bishop, will be highlighting the works from Crass' album, Penis Envy.

You can read more about it HERE.

The Working Sex, Sex Workers UNITE!

I just love surfing the web, honestly there is nothing more exhilarating than randomly coming across a gem.

That's what happened to me today, I truly came across a gem of a website, a gem of a cause really.

While doing some feminist research I linked myself to this myspace profile. www.myspace.com/sexworkersartshow

I'm so interested in sex work, I've done numerous papers and projects around the topic, so you can imagine how intrigued I was by this.
The profile is primarily promoting a new book out called Working Sex: Sex Workers Write about a Changing Industry (Amazon Wish listed :]). Edited by Annie Oakley.

You've got to check out the myspace for yourself, I'll give you a little blurb from it to entice your brainwaves.

"Working Sex is a new anthology of writing by people who have worked in the sex trade. The essays, narratives, plays, and stories showcase a wide variety of perspectives on and experiences with sex work by people in all areas of the industry, making it the most diverse anthology on sex work in the US.

Angry and academic, sexy and sordid, hot and hilarious, Working Sex offers unique takes on

class, race, gender, and labor from the people who live and work in the crucible of our collective desire and revulsion!"

I am so excited to get my hands on a copy. There's nothing I love more than narratives!

NOW, if that peaked your interest get ready for this. I anxiously looked for a website link and low and behold I found myself here http://www.sexworkersartshow.com/home.html. I'm just gushing with excitement right now.

Editor of The Working Sex Annie Oakley is also the Director of the Sex Workers Art Show, a very successful cabaret-style show. The website describes the show as:

"...a blend of spoken word, music, burlesque, and multimedia performance art. Intelligent and hot, disturbing and hilarious the performances offers a wide range of perspectives on sex work, from celebration of prostitutes' rights and sex-positivity to views from the darker sides of the industry.

The show includes people from all areas of the sex industry: strippers, prostitutes, dommes, film stars, phone sex operators, internet models, etc. It smashs traditional stereotypes and moves beyond "positive" and "negative" into fuller articulation of the complicated ways sex workers experience their jobs and their lives. The Sex Workers' Art Show entertains, arouses and amazes while simultaneously offering scathing and insightful commentary on the notions of class, race, gender, labor, and sexuality!"

I want this performance to come to Windsor. I think that so many people would enjoy and appreciate it. Especially the Women's Studies department at the U.

Feminist production like this is so important to our culture and society. Sex work is a frowned upon industry. Sex is taboo, it's "dirty and ungodly". These beautiful women whether they choose to be part of that world or not are women no less and the oppression they face is despicable.

We are dawning on a new era my fellow readers, I feel that it is time for us to fight even harder for what we believe in and spread a message farther than we ever imagined. People are listening, it's time to be heard.

Take a gander, get involved, expand your minds!

Sonia

Obama and Women's Rights

So, I may be a little blog crazy today, but I just couldn't pass up posting this article I came across. Many of you know that I am interested in many facets of feminism and my activism goes far beyond women in music. Therefore I felt it necessary to add special information like the article I'm going to share, to this blog. I'm also a huge supporter of Barak Obama.
(Thanks Lucid Nation for posting this on myspace)

Ms. magazine recently created a special inaugrual issue, and Obama is on the cover. The article goes as follows:

Is Obama What a Feminist Looks Like?
By Eleanor Smeal, Huffington PostPosted on January 20, 2009,
Printed on January 21, 2009 http://www.%20alternet.%20org/story/121026/

It's not every day Ms. puts a man on its cover. In choosing the cover for this special Inaugural issue, Ms. wanted to capture both the national and feminist mood of high expectations and hope as the 44th President of the United States takes the oath of office.

Expectations have only grown since the election, with President-Elect Obama now enjoying over 80 percent of the public's support. Most people wish him well, and indeed hope he does "save" us from economic disasters, unending war and occupation, global warming, the decline in our international reputation, and relentless attacks on women's rights, civil rights, human rights, science, privacy...the list goes on.

When the chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation board, Peg Yorkin, and I met Barack Obama, he immediately offered "I am a feminist." And better yet, he ran on the strongest platform for women's rights of any major party in American history.

Feminist Karen Kornbluh, the platform's principle author, ensured women's rights, opportunities, advancement, and issues were addressed throughout the historic document· Never has it been easy fighting for equality and social justice. The politics of Washington, our nation, and our world are tough. We have spent far too many years fighting to hold the ground we had already gained. Now is the time to move forward. We are in one of those rare transformational times in history.

But we are not giving President-Elect Obama a blank check. For our hopes to be achieved, we must speak out and organize, organize, organize to enable our new president's team to achieve our common goals. Ultimately, we must hold our leaders' feet to the fire or, to put it more positively, uplift them when they are caught in the crosscurrents of competing interests.

Now is our time to think big. We cannot settle for less...too many women's lives, too many people's lives, depend on it.In this spirit, the Editors of Ms. magazine asked our readers, feminist leaders, experts, and activists to share their visions of what must be done to move forward at this extraordinary time. In the current issue of Ms., read their visions for change and add yours.

Eleanor Smeal is president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and publisher of Ms. magazine.
© 2009 Huffington Post All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/121026/

There has been a lot of speculation and criticism around the decision by Ms. magazine to put a man on the cover of their issue. I'm going to include the comment I posted on WAKE-UP-GRRL on this issue.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=rV1aDK0SuFI

The comment is a half response to the above video and www.wake-up-grrl.blogspot.com. (Sorry I haven't figured out how to put videos on this thing haha).

The problem with feminism is that there is a lack of collectivity amongst eachother. I understand the point radical feminists are making, it took a long time for women to gain a voice of their own. Let's keep in mind, no one can understand what a woman needs, than a woman. Feminism means equality for women and/or minorities, if it only meant equality in general well than a word like feminism wouldn't need to exist. To say "The fact that feminism is being represented by a MAN in this photo reinforces the progression of feminism. Isn't that what we want? Don't we want our rights to be viewed as equal by all?", is something I don't really agree with, to say feminism being represented by a Man is not a progression at all but just feeding the accusations that feminism was bound to fail because soon MEN would take control of it.That being said I completely agree with the cover, yes men can be feminist but I feel the reason Obama was an easy candidate for the cover is because Obama is a minority and this election being a complete historical moment and a huge progression in American society. In my opinion, it was important for Ms. to recognize the triumph of a minority to represent America. Perhaps this is a sign that the time for women is coming near.But your opinions are just as valid as mine. I think feminists spend so much time fighting eachother that we forget the ultimate goal.

Sonia

VULTURES!

This is me as a woman has been added as the first artist on the Phog Lounge lineup! (March 26th). We are currently waiting for replys from two bands whose names will go unmentioned for now!

This is me as a woman aka Kimberly Ann, I would say is one of the biggest supporters of Smash the Glass. She has a new band aside from her solo project, VULTURES!

VULTURES! will be making their debut @ the Phog Lounge Friday January 23, 2009! 9:30pm
Supporting act are Maverick and This is me as a woman.

Their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/vulturescanada does not have any tracks up as of yet, which makes the whole debut all the more interesting. I can only expect great things, especially if Kim is involved. VULTURES features current and/or former members of noted Windsor acts:

'Lone Locust'
'The Golden Hands Before God...'
'this is me as a woman'
'Somatose'
'Bombast'

Kimberly Kukoraitis - Moog, acoustic, vox
Andy Langmuir - guitars
Anderson Lunau - bass, vox
Scott Warren - drums, vox

The information found here can also be found on their facebook event http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=37442729751

Remember this show is at Phog which means it is 19+!

PICKLOL

Thanks Jay from the Chubby Pickle!

The Chubby Pickle has graciously offered to be a venue for Smash the Glass on March 27th!


-Sonia

Way Behind

This blog should have been made two years ago.

This blog will be filled with updates on this years Smash the Glass, as well as guest posts by none other than Crustina.

We are already working on our third year. It *fingers crossed* will be held March 26 and 27 of this year. I talked to Tom and he's graciously let us use Phog Lounge for the Thursday. And Jason is currently exchanging emails with Jay from the Chubby Pickle. So far it looks good but who knows, from completing two years already I know not to believe that there will be no obstacles leading up to and during festival day.

There won't be any announcement of line ups until at least February. Me and Jason have had one meeting of the year where we discussed which bands and artists we'd like to have part of this year's festivities. And I am currently in the process of contacting agents/artists/music lovers. It is a tedious process, but one that needs to get kicked into high gear.

Jason has also got to start shopping around for sponsors. I'm not sure who would be interested this year, hopefully some.

That's pretty much all we have so far. Hopefully the rest of the week will be filled with updates!

Sonia