Back in late 1995, I was fielding an idea for an all-girl music tour that I had dubbed Chick Fest. I had a groovy logo and a few artists very interested, so I was shopping around for an established promoter to partner with. Progress was being made. The dude I was talking to at Goldenvoice loved it when I called just so he could hear his assistant say, “It’s Kelly from Chick Fest.” He was a dude. What can I say?
In a follow-up to our discussion about the intersection of music and politics, I thought we could get into some specific artists and songs. As I mentioned then, Michael Franti & Spearhead always give me something great to hang on to in the world of protest songs, including a great groove. A couple of my …
Lyle Lovett has this song “The Girl in the Corner.” If it weren’t about Julia Roberts it could easily be about Joan Osborne on this bright Brooklyn morning. That’s where she was sitting in the corner of a neighborhood café reading the New York Times. Wearing a Mary J. Blige t-shirt and matching red sneaks, …