Saturday night I went to see ESG. Let me just say, the Scroggin girls still know how to get down.
The minimalist post-punky funk band was formed by sisters Renee, Maria and Valerie in the late 70's. The lineup has since evolved, now including two of the original women's daughters. The sisters grew up in the projects in the South Bronx; their mother gave them instruments and encouraged them to start a band in order to keep them out of trouble and off the streets. They were discovered by historic Factory Records producer Martin Hannett, and went on to tour with Public Image Ltd., A Certain Ratio and The Clash.
The 3 women of color were a rarity in the predominately white, male-dominated punk scene. Even on Saturday, 30 years into their career, it made me wonder, what is it like for them to perform for an almost completely white audience, full of pushy aggressive dudes?
No comments:
Post a Comment