At the end of this week, in mere days, the Bay Area will be hosting the inaugural Doll Fest. The two day festival will take place at the Cornerstone in Berkeley, CA and is “a celebration of the feminine energy, friendship, and community gathering together in support of one another.”
The lineup is a jaw dropping list of rad bands all with a femme energy to them along with multi-genre artists. Doll Fest will feature artists such as The Iron Roses, The Darts, Tsunami Bomb, Dog Party, Tess & The Details and many more on March 1st and 2nd along with a pre-show party on February 28th.
We wanted to get in on the action, so we’ve asked the amazing bands a handful of questions about the festival including who they’re stoked to be playing with and what they think a festival of this caliber means to our scene.
We chatted with Alexi of San Francisco-based quartet gloomy june. The band is preparing to release their full-length LP early this year! Check out our interview below and grab your tickets to Doll Fest now via their website here!
Interview
Tell us a little about yourself and why you’re excited to play Doll Fest.
Hey, my name is Alexi. My pronouns are she/her. I’m originally from a farm town in SoCal but I’ve been in the Bay Area over half my life now. I’m a songwriter, DJ, and a supporter and fan of the music scene of The Bay, California, and DIY worldwide.
I’m excited to play Doll Fest not only because of all the amazing bands we get to play with (big shout out to Tess and the Details and Tsunami Bomb!), but especially because it’s a femme-focused indie fest. I know the vibes are going to be immaculate.
Which bands are you most stoked to see or play alongside?
I’m excited to see all of them! Like I mentioned above, I’m excited to see and play with Tsunami Bomb again, who we got to see when we both played Fest in 2022.
How has the Oakland music scene or Bay Area culture influenced your sound/creative process?
The Bay Area scene has such diverse sounds, and I’m sure I’ve absorbed a good deal of influences from going to show and seeing my local favs; bands like Chokecherry and Destroy Boys come to mind. Watching them come to life on stage, screaming and shooting daggers from their eyes.
I’ve also had the privilege of songwriting at Different Fur studios with some amazing local artists like Stoni, Taifa Nia from Same Girls, and Ricky Lake, and producers like studio_dad and Lien Do. studio_dad in particular has had a huge impact on me creatively, from showing me Remi Wolf for the first time to insisting that my band was pop punk lol.
How do you see events like Doll Fest contributing to greater representation and empowerment of women in the music industry?
Now, more than ever, we’re being shown that the government won’t protect us and corporations aren’t our friends. It probably sounds obvious to most people reading this, but now that the government is clawing back federal regulations of diversity, equity, and inclusion, how many corporate-run festivals will choose to stop booking women because they no longer have to? How many women in the music industry will simply be fired for no reason other than sexism?
It’s not on Doll Fest to “save us” from the patriarchy, but Doll Fest is a small piece of a massive community that gives a shit about peoples’ lives, and being a contributor and participant in that community is what will save us.
What unique challenges have you or your bandmates faced as female or femme musicians, and how have you (or they) overcome them?
I could never know how many opportunities we’ve missed out on due to sexism or transphobia. As a cis woman with a flat chest I fortunately don’t encounter outright harassment, but I’m sure my trans bandmates could speak on it.
What message do you hope to convey to your audience through your performance at Doll Fest?
I hope to convey that whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone. And fuck fascism.
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