Four Female Guitarists and Vocalists Who Inspire Me!

 

 

Happy International Women's Day!

I want to appreciate four amazing female guitarists and vocalists I continue to look up to throughout my music journey. 

 Brody Dale

When I was first getting into punk rock, I heard The Distillers. Specifically, my best friend at the time offered their album Coral Fang as a CD she'd burned for me. She drew an electric guitar surrounded by lightning bolts as its cover. We listened to it together one day after school. To this day, The Hunger remains my favourite song from the album. Its bittersweet mix of intimate acoustic and blistering electric guitar always makes my heart explode with emotion. 

Brody's raw, husky voice redefined for me what a woman singing was supposed to sound like. Her alto range was the same as mine, and that immediately put me at ease. I was comfortable singing along for once. Brody's unapologetic fierceness in self-expression, visceral imagery in songs like Drain The Blood and Hall of Mirrors, and her feral screams blew my teenage mind. 

Here was a woman who didn't sing high, breathy notes or timidly whisper words. Brody snarled and screamed and sang right in your face. 

And Brody's rhythm guitar playing made guitar seem like a much less intimidating beast. If she could play those chords and riffs, then maybe I could too! 

Emily Wolfe

I've been playing Epiphone acoustic and electric guitars since 2016. I love them dearly for their playability, quality, and sound. At some point, I signed up for the Epiphone newsletter. One of the newsletters featured Emily Wolfe's signature electric, a stunning white Epiphone Sheraton.

That was my introduction Emily's blues-rock music. Her song No Man was a rallying cry that made me feel so seen. Since then, I've constantly been impressed with her incendiary riffs and bold vocals. 

When I learned she was self taught, I once again felt that guitar wasn't so out of reach for me. I keep trying my best to come up with good riffs and sing with my heart on my sleeve because of her. 

Brittany Howard 

During my first year of university, I was rummaging around the discount CD bin at the annual student market. It was always held early on in the fall semester, and it was specifically designed around massive sales. Everything from arts and crafts, to video games and vinyl was up for grabs. 

The CD discount bin was milk white so it immediately grabbed my attention as I rushed through the crowd. The only other thing that was also white in that bin was Alabama Shakes' debut album Boys & Girls.

It starts with Hold On, a song that knocked me over thanks to Brittany's powerful voice and stirring message. By the time Rise To The Sun and You Ain't Alone came around, carried by Brittany's clever rhythm guitar chops, I already knew I'd found a diamond in the rough album I'd keep forever. 

Then I heard Don't Wanna Fight from their follow up album Sound & Color. It stopped me in my tracks. To me, this song encapsulates everything I love about Brittany's playing, tone, and lyricism. Her strong message of unity in the face of exasperating constant conflict, belted out with fervor, continues to resonate with me.

Just like the rest of the women who inspire me, Brittany's honest, warm, and no nonsense take on making music is a shining example that I only ever need to show up as myself to be more than good enough. 

Lissie 

The moment I heard Don't Give Up On Me by Lissie, I knew I had to keep listening to her music. I liked everything I listened to, from the howling shuffle of When I'm Alone to the calm positivity of Best Days. I was also thrilled to hear she'd covered Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way and Metallica's Nothing Else Matters. 

Every note and guitar strum rings with Lissie's earnestness and passion. I quickly found out that she walks her talk. Her authenticity is a way of life: she turned away from chasing fame and fortune in LA, and instead chose to live and be creative on her own terms by settling down on a farm she bought in Ojai. Lissie stands for herself and all her music is infused with this radiance.

Lissie writes songs about real life experiences: love and loss and changes and fears, hopes and dreams and everything in between. The vulnerability and rawness of her acoustic guitar playing constantly inspires my own. 

It's Never Too Late To Play Guitar and Sing!

Every time I pick up my guitar or step up to the microphone, I'm just trying to create honestly in the spirit of the women who inspire me.

That includes all the women I've shared as examples here for sure, but also all the women that I know and have ever known.

To the women wondering if they should give guitar or singing a try, I strongly encourage you to go for it! I believe our voices as women are needed more than ever in music, and it's certainly never too late to learn something new.

Here's a wonderful quote from soulful guitarist and singer-songwriter Yola to light that spark in you:

“It's unfortunate that patriarchy plays a big role in the story of guitar playing. But the guitar, to me, means freedom."