Listen Up!

The Northern California Women’s Music Festival features queer female musicians this fall.

If you’re a lesbian who loves women’s music festivals, get this event on your radar: The Northern California Women’s Music Festival. This year’s festival includes a concert featuring women performers from Northern California, and a featured spot by the winner of the organization’s songwriting contest will also perform.

Art and poetry from local women of all ages will be on display and available for purchase as well as vendors representing the finest women owned and operated local businesses. 5% of all proceeds will be donated to the Women’s Haven Center in Modesto, CA. All remaining proceeds will benefit women in Northern California though the festival’s Enrichment Grant Program.

In good news for fans of queer women in music, this year’s lineup also features two queer identified female musicians: Irene Carillo, a local singer-songwriter who has won the Modesto Area Music Award as lead singer of her band The House of Orange; and Karmen Buttler.

Buttler, who describes herself as “a happy lesbian who’s been out since my early years,” has a new album out titled Daze of Love, which she recorded with her musician dad. “I’m inspired by people, relationships and everyday life,” says Buttler.

“Unrequited love helps, and overcoming hardships doesn’t hurt either—both providing lots of material for good songs,” says the singer who tied the knot with her long-term partner last year. “But seriously, I’ve been very lucky in life and can draw most of my songs and their stories back to people who are important to me. Daze of Love is a collection of songs that I’ve written over many years.”

She will be performing songs from the album and also fro her back catalog. “I’ll be focusing on performing a set that really suits the occasion, honoring and celebrating influential women and the power of community. My song ‘Angels’ from the 10,000 Oceans EP is a call to come together and unite as women, but also as everyone. We are stronger in numbers!”

Irene Carrillo is equally excited to be showcasing her work at the festival. Carrillo describes the music she performs with her 8-piece band The House of Orange as “old world, jazzy, blue-zy flu-zy, gypsy-love,”says Carrillo who shares her life with her girlfriend Ashley Machillo and their two pugs. In a “family of four.”

“I started playing queer punk when I was 24. I’m 34 now and this is my tenth year in the Modesto scene. I have released five albums, all OUT (I sing about girls of course.) We made our own genre. It’s like Squirrel Nut Zippers meets the Alabama Shakes,” says the out singer.

Sounds like something worth listening out for!

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