March 8, 2018, marks International Women’s Day and with a 150,000 person turnout at this year’s Women’s March, Denver is not afraid to celebrate women. On March 1, Cervantes’ will be fusing Denver’s love for celebrating women with another favorite pastime of our city, bluegrass.
GoddessGrass, taking place on Cervantes’ Otherside, will host so many local goddesses of the bluegrass genre that getting to the venue early will be required. The evening will feature the likes of the all-girl, all-star talented group The Sweet Lillies, Bridget Law, Pistols In Petticoats and Pickin’ Pear. 303 Magazine got to chat with three of the amazing ladies performing at the event to learn what excites them about being women in the industry, their favorite moments at Cervantes’ and what we can expect for future goddess related shows.
Julia Gussaroff, the bassist of the headlining Sweet Lillies, is looking forward to celebrating the collaboration, community and creativity with her fellow musicians. “The most important thing about events that showcase women in the community is that it creates a culture of collaboration and shared creativity,” she explains. “There are no events like GoddessGrass in Denver right now so this is the beginning of something new and wonderful, we hope!”
Another Colorado performer who is no stranger to women pride is Bridget Law, the stunning fiddler who has graced many stages and influenced many women and music conversations with her solo work, in addition to her former position in Elephant Revival. “Women and music fit together beautifully— we are very musical creatures naturally,” she says. “It’s wonderful to open up space for women to make music as they do on their own, separate from men, because the music takes on a different shape emotionally.”
READ: Bridget Law Talks Her Departure from Touring with Elephant Revival
The ladies of GoddessGrass are not strangers, as some of them have even performed together before. Gussaroff already knows both Law and Pistols In Petticoats. Pistols In Petticoats—a quintet of inspiring Denver-honeyed harmonies that lead to some major foot stomping— feel just as honored as the other gals to partake in a female celebration. Danica Cunningham, the band’s experienced fiddler, has played with many bands in the area and knows the industry as well as anyone. “Denver’s bluegrass scene is so heavily male-dominated that it is important to celebrate the women who bring a unique sound and perspective to this genre of music,” she describes. “In this way, we are supporting each other and empowering the growth of female songwriters and instrumentalists.”
READ: The Past Lives of Denver’s Favorite Venues
In addition to agreeing unanimously that the support of females in Denver music is imperative to keeping a strong bluegrass community alive, the gals also agree that Cervantes’ is a wonderful place to showcase that support. Each of these women holds special memories of the venue and can’t wait to hop on the platform to make more.
“You never know what’s going to happen at a Cervantes’ show and that’s what makes it so exciting,” divulged Gussaroff. “Our most memorable moments at Cervantes’ was playing at Winter String Fling and having Andy Thorn from Leftover Salmon sit in, opening for Head For The Hills.”
READ: Show You Should Know – Head for the Hills to Take Over Cervantes’
Law chimes in on her favorite moments there as well. “I’ve been playing Cervantes’ since I was 19 years old,” she says. “My favorite was probably when the band that Bonnie Paine and I had before Elephant Revival, Honeysuckle Rose, opened for Railroad Earth.”
With all of these exciting aspects, it would be a shame to miss. Especially with the current climate and the upcoming holiday calling for all of us to celebrate the goddesses in ourselves and our lives. “GoddessGrass is a platform for creative expression and sharing ideas, says Cunningham. “By teaming up to create events such as this, we are exercising the power of community and unity.”