Photo by Allison Long
KC’s women musicians:
Between rock and a good place
BY TIMOTHY FINN
PHOTO BY ALLISON LONG
The Kansas City Star Magazine / Jan. 27, 2012
“People don’t want to see women do things they don’t think women should do.” — Joan Jett
That was the case back in the 1970s, when Jett and the Runaways were trying to make it in the macho world of rock.
These days, women aren’t the novelty they once were in popular music. But they are still the exception, part of the much smaller minority.
“Things are better, for sure,” said Betse Ellis, a longtime player in the local scene, “but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.”
“It’s less of a deal, but saying it doesn’t matter anymore is a little like saying, ‘There’s no more racism,’ ” said Lauren Krum of the band the Grisly Hand. “It makes me want to be extra-positive and supportive of other women in music.”
Our music world is populated with lots of women who rock, in every sense of that word — women doing things people used to think women shouldn’t do, whether they’re fronting a band as a singer or lead guitarist, writing songs, producing and promoting concerts or showcasing music from a commercial-radio pulpit. Here are a dozen who play various roles in the Kansas City music scene, adding to its fire and luster, feeding its heart and soul.
Kristie Stremel
Kristie Stremel’s history in the Kansas City music scene goes back to 1995, when she was 21 and part of the all-female band Frogpond.
“The ‘women in rock’ thing back then was still kind of different and exciting,” she said. “In a lot of ways it helped us.”
After leaving Frogpond, she started the band Exit 159, then launched a solo career that has lasted well beyond a decade. She has put music aside a few times, including a six-month stretch when she didn’t pick up a guitar. But each retirement was inevitably temporary.
“Being a musician is like getting a bug,” she said. “Once you catch it, you can’t do anything else.”
Stremel takes on the occasional freelance graphic-design project to help pay bills. But for the most part she is a full-time solo artist, touring the Midwest, running her own music enterprise, Stremeltone, and building a studio so she can make her own records.
The key to longevity and survival is discipline, said Stremel, who recently celebrated her eighth year of sobriety.
“You’ve got to find a good balance,” she said. “Music is a lifestyle, but it’s also a business. You’ve got to spend your money carefully. And you’ve got to respect yourself and respect the business and make it grow and keep growing.”
