 I never liked coloring books cuz I didn't want to stay inside the lines. It's too confining, too limiting. And I can only use crayons? Just crayons? Hey Rock n' Roll Wonderland friend,I've been thinking about my teenage rebellion and how that has never really gone away. When seventeen-year-old-me heard the album Never Mind the Bollocks by the Sex Pistols, my artistry emerged! In fact, it bloomed! It was an awakening that I like things that stand out, that make you ponder, question, rebel and clash. I don't steal or cause harm and I always break for animals and pedistrations. Ya know, I follow the guidelines of being a good citizen. A few years ago, I got a flyer from the jewelry company Tiffany's promoting their anniversary collection of Elsa Peretti. "Anyone who was a rebel at one time in life can never return to being conventional." -Elsa Peretti  I keep this on my vanity as a reminder that my path is an unconventional one. Even though I tried for many many years to take a “normal” path in my career, it feels too much like the days of coloring books.... restricted. It reminds me of this song by Against Me "Do you remember when you were young and you wanted to set the world on fire?" - Against Me Female LeadBefore my punk rock teenage years, it occurred to me that I've always been drawn to rebellious female characters. Characters who fight and voice their opinions. When I was little, my dad would retire for the evening to the basement and would always play a movie while he worked on the computer. Now that I think about it, the majority of the films he watched had strong female characters. Their strength caught my attention at a very young age, even if for a mere moment when peaking through the basement stairwell to see what he was watching, like Alien. (I still can’t watch it all cuz, well… those aliens are scary!) But I tip my hat to you Ellen Ripley. Other characters like Sarah Connor in Terminator 2, Princess Leia in Star Wars, Reggie Love in The Client (Remember? It’s that John Grisham film with Susan Sarandon) and of course, M in James Bond films (Don’t mess with Dame Judi Dench!) all possessed a form of badassness.  coffee shop during a trip to Austin, TX -Photo by Joi Like so many who are angry and concerned with what is happening in the world, my rebel heart is ignited and my astrological sign is really coming through. Libras love justice for all, harmony and fairness. And art! Especially art that pushes the boundaries. If you need a TV Show that is about fighting for your art (and your rights) along with a good laugh and a sense of hope(and who doesn’t need that nowadays), you should watch We Are Lady Parts. It’s about an all-female Muslim punk band trying to record an album while dealing with love, heartbreak and staying true to yourself. This show is so freakin’ good! And this song. MWAH! Chef’s kiss. Women Know Good Music This month on Electric Radio Club, I've been playing a mix of nothing but women and female-fronted bands as well as guest interviews with some awesome women who know good music. Here is the playlist from the March 3rd episode. You may wonder why I started with a Moby track….listen to the broadcast replay to find out why or if you prefer a visual, become a paid subscriber to view the two-hour livestream replay. Check out my fun conversation with Radio Deejay Trudy G of Radio Hitch, listen here. Trudy is a wealth of music knowledge. She brings her music trivia game as we talk about songs that impacted her life while living across the country and the utter annoyance of certain male vinyl record collectors. Tonight, Monday, March 17th at 7 pm CST on www.em-radio.com,I’ll be playing another two-hour episode of nothing but women musicians, female vocals and female-led bands. For this episode, I’m doing something different. I put various playlists on shuffle and any female vocals played at random, I included it in the mix. The playlist tonight includes a new favorite band I found here on Substack from fellow writer Henry Beguiristain and his band, Aloud. Mark your calendars for Monday, March 24th for a special guest episode with fellow Substacker, Amy McGrath of Write Hear. Amy has been a music journalist before the internet! Tune in to find out about Amy's favorite songs that led her to a career in music journalism. From her time working for Q Magazine and her starting her career at Boston College Radio Station, the tracklist for this episode serves up some good old nostalgia. Currently working on merch! I wish I could make all graphic design needs happen on Canva, but I can’t. And learning Adobe is a bitch. Hope to get some items listed soon! In the meantime, I made my business card zine! Thanks to the inspiration and template guides from Vinyl Therapist ! I handed one to a musician after his set and without hesitation gave me the nickname of Joi Ferrari. Which I surprisingly find fitting.  my business card zine Since you're here on my website, I’m always updating things by incorporating elements of my inner teenage punk rocker. Sometimes I wonder if I’m incorporating too much of my inner teenage punk rocker into my brand. With great coincidence, poet and philosopher, David Whyte posted about the importance of who we were in our past and how it helps our present and future. I want to end with a kind message I received from a high school classmate regarding my radio show. I graduated in the same class as him. We didn't run in the same social circles, hell, I don't think even we ever had one class together. Here is a paraphrase of his message The vibe of your broadcast was cool. And "what was your first artistic love" was a cool ask. The reason I'm tellin you this is because artists need feedback. Don't stop doing it. In the current chaos of the world of what seems like a lot of white men whining, I felt the need to share an encouraging note from a man that was nothing but a genuine artist to artist comment. A reminder that I’m not just talking into the void of the internet and this unconventional path that I’m drawn to is worth continuing down. Stay inspired rock n’ roll friend, Joi  Comments are closed.
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