Women in Music Launches Chapter in Dallas, Hosts Mixer With Local Artists

After 40 years, global nonprofit Women in Music has come to Dallas. The organization’s first North Texas chapter, led by Maureen Womack, will host its inaugural event on Thursday, Aug. 21, at Sundown at Granada. The Women in Music, Dallas event is free to attend and kicks off at 7 p.m. that evening. It will feature performances by local artists Amy Curnow, Frankie Leonie, Remy Reilly and Jenni Rose.

The mixer came together more quickly than Womack anticipated. She originally thought Women in Music, Dallas would host something later this fall, but her team was adamant that they should get active in the scene sooner, rather than later. While Women in Music’s broader aims involve addressing systemic challenges that women face in the music industry, another critical component of their work is providing networking opportunities and building a sense of community through events like the mixer.

“I don’t think anybody can be successful without [community and collaboration],” says Womack. “So whether you’re an organization, a corporation, a nonprofit, a band… You have to be able to collaborate and have a sense of community.”

Moira McCarthy, Vice President of Women in Music, says the institution provides global resources that are available for women to access, whether or not their city has an active chapter. They also partner with other organizations, like All Things Go Music Festival, a fest known for its equitable lineups, on professional content, networking opportunities and curation. Currently, McCarthy says they are in the process of putting together WIM Safer Spaces, “a resource directory for those who have been challenged in the industry with any form of harassment, abuse, or unsafe work environments.”

Still, a chapter like Women in Music, Dallas comes with advantages for its local scene.

“What having a local chapter does, and what’s so cool about it, is it brings that sense of community, and it brings that sense of collaboration that you can … only get when you’re experiencing in the same environment; the same professional environment, social environment and the same opportunities of a specific location,” says McCarthy.

Jenni Rose, best known as the lead singer of alternative country music group Vandoliers, sits on the WIMD board and will perform at the mixer. Others in leadership roles are Womack, Amy Curnow, Paige Hill, Cat Hough, Lauren O’Connor, Crystal Perry, Tami Thomsen, Natalie Weiner and Courtney Wells.

Rose says that, as a trans woman, she thinks the work the group will do in Dallas is critically important and looks forward to participating.

“Right now, in the political climate and in just where I’m at in my transition, I felt like it was just such a big honor for someone … [to ask] me to be a voice for women in our industry,” says Rose, who was brought into the group by Tami Thomsen, founder of Ann Arkey Productions.

While she can usually be found fronting Vandoliers, the mixer will provide a rare chance to catch Rose playing solo. She enjoys these opportunities when they come along because they allow her to strip away everything from the performance aside from the songs themselves and the stories behind them. It makes for an intimate experience, and Rose is still feeling out how she wants to approach her performance at the mixer.

“I don’t even know what I’m going to play yet,” she says with a laugh. “But I hope everybody has a great time.”

One of the evening’s other performers, Curnow, says her music draws inspiration from soul, jazz and the blues. While she has been a regular performer in the Dallas music scene since she moved here in 2001, she also has intimate knowledge of the importance of music education, operating the Zounds Sounds music school with her husband. Curnow says she is fortunate to have been brought into the community and to have seen artists she has worked with grow and evolve over the years, and believes Women in Music, Dallas’ work will help those who come next get their foot in the door.

Between performances, members of Women in Music, Dallas' leadership team will take the stage to speak about their mission. Thomsen says one thing she wants to do is let women know about the opportunities in the field beyond performing. She grew up in Nebraska and says she had no concept of the broader music industry until she got into it.

“I didn’t know that there were publicists, that there were entertainment attorneys, that there were booking agents, managers, marketing people, touring people. There are so many people in the industry that aren’t performers and if you don’t know about it, how can you be it?”

Weiner, a local journalist, is originally from Seattle and spent time in New York before she arrived in Dallas. She says those cities both have a reputation for music in a way that Dallas does not in the broader culture, even though it has a vibrant, thriving music scene. Weiner says Women in Music, Dallas is going to provide opportunities to grow the scene and draw attention to what already exists within it.

“I just think the level of diversity [in music in Dallas] is not really something … that people expect, or maybe give credence to,” says Weiner. “There is a ton of musical history and a ton of stuff happening right now that just reflects how diverse and vibrant both Dallas and Fort Worth really are.”

For Women in Music, Dallas, the mixer is just the first step toward creating a more equitable, inclusive music scene in Dallas. Everyone associated with the group is quick to point out that, while they want to uplift and educate women, they are not exclusionary. They want anyone who loves music and wants to support or be part of their mission to come to the Sundown at Granada show and whatever comes next.

“Come and support us,” says Thomsen. “Men, women, everybody. You know, the stronger that we are, the more diverse opinions that we have … I think it just makes a stronger music industry. So I hope that everybody gets excited. And if you're curious about working in the music industry, or if you do and you want to have a stronger network, please come join us.”

Women in Music, Dallas Launch Party with Jenni Rose, Frankie Leonie, Amy Curnow and Remy Reilly will take place on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. at Sundown at Granada, 3520 Greenville Avenue. The event is free and attendees interested in becoming members can fill out this Google doc.