When the folks in Spirit Family Reunion raise their voices in song, they deliver an inspiring message. Their mostly acoustic approach combines elements of rock with hints of bluegrass and country music. They have a feel that approaches the fervent emotions of gospel music, but their messages stay grounded in the secular world. Banjo player Maggie Carson will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on the band
Carson:
“Why aren’t there more women in touring bands?”
“What’s it like being the only woman in the band?”
More nights than not, I’m asked these questions while standing behind the merch table.
I hated these questions. For one, it felt like the primary thing audiences took away from my performance was my gender, which felt degrading. It also felt like I was being asked, “So what’s it like being different from everyone else?” I found myself dismissive, resentful even, of these questions.
But after being asked these questions with astounding frequency, it becomes hard to shrug them off. Why is this something so many people are so curious about? How are my experiences different from my male counterparts simply because I’m a woman, rather than because I’m uniquely me, and they’re uniquely them? How much is gender a part of identity in live music?
What’s it like being the only woman in the band? The frequency with which I’m asked the question answers itself. To me, being a woman feels like one part of countless pieces of myself, both given and gathered, that I bring with me to everything I do. Perhaps it’s too much to get into during the brief conversations I have with people after shows … Although, maybe next time I see you at the merch table, we can ask these questions of each other—and imagine a future in which our daughters are not defined by their gender.
