Scarlett STEVENS
“We were at a barbecue, Jack Johnson’s drummer was there, and there was a drum kit. I just hopped on the drums and he said, ‘You’ve got a knack for this.’ Then, I got to play drums with Jack Johnson on stage,” Scarlett Stevens laughs as she recalls the first time she ever picked up a pair of drumsticks.
With a father who’s managed the careers of some of Australia’s most iconic acts – John Butler, for instance – and both parents running Fremantle’s first live music venue, Stevens was practically born into the industry. Not long after that fateful barbecue, she was playing the drums on stage at Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee before starting her own band, The Flairz, at age 10 and joining San Cisco, still her band today, at age 16.
“Growing up, I didn’t see many women playing drums and that visibility wasn’t really there yet,” says the 27-yearold, naming Josie and the Pussycats as her key inspiration for taking up drumming, and other artists such as Meg White and PJ Harvey as women who have influenced not only her career trajectory, but also her style.
To date, San Cisco have released four albums, toured internationally and garnered a legion of squealing, dancing, dedicated fans. With the release of their new album, Between You and Me,
Stevens pauses to reflect on being “the woman in the band”. She says it’s not always been easy, even if now she feels like a veteran: “When I started touring, it was pretty toxic, just going into venues and recording studios and being ignored or being told, ‘You don’t hit the drums hard enough.’”
“[Being labelled a “female” drummer] can feel limiting, but there are young girls who want to play the drums, so it’s important to speak honestly about succeeding in a male-dominated industry. While those labels can be annoying, we can embrace them; there’s nothing wrong with being a woman,” she says, with a mic drop.
LISTEN TO
“GROWING UP, I DIDN’T SEE MANY WOMEN PLAYING THE DRUMS” – Scarlett Stevens
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