The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
SWAN Day CT focuses on women in the arts
NEW BRITAIN — Fusion terms like Rasta-folk, jazz-punk, and acoustic alternative pop come up a lot in the musician roster for SWAN Day CT 2019, a showcase of trailblazing women in the regional arts scene, taking place March 30 at Trinity-on-Main in New Britain.
Started in 2007 by Jennifer Hill, frontwoman of Murderous Chanteuse and of Jennifer Hill & Co., the event is facilitated by WomenArts.
“SWAN Day is more than just an event—I feel like it’s a philosophy,” said Kiersten Sieser, frontwoman of the psychedelic folk-rock band Tiny Ocean, another of this year’s performers.
Gracie Day, an alternative-country singer-songwriter who’s performed at past SWAN Days, said, “It’s all about uniting and lifting one another up.”
This year’s line-up of more than 15 regional music acts, more than 30 visual artists, dance, and burlesque includes: Audio Jane, the grunge/shoegaze alternative rockers who won the Indie/Rock and CT Best Album categories in CT Now’s 2018 Best of Hartford; the dance company Visceral Movement, premiering “Future Is Female”; fashion designer Kristin Costa, who creates dramatic, romantic designs and who’s worked on projects including Ugly Betty and Enchanted; body painting by Kaylee Doll (Lake Compounce Haunted Graveyard special effects artist and pro MUA; and onstage art created by artists Kerry Kennedy and Lee Goodwin.
“This show is to show that we as women can do all that, and we're doing it without ego and we're doing it on our own,” said organizer Jennifer Hill, who is also performing her dark cabaret rock band, Murderous Chanteuse. Making all-female-created music is the mission of one of this year’s performers, Brooklyn’s Dani Mari (performing as eerie shoegaze act Primitive Heart), whose Female Frequency community released its first album in 2017.
Long-term friendships are the root of both nostalgic alt-rockers Mandala, fronted by Morgan Fasanelli, honored as one of Bandcamp’s Five Best Underground Albums in 2017, and the Haunting Titans, fronted by Sarah Murphy, both of which include men.
SWAN Day CT is a woman-centered space, rather than a women-only space. It’s also not a rock-centered space, despite the great rock acts, which also include the raw, aggressive jazz-infused punk of Brooklyn’s Eliza and the Organix. The spiritual sensuality of Natalie Hamilton, the indie rap with orchestral effects of Joanna, grunge tinged rock of Princess Randallina, and indie folk-blues from Steph Serenita are also part of the day.
The visions shared at SWAN Day CT run the full range of women’s experiences, from burlesque artists Vivienne La Flamme and Victoria Van Layer, to the retro-rueful songs of ambient alt-pop artist Dandelyin, who makes it fun to confess “the truth is, I’m a mess.”
“The fact that SWAN Day [CT] has lasted this long is just a testament to the amazing support and dedication Jennifer Hill has put into this, and the fact that women want to come together and work together,” said fashion and jewelry designed Ebony Amber, who participated in 2017.
Trinity on Main is located at 69 Main St., New Britain. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are now available for $25 per person; reserve and find more information at swandayct.com .