At a basic level, “diversity, equity and inclusion” should be hard to argue against. No ecosystem, natural or cultural, can sustain itself without diversity; equity implies a fair distribution of resources; inclusion means more voices at the table. And yet, the terms now carry a kind of fatigue, even suspicion.
Part of that backlash stems from bad-faith political attacks. But there’s another issue: In a late-capitalist context, DEI has too often become branding—more about saying the right things than doing them.
That gap between language and action is exactly what led Maria Chaos to start Doll Fest.
Chaos is a consummate concert-goer. She attends shows locally, regionally and internationally with a regularity that one might consider fanatical. She also is a concert promoter and producer, having been involved in everything from DIY booking to regional festivals. Through the years of attendance and organization, one thing always stood out as especially frustrating.
“I would go to shows and consistently see line-ups of predominantly white and male acts,” Chaos said. “Some of them would be onstage making statements about promoting diversity, but it never seemed like there was any follow through.”
By follow-through, she means there was rarely a change in the demographics on show bills; as such, these statements felt hollow at best and tokenizing at worst. From this frustration, Chaos put her money where her mouth was and founded Doll Fest.
Doll Fest is an East Bay-based music festival on the cusp of its second annual three-day event, with a Friday night opening party and two full-day weekend shows, that features a lineup of all femme-fronted bands. The show draws in local, national and international acts including Descartes A Kant from Guadalajara and 18 Fevers from South Korea.
Headlining acts will be Minneapolis-based punk outfit, Vial, and Warped Tour alums, Bad Cop/Bad Cop. A portion of the proceeds for the festival will be donated to the Transgender Law Center. Additionally, Doll Fest has been leading up to its big show with a series of smaller events, including a comedy show, a fundraising event for Lyon-Martin Community Health and even an international event in Mexico City.
Providing a concrete definition for “femme” can be a little tricky. The boundaries of identity, being a social construct, becomes hazier the more granular one gets in examining it. Doll Fest opts to take on an attitude of inclusion rather than exclusion when tracking this moving target. Freya Yamamoto, Doll Fest’s general manager, art director and self-appointed black cat, thinks the ethos works best when inhabiting a state of elasticity.
“We approach the subject with an open mind and constant curiosity,” she said.
Functionally, someone who is femme is a person who embraces femininity and externally expresses their identity through a lens of this embrace. What that means within the context of the festival has been consistently reexamined and renegotiated since its inception, always with the goal of bringing more people into the fold rather than shutting the door. Yamamoto sums up the most definitive boundaries for Doll Fest as such—“Do your ideals align with us, do you put on a good show, are you a good person?”
Along with showcasing femme-fronted bands, Doll Fest is also femme-owned and femme-operated. Ever-aware of token gestures, Chaos is intent on upholding the ideals of inclusivity and representation through every component of the festival.
“As much as it’s an issue onstage, there is a big lack of representation backstage as well,” said Harley Evans.
Evans, an East Bay native, works with the fest as an assistant stage hand, merch booth attendant and member of the street team. “I’m the Swiss Army volunteer,” she said with a laugh. Evans works professionally as a “merch-girl,” and can be found at the tables in the Fillmore, The Chapel SF and across the country with touring bands. She also volunteered for eight years at the legendary DIY venue, 924 Gilman.
Evans believes that having an all-femme operations crew is incredibly important. “I didn’t know I could work professionally in the music scene until I saw my friends doing it,” she said. The hope for Doll Fest, one that Chaos echoes full-throatedly, is that anyone who comes to the event will not only see a great concert, but will walk away from it reconsidering what is possible to achieve.
Running alongside the threads of representation and integrity is Chaos’ obsession with throwing a great show. “The ultimate goal is to create a space where people feel safe, like they can be themselves and see some incredible music,” she said. Doll Fest’s argument is that the issue has never been a lack of femme talent in the music scene, but a lack of platform. “Since starting this I can’t tell you how many truly incredible bands I have come across.”
Yamamoto added, “We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface in regards to talent.” It’s an interesting reframing of the dominant narrative. There has always been a glut of diverse voices and identities with talent and passion. The point of Doll Fest is not to create an entirely new narrative, but to tell the one that has been with us but overshadowed and pushed to the side from the start.
Ann Gilly is a musician and graphic designer based in Louisville, Kentucky. One day, while scrolling Instagram, she came across a post from Doll Fest searching for femme-identified designers. She reached out, participated in an interview that evolved into an hour-and-a-half conversation, and that was that—she was brought aboard to design the graphics for this year’s festival. Gilly reports that the experience of working with the festival has been overwhelmingly gratifying.
“There’s no bullshit,” she said. “We say what we mean and say what we need. In a very positive way.”
“One of my main focuses is building community,” Chaos said. “I want show attendees to feel a part of something larger, and I want the people working it to be able to build connections and find future opportunities.”
The hope is that Doll Fest serves as an example to others of what is achievable through effective organization and philosophical integrity. Inspired by Doll Fest, Gilly started an Instagram account called “Femmes to the Front, Louisville,” which posts features on femme-identified musicians in Louisville.
“I realized there weren’t a lot of opportunities for femmes to connect out here,” she said, “and was inspired by Doll Fest to make something to change that.” What could be a better proof of concept than that?
Doll Fest Volume II, Saturday-Sunday, March 28-29, 2-10:30pm at Oakstop California Ballroom, dollfest.net. Pre-party on Friday, March 27, 7pm at the Ivy Room, Albany; ivyroom.com.
