"If she was a fat balding guy...."

[HEMI6point1]

I just thought of this now, while I was trimming my youtube page.

I am a huge fan of electric blues music. A couple of years ago, I discovered a female blues musician called Samantha Fish. Now I don't base my musical talent on gender and looks but she is badass on guitar, she can really sing and she is cute (Not that it matters, but hey).

Here are some from a concert last year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MqeQK4bPyQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5-3f6SjjZs

Sound quality is not the best, but I didn't have an external mic.

Anyway, shortly after I posted this playlist, a friend on Facebook sent me this message:

"Sorry to burst your bubble but because she is a cute blonde you're letting your eyes deceive your ears. You mention she has some albums out and her shows are always packed, but I can tell you right now that if she was a fat balding guy nobody would care. There would be no albums, no packed shows and there certainly would not be guys like you putting your arm around her to take a pic (or two) with her after the show. Sorry but that is how I see it."

I don't know about anyone here, but isn't that a bit sexist to say that? "If she was fat balding guy" what a load of sh*t! The only reason why she isn't more well-known is because she refuses to "sell out" and turn all poppy for the teenyboppers that are sadly the biggest music buying demo.

This is the studio version of one of the above songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8mTTneBsv4

And here is her doing a duet with Devon Allman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJmPa1ci6NI

Yeah, I'm letting my eyes deceive my ears.

BTW, the person who wrote me this message is a woman who ranks Katy Perry as one of her current favorite "artists." So yeah....

BTW, speaking of things that I was angry about....

Why did it take so damn long for the Rock and Roll hall of fame to finally induct Stevie Ray Vaughan?! I mean, they have some people that aren't even remotely close to "rock" in the hall.

[Ginger Tea]

I want music to stand up by itself as it is for ears and not eyes, that said I do tend to check out some bands at festivals based on the program pic (though I do read the bio too).

I saw a YouTube advertisement for a singer who had a special on Channel 4 or they had branched out into music, I didn't pay that much attention, so don't have a name at hand nor can I be bothered Googling. Singer has a prosthetic leg and does a fair bit of performance art in her videos/shows, but in all honesty, if her music is shit I wont bother checking out her next song, my turn off isn't her leg, but if she is more famous than I am aware and I happened to say "I don't like X" I wonder how many would take it as "I don't like her music" but instead would hear it as "I think people with disabilities should be kept behind doors."

[Gravekeeper]

"Sorry to burst your bubble but because she is a cute blonde you're letting your eyes deceive your ears. You mention she has some albums out and her shows are always packed, but I can tell you right now that if she was a fat balding guy nobody would care. There would be no albums, no packed shows and there certainly would not be guys like you putting your arm around her to take a pic (or two) with her after the show. Sorry but that is how I see it."

This friend is also a dick. >.>

Hell, the blues genre is pretty male dominated ( with a large number of famous fat balding guys ). It'd be difficult to crack into as a young woman to begin with and impossible to if you couldn't sing the style. People don't buy a blues album because you're pretty. Even in the mainstream industry genres just being pretty doesn't carry you.

[Andara Bledin]

Listening to a YouTube vid of her crew doing I Put a Spell on You.

As an actual musician, let me just say that this woman absolutely does have the chops to do blues.

I don't know what your friend's issue is, but she's being an elitist snot. The only one letting their eyes override their ears is her.

[HEMI6point1]

This friend is also a dick. >.>

Hell, the blues genre is pretty male dominated ( with a large number of famous fat balding guys ). It'd be difficult to crack into as a young woman to begin with and impossible to if you couldn't sing the style. People don't buy a blues album because you're pretty. Even in the mainstream industry genres just being pretty doesn't carry you.

THIS.

Plus, her record label (RUF records) is very selective. They're not like the typical "let's run her voice through autotune and call it a day" organization.

[Lachrymose]

You and your friends should form a band called HEMI and the Dicks. Then again, you'd never agree on what to play.

(Sorry..couldn't restrain myself. )

[fireheart17]

I've been guilty of using a similar argument albeit in a different context. My context tends to relate to the anti-Islamic sentiment that seems to be a recurring theme in Australia at the moment.

Specifically my argument has been that "if the gunman/nutjobs were white and Christian, you'd all be bowing down and praising them."

[siead_lietrathua]

.. Singer has a prosthetic leg and does a fair bit of performance art in her videos/shows, but in all honesty, if her music is shit..."

Viktoria Modesta, and yes i can't stand her songs. generic lady-gaga wannabe, and while her voice isn't terrible (just kinda.. nasally), it's often drowned by the music.
though what bothers me about her is how she's basically being marketed for being disabled, instead of on the quality of her music. probably for the same reason you hesitate to tell people you don't like it... noone wants to look like they're picking on a disabled person.