Q&A: Evelyn Morris on ’Women in Australian Music’ panel event

The Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People (STEP), in partnership with LISTEN, will present a discussion event themed ‘Women in Australian Music.’

The event is scheduled for July 1 and The Toff in Town, and will centre on topics that include issues faced by women in music, and strategies to unite and encourage female leadership within the Australian music industry.

Australian singer Clare Bowditch will be acting as moderator for the event.Other panellists include Melbourne musician Emily Ulman, The Good Copy editor Brodie Lancaster, music journalist Jenny Valentish and SLAM’s Helen Marcou, as well as LISTEN co-founder Evelyn Morris.

TMN spoke to Morris about the event, some of the challenges women face in the industry and her own stance on feminism

What do you hope this discussion event will achieve, apart from raising awareness to some of the issues for women in music?

Every time I have a public discussion on feminism I have similar goals: to unpick patriarchy word by word. Really broadly, I want to open up the dialogue about what systems are in place, what are the specific pitfalls ands impacts they have, and how they infiltrate the internal narratives of all genders on a daily basis. I generally allow for the details as to which elements of the oppression of women we speak about to be dictated somewhat by the flow of conversation.

The issues we have flagged as being immediately relevant within music today are to do with venues and responsibilities they have towards women and LGBTQI people, sexual and physical abuse within our community and the silence around it, and ways in which we can increase visibility for not-male art. There's also some discussion needed around trans women and their requirements within feminism- namely where older, more exclusionary styles of feminism rub up against current, more aware feminist dialogues. However, given that there are no trans women on this panel, I'll most likely just touch on it briefly with the hopes we can discuss it further at a future panel.

What are some of the challenges that women in the Australian music industry face, that you plan to highlight at STEP?

The restrictions and personal difficulties that the threat of sexual and physical violence place on women and LGBTQI people are very real. In my time running LISTEN, I am saddened to say that it's not often that I meet a woman who can say that she has not experienced an assault or harassment within her musical career/time as a music fanatic. So given the brevity of that realisation, this is my number one priority in terms of challenges.Others include:
a lack of interest in and real tangible support for female identified music built upon the entrenched patriarchal narratives and language we all use in music; and skepticism towards women that speak up, whether they be discussing unfairness, talking-up their music, or expressing opinions. This fear causes those voices to get squished.

Was there a particular moment in your life that sparked your activism for female empowerment within the industry?
When I was 17, an older Rock-pig type dude that ran an established venue felt it was his duty to tell me that it would be physically impossible for me to play [the drums] as well or as heavy as a man. I have been playing drums heavier and faster and louder and with more rage every day since then. And now I have a language for it and a whole lifetime's worth of other examples to choose from when discussing it.

What were the criteria when choosing panellists for the event? Is there a particular panellists' input that you're excited for?

I'm so excited to hear from all these women. They're all women I admire a great deal! That was definitely part of the selection process…. Admiration. Although I have admiration for any woman that gets into music in any way!

I'm really keen on hearing about Helen's experiences within her activist work. Helen got me up on stage at the SLAM rally years ago even though I told her over and over that I couldn't do it. She changed my life by proving I could do something I thought I couldn't, and that's something I'm committed to doing within LISTEN. All the panellists are such intelligent and powerful women, and Clare is an incredible speaker/thinker as well – she's going to nail it as a moderator. I feel very excited overall!

The ‘Women In Australian Music’ conference will be held on Wednesday July 1 at The Toff in Town, Melbourne. Tickets are $10 online and $15 at the door.