News Thu Mar 06 2008

Local Zine Names Best Female Guitarists

Venus Zine, the local Chicago music zine covering women in music, launched a huge project in it's current spring issue (available on newstands and online), nominating it's picks for the best female guitarists in the world. "The world" may be a stretch, but the list, a partial response to Rolling Stone's own estrogen-lacking guitar greats list from 2003, certainly does include the mainstays as well as some interesting inclusions. Bonnie Raitt, Polly Jean Harvey, Christina Billotte, and Joni Mitchell are all featured among the 46 "best", chosen by a panel including Amy Phillips, the senior news editor for Pitchfork and Jaan Uhelszki, writer for NME, USA Today, and Spin.

"Our original goal was to write a couple of paragraphs on each guitarist, but once we got started, we felt like we couldn't stop, there was just so much to say about all of the artists," Venus Zine Editor Amy Schroeder expresses. The comprehensive work that went into this project shows on the online version which kicks it up with video performances and other links.

The zine itself proclaims to cover the intersection of music, pop culture, fashion, art, and DIY for women and does it rather well in this latest issue. Check out the list for a good read and some contemplative commentary on that other part of the rock world.

- Emily Kaiser