Femme Fest, an annual celebration of women in music in western Kentucky, returns to Paducah Beer Werks this week in celebration of Women’s History Month – this time showcasing an all-female-led lineup over two nights in downtown Paducah.
This year’s Femme Fest will kick off Friday, March 20, and conclude Saturday, March 21, at Paducah Beer Werks, with performers ranging across the genre spectrum.
Melanie A. Davis, a local musician and a co-host of the WKMS program Alien Lanes, is one of the creators of Femme Fest. She said she was inspired to put together the festival after seeing that many concerts in the area in recent years didn’t feature women performing at all.
“I've been playing pretty consistently around the area since like 2016 and seeing entire bills where there's no woman on the bill – not even a woman-led project – and that is still very much the norm,” said Davis. “I just wanted an opportunity to have the entire bill, the entire night, be dedicated to women in music.”
Davis said that Femme Fest is not just for women, but for everyone of all ages who supports celebrating women and local music.
“It's not just for ladies. It is celebrating women and femme-identifying individuals and music, but it's a big party, so don't feel like it's a no boys allowed club, and it's also all ages,” she said. “What I love the most about Femme Fest is it provides an opportunity for younger girls to see women take up space on the stage in a lot of different ways … in all different types of music and styles and personalities.”
This year, Femme Fest has expanded to be a two-day event, coinciding with the 11th anniversary of PBW’s opening. Davis said she’s proud of the lineup that’s come together to mark the occasion.
Friday’s lineup includes Americana artist Kyla Beth, a Paducah artist who came out of Allen Music’s School of Rock program; Riley Lemons, an alternative country artist; and Hayley Martin, a Paducah native currently based in Nashville; Wildflower Honey & the Hot Biscuits, a retro-styled pop band; pop rock artist Gina Caturano; and Little by Little, an indie-soul rock band that has ties to both Nashville and western Kentucky.
Saturday’s lineup will feature Bearcat, a newly formed garage rock and folk band from western Kentucky; What’s Up Betsy, a pop punk band out of Ohio; Murray artist Melanie A. Davis & the Madness; Year of October, a Nashville based psychedelic rock band with west Kentucky connections; then T|-/EIRS, an emo rock band from Clarksville, Tennessee; and the Browndersons, a Paducah-based family band.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite and on Paducah Beer Werks’ Facebook page.
