Co-ed Calgary band Dirty Girl Social Club has spearheaded Feminine Persuasion, a night of lady-driven rock.

Breaking into Calgary’s tight-knit indie scene isn’t always as easy as answering a “Wanted” ad in the classifieds. Having paid her dues over the course of the past decade-and-a-half, vocalist Megan Espersen is all too keenly aware of the lines that divide as well as the ties that bind our local bands. Seeking to reinforce the latter, Espersen and her three-girl-two-guy band, The Dirty Girl Social Club, struck upon the idea to stage a night of top-notch musical entertainment exclusively showcasing Calgary groups with at least one female member.

“We’ve been performing around Calgary for the past two years and we noticed that we very rarely got to play with other girls in any form,” observes Espersen. “In fact, only once in that time did we perform with another band with a girl in it. It’s no secret that it is a male-dominated profession. I think guys are more prone to want to be rock stars, while it’s more prevalent for women to get pushed into that whole singer-songwriter category. We know there are some fantastic female performers around Calgary, so our band thought about how we could connect with the acts we love, want to see and have heard about via word of mouth. We’re looking to be inspired and to find new ideas that we can take away from these performances and use ourselves. It’s actually rather self-serving, in that respect.”

Determined to help themselves and the community at large by focusing on homegrown double-X talent, Espersen and her bandmates Benny Dupuis, Jason McGinn and identical twins Laura and Claire Gould approached their regular haunt, Dickens Pub, about booking an evening of grrl-powered rock ’n’ roll. To add to the show’s appeal, each of the five bands included on the ensuing Feminine Persuasion bill have contributed a single song to a limited-run compilation EP, which will be available at the show for a mere $5. This self-released audio calling card is but one of the lovely value-added details that exemplify the event’s DIY esthetic.

“As soon as we started this project, we were approached by other bands who really wanted to be involved, and I knew one night wasn’t going to be enough,” Esperson says. “Exposure and collaboration is so important. With this many awesome bands, I think it’s feasible to put on a new Feminine Persuasion show every three months or so. I’d like to see it become a quarterly affair.”

“We definitely want to exhibit a wide variety of styles and ranges and genres; it’s so inspiring to see that girls can play any role in a band,” she continues. “My personal experience has been that it’s not easy to make a success of yourself as a musician and nobody hands you anything. They’ll tell you right to your face that your music isn’t right for their venue or that they’re choosing someone else instead. That can really destroy the experience for you.”

Pulling up their fishnets and hitting the high road, Espersen and company plan to continue networking and forging new relationships with local bands and businesses. Calgary-based studios and technicians are already extending their services and facilities to the cause, eager to add their energy to this long overdue wave of feminine momentum. A woman’s touch may be exactly what this city’s rock underground is crying out for, and clad in co-ordinated black-and-white stage attire with matching instruments, The Dirty Girl Social Club is just the outfit to provide it.

“Rather than becoming jaded, we decided to give our live audiences even more than they get by buying a CD,” Espersen says of the professional standards her band maintains. “Given our experiences, we asked ourselves how we could make things bigger, better and easier for musicians like ourselves by doing something that’s completely accessible and inclusive. We’ve put a lot of thought into setting the stage and keeping the showcase simple and streamlined, with little or no downtime between sets. People can expect a constant flow of rock-driven, high-energy grooves with a focus on putting artistry back into live performance.”