Female musicians gather for Luna Music Festival at local venue

The dressing rooms of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater were filled with the sounds of singing, laughter and talking Saturday night as the performers for the Luna Music Festival waited their turns and listened to each other over the PA system.\nJenn Cristy, Brenda Williams, Jennie DeVoe and their respective bands were brought together for the benefit concert by Women Inspire, Middle Way House, Fair Trade Bloomington and Girls Inc. \n“These women are phenomenally talented,” said Loni Dishong, director of Women Inspire, who spent a good portion of the night backstage with an earpiece connecting her to everything else going on. \nLuna was the Roman goddess of the moon; the Latin gave modern English words like “lunar.”\n“In a lot of ancient cultures, the sun represents the man and the moon represents the woman,” Dishong said.\nCristy was up first with her bandmates Dave Dwinell on drums, Oliver Wittman on bass and Andy Stocker on guitar. Cristy played piano while singing original songs that she described as “piano-fronted rock.”\n“They’re not allowed to sing,” she laughed. “I write all the music, all the lyrics ... (They) add their flair.”\nCristy cites artists such as Ben Folds, Journey and Queen as her inspiration.\n“I have a lot of man-hating songs,” she said. “All three of the guys love the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”\nCristy has two CDs, 2005’s “Becoming” and the self-titled “Jenn Cristy” released in 2006, and hopes to have a third album out by the end of 2008.\n“I teach music, I play music and I basically breathe it,” she said.\nFor round two, Breshaun Joyner, the night’s master of ceremonies, brought out Brenda Williams with the band Cold Fusion, made up of guitarist Tom Padgett, drummer Chris Pyle and pianist Pat Finnegan. Williams sang favorites such as Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” and Helen Humes’s “Million Dollar Secret.”\n“I’m hopefully doing things that are women-inspired,” she said. “I don’t have anything original ... some of us just have to be cover people.”\nWilliams joked that she was there “representing the old people.”\n“I’m here for the old ladies,” she laughed. “I’m 55, and I’ve been doing music all my life.”\nAfter a short intermission, Jennie DeVoe came onstage with her band – guitarist Brett Lodde, background vocalist Nicole Proctor, bassist Jeff Stone, drummer Jason Stahl and pianist Greg McGuirk. \n“It’s like a blend of Aretha Franklin, Motown sound and some Beatles,” she said. “Soul, folk and rock ... a fusion of those.”\nDeVoe’s set included a few songs from her new CD, “Strange Sunshine,” expected to be out soon including “Butterfly,” “Nobody Loves You When You’re Down” and “No Damn Man,” with lyrics such as “I ain’t gonna let no man get the best of me.”\nBloomington resident Bobbie Partenheimer said she thought the music was great and the causes were important.\n“I thought it was wonderful, very inspiring,” she said. “It was a good way to support Middle Way House.”\nSusan Lyons, Middle Way House’s coordinator of special events and communication, said the funds her organization received from the event will go to support their women’s and children’s programs, such as the rape crisis help line, legal advocacy and child care.\n“Middle Way House is a good organization,” she said. “I’m proud to work for it.”\nMary Embry, director of Fair Trade Bloomington, said although many people may not make the connection, her organization is largely about helping women.\n“A lot of fair-trade goods are made by women in developing countries,” she said, adding that they tend to be the artisans, the keepers of culture.\nGirls Inc. of Monroe County provides programming to educate girls ages 5 to 18 based on research to determine their needs.\n“All the programming is developmental,” said Girls Inc. Executive Director Dorothy Granger. “We inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold. You can’t go wrong with that.”