Come along to The F Word and you can expect a barnstorming night of music and song, but be warned, you might learn a few things as well.
Tami Neilson is one of New Zealand’s best country music singers, but she doesn’t do the “crying-tears-into-my-pillow” songs. Rather, Neilson’s songs are bold, brassy, finger-snapping and up-tempo. They’re what CBC Music claimed as “rousing and vibrant like thunder and lightning”.
What’s the F word in the title? Feminism of course, and its role in country music. “Country music is known for being a particularly conservative genre,” explains Neilson. “It just didn’t progress like other music genres. Perhaps because in country music, it’s the case that Radio is still king, and it can make or break a career. The whole infrastructure of country music is around what radio stations play, which means that there are a small number of gatekeepers, mostly men, who determine that women still only make up 10% airplay.
People coming to the s
how might expect the inequality and sexism in the 1940s and 1950s, but they’re shocked to hear that it still continues today. Even in 1991, when Dolly Parton sang “Eagle When She Flies” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMs0lHc4I_s) about a woman who is resilient and strong, the country music stations would not play it because they said it was too “feminist”. As recently as 2015, one of the leading country music magazines, Aircheck, published an article by Keith Hill, who advised "if you want to make ratings in country radio, take females out."
Which makes it even more amazing when women do make the charts. Neilson grew up in country music, performing and touring across Canada and North America with the Neilson Family Band, working alongside greats such as Johnny Cash, Tanya Tucker, and Kitty Wells. Neilson created The F Word to acknowledge and celebrate the female greats in country music, and to inspire the next generation. The show is a concert that has a little bit of enlightenment, and a whole lot of singing, with Neilson performing songs by Dolly Parton, Dixie Chicks, KD Land and Beyonce, as well as some of her own crackin’ numbers.
The F Word
Dunedin Arts Festival: Regent Theatre, April 10
Here are some of Tami’s songs:
‘Queenie, Queenie’
‘Stay Outta My Business’
‘Ten Tonne Truck’
