throwback
throwback
bertha By ani ka s abin Illu s trat i on by Lauren Mares ca
BIRTHA HAS BALLS spouts a pin from the ’70s. Sounding the second wave feminist alarm, this marketing ploy exhibits what an all-women rock group needed to prove in the male-dominated music scene back then. Classic rock especially seemed hooked up to a constant IV of testosterone and Birtha came together at a time when women were just starting to bang their instruments against the glass ceiling. Hailing from L.A., the band burst onto the scene via other girl groups like the Daisy Chain and the Ladybirds, touring the west coast rigorously for years. And though the foursome dissolved after only producing two albums with Dunhill Records, their music stands as testament to the evolution of classic rock via blues, funk, and the beginning drumbeats of feminism in the ’70s. The self-titled debut is brimming with muddied classic rock, blown out by psych riffs and wailage ala Janis Joplin. Songs like “Work on a Dream” and “Judgement Day” feature Favela's killer skills on the kit, while “Free Spirit” taps into their classic rock intuition. Their second, and unfortunately last album off Dunhill Records, Can't Stop the Madness is also a well-rounded collection of rock anthems about freedom, cheaters, and short shorts definitely not to be overlooked.
other women Sherry Hagler, Shele Pinnizotto,and Olivia “Liver” Favela did not continue to play in the public sphere, a serious loss for music. Both a drummer and singer, we can only imagine where Favela might have taken us musically. Throughout her time with Birtha, Favela held great prowess over the kit while belting out anthems that shook stadium crowds packed in to see the likes Alice Cooper and Fleetwood Mac. The truth is, Birtha never really found the momentum they deserved, and the struggle for validity perhaps led to their disbandment in 1975. Critics weren’t ready for them then, nor later when Lester Bangs wrote “They're an all chick group and we all know that you've sort of got to make allowances . . . well forget it, they project more power and drive than most male groups with similar instrumentation.” Veiled compliments like that pushed them back, and though this perspective isn’t a surprise, the ladies of Birtha did respond with a refreshing feminist last laugh: Appearing on the cover of Titbit, shirtless much like many male counterpart bands, they declared “we want male groupies!” They took this light-hearted but bold attitude to their music, which if you revisit, can be heard loud and clear.
Rosemary Butler later received acclaim as a popular back-up singer to the likes of James Taylor and Neil Young, but sadly the 55