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It’s not magic, it’s work

September 17, 2010

By Amy Rosenheim

Sheana Corbride and Marlena Chavez moved here from San Fransisco two years ago for Portland’s queer scene, but soon became dissatisfied. They wanted more than just dance parties.

“Basically we sit around all the time and are like, man there aren’t enough gay bands for us to listen to…How can we get people to start more gay bands?” said Corbride.

So they created Punk Start My Heart, a self-proclaimed “feminist booking service.”

“We just wanted to created safe spaces for girls and queers and people of color, [or] anybody really who didn’t feel safe at other shows because of rowdy behavior and people not being conscientious around them,” said Chavez.

So they put forth a challenge back in July: experiment and collaborate with other folks to create brand new bands and performance groups.

At the end of the summer there would be a two-day music and arts festival where all the new projects would be showcased. 

Nervous about not getting enough bands for the festival, the duo held a mixer for people that were having trouble getting started with their projects. Folks wore nametags proclaiming what instruments they played, and things took off from there. In the end, the challenge elicited 16 projects.

 “I’ve met a lot of rad people, and that’s kind of enough…Even if it’s just us and our fifteen friends, that’s a pretty big impact, I think,” said Corbridge.
The two say that they’ll feel successful even if just one band stays together after the festival. 

 “We were hoping that if we started something, it would just branch out,” said Sorbridge, “I guess that’s like the whole idea behind punk, right? To create what it is you want. What do you want? What do you need? You just have to create it yourself.” Chavez added, “It’s not magic, it’s work.”

The festival is totally amateur-friendly, as Corbridge put it.

“It’s awesome because none of us are professionals. There are probably going to be some hilariously embarrassing moments because it’s everybody’s first show.”

Saturday 6-10 p.m. and Sunday 5-9:30 p.m. at the Waterheater (750 N Fremont St.). $3-7 sliding scale, all ages. Alcohol available with ID.