They’ll be playing cult hits!
Youthful Brooklyn five-piece the Skins will join three other female-fronted bands and a secret society of feminists for a “F—- Rape Culture” concert at Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg on Aug. 1. The organization Grlcvlt — pronounced “girl cult” — planned the fund-raising concert to help oust a California judge it says let a man convicted of sexual assault off easy. Members of the Skins jumped at the opportunity, said the group’s guitarist.
“Anything with the name ‘girl cult’ I’m for, and once I knew it was to get this guy off the chair, I thought ‘This is a fantastic idea,’ ” said Daisy Spencer. “What better way to bring people together than to entertain them and show positivity toward something so terrible?”
The Brooklyn band — which began recording in 2011, when its oldest member was just 17 years old — has made a conscious effort in recent years to become more involved in community issues and to lend its music to causes, Spencer said.
The band has evolved in other ways too — shifting away from its heavily rock-oriented beginnings and moving towards pop, hip-hop, and dance. The Skins just finished recording its latest project in Greenpoint, and will play those tracks and some unheard songs at the Baby’s All Right show. Despite the serious subject of the concert, the crowd should be ready to cut the rug, Spencer said.
“We want our shows to be an experience, people like to dance and our music has started to match our goal of giving people their money’s worth,” Spencer said. “We’re excited for everyone to hear it.”
The concert is the second Brooklyn event from Grlcvlt aimed at securing a recall vote for Judge Aaron Persky, who gave former Stanford swimming star Brock Turner a six-month jail sentence, probation, and a spot on the sex offender registry after he was convicted for assaulting an unconscious woman in early 2015. Prosecutors had asked for a six year sentence.
Grlcvlt is a mostly online, invite-only club for women with chapters around the country, including 2,700 in New York City. The organizer and “cult leader” of Grlcvlt’s Brooklyn chapter said she was inspired to help the Recall Judge Aaron Persky Campaign after “seeing people in our group being depressed and sad and not sure what to do or believe.”
“While thoughts and prayer helps, we’re conscious and mindful there’s more to be done,” Remy Holwick said. “This isn’t a partisan issue, we have a diverse group of people with all different backgrounds and views, but we are women and this is a women’s issue.”
All of the proceeds from the show at Baby’s All Right will go towards the campaign to recall the judge. The bands on the bill — Madame Gandhi, the Skins, Edith Pop, and the New Tarot — have donated their time, and the venue has donated its space for the night and will donate a portion of cash made at the bar.
“F— Rape Culture” at Baby’s All Right [146 Broadway between Bedford and Driggs avenues in Williamsburg, (718) 599–5800, www.babys
