Teen Singer Bests A Fraud and A *itch
Plus: A $10,000 grant opportunity!
In This Issue
Teen Singer Best A Fraud and A *itch
Trivia Challenge
$10,000 Grant Opportunity!
Wavemakers Merry & Bright Holiday Concert & Market
Holiday Gift + 50% Off Annual Subscription
Teen Singer Bests A Fraud and A *itch
Way before Netflix, HBO, and cable, American families reserved time during their busy Thanksgiving schedules to gather around the TV and watch the classic tale of a teen runaway who bested a fraud and a witch. (And you thought I was gonna say “bitch,” didn’t you!)
One of my earliest childhood memories was sitting crossed-legged on the floor, gazing up at the TV as CBS started the annual airing of my favorite movie: The Wizard of Oz. A young girl runs away from her gray home and apathetic family when a tornado whisks her and her dog over the rainbow to a magical land filled with singing munchkins, giant lollipops, a yellow-brick road, and a beautiful good witch. On top of it, this sweet girl named Dorothy could sing better than anyone I had ever heard. Judy Garland made my four-year-old brain explode!
Of course, we all know the journey she embarks upon to get back to the home she tried so hard to leave. It turns out, the Land of Oz has a seriously dark underbelly. A vengeful ugly green witch (“only bad witches are ugly”) on a kill mission, violent apple trees, haunted forests, flying monkeys who rip scarecrows apart, and a scary-ass wizard who actually is not a wizard at all. He is a fraud who sends a girl on an impossible quest that would surely end in her death. The cruelty terrified me; the songs gave me hope and comfort. Against all odds, the girl prevails!
Did you ever wonder why Good Witch of The North Glinda asked Dorothy if she was a good witch or a bad witch if only bad witches are ugly? Talk about indoctrinating girls that you have to be pretty to be good… No wonder women suffer from poor body image.
Fast forward to 1991 when I, a recent college graduate, ran away from my Midwestern home to the shining U.S. capital of Washington DC to pursue a music journalism career. My grandiose ideas of the music industry shaped by the hallowed pages of Rolling Stone Magazine. The scene was pretty damn exciting at the time, and I eventually landed a job at Northern Virginia Rhythm Magazine. That was the start of my journey in a world that birthed the most beautiful, inspiring music.
Similar to Dorothy, I eventually learned that the music industry also had its own dark underbelly. Herizon Music shares women’s stories because sharing incites change. Fortunately, I made lifelong friends along the way, overcame many obstacles, experienced some incredible highs, and still believe in the magical power of song.
Perhaps no one knows that journey to the dark underbelly better than Judy Garland. In real life, her family left a picturesque Minnesota community for Hollywood’s foothills to make Judy a movie star. She sang like an angel and was a natural actress, but the movie industry became a living hell for her. I’m researching Judy’s life for an upcoming project that I will share in detail with you next week.
Thanksgiving Trivia Challenge
Fun time! See if you can answer the trivia questions below (no cheating!) and then watch The Wizard of Oz to see how many you got right. See upcoming show times and streaming outlets thanks to TV Guide — yep, it still exists.
I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Next week, you’ll learn more about Judy Garland and my new project.
Q: In the opening credits, to whom is the movie dedicated?
Q: What was the name of the mean woman on the bicycle who took Toto away? Bonus point for her first *and* last name.
Q: In "Over the Rainbow” lyrics, what melts like lemon drops?
Q: Who did Dorothy’s house kill when it landed in Oz?
Q: “I’ll get you, my ______!”
Q: Dorothy and the gang fall asleep in a field of what type of flowers?
Q: What message does the Wicked Witch sky write above Oz?
Q: When Dorothy arrives at The Emerald City, what did the sign read on the door?
Q: When The Cowardly Lion sings “If I Were King,” what do his friends put on his head for a makeshift crown?
Q: The Wizard tells the Tin Man “A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by ________”
Q: Before Dorothy finally leaves Oz, whom does she say she will miss most of all?
Q: What is Dorothy’s final line in the film?
Feel free to share your answers in the comments!
$10,000 Grant Opportunity
Music Production For Women is offering FOUR scholarships valued at over $10,000 each, sponsored by Distrokid and Songtrust for MPW’s 2025 year-long Master Your Music Program. These are designed to help female/non-binary artists facing financial hardship to produce and mix their own music. They have already helped over 7,000 women from 120 countries learn how to produce music. Are you next?
Applications must be submitted by November 29th, 2024.
Merry & Bright: Wavemakers Holiday Concert and Market
Herizon Music was born in Austin, Texas, so our band of dreamers, rule breakers, and rockstars still love supporting local events that focus on women music makers. Like this fun concert and marketplace on December 12th at the 04 Center. The show will be live-streamed, so stay tuned for details on that.
The lineup features Wendy Colonna, Suzanna Choffel, Lurleen Ladd and Erin Ivey with a local all-star band rounding out the cheer. Swing by the Herizon Music table and say hello! Get details and tickets today…
Holiday Gift for Paid Subscribers!
What better time to introduce Herizon Music’s can coolers than the holidays? I think they turned out pretty darn cool. When you buy a cooler (or two or ten), every dollar goes back to producing this newsletter. Here are two options for snagging yours:
Sign up for a paid annual subscription between now and December 25, and you’ll get 50% off the sub price and a free cooler. Sign up here.
Purchase your coolers for $10 each (includes fees and shipping), and I’ll mail it by December 13th. In the “what’s this for” field, type in your full name and mailing address. Buy your coolers with PayPal.
