Oregon singer-songwriters expand tour to celebrate Women's History Month

Capi Lynn, Salem Statesman Journal
·2 min read
She's Speaking-Live features eight Oregon female singer-songwriters, including from left to right, LaRhonda Steele, Bre Gregg, Kristen Grainger and Liz Chibucos. The group will perform March 15 at the Grand Theatre in Salem.
She's Speaking-Live features eight Oregon female singer-songwriters, including from left to right, LaRhonda Steele, Bre Gregg, Kristen Grainger and Liz Chibucos. The group will perform March 15 at the Grand Theatre in Salem.

She’s Speaking-Live, featuring eight Oregon female singer-songwriters from a variety of genres and backgrounds, hits the road in March to celebrate Women’s History Month.

The seven-stop tour includes a Friday, March 15, performance at the Grand Theatre in Salem. The show is at 8 pm. Tickets are $25 plus fees, available online.

The lineup features Arietta Ward, Bre Gregg, Kristen Grainger, LaRhonda Steele, Beth Wood, Liz Chibucos, Naomi LaViolette and Lisa Mann.

Grainger is the lone member from the Salem area. Locals know her as the voice of the Americana string band Kristen Grainger & True North.

She was one of the co-founders of the She's Speaking project, along with Gregg and Wood, during the pandemic in 2020. Their mission was to find ways to elevate women songwriters in the male-dominated music industry.

The background: Taking the stage to amplify women's voices

She's Speaking expanded from one live show in 2021 to seven this year.

The participating musicians pause their own touring and recording schedules to come together for the concerts, to perform songs by women, about women, for everyone.

"Women's History Month is the perfect time to shine a bright light on the underrepresentation of women across all aspects of the music industry," Gregg said. "This diverse group of artists — jazz, R&B, rock, Americana, folk, blues — reminds us of the beauty and artistry of women’s voices and stories with a concert that inspires and connects us, lifts us up."

Other concert dates and locations:

  • March 1, Unity of the Valley in Eugene

  • March 2, Columbia Theatre in Longview, Washington

  • March 8, Walters Cultural Arts Center in Hillsboro

  • March 9, Whiteside Theatre in Corvallis

  • March 10, Tower Theatre in Bend

  • April 20, Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland

Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com, and follow her work on X @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: She’s Speaking-Live group to celebrate Women's History Month