Veronica Topacio, vocalist of La Fonda and one of the organizers of Belltown Bash, during La Fonda’s set at The Crocodile. // Photo by Phillip Johnson
The first annual Belltown Bash, a festival curated by Valerie and Veronica Topacio of local indie-pop group La Fonda, centered around celebrating womxn in music. Held at The Crocodile on March 1st and 2nd, 2019, the Bash hosted 28 femme-centric acts of PNW talent and brought attention to diversity and inclusivity in the local scene.
Performing at the Bash meant a lot to all of the performers; click through our roundup below to hear from the artists themselves.
"It was obvious that the entire festival was curated with love and passion for music, women, and damn good taste." — Scarlet Parke // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"Being a part of Belltown Bash was inspiring. So much talent, collaborative energy, and support. The organizers created a platform for the community to have a voice, and I think everyone involved felt lucky to be a part of it, including us!" — Karli Ingersoll of Super Sparkle // Photo by Rachel Bennet
“It meant a lot for us to perform at this new festival honoring women in music. Seattle artists have always been at the forefront of shining light on the good and the ugly of the world, but, we’ve seen, time and time again, a more defined spotlight on the creativity of men. To be able to lend ourselves in helping build this platform for women to shine was truly special. We’re a relatively new group, and Belltown Bash felt like the next step for us in our career. We were able to gain so many new friends, sell out of records, and make memories we’ll never forget!” — Something Witchy // Photo courtesy of Something Witchy
"Performing at Belltown Bash was so extremely special for us. Not only did every single artist and performer blow us away with their passion and talent and unique ways of commanding the stages, [but] we truly felt the presence of our community come together supporting so many incredible acts, making it all the more magical." — Valerie and Veronica Topacio of La Fonda // Photo by Rachel Bennett
“What an incredibly welcoming experience! Each band, the crowd; you could tell they were there to do what they love most and to champion fellow music makers and listeners to do the same. Fretland was humbled to be included in all that magic!” — Fretland // Photo by Rachel Bennett
“Being a part of this festival was an incredibly inspiring and empowering experience. It brought together so many powerful women-led bands that I now know and support. I'm glad to be alive in a lifetime where women are empowered to be all that we can be, and it’s beautiful to have a platform to celebrate just that.” — Byland // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"Performing at the festival meant celebrating and empowering womxn and fostering a sense of community and inclusion." — Stephanie Mae // Photo by Phillip Johnson
"It was an honor to be a part of Belltown Bash and to perform beside so many amazing, talented, womxn artists. I hope those who showed up were as inspired as all of us powerful womxn were by them and each other." — Trick Candles // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"It meant a lot to us to be surrounded by other womxn artists. The energy in the room and among the artists was so positive and encouraging. A huge thank you to Valerie and Veronica at Cherry Bomb Touring for putting together such a memorable event. This was such a unique opportunity and we enjoyed every moment of it!" — Hoshin. // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"Singing at this festival was an amazing experience for not just me but all the women involved, playing a set in an amazing city, held at an AMAZING venue, with the best bad-bettys. There is nothing more powerful to me than women coming together and sharing what they are most passionate about. In this case: music. Belltown Bash was a movement, a statement, and a pedestal for women in music. If you think about it, it was more than a festival with an all female lineup. It was flat out brilliant. When does that ever happen? As soon as they asked me if I was interested [in being] a part of it, I immediately said yes and bought my ticket to Seattle right away! I was and am still so thrilled to have been a part of something so truly revolutionary and bad ass." — Cherry Thomas // Photo by Phillip Johnson
“Although we are a new band in the Seattle music scene, Belltown Bash truly felt like a family reunion, a platform where musicians could come together and celebrate each other and the work we are doing to diversify the industry. It truly was an honor to share the stage with all of these talented musicians and, for new-comers like ourselves, see first-hand the community these musicians have created that allows others to feel safe, accepted, powerful and inspired. It was a truly unbelievable event to be a part of, and we can’t wait for the years to come.” — The Early Warnings, here, performing at The Sunset Tavern // Photo courtesy of The Early Warnings
“It was an absolute dream for our band to play The Crocodile main stage for this first time! I’ve been to so many incredible shows there, and there’s such a history. It was a surreal experience and such a dream come true! I was so honored to be on the lineup for Belltown Bash. I really appreciated all the attention and care that went into making this show feel special. I love how they chose to celebrate women in music, because there are so many talented women in the music scene. It was such an amazing step forward to have a festival really shine a light on the badass women in the Seattle music scene and give them attention and well earned recognition.” — Heather Edgley // Photo courtesy of Heather Edgley
“Being a part of the first Belltown Bash was a wonderful and empowering experience. It was such an honor to share the stage with fellow female artists who are making waves and blowing minds. I think it is so important for women to support each other in this world, and it is inspiring to see a festival where women are uplifting and celebrating each other’s talents and accomplishments. We need more festivals like this one!” — Lemolo // Photo by Grace Lindsey
“Belltown Bash was an opportunity to see women holding their own in a male-dominated industry. It's important for me to see women stepping into roles that I've mainly seen men fill in the past. It was a celebration and a challenge of widely-accepted gender roles. I was so grateful to be a part of Belltown Bash.” — Vanna Oh! & The Any’s // Photo courtesy of Vanna Oh! and Logan Maruszak
"Hella lady performers going super duper EEEEEEEIIIIIINNNNNN for the sole purpose that we kick ass just cuz? Yah, that was dope! I hope that for the next one, they mix it up a bit more. I mean, there are a group of goddesses killing it musically, but there was some performers I wish would've been on the lineup as well!" — Adra Boo of Hotels // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"Belltown Bash was a beautiful representation of hard work paying off in and around our city. The event served as a powerful reminder of the talent and diversity in the Seattle music scene. We had a lot of fun and are so humbled to have been a part of such an inspiring and empowering night of music!" — Salt Lick // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"It was so cool to see so many genres represented and discover new music through this event, all featuring womxn in music. We were really impressed with Belltown Bash’s effort to make every aspect of the festival run by womxn. Thank you to Veronica and Valerie for having us at the festival and to everyone who stayed up late to catch our set. This festival gave us a new sense of optimism for the future of a more inclusive music scene." — Biblioteka // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"Belltown Bash is an instant new favorite for us — such a great showcase of local talent. We were so honored to be part of it all, and we're looking forward to next year. Valerie and Veronica Topacio curated an excellent lineup and treated us all like queens. Amazing first year!" — The Spider Ferns // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"Playing at a festival that was dedicated to showcasing womxn in music was such a cool experience for me. I felt heard by the audience and loved sharing our music with them. Thanks so much for having us, and I hope to play more womxn-centered events in the future." — Jessie Branch of Erina // Photo courtesy of Erina and Rachel Farrington
“As the only lady in Coach Phillips, I am deeply humbled that Belltown Bash invited us to join a lineup of badass wtf (women, trans, femme, non-binary) musicians supported by our dude counterparts. It was super special for us to be able to share the bill with some effin stellar bands. On night one of Belltown Bash, we had another gig in town with three other bands consisting of all white dudes, which was uncommon for us. The organizing band knew it was a bad look, especially to be conflicting with Belltown Bash. While the response was indicative of progress being made, it also showed we have a long way to go on inclusivity in representation in music.” — Jess Kim of Coach Phillips // Photo by Phillip Johnson
"What did Belltown Bash mean to us? Well, it meant a lot of things. It meant sharing a stage with some really cool musicians and also hearing some amazing music and making great new friends! In one word, it meant connection. This festival also doubled as our EP release party, so getting to connect with friends and fans over new music that we played for the first time that night was amazing. The staff at The Crocodile and the Belltown Bash staff were super friendly and professional to work with, and we are so happy to have been a part of this. We’d do it again in a heartbeat and hope to be back for the next year of this festival. We never want to lose this awesome connection!" — The Morning After // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"I didn’t know what to expect from Belltown Bash — it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the local music scene. We were blown away by the level of talent and commitment on that stage. The level of detail, professionalism, and, most importantly, genuine camaraderie was so inspiring. No ego, no boundaries, just folx who support powerful femmes supporting powerful femmes. Basking in each other’s glow, no matter what your gender, and living for each other’s passion — it was a beautiful night." — Bear Axe // Photo by Rachel Bennett
"I continually strive to feel a sense of equality amongst the long-standing substantially male dominated scene that is rock and roll. I feel extremely lucky to have found so many inspirational artists with a strong female/feminine presence in the Seattle rock music scene. Performing at Belltown Bash was a great moment to be a part of, not only celebrating a shift in the music scene of Seattle, but the world at large." — Mariko Ruhle of Temple Canyon, here, at performing at High Dive // Photo courtesy of Temple Canyon
"Being included in Belltown Bash was beyond our wildest dreams. As a five-piece femme band, we felt so much love being able to perform side by side with other musicians and friends with who we share community and a common cause. The energy of supporting intersectionality in the Seattle music scene has always been our driving force, and Belltown Bash is by far one of the best festivals to show how many other musicians [support that], as well." — Razor Clam // Photo courtesy of Razor Clam and Lord Fotog
"Belltown Bash felt like a chance to let our hair down. So much of the time, Bad Saint will be the only band led by a woman, and there’s a lot of unseen labor that goes into being a woman in male-dominated spaces. It was great to play our set and enjoy being in community with the other artists at the festival." — Tess Freedel of Bad Saint, here, performing at Substation // Photo courtesy of Bad Saint and Dylan Randolph
"La Fonda really succeeded in creating an inspiring new festival full of talented musicians and a great audience! So happy to be part of it, we all would love to see Belltown Bash continue and what it will evolve into.” — Little Hero // Photo courtesy of Little Hero and Abby Williamson
"Performing at Belltown Bash means that we are accepted as a part of this community, and that is the coolest thing we could ask for." — Velvet Q // Photo courtesy of Velvet Q and Abby Williamson
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