Interview: Chaos Chaos Announce “Support Black Womxn” a Virtual Concert and Comedy Livestream
100 Percent Of The Proceeds Donated To The Loveland Foundation
Chaos Chaos is excited to present “Support Black Womxn” a virtual concert and comedy livestream event curated by the band. The show will take place on September 30at 4pm PST / 7pm EST and will be hosted by Novena Carmelon Dash Radio’s Twitch Channel. The livestream will include performances by Reggie Watts, Fred Armisen, Dewayne Perkins, Shalewa Sharpe, Paul Scheer, Nick Rutherford, Cautious Clay, Chaos Chaos, Gavin Turek, Dana Williams, MICHELLE, Lonnie Holley, Nezza, No Vacation, MILCK, Bunny Michael, Echo Kellum, Michael Blume, Yeek, and Zuri Marley. Each set will take place with strict safety and COVID-19 sanitation protocols in place, ensuring the safety of those involved.
This incredible show is free and is presented in partnership with The Crocodile, KORG, Roland, Gamers.Vote and Tom Tom Magazine. The event aims to raise money for The Loveland Foundation, a non-profit organization which helps Black womxn and girls gain access to mental health professionals. Starting today, donations can be made HERE and will be accepted until October 3.
“I wanted to find a way to use my platform to honor and support black experiences. As a white woman I want to be aware of my privilege and thoughtful of how to not silence any voices. I felt that making the event be in support of black womxn was the best way to give voice and awareness to the people who need to be heard the most. I also want to make it clear that the event is in support of all black and brown femmes, trans and GNC people. We chose for the event to benefit Loveland Foundation because they work towards empowering black womxn and girls by providing financial assistance for those seeking therapy. I support the work they do and believe there is long term benefit in providing a space for black womxn’s mental health.” -Chloe
We had the honor of interviewing Asy and Chloe, who shared what motivated them to curate this important event.
As siblings and self-taught musicians, what motivated you to come together and pursue music?
It was something we naturally gravitated towards. I started playing piano when I had just started to walk and from that point on it was my favorite toy around the house. When Chloe and I were super young we thought of music as being just another hobby, like soccer, and we found it fun to have a competitive attitude and approach music with the spirit of play. Chloe and I have always felt like in writing music and performing, we’re expressing ourselves in a necessary way. I can’t really imagine life without that.
Tell us about the evolution of your musicianship since your early days as Smoosh.
Our sound has always been evolving. Kind of funny because our band name Chaos Chaos means ‘an ever changing amoeba’. When we began we were so young our sound wasn’t even a result of anything conscious, it was just the result of whatever music we heard around us and absorbed. When you’re a kid you kind of just absorb everything. I remember I was listening to rap and hip hop, rock like Offspring and Nirvana, and later the grunge musicians we played with (Sleater Kinney, Visqueen, Pearl Jam, etc) and those became my influences. I couldn’t help it. Now when I think about our sound as Smoosh I think we had a pretty unusual conglomerate of influences which made us have a unique sound.
New single “Need You” featuring Madge.
How did the ideation of the “Support Black Womxn” virtual concert and comedy livestream event come about? Why is an event like this important to you?
For a while, Chloe and I had been brainstorming back and forth about some different ideas for ways to bring artists together to raise awareness and do something positive. We were considering how other artists were doing their part to address and call out white supremacy and focus on using their platform to dismantle that. We felt it was our responsibility to get involved and bring people together in a way that would help provide a platform for black womxn voices. We’re using the spelling ‘womxn’ to put an emphasis on including trans women and GNC people. Chloe came up with the idea of doing a fundraiser livestream festival, creating and organizing the event but taking a back seat to let the amazing artists on the lineup express themselves. Being able to bring our friends together for this event and to participate in it feels incredibly special and is something we have the ability to do because we have a platform. It’s also an experiment of sorts so we’ll have to see how it goes! But I hope it inspires other people to curate events and continue the conversation.
How will black womxn’s voices be centered during the event?
This is one of the things we discussed a lot when setting up the event. How do we get involved and curate this type of event without overstepping? How do we participate without taking up the space that should be designated to black womxn? Eventually we came to the conclusion that we can organize an event that brings a diverse lineup together in support of black womxn but make sure the event mainly focuses on black womxn and non white voices and raising money for a cause dedicated to black womxn. We’re so incredibly thankful to all the performers who have donated their time and platform in the effort to raise money for Loveland. We also know that involving Loveland will bring more awareness to the amazing work they’re doing to enrich the lives of black women and girls. By bringing together all these artists who are enthusiastic about this event and the cause is a way to say “we care” and are more than willing to put time and energy into this cause.
It’s amazing to see such a diverse lineup of artists and comedians. Did you manage the curation of the performances?
My sister Chloe did most of the curating, but we both chose some of our favorite artists and friends. It’s definitely very exciting to have all these awesome artists on the bill. I also like the idea of an event that’s comedy and music, you know? Like to me it feels more exciting. Instead of just watching only one thing at a festival you get to watch a mixture of all these different types of performances!
Tell us more about the Loveland Foundation and how people can get involved and support their organization.
It’s a pretty amazing and unique organization that is undeniably necessary. It was originally founded by Rachel Cargle and aims to provide financial assistance to black womxn and girls seeking therapy. Loveland partners with Therapy for Black Girls, National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, Talkspace and Open Path Collective to provide these services. They’re a donation based organization and the money they receive will go directly into covering therapy sessions for black womxn and girls. The best way to get involved is to raise awareness, continue the conversation about this, and donate at their website! They mention creating a ‘giving circle’ where you and six of your friends each donate $20 which will in turn cover one therapy session!
What have you observed from the recent Black Lives Matter protests that’s most affected you?
Wow, this is a tough question. It’s been so much. From being present at the protests, I’ve mostly observed how peacefully protesters have come together to demand action! Which was strange because all you heard in the news was the violence and looting which was not accurate and not at all the tone of the actual protests. It was a distortion of the message. I will say that I think it was important to get out there and go to protests in person because the echo chamber of social media doesn’t allow for true individual thinking or involvement. Just sharing a post to your followers who probably already agree with you isn’t bad but it also doesn’t necessarily do that much. I always encourage people to think as individuals and find the ways to get involved that most feel right to you. There’s a myriad of options out there.
It’s great to see you ladies on the bill as well. You’ve shared stages with Pearl Jam, Death Cab For Cutie, Cat Power, Bloc Party and Sleater-Kinney, but what is your most memorable musical achievement so far?
It’s weird to think about it like that – like trophies. I think it’s gonna be the release of this next album, because the music feels more vulnerable and true to us than anything we’ve released before.
Do you have any advice for aspiring womxn musicians, and what steps do you believe are required to make real change in the music industry?
I don’t think I completely have the answer to this. We’re figuring it out as we go. And this is a time now where there are different ways to make a change. Like I said before, I’d encourage people to not be afraid to find their own ways of getting involved. Whether that is starting a book club, discussion group, or committing to a personal journey of learning and unlearning, it’s your responsibility and your right to find a way that works for you. That also makes it so everyone IS held more responsible right now which is good. Because there are so many virtual and real life ways to get involved, there’s no excuse for doing nothing.
What do you want fans to take away from the event? Anything else you’d like to add?
Well, I’m super stoked to see the performances and to be involved with the conversation about the necessary efforts and mission that Loveland stands for. I am open minded to what I will take away from the event and to what I might learn from other artists because this is a learning process. Also I hope we can reach our goal of 5k in donations!!!
Lastly, a question we ask all of our interviewees – what’s your interpretation of a Raw Femme?
I think a raw femme is whatever the fuck you want it to be! Be you.
P.S VOTEEEEEEE!
Supporting womxn and girls of color during this time is meaningful to Asy and Chloe of Chaos Chaos and this is a safe way to do so, while bringing a fun experience into people’s homes. Please watch, donate, and support!