... continued from front page It was one of those things that made me wish I was a concert goer in the 1970s and 1980s, I actually wished I was older. My bias comes from a Gen X (rather than W - either for Watergate or Whenever) background. I was familiar with Pat Benatar, Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatiks, The Motels maybe, and of course CBGBs star act - The Ramones - R.I.P. Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee. I had only been impressed, as most of us in the late 1970s and 1980s were, with things that were stimulating. Too bad I wasn't targeted for the kind of musical canvasses which Carolyne Mas paints. I've noticed that listeners, people who have an earnest interest in music, create a criss-crossing network of reference points when given "new music". People can only compare to familiar territory, territory which "The Man" has attempted to map out as a free service, perhaps? But I digress. Anyone visiting Carolyne's Website will see not only that she is quite prodigious but also that she is a "non-obvious feminist". Subtlety, and modesty show up in her mostly black and white site - one thing that strikes the viewer is the gritty (dare I say New York edge) and authentic documentation that goes along with her extensive career. Her music is a further elaboration of her insight into life - she writes about relationships between people, with one's self and one's neighbourhood. Popularity in German and Dutch locales is not a surprise here - cafe/cabaret culture owes much to contributers like Ms. Mas. Her sense of writing and rhyme aren't drowned out by crass merchandising nor poor musicianship. After having my first "listening" to a brief survey of Carolyne Mas I began to see that criss-crossing network of "stars" and "melodious rhythms" paint a new picture of influence upon the current generation of "feminine troubadors" (or is that trobairitz?). Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Taylor Swift and even Suzanne Vega should give Carolyne Mas a closer spin if they haven't already. Finally, the background of CBGBs must occur for people seeking a "live feel" to a studio album - I know in imagining a live concert for a performer one has to plug in whatever they are regionally familiar with, thankfully with the internet people even only partially familiar with the NYC landmark of CBGBs can get a virtual tour. Maybe it's just me but it takes a lot of guts to write music as lyrical and be a woman in a male-dominated field. But that's what (we hope) punk and 1970s rock sought to change. Ms. Mas along with Zolatone Music have released a new retrospective available here - it was my first introduction to her work and I would recommend it to people of all interests and cultures. It certainly gives me a fresh perspective on feminine writings of the 1970s and makes the GoGo's hip again (it's doesn't have a slice n' dice function, though ... ) Getting up to date, it would seem that some stars still shine eternal even after the crickets have stopped chirping. :-)