Cathy DiToro sings the ’90s at Pearl Street Warehouse on Dec. 9, 2018. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
Music lovers flocked to Pearl Street Warehouse recently as Project Hera presented its Women Who Rock: A Tribute to the ’90s music festival. Thirty-one female artists from the DC area contributed their talents to the event which raised funds for Project Hera, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting, celebrating, and empowering women and girls in music.
On Dec. 9, the evening was divided into two sets with a unique house band backing each set. Each contributing artist took a turn at presenting a song from the ’90s with special meaning to her. DJ Blackberri spun tunes during the intermission between sets.
Set 1:
Lindsay McCarthy – Volcano Girls (Veruca Salt cover)
Lindsay Collette – Torn (Natalie Imbruglia cover)
Caroline Weinroth – Rebel Kill (Bikini Kill cover)
Tami D. Mar – Lovefool (Cardigans cover)
Laura Love – Amor Prohibido (Selena cover)
Stephanie Sapienza – Mother Mother (Tracy Bonham cover)
Rachel Levitin – I’ll Stand by You (Pretenders cover)
Sarah Hart – Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman cover)
Kelly Di Filippo – Wide Open Spaces (Dixie Chicks cover)
Ginny Hill – I’m the Only One (Melissa Ethridge cover)
Emily Henry – Sunny Came Home (Shawn Colvin cover)
Cathy DiToro – Polyester Bride (Liz Phair cover)
Laura Farrell – Zombie (Cranberries cover)
Calista Garcia – Criminal (Fiona Apple cover)
Brittany Martin – No Scrubs (TLC cover)
Jenna Camille – You Oughta Know (Alanis Morrissette cover)
Set 1 Band:
Jorge Pezzimenti – guitar
Mark Lepusic – bass
Cati Sesana – drums
Stephanie Kaiser – Keys
Set 2:
Lauren Calve – If It Makes You Happy (Sheryl Crow cover)
Cynthia Blancaflor – Strength, Wisdom, Courage (India Arie cover)
Jasmine Gillison – Govel (Ani Difranco cover)
Flo Anito – You Were Meant for Me (Jewel cover)
Cynthia Marie – Sway (Bic Runga cover)
Khadijah Sulaiman – Don’t Let Go (En Vogue cover)
Mundy Spears – Show Me Love (Robyn S. cover)
Candice Mills – Certainly (Erykah Badu cover)
Rebekah Feng – Mysterons (Portishead cover)
Gina Sobel – Killing Me Softly (Fugees cover)
Dior Ashley Brown – U.N.I.T.Y (Queen Latifah cover)
Kayla Johnson – Another Sad Love Song (Toni Braxton cover)
Hayley Fahey – Come on Over (Christina Aguilera cover)
Ashley Menendez – I’m Every Woman (Whitney Houston cover)
Set 2 Band:
Zachary Cutler – guitar
Neel Singh – bass
Isabelle DeLeon – drums
Stephanie Kaiser – keys
Founded by DC music scene veteran Cathy DiToro (The Legwarmers, Party Like It’s, and So Fetch), Project Hera dedicates itself to providing a safe and encouraging outlet for women and young girls in the DC local music scene. Through female-focused open mic nights, networking get-togethers, and music events, the organization endeavors to shine a light on amazing women in every aspect of the music industry. Visit the Project Hera website for more information.
Check out some photos of Project Hera’s Women Who Rock: A Tribute to the ’90s festival at Pearl Street Warehouse on Dec. 9, 2018. All images copyright and courtesy of Ari Strauss. These photos are not intended to be in order of performance, but there is an image of each of the 31 performers.