Lilith Fest rocks Dewey, celebrates women in music

Project HERA, a D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting and empowering women in music, hosted its signature Lilith Fest May 16 at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach.

The concert, which featured more than 20 local and regional all-female artists, was a tribute to Sarah McLachlan’s iconic Lilith Fair, an exclusively female-fronted festival and tour from the late 1990s that challenged the music industry’s perception that audiences wouldn’t want to see multiple women on a single concert bill.

“It’s nice to have a place where women can come together, and that’s what this show is,” said Project HERA founder and Lilith Fest performer Cathy DiToro. “And I have to say, you feel a different energy in the room. It’s really magical and special.”

This was Lilith Fest’s third year, but its first in Dewey.

The crowd, which comprised primarily women, swayed, danced and sung along to powerful renditions of songs like Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy,” Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” and Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love.” The 34-song setlist covered a variety of genres and featured a range of ’90s female music legends.

Performers included DiToro, Brianne Nguyen, Josee Molavi, Kira Krakovesky, Kanika Feaster, LauraLea, Lena Traynham, Lily Hain, Melanie McDowell, Olivia Rubini, Rachel Ann Morgan, Samia Freeman, Shelley Star, Zaneta “Z” Johnson, Zawadi Carroll, Lindsay McCarthy and Marissa Ackerman.

DiToro, who has been in the music industry for 16 years, has had to deal with sexism in many shapes and forms. She’s been ignored in conversations with her male counterparts, criticized for moving too masculinely on stage and assumed to be a performer’s girlfriend rather than a performer herself.

“That ignited the fire in me to want to commiserate more with like minds, and make it more normal for people to see women playing drums, women playing bass,” she said.

Project HERA hosts a variety of curated shows, networking events, open mics, workshops and music festivals. It strives to connect, empower and showcase female performers of all ages, from young girls to women in their 60s and above.