Unlocking the mystique of the female drummer

By Laura Robida

When you think of female musicians most people don't instantly think of drummers. Being a guitarist myself, when I think of women in rock I think of guitarists before drummers pop into my head. And it's not like I don't know any great female drummers. In fact, I've had the great pleasure of meeting when of the best female drummers of all time (at least, that's my opinion.). But when sitting to write this month's Women in Rock feature, it only seemed right that I should venture out of my element and look at the backbone of any band (and certainly the most overlooked female musician around), the drummer.

Perhaps it comes from the idea that girls are, well, girly. The age old myth reasons that girls can't throw. They can't swing a baseball bat. And they certainly can't hit. If you want to ever insult a guy simply tell him that he hits like a girl and see what that gets you. So it might come as a surprise that while there are few female drummers, the ones that are out there hit just as hard if not harder than the guys.

Debbi Peterson of the Bangles. Karen Carpenter. Sheila E. Torry Castellano of The Donnas. Meg White from the White Stripes. Cindy Blackman drums for Lenny Kravitz, Gina Schock hits the skins for the Go-Gos. And we can't forget Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney or Sandy West of The Runaways or Bratmobile's Molly Neuman.  

That's just a quick, off-the-top of my head list of female drummers. Consider them for a moment if you will. Think about some of the songs you've heard by their respective bands. You can't deny that these women have chops.

I've had the great pleasure of seeing Debbi Peterson perform with the Bangles not too long ago. I've seen Sheila E and have never been more impressed by any drummer's versatility. Gina Schock is one of my long-time favorites having provided the beat for so many of my favorite songs. And then there's Torry Castellano of The Donnas. There's a reason that many of the band's fans compare her to Animal from “The Muppet Show.” She's a flurry of blond hair behind the drum set and provides unfaltering and hard hitting beats for her band.

Next time you say someone hits like a girl, think about the female drummers you've heard. Maybe that's not such an insult after all.