The DC area is rich in music, we all know this. But there's been something brewing here that needs to be amplified.

Shows like this one on Saturday night featuring the soulful, vocally mesmerizing, smudged yet clean indie licks of Cat Janice and The Band, the sonically satisfying punk-pop, want-to-sing-along sound of RadaR, and the mostly acoustic, highly impassioned, folk and blues infused Selena Benally — all bands/artists with women leaders that according to Cat Janice, "represent the strong female presence of DC music that's often overlooked."

A couple of months ago DC Music Review did a piece on This Could Go Boom! (TCGB), a new non-profit started in (but not limited to) the DMV that "envisions a world where music informed by and created from gender diverse perspectives is normalized rather than tokenized, fetishized, or marginalized."

Part of their vision also includes a world where gender diverse perspectives have, "equal representation on the airwaves, online, at music festivals, and in positions of power and influence throughout the music landscape."

When Cat Janice set up this show for Saturday, she did so with the intention to make it women-centric. She connected with the This Could Go Boom! team to source acts to participate and identify women to promote and do sound for the show.

Selena (More AM Than FM and The OSYX) and another This Could Go Boom! co-founder agreed, "I'm 110% here for all of the women running this show. I have the opportunity to work and create music with so many powerful women, and can't wait to continue to do so and expand our circle."

And there's more movement like this happening all over the DMV. This Could Go Boom! Presents series is a monthly showcase of often under-represented, gender diverse artists. Another group, Project Hera, hosts a yearly female fueled music festival and a monthly Songbyrd Ladies Night Open Mic & Networking Event. 

According to Cathi DiToro, founder of Project Hera, "Hera was founded in response to a need to provide opportunities for women and girls in music to be showcased more in the DC area. We work to provide inclusive events where women in music are celebrated, promoted, and supported and also where the younger generation can not only have chances to perform, but become inspired to chase their own musical dreams."

To this point and to the mission of This Could Go Boom!, there are a lot of sponsored and independent womxn-led shows coming up in the DMV. (DC Music Review always tries to feature these in our weekly list of shows.)

A sample of events coming up in the next few weeks include: 

• Jan 19: Womxn's Wave hosted by XX+ Crostino 
• Jan 23: Femme Open Mic at Epicure Café where female, femme, feminine, trans, non-binary, two spirit, agender musicians are welcomed to sign up and play
• Jan 26: PEÑA : Mujeres al escenario / Womyn on stage! at Sankofa Music Cafe
• Jan 26: Forces Presents: Womyn Rise! ¡Las Mujeres Arriba!
• Jan 27: Sheila (Album Release Party) w/ Yanju and The New Vybe at The Dew Drop Inn
• Jan 28: Queer Songwriters Showcase at Sauf Haus 
• Jan 31: Fink, Marxer & Gleaves with Chao Tian at AMP Strathmore
• Feb 7: Songbyrd Ladies Night Open Mic & Networking Event at Songbyrd
• Feb 9: This Could Go Boom! presents Piramid Scheme, Maria Shesiuk & Jasmine Gillison! at The Dew Drop Inn
• ...and many, many more.