The Girls Room

“I went to the booth because I wanted to see if people were buying CDs,” he said. “I wanted to ask them a couple of questions if they were aware of Kendall before the performance and if not, were they buying the CD because they liked the show.

While he was standing near the line, he overheard one woman say to another, “What are we going to do next year when there’s no Lilith?”

The lightbulb went on. “It dawned on me that Sarah (McLachlan) has created something that a lot of people had enjoyed all three years. It hadn’t worn out its welcome. It was something that people looked forward to each summer,” Watts-Russell said.

As fortune would have it, Capitol Records was presented with a chance to do its own all- female tour this summer. Watts-Russell, who was an artist manager before moving into the record business, hatched a plan for a free tour, and when Stayfree signed on as a sponsor, The Girls Room was born.

“The label was in the odd situation of having a number of young, new female artists not exactly a marketing person’s dream,” Watts-Russell told POLLSTAR. They’re brand new and no one knows about them. People talk about how difficult it is to sustain careers. But why not turn two perceived negatives into something positive? The public is actually very interested in the new. We have lots of ‘new,’ so that should be very appealing if it’s presented right.”

The females in question were game. Tara MacLean, Payne, Amy Correia and Shannon McNally signed on for the 21-stop road trip, agreeing to share the bus, stage, limelight and everything else for the opportunity to play live.

“The music business is tough. It’s all about hit records, and artists have to adjust to that,” multi-instrumentalist Correia said. “I feel pretty lucky because Capitol is being supportive of the fact that I don’t look or sound like the next Britney Spears.”

Watts-Russell knows that not everyone in America is enamored with the teen pop stars and rock/rap hybrids that currently dominate radio and sales charts.

“There are a whole bunch of disenfranchised people who don’t want to buy Britney Spears and they don’t want to buy Limp Bizkit. I know there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of people in American who would enjoy the music of these four artists if they just had the chance to hear it. At this moment in time, there aren’t many ways for them to be heard.”

That’s especially true for Correia and McNally since their debut albums won’t be released until later this year.

McNally, who started singing in the Paris subway and was later discovered by Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies, has never toured.

“There’s no foreseeable concert draw for me, so I’m really excited to do this tour with three women whom I really respect,” she said. “It’s great because we have a sponsor and touring is so expensive. Since I’ve never done this before, the sponsor is making touring a reality for me.”

MacLean and Payne have considerably more touring experience and both artists appeared on all three Lilith Fairs. While there’s a world of difference between an intimate club show like The Girls Room and a Lilith-size festival, MacLean said she isn’t troubled by the inevitable comparison.

“I don’t really concern myself with the labels media put on things,” she said. “I didn’t name it The Girls Room, and I don’t see it as a ‘women’s tour.’ I see it as really talented musicians. I am not a gender-specific musician and never have been, but I do think it’s important for women to gather together and show their strength. In a way, it is the spirit of Lilith.”

Payne said she’s not worried about living up to Lilith; she just wants to get on the road. “In the last year, I’ve done quite a few tours and there’s just nothing like it for me. Nothing compares to the feeling of playing my songs in front of even one person who even remotely gets what I’m saying. I don’t know why I’m wired this way, but it’s just the most amazing thing for me.”

For fans faced with another summer of escalating ticket prices, the amazing thing may be that admission to The Girls Room shows is free. And like the philanthropic Lilith Fair, the tour will donate $1,000 to a women’s charity in each city the tour visits.

Though The Girls Room outing, which commenced July 19th and runs through August 8th, is full of talent and good will, it’s still a risky undertaking for Capitol Records.

“It’s an experiment. I’m under no illusions,” Watts-Russell said. “There is no guarantee that people will come just because we’re doing it. But I do think it will be a positive experience for everyone. It will be great for the artists because they have a chance to collaborate rather than compete, and the public will see that any one of these four artists could wind up being real superstars.”