What has happened to the classic girl band? While the Eugene music scene showcases many talented artists and bands, when I attended a recent house show, I couldn’t help but notice how male-dominated the bands were. Of the five bands playing that night, there were only two female members.

Girl bands have disappeared within the campus scene, and the absence hasn’t gone unnoticed. There are talented bands on campus, such as 10 or 11 Deer and Dog Plays Dead which have female artists, and without a doubt, there is a community of female-identifying musicians in the Eugene area. However, since the departure of GrrlBand last year — an all-girl band in the Eugene scene — the representation of female musicians has gone away, and a new girl band has yet to take the stage.

The popularity of bands ebbs and flows, but right now, the bands performing the most hardly have any female members. Nina Roy, a resident of The Black Pearl house, a house show spot run by students, says she has noticed the lack of female artists.

“As a venue, we meet lots of bands, and although we do meet women who are a part of bands, it is overwhelmingly a male-dominated space,” Roy said. “I only know of a few bands that have women as members.”

Something important to note about Eugene bands is that there are some musicians in multiple groups. The guitarist for one band might be in three bands total, making it rare to see fresh faces at shows. This is something the bands have noticed as well.

“Since as a house you get more involved in it, you really see how male-dominated it is,” Roy said. “Talking to some of the bands, they also notice the lack of women in the scene in general, but would be enthusiastic to meet more.”

Like any other music scene, it can be hard to get involved in the world of Eugene house shows. Tallulah Hutchinson, guitarist and songwriter for Eugene/Portland band Corky St. Claire, agrees. “If I could best describe the Eugene music scene, I would call it a bit intimidating. It seems like you need to have connections to get to a place where you’re playing house shows,” Hutchinson said. “Just because it’s difficult to enter a male-dominated space doesn’t mean it isn’t important.”

Music is for everybody; this isn’t to say anything different. House shows are a big part of nightlife culture in the Eugene and University of Oregon community, which is why it’s important to have more variety in the artists that perform in these shows.

That’s what it comes down to: representation. With more representation in the music scene, it can open up a whole new world for artists of all identities, not just female artists, but musicians from all walks of life. Having female representation in an otherwise male-influenced field should be prioritized.

“I think it’s really important to have girl bands and female artists because it shows other people you can do this; you don’t have to be perfectly, classically trained to still make music and put it out there,” Hutchinson said. “Art is important, and more girl bands, more female artists, can only be good for art.”