Just read the article. It's criminal how Maureen's been treated. She has as smooth a blues groove as I've ever heard - perfect!
Maureen's MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/maureenbrown
I've almost always played with friends but there have been times when I felt I was on the fringe as far as other musos in the local scene went because I wasn't a member of the boys' club. That's life. I can imagine a man being marginalised in a woman's world too. It didn't help that I was (am) a bit eccentric. I suspect that if Maureen was glamorous then she'd be more lauded. Sometimes it's more than one issue.
You have to be outstanding as a woman to be
fully accepted in the masculine world of drumming (and the rock/blues scene generally) and since what I did was pretty well on a par with other musos on the scene, that wasn't quite enough. Maureen is outstanding, though, so not 100% sure what's going on there. Some great women drummers are well accepted.
One thing I noticed when I was gigging regularly was my playing was more laid back than what the male pounders in the scene were doing. I felt like my restraint and subtlety were not as as valued as what other equivalent drummers were doing - more dynamic and exciting.
The world has punishments for those who don't fit the stereotype and rewards for those who do. It's not a big drama or anything like that, but I noticed resistance to me at times that related to me not being quite one of the gang.
Thanks for the link, Bruce. She's a good person to know about.