Girls Rock! - Femme Fest features 76 bands at 6 venues

The woman who created “Femme Fest” lives by the axiom that her band’s name suggests: All Young Girls Are Machine Guns.

Indeed they are. And indeed, Rebecca Lowry is. As a musician, as a businesswoman, as a community volunteer and fund-raiser. In every aspect of her life, Lowry is a shining example for women in Omaha. Especially for girls who rock.

Which is the theme of the week as the two-day Femme Fest arrives. What started as a handful of bands playing a single venue on a single night has grown into 76 – 76! – bands that will share stages at the Waiting Room, Reverb Lounge, Barley Street Tavern, Petshop, Burke’s Pub and the Sydney, all in Benson over two nights.

The only stipulation: Each band has to include one female. That can be the drummer, the singer, the guitarist, etc.

The showcases will be held simultaneously Friday and Saturday (Sept. 1 and 2). Tickets for one day are $10, and $20 for the entire weekend, the schedule of which you can see at the

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Most of the bands are from the Omaha area, with a few guests coming in from out of town: Schwervon! from Lawrence, Kan., Elizabeth Ghandour from Minneapolis, Alexa Dexa from New York City and Mobina Galore from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Get all the details – including info on a panel workshop on Saturday – at

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