Follow this link to watch an 8-minute video documentary about Carla and the history of ROCKRGRL.
Carla DeSantis is the nation's leading advocate for women in rock. A former musician and music industry veteran, Carla rose to prominence as the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of the ground-breaking and award-winning ROCKRGRL Magazine (1994-2005), the only national publication for female musicians. She also created and produced two highly successful and critically-acclaimed ROCKRGRL Music Conferences which took place in Seattle in 2000 and 2005 respectively as well as ROCKRGRL Day at Musicians’ Institute in Los Angeles in 2003. A ROCKRGRL Music Conference is tentatively being planned for fall of 2010. The diverse line-up of speakers and performers at the ROCKRGRL Music Conference have included such musical luminaries as Patti Smith, Bonnie Raitt, Courtney Love, Ronnie Spector (Ronettes), Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Ann Wilson (Heart), Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde), Cris Williamson, June Millington, Kathy Valentine (The Go-Go's), Wanda Jackson, The Gossip, Exene Cervenka and hundreds more. These days, Carla consults and mentors artists seeking career advice and lectures frequently on the topic of gender disparity in rock. She is a popular, entertaining and knowledgeable public speaker and is most interested in opportunities to educate young people about sexism in music, and opportunities within the music industry and independent publishing. She is also working with musician Robin Lane (Robin Lane and the Chartbusters) to develop a non-profit organization called Songbird Sings, a nation-wide expansion of Robin's brilliant program. A Woman's Voice, which helps trauma victims to heal through collaborative group songwriting / recording workshops. Carla's numerous television appearances include KING-TV’s American Idol style talent contest, Gimme The Mic, where she was a judge two seasons alongside Sir Mix-A-Lot and morning radio host, Bender. She is also a frequent “talking head” on cable networks VH1 (“Behind the Music” and “True Spin”), E! (“True Hollywood Story”), MuchMusic and WE: The Women’s Network as well as a music commentator for the Lisa Birnbach Show and Women Aloud (Mo Gaffney and Shana Wride) on the Greenstone Radio Network. In 2006, Carla was named one of the “50 most influential people in Seattle music” by Seattle (Sound) Magazine and has twice been nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award by Seattle Weekly. She is also a three-time elected member of the governing board of the Northwest Chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammy organization) and served on the advisory board for the capital campaign of the Vera Project, Seattle’s all-ages music/arts organization. In 2008, the ROCKRGRL Magazine and Conference archives were acquired by Schlesinger Library at Harvard/Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The library houses one of the most impressive collections of American Women's History in the country. Full sets of ROCKRGRL, all 57 issues, have also been purchased by the special collections departments at Yale, Harvard, Cornell, The Smithsonian, University of Washington. Radcliffe, Smith College, Rutgers, Duke, UT Austin, UCLA, Agnes Scott College, Wesleyan, NYU, and the public libraries of Boston and New York. Please see other pages on this site for more information about Carla's background and expertise as well as the legacy of ROCKRGRL Magazine and the ROCKRGRL Music Conferences. Contact her by e-mail - carladesantis at aol dot com. Stay on our radar - get on our Yahoo Group mailing list and you will receive occasional information and updates about Carla's personal appearances and other ROCKRGRL-related events. We respect your privacy and never sell your address to a third party. |