Salem bluegrass singer Kristen Grainger and two fellow local musicians rallied almost 20 female singers at the height of the pandemic for a Zoom concert to celebrate women in music.  That virtual concert on March 8, 2021, became the first She’s Speaking Live concert. She’s Speaking is a coll ective that brings together women musicians from across the Pacific Northwest for several concerts each year.  This year, the group is touching down in Salem for the third time, bringing eight women singers to the Grand Theatre stage Friday, March 6. The theater is at 191 High St. N.E. The Salem show kicks off a three-day run, followed by stops in Portland Saturday and Eugene Sunday. This is the group’s only concert series of the year done in honor of Women’s History Month.  This series is the fourth since She’s Speaking Live began. The group, founded by Grainger, singer in the bluegrass duo, True North, Beth Wood, a folk singer from Sisters, and Bre Gregg, a blues singer from Portland, had their first in-person concert around 2022 in Portland, when Covid restrictions started to lift.  The concerts uplift women’s voices in what Grainger says is a male-dominated field. “If you were listening to the recommendations of your streaming platform … it could be seven songs before you even hear a woman’s voice. And that’s not because there’s something nefarious afoot. It’s because it’s the same nefarious thing that’s been happening for centuries, which is male voices and male endeavors are centered, and women’s are not,” Grainger said. She’s Speaking has brought together some 68 women artists since its founding.  “She’s Speaking is all about creating a separate platform where women’s voices and experiences and efforts and artistry are centered the way men’s have traditionally been,” Grainger said.  The Salem concert will feature special guest Mary Flower, a Portland-based blues and fingerstyle guitarist. She will be joined on stage by seven other singers and three band members from The Riveters, including a drummer, bassist and keys player.  Featured singers hail from Seattle, Portland, Hood River, Salem, Eugene and Sisters.  All of the singers will be on stage at one time, playing a mix of solo and group songs. “There’s eight performing songwriters, but all of us are on stage the entire show, both sets,” Grainger said. “You’re getting, visually, this big, beautiful show … everybody’s singing on every song. And so it’s got a really big, lush, fat sound, and the diversity of genres is also really remarkable.” The musicians will play original music spanning rock, country, folk, bluegrass, gospel, RB and jazz‑pop.  Grainger described the energy on stage as “joyful” and “passionate.” “There’s so much warmth and humor, and it’s genuinely, it’s authentically intended to connect. It’s intended to connect with the audience and to connect with our fellow musicians on stage. And that connection is abundantly clear,” Grainger said.  The show is from 7:30 – 9 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. It will run about 2 hours with a 20 minute intermission in between.  Tickets are $30 each and can be bought online.  During intermission, attendees can buy a special pink cocktail at the theater bar called, “She’s Sparkling.” There will also be opportunities to meet the musicians during that time, and possibly after the concert, Grainger said. She’s Speaking will be selling branded shirts in the lobby. Some musicians will also bring their own merchandise to sell. Have a news tip? Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected] . LOCAL NEWS DELIVERED TO YOU: Subscribe to Salem Reporter and get all the fact-based Salem news that matters to you. Fair, accurate, trusted – SUBSCRIBE The post Salem concert spotlights women singers for Women’s History Month appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less