The New Mastersounds announced the addition of an all-female special-guest lineup for their upcoming Saturday, May 5 performance at the Joy Theater to “Celebrate the Women of the Scene.”

The lineup will include local acts such as rapper Boyfriend, DJ Soul Sister, plus Kim Dawson and Mayteana Morales of bicoastal Pimps of Joytime, a band that hails from Brooklyn and New Orleans. Also featured is Erica Falls.

Shira Elias and Sammi Garett from Brooklyn-based funk band Turquaz and Adryon De Leon from Los Angeles-based soul and funk group Orgone will join the roster for “Women of the Scene,” with more appearances to be announced.

The event aims to elevate female performers who have traditionally been underrepresented, especially in the jam=band scene. Like many others, The New Mastersounds have been inspired by the recent #MeToo movement, and are subsequently devoted in raising awareness and support through this upcoming special performance.

The music industry is starkly lacking in gender equality, proven most famously by this year’s Grammy Awards. A study analyzing Grammy nominees from 2013 to 2018 found that only 9.3% were female, with no woman earning Producer of the Year, no Classical nods in this period, despite the fact that there were many worthy nominees.

Jan Ramsey, publisher of Offbeat, has stated that, despite the countless efforts by capable American women, “Women—at least in this country—are not perceived, for the most part, as being leaders.” The New Mastersounds, along with their impressive roster of female artists and musicians that hail from all three coasts, aim to tackle these pertinent issues in the music industry head-on.

The show will be one of two late night Jazz Fest shows hosted by Joy Theater on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5, with doors at 1:30 a.m. Both events are 18+ and tickets are on sale now at Joy Theater’s website.