Marin teens launch new music festival

Sienna Driegert was in elementary school when she decided to learn how to play the drums just like her father. But it wasn’t long before her peers teased her that it was a “boy’s instrument.” With support from her family, she continued with the drums, but by happenstance, she would discover her favorite instrument, the bass guitar, when a band summer camp she was a part of needed a bass player.

By the time she was a few years into her musical pursuits, she was used to being one of the only girls — if not the only girl — in the local bands she was a part of. But her love of music deepened in a new way when she met fellow teen musician Tatiana Ting through Wow! Music Studios’ band program, where students form a band, learn songs and perform at local venues in Marin.

“I think one of the reasons I and Tati clicked so fast was because it was really refreshing to have another female instrumentalist in the same band as me. And that’s really where friendship grew and our love for music too,” said Driegert, who then learned how to play the piano and guitar.

On Sunday, the friends will take the stage with their band, Pretty Riot, to open up the SheShreds Fest at the Marin Country Mart in Larkspur — a place they’ve performed at before thanks to the Mill Valley band program. The music festival, founded by Driegert and Ting, now a high school junior and sophomore, respectively, at Marin Academy in San Rafael, grew from their desire to amplify and create more opportunities for female and gender-expressive performers. The idea came about last summer in part after they had an experience where they felt dismissed and talked over by boys in a music room.

“We were driving home and we had this like ‘aha’ moment in the car about how perfect it would be if we did a women-in-music festival in Marin, and how instead of just complaining about how we don’t have the space, we could actually make one for ourselves and do something,” said Driegert, who wants to go into the music business in the future.

The music festival, which takes place on International Women’s Day, will feature vendors, live music by Pretty Riot, a band featuring Driegert on bass guitar, Ting on guitar, Marin Academy junior Marina Gunning on vocals and Marin Academy junior Lachlan Williams on drums, Catfight and a secret headlining act. When booking the acts, the friends chose artists who they look up to.

“They’re all female rock stars,” Driegert said. “We’re so impressed by them and grateful that they’re coming and performing for us. The bassist of Catfight, Angeline Seris, was my music teacher at Marin Academy as a freshman. She’s just an incredible local rock star. As a female bassist, she’s like my role model to a T. She’s been very supportive and helped us through a lot of this process.”

Tommy Toy, who co-founded Wow! Music Studios in 2005, has also been an important resource during the last few months of planning, Ting said.

“I think both Sienna and I owe the teachers at Wow! Music Studios and Tommy Toy a lot, especially since Tommy has been mentoring us through this entire process. We’re really grateful to have him in our lives, and he’s really helped us find our love for music and helped this grow into an actual event, which has been amazing,” said Ting, who studied the piano in elementary school before moving on to guitar lessons through the Mill Valley music school in sixth grade.

The music festival will also serve as a fundraiser for Marin nonprofit SHE-CAN, which equips and empowers young women from post-conflict countries with education, mentorship and leadership skills. Ting connected with the nonprofit last year due to her interest in international relations and human rights issues.

“One thing that we really wanted to achieve with this festival is making an impact, and beyond just empowering women in music, we wanted to give back to a nonprofit organization that was for women’s rights. Around the same time, coincidentally, I was connected with SHE-CAN, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to partner with them and support women beyond just the music community. They do amazing work, and we really feel like their mission aligns really closely with our ultimate goal.”

Marin Academy Head of School Travis Brownley said the festival reflects what can happen when students connect learning to action.

“When students connect their learning to real-world impact, it stops being theoretical,” Brownley said. “Tatiana and Sienna identified a gap, organized around it and built something that extends beyond themselves. That’s leadership that pairs compelling expression with the courage to act.”

Details: SheShreds Fest is from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Marin Country Mart in Larkspur. Admission is $14.64 to $17.85. Go to bit.ly/3N97QsN. More information at sites.google.com/view/sheshredsfest-marin.