BRATTLEBORO-It’s rare to see a woman-fronted metal show, and even more unusual to have an all-woman sound crew, even in 2026.
But that’s who will put on the show when four acts — Sepssis, Awaiting Abigail, Under the Horizon, and Pulsfier — play at the Stone Church in Brattleboro on Friday, March 6, at 7 p.m.
The concert celebrates students graduating from the Grrrls 2 the Front sound tech intensive, a program presented by Higher Calling Arts, the arts programing arm of the Stone Church dedicated to “empowering youth and marginalized voices while building sustainable pathways for artistic development and community connection,” according to the Stone Church website.
The graduates will show off what they have learned as they run the show themselves.
Grrrls 2 the Front (named after the Riot Grrrl underground, feminist punk movement of the 1990s) is committed to creating access and opportunity for women, trans, and nonbinary individuals in the live music world. The program creates this access and builds community through women-led concerts, workshops, mentorships, and educational programs.
Grrrls 2 the Front was started in the years before COVID-19 as a series of one-off, women-led shows held at the Stone Church to raise funds for the Women’s Freedom Center, an organization in Brattleboro that provides advocacy and support for domestic violence survivors and families.
Emerging from the pandemic with new energy and motivation, the Stone Church decided it was time to expand Grrrls 2 the Front beyond presenting concerts.
“One of the things that spurred us to grow the program so significantly was a show I attended nearby,” said Erin Scaggs, programing and development director at the Stone Church. “A woman stood near the booth, and for a long time, I didn’t realize she was the tech working the show. When I did, it was like, wow.
“That experience really drove home how underrepresented women and other marginalized groups are in the music world, especially in areas like sound engineering, lighting, production, and booking,” said Scaggs.
This realization led to the creation of the Stone Church’s women-focused programs and concerts, such as past shows celebrating Women’s History Month.
Coming up is a one-day workshop Thursday, April 19, “Intro to Protest Sound,” that teaches effective strategies for a speaker at a rally to be heard.
“Each year we kind of create the program based on what there is an appetite and need for and also what we have,” Scaggs said.
Scaggs said that, in recent years, “we have focused more on education.” The Sound Tech Intensive, run by Stone Church Sound Engineer Dan Richardson, is one of these educational programs.
Richardson has designed a comprehensive curriculum that covers all aspects of sound presentation, from running the board to troubleshooting sound problems during a show.
The course is open to students of all ages. Participants have ranged in age from teens to 50s.
Scaggs said many attended the classes with hopes of going on to work in the field, but that’s not always the case.
“Some are musicians who want to learn about the tech side of things,” Scaggs said. “It can be intimidating for a female musician to walk into a venue and feel out of their depth with the tech. With this greater understanding, they say it gives them more confidence.”
Big demand
The sound tech program has run for three years and has proven to be a success, with some graduates working in the field.
“We almost always have to limit the number of the applicants each time,” Scaggs said. “We are really overwhelmed with the number of people applying to be part of the program, which really speaks to there being nothing else quite like this in the region.”
She added that the Grrrls are always looking for funding, sponsors, and community support to expand their programs.
The most recent class, which had four participants, began in January and concluded last week. The class size was kept small to provide students with plenty of hands-on training on the state of the art sound system at the Stone Church.
Each year, the Stone Church has hosted a graduation ceremony concert offering different types of music, and this year they chose metal.
“We wanted something that’s going to be fun for the students and requires a fair amount of sound tech,” Scaggs said. “Metal is the biggest draw for the Stone Church.”
On the job
The Emily Margaret Band, a Brattleboro-based group that performed at the 2025 graduation concert, released a single last week that was recorded live at the Stone Church by Grrrls 2 the Front graduates. The samba-influenced “Breakfast in Spain” is available on all streaming services.
“It was awesome to be on a bill with other women-fronted bands,” said Emily Margaret. “Oftentimes I’m the only woman in the lineup. It was also great to see women behind the soundboard for a change. Dan, from the Stone Church, and the Grrrls graduates doing the live mixing, did an amazing job.”
Margaret said she felt “like they really cared about the sound and weren’t dismissive because I’m a young female performer.”
This year’s headliner, Sepsiss, is a heavy metal/hard rock band out of Manchester, New Hampshire, which won Hard Rock/Metal Act of the Year at the New England Music Awards in 2019 and 2023.
The group is led by Melissa Wolfe, who expressed the band’s gratitude at being asked to be part of this show.
“Programs like this are incredibly important,” Wolfe said. “Creating space for young women and individuals to learn sound tech and gain hands-on experience in live music is powerful — especially in areas of the industry that have traditionally been male-dominated. The more access and education we create behind the scenes, the stronger and more inclusive our music community becomes.
“For us, being part of an event that celebrates that growth and confidence, is something we’re genuinely excited about,” Wolfe added. “If even one of the graduates feels more empowered to step into a venue, studio, or tour environment because of this program, that’s a huge win.”
This is an all ages show. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15–$20 and available at stonechurchvt.com.
This Arts item by Sheryl Hunter was written for The Commons.