July 29, 2016 Staff Report
An ode to female musicians and creatives in the shape of an indoor eight hour music festival is taking place at Irish Whiskey Bar on Saturday, July 30.
The first ever “Venus Envy Music Festival” will feature a lineup of almost a dozen female musicians, artists and performers from Astoria, and will be held at the Irish Whiskey Bar, on 28-48 31st St. from 4:00 pm to 12:00 am.
The festival’s founder, a part-time songwriter and Astoria resident of 12 years, Nelly DuBarry, said she was inspired to put together the festival while performing at open mic nights every Tuesday at the hosting establishment.
“I would go there, and in between a lot of acts, there would only be a few girls who were up on stage, so one day I thought, ‘Hey wouldn’t it be a great idea to have a show with just us?’ ” explained DuBarry.
(Left) Venus Envy Music Festival founder Nelly DuBarry (Right) Astoria Music & Arts Director, “Doris Cellar”
Nelly entered into the music scene a year and a half ago, and has since seen a great deal of female creatives in Astoria that she hopes to highlight through this festival, which she would like to make an annual event.
“It got to the point where I unfortunately had to say ‘no’ to some of the musicians who wanted to be a part of this year’s event because we didn’t have enough time or stages to book them, so I hope to one day bring it to an outdoor space as demand for stage time and the number of female performers grows,” she said.
Astoria Music & Arts (AMA), a local non-profit that has put on large outdoor music festivals at Astoria Park, is one of the Venus Music Festival’s newest sponsors, and has been promoting it through their marketing channels.
“We think its important for us to be involved because we want to inspire women to get out there and play,” said AMA director Nicole Mourelatos, also known by her performing name, “Doris Cellar.”
“We can’t wait to show our town what some of the talented women of Astoria are made of!” she added.
Readers can RSVP on their Facebook event page here.
WHEN: Saturday, July 30, 2016
WHERE: Irish Whiskey Bar, 28-48 31st St. Astoria, NY
WHO: See below
5:30 pm – Elise Levitt
6:00 pm – Ithalia Johnson
6:30 pm – Barbara Dragun
7:00 pm – Virgina Marcs
8:00 pm – Lauren Hunt
8:30 pm – Kayla O’ Keefe
9:00 pm – Doris Cellar
10:00 pm – QuickFinger w/ Cathy Crisci
11:00 pm – Mainline Gypse w / Bernadette Claffey
12:00 am – Open Jam w/ Shannon Conley
Festival poster
Please note: The Astoria Post is a sponsor of the Venus Envy Music Festival
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