Its inception does, in fact, go as far back as 2012 after lead singer, Lani Ramos of Big Pearl & the Fugitives of Funk, became frustrated by the majority rule of men anywhere from stealing gigs on Frenchmen Street to women being outnumbered in bookings for local festivals. One night hanging out at Mimi’s Bar room with a group of musician comrades in 2012 Ramos met a festival producer from Mississ
ippi and they began to talk about the festival circuit as they drank. A few hours later, Ramos pitched The Tomboy Music Festival, an all-rock & roll female fronted music festival. There was limited space for female-fronted rock bands in New Orleans in general. It was missing from the music scene altogether. Well, the promoter thought it was a good idea but went back to Mississippi never to speak of it with Ramos again. Fast forward 5 years later and the unthinkable happens. The movement hits and then the Women’s March of New Orleans was born and still Ramos sees a festival with 25 bands with only one woman fronted rock band booked. Seeing this moment of truth for women’s rights and the formation of the March brewing, Ramos contacted an organizer of the March asking if they had a music program and to the surprise of Ramos, The organizers did not. So Ramos emailed them over her mp3 of “See (Just What We’re Fighting for)”. The organizers loved it and added her into the March’s program. The New Orleans Women’s March turned out an attendance of 10,000 people, the biggest single march in New Orleans history, and that’s a big feet in the nation’s #1 party town. Ramos was in company with activists, organizers and the future mayor of New Orleans afterwhich she played her song. During this moment in front of City Hall at the women’s march Ramos had the epiphany. She wanted to produce the Tomboy Festival, but how? Following the March came Mardi Gras and on Lundi Gras day while gigging at Bamboula’s on Frenchmen at her weekly gig, Ramos met another festival producer, this time from Alabama and pitched him the idea of an all-women music festival and calling it the Tomboy Festival. He liked it and called for a first meeting. After the first meeting it was determined that the Tomboy festival may not be the best name and was told to think of something better. So one afternoon driving around the Street of New Orleans, The new name struck Ramos like a bolt of electricity, The Rock & Rouge Women’s Music Festival! In 2018, the Inaugural Rock & Rouge Women’s Music & Food Festival & beyond was born.
