"To see a woman rocking just as hard as a man is a good thing for the audience to experience," said Alyson Carrel, member of a local band.
The sight of Carrel on stage playing what are considered 'men's instruments' is inspiring. The 24-year-old University of Florida graduate started playing the tuba when she was 10. She then went on to learn trumpet and trombone. She prefers to play the trombone because "it cuts through, it is more versatile, and I play it better." The two horns on stage add a difference of high and low tone. "It is great to see a woman getting involved in an industry not many females venture into," Carrel said. "There are not a lot of women drummers, guitarists, DJs or sound engineers."
Starting out in her high school band in the suburbs of Chicago, she moved to Gainesville for college and she released her classical music side. She was once playing already composed music, but now she creates her own. She said she loves the fact that writing her own music lets her bring out her creative side. She admires Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders, Laurie Anderson, who composed early spoken word and theater pieces, and P.J. Harvey.
Currently, Carrel is in the band PopCanon. This noisepop avantpunk idiotrock band has been around for almost five years this August. Carrel joined the band just when it was forming. PopCanon is composed of six members: two guitars, electric and acoustic, a bass, drums, saxophone, and Carrel on trombone and trumpet. All of the band members work full-time jobs and do gigs at night and on the weekends. Carrel said Gainesville has an "incredible music community." She adds however, that one con of playing here is that bands are always forming and breaking up. "There is always a place to play," she said, remarking on the positive side of playing in Gainesville. According to Carrel, meeting so many different people and being exposed to different cultures while touring with the band is truly a great experience all to itself.
In March, PopCanon toured the East Coast from Gainesville to New York. They usually go to Atlanta, Orlando, and Alabama to play different cities on the weekends. Presently Carrel is the only woman in the band and sometimes has to deal with unnecessary questioning. When she has run-ins with club owners, they often question whether or not she is actually in the band or a girlfriend of one of the members. They often assume that she doesn't know anything about the equipment either. Carrel remembered one experience when she was carrying some equipment and a man asked her if he could help her. She responded, "Yeah, there is some equipment left in the van, you can get some of it and bring it in."
Carrel is trying to start an all-woman band. Within the next three years she plans to go to law school while maintaining her music life.