When local musician and sound engineer Mari started hosting Ladies Night open mics almost three years ago, the outdoor space at Bunk+Brew was the perfect setting for her to amplify the voices of femme artists and build community. It turns out lots of folks were hungry for connection, though, and a combination of popularity and weather changes all but forced Mari to look for a larger (indoor) space. She’s since hosted Ladies Nights more regularly at Silver Moon Brewing, and the event has only continued to grow, leading Mari to think even bigger.
“I was building up [Ladies Nights] at Silver Moon, and they started having a pretty good turnout. I’ve been able to pay musicians off of ticket sales pretty well,” she says. At the same time, Bunk+Brew wanted to bring Ladies Night back, but the ever-growing turnout at Silver Moon gave Mari pause. “I decided to start something new at Bunk+Brew but still have a similar concept.” Hence, Femme Forward, a new event that will highlight women musicians and vendors while also raising funds for women-focused nonprofits, was conceived.
The first Femme Forward will take place on Thursday, July 10, at Bunk+Brew, with 50% of the ticket price going toward Planned Parenthood. Mari is still researching nonprofits that could be potential beneficiaries of future events, but says Planned Parenthood was an obvious choice for the inaugural showcase. “Everything in this country is uneasy…feeling like our choices [about our bodies] could be taken away, it feels like Planned Parenthood is something that’s really important to support.”
Support seems to be a key word for Mari, who won’t be performing at the showcase; rather, in addition to organizing the event, she’ll be running sound, literally amplifying women’s voices. “Maybe I’ll book myself for one of them [in the future], but I always try to give other female musicians a platform before I do it.” Plus, “It’s kind of cool being one of the only sound women in Bend.” (Mari is a sound engineer at Silver Moon Brewing.) “I’m trying to change the ‘sound guy’ [stereotype]…to ‘sound person,'” she says with a laugh.
At the time of writing, musicians and vendors for the event were still being finalized, but Mari assures us that they will all be “feminine-focused.” “It’s all brewing very quickly,” she says. She also extended her gratitude to Bunk+Brew, and specifically bar and event manager Jas, for their excitement to bring a women’s-specific event back to the space.
Mari’s Ladies Nights will continue at Silver Moon; the next one is actually on July 11, and Mari says she’s thinking of the back-to-back events as a “two-day mini fest supporting women in the community.” “This is a great way to take a stand and say that we want to continue having rights as women,” she says. We couldn’t agree more, and we can’t wait to celebrate with her and the artists she’s brought together.
This article appears in Source Weekly July 3, 2025.
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