Ventura, CA | July 2022 – Gritty In Pink made waves at Surf Rodeo Festival in Ventura last weekend. The women-led platform touched down in the city of good fortune, ready to rock out on the beach with the Ventura community. The two-day event started on Saturday, July 16 with Gritty In Pink hosting their very own stage sponsored by Pacifica Beauty, La Par, Audix, Drew Martin, and Remo, with a view of the ocean off the famous Ventura Pier.
Xtine Reckless and Iriel (of Xtine Reckless & The Reckless Hearts) kicked off the epic weekend by hosting the Gritty In Pink stage, welcoming Ventura native and opening female artist Maliah. Later that afternoon saw a stage block of Gritty artists: vocalist/percussionist/DJ Chastity Ashley aka Neon Pony (who also graced the main stage on hand drums for headliner Ozomatli), singer/bassist Alicia Vigil and guitarist Kiki Wong of rock band Vigil of War (who got the crowd going with a female-dominated mosh pit), electro-rock spectacle Stuntdriver (who brought choreography and props such a long tunnel that the crowd climbed through), and all-girl pop-punk pioneers Shiragirl (whose frontwoman founded Gritty In Pink). In between each set, the crowd had their very own dance party with the help of DJ Vashonda Sherra. Shiragirl closed out Saturday with a cover of Meredith Brooks’ feminist anthem “Bitch” (currently celebrating its 25th anniversary), where the whole Gritty fam took the stage to sing along.
Sunday, Kym Priess hosted the stage and additional female artists including Olivia Willhite and The SikSikSicks performed on the Gritty Stage. Shiragirl also performed on the Main stage, returning after the pandemic delayed their comeback to Surf Rodeo for 3 years. Shira also performed on the main stage with Badfish, guest starring on a cover of Sublime/Gwen Stefani’s “Saw Red.”
Gritty In Pink also hosted a booth where attendees got the chance to receive sponsor giveaways by signing up for the INPINK marketplace platform. INPINK is a destination to hire from a community of diverse female creators and professionals, offering services from music & audio and live talent to business, marketing, graphics and photography.
If you missed out on the fun at the festival, check out Gritty In Pink’s pre-game live IG show leading up to their stage debut at Surf Rodeo! It was their biggest livestream ever, with over 5,800 live viewers, and also included the mainstage star from Hawaii, frontwoman of reggae powerhouse Hirie. To stay up to date on Gritty In Pink, visit their Instagram or www.grittyinpink.co for more information and future announcements.
