By JP Durand and Valerie Milano
Anaheim, CA (The Hollywood Times) 1/26/25 – The backdrop of the LA fires and the advent of a new Presidential administration provided the setting for equal parts introspection and defiance in an emotional She Rocks Awards evening at the Hilton in Anaheim, on Saturday night, the 13th edition of this yearly event. In an evening that provided nonstop inspiration, it was the profound solo performances of Paula Cole and Amanda Fuller that moved everyone in the room, before veteran rocker Samantha Fish and her band absolutely ripped the house up at the end of the night with a brief but unforgettable explosion of primal rock energy.
Laura B. Whitmore, founder of the Women’s International Music Network, stated in the program, “Each year, we come together to celebrate the trailblazers who are not only achieving greatness but also transforming the industry. Today, as women continue to push for equity and visibility in an evolving industry, we recognize their strength not only as artists, executives, and innovators but also as advocates for change.” Every host and honoree certainly captured the power of those statements in a way that, due to present cultural circumstances, no one could have predicted. A great move by the event producers was to enlist two highly successful and high-profile female artists to co-host. Jennifer Batten is an authoritative guitar player and educator of note, playing with Michael Jackson on his “Bad”, “Dangerous”, and “HIStory” world tours, as well as a 3-year stint playing with Jeff Beck, in addition to many other high-profile gigs. Lindsey Stirling is the current “it” girl of pop violin, with a huge worldwide following and a knack for mixing classical & electronica music along with fashion, and social media to promote her beautiful playing and graceful energy. They provided both a knowing gravitas (Batten) and upbeat positivity (Stirling) that really moved the night along. Stirling performed with her group later in the evening as well – unfortunately, her great performance was not included in the livecast.
Nashville based singer/songwriter Shantaia opened the evening. This up-and-coming artist sang while playing guitar and was backed by an additional guitarist and drummer. The bass-less approach imparted an intimate feel that showcased her fundamental power as a performer. Songs included one of her latest, a great groove piece titled, “What I Wouldn’t Do”.
Shantaia was followed by another female singer-songwriter whose lyrics speak of love and empowerment, Aijia. Winner of the 2025 “Inspire” award, gave a captivating and heartfelt speech that exemplified her desire to lift the hearts of all. She has written songs for Selena Gomez, Anderson Paak and many more. She also has sung background for Colbie Caillat, Hillary Duff, and Jack Black. She was joined onstage by her husband, the noted singer-songwriter Andy Grammer, with whom she sings and co-writes. They performed a great duet version of their song “When I’m Gray”, displaying the clear chemistry and ease of a couple now together for 4 years with their two kids and four more adopted kids in tow.
Next up was Chris Shyvinck, a longtime engineer at the iconic Shure company. The recipient of the “Excellence” award, she oversees quality control, an important and underappreciated technical sector within the companies that provide electrical instruments. Shure provides among other things quite ubiquitous and iconic “electric instruments”, like the Shure 52, 57, 58, and SM81’s among many others, that are found on stages every day around the world. It is the tireless work of Shyvinck and her team that makes sure those microphones work consistently under pressure.
Nurit Siegel Smith, recipient of the “Champion” award, was then introduced. A longtime veteran behind the scenes, as well as a performance artist and visual artist in her own right, Ms. Smith is one of those rare figures who is both artist and artist advocate, putting in time with Californians for the Arts, California Arts Advocates, as well as a deputy directorship with Grand Performances in Los Angeles. She is currently executive director of Music Forward Foundation, supporting current artists and up-and-coming new talent. Also, she has worked with Crew Nation, a global relief fund that has provided $18 million in grants to music crew members worldwide, showing her understanding of support for the critical infrastructure of the live concert industry, the live crew.
Theresa Hoffman of Martin Guitars accepted the “Spirit Award” for her leadership position as Director of Custom Shop Sales, helping bring Martin’s time-honored designs into the 21st century to put the best blends of old and new technologies into the hands of the world’s best players.
Alecia “Mixi” Demner won the 2025 “Bold Heart” award and then proceeded to rock the house with her band, Stitched Up Heart. The artist appeared awed and delighted to be in the company of so many other forward-thinking women, and got up on the stage, tables and anywhere else she could to rock the house.
Rosanna Weinberger, “Female Entrepreneur of the Year”, violinist and instrument-maker, was called to the stage to accept her award. A trained classical violinist who has transitioned to building her beloved instruments, gave a speech that was so sweetly supportive of her violin peers and of female violinists in particular. This was followed by a lovely surprise – a “replacement” award was given to 2021 “Vision” award winner, pianist Starr Parodi, who along with her husband and daughter lost their home in the recent Palisades fire. The look of surprise and appreciation was evident, and was followed by the first truly moving performance of the evening. Starr and her adult daughter, Isolde Fair, performed Isolde’s composition “Time Traveler” (that she had composed at age 9 in the very house that burned) as well as a cover of the Mamas and the Papas “California Dreaming”, a far more pensive and sad reading with converted lyrics that expressed heartache for the tragedy that befell them and so many others in Southern California.
After this performance came some of the remaining heavyweights of the evening.
Grammy-winning songstress Paula Cole came out to an adoring reception. Having received a Grammy for both best New Artist in 1997 and later the first woman nominated in the “Producer of the Year” category, Paula’s music provided the soundtrack for a generation of young musicians, including her participation in the groundbreaking female-led Lilith Fair shows. After being introduced by TV producer and interviewer Adam Weissler, she performed a killer version of her hit “I Don’t Want to Wait”. In in a serious moment, she hit on some key artistic truths, saying, “the life is difficult . . . we have chosen a challenging and unpredictable livelihood . . . we heed the call because we must – there is no other path”.
After Cole’s straightforward reflection and artistic call-to-arms, the ‘Dresden Dolls’ singer and “Vision” award winner Amanda Palmer gave a more subdued but no less powerful speech. Drawing from her wellspring of artistic experience, triumph, and disaster, Palmer culminated: “you let her sing, you let her whisper, you let her scream, and you listen . . . because it’s about the story inside of her . . . if a woman’s voice is like her Shawshank pickaxe, you have to listen to the choice, you have to listen to her personal transmission. Whether you like it or not doesn’t matter, as much as the fact that it’s her choice, her song, her way of using her voice, because it may be her unique key to get out of wherever she is trapped, or to put this another way: do not criticize the fingernails of a woman who is clawing her way out of prison.” You could hear a pin drop during her understated and piercing oratory. She proceeded to perform an incredible and heartbreaking composition, “Voicemail for Jill”.
Beth Heidt from Gibson Guitars took home the “Brilliance” award. She is the Chief Marketing Officer at Gibson, and shared thoughts on her Los Angeles hometown. She has also interviewed so many important musicians and influential women in her capacity as a journalist.
Katie Daryl came up to accept her “Mad Skills” award. In addition to her work at AXS TV, she has also interviewed many important musicians, including many influential musical women, in her capacity as a journalist. She gave a buoyant speech where she hilariously quoted Keith Richards, “The secret to a long career in rock and roll is being able to outlast the bastards!”
Finally, after a tremendous and moving evening, the “Powerhouse” award was given to Samantha Fish. Fish has developed a following the old-fashioned way, by touring constantly and developing a devoted following, so it was only fitting that she closed out the evening. Donning her trademark white SG, she opened her two-song set with the MC5 classic “Kick Out the Jams”, singing with a seasoned intensity then whipping out a fantastic screaming solo. Special note to her band that had been waiting to play for the entire show: bassist Ron Johnson, keyboardist Mickey Finn, and especially powerhouse drummer Jamie Douglass who absolutely rocked. She closed with her song “Bulletproof”, proving for sure why she was selected as the closer. In short, she killed, and provided a very loud exclamation point to the evening – these women are powerful and continue to move mountains in the music industry.
Also honored that evening, but not able to attend the event were Latrice Burnett (“Trailblazer” award), and Christina Perri (“Dreaming Out Loud” award).
For more info on the 2025 honorees:
Highlights from the show can be seen at the Youtube livestream:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy3tXAd4L3M
And The Hollywood Times were a media partner
- AIJIA – Artist, songwriter, and vocal producer who has worked with Selena Gomez and Anderson .Paak and is an advocate for women’s equality.
- Paula Cole – GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter known for “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want to Wait.” Her latest album Lo is her first collection of original songs in nearly a decade.
- Katie Daryl – Rock journalist and former Vice President of Programming at AXS TV, known for developing shows like The Top Ten Revealed and Sounds Delicious.
- Alecia “Mixi” Demner – Lead vocalist and founder of hard rock band Stitched Up Heart. Mixi has released three albums with the band, toured with legends like Godsmack and Halestorm, and is a passionate advocate for animal rescue. Hosted by Monster.
- Samantha Fish – GRAMMY-nominated guitarist and songwriter known for her unique blend of blues, rock, and soul. Fish’s recent successes include performing at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads LA Festival, gracing the cover of Guitar World with Slash, and touring with both Slash and The Rolling Stones. Her latest album, Death Wish Blues, topped the Billboard Blues Chart.
- Beth Heidt – Chief Marketing Officer at Gibson Brands, leading global marketing, artist relations, and partnerships while driving philanthropic efforts through Gibson Gives.
- Theresa Hoffman – Director of Custom Shop Sales at C.F. Martin Guitar & Co., she brings her extensive experience in sales, engineering, and leadership to drive growth and innovation. Known for her professionalism and dedication, Theresa holds two patents and has led significant projects in custom machinery development and international sales.
- Amanda Palmer – A pioneering performance artist and musician, Palmer gained fame with The Dresden Dolls. Her solo career includes the fan-funded Theatre Is Evil, which debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 and remains the top-funded music project on Kickstarter.
- Chris Schyvinck – Chairman, President, and CEO of Shure Inc., leading the company to global growth and celebrating its 100th anniversary.
- Nurit Siegel Smith – Executive Director of Music Forward Foundation, a charitable partner of Live Nation Entertainment, dedicated to fostering a more inclusive music industry.
- Rozanna Weinberger – NAMM Female Entrepreneur of the Year + founder of Rozanna’s Violins
- Lyndsey Stirling – Ground-breaking electronic violinist, dancer, and artist and former honoree
- Jennifer Batten – renowned for her groundbreaking guitar work, having toured the world as part of Michael Jackson’s solo tours for 10 years and with Jeff Beck for three years.
- Shantaia, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, was named the 2023 SCMA Female Artist of the Year. Shantaia has toured with The Washboard Union and opened for artists like Kane Brown and Chris Lane, with millions of streams for her singles such as “Had a Good Weekend” and “Broke to Brand New.” Her performance is sponsored by PRS Guitars.