EMERGE Presented by Saphire Fund - Events for Women by Women

Entertainment Bios

MARGA GOMEZ is one of America's first openly lesbian comedians. She has performed her fierce, smart and high energy comedy all over the United States, Canada, and Europe and on Olivia Cruises.

Marga won the GLAAD award in 2004 and has been featured on HBO, VH-1, Comedy Central, Showtime and seen most recently Logo Network's comedy series "Wisecrack" and in the documentary "Laughing Matters." Marga's acting credits include Off-Broadway roles in The Vagina Monologues , HBO's Tracy Ullman Show, Guiding Light, the Warner Brother's film Sphere and independent film The D Word. Marga is also the critically acclaimed author/performer of several one woman plays; Los Big Names, A Line Around The Block; Memory Tricks; Marga Gomez is Pretty, Witty & Gay; jaywalker; The Twelve Days of Cochina, Marga Gomez's Intimate Details, which have been produced Off-Broadway at The Public Theater, The Whitney Museum, Performance Space 122, La Mama ETC, Dixon Place, nationally at The Kennedy Center, Museum of Contemporary Arts Massachusetts, Boston Center for the Arts, San Diego Repertory Theater, Highways Performance Space and The Mark Taper Forum (Los Angeles,) The Marsh and Theater Rhinoceros (San Francisco,) and internationally at The Montreal Comedy Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, London ICA and Amsterdam's Triple X Festival.

To watch Marga's videos visit www.myspace.com/margagomezcomedy

Cozmic Cat - The fun lovin block rockin dj Cozmic Cat has built her career from the ground up, and has played with some of the hottest names in the biz including Jazzy Jeff, Ursula Rucker, ?uest love, Cosmo Baker, Bahamadia, De La Soul, Deep Dish and MIA's producer Switch (UK). She has rocked crowds in the Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC, Toronto, Ottawa, Puerto Rico, and Melbourne, Australia.
Voted Philly's favorite dj 5 times over, this award-winning Canadian DJ/producer has dropped beats at events frequented by celebrities such as Jill Scott, the Rolling Stones, Venus and Serena Williams, Justin Timberlake, John Waters, No Doubt, Jamie Foxx and the Philadelphia Sixers.

In New York city, Coz held down a monthly residency at the Diesel Superstore, as well as Idlewilde, in the East Village. She hosted and webcasted her own online radio show "The Alpha Room" for 4 yrs on Media Bureau Networks, where she worked as Program Director. Giant Step , Virgin, Sony, Shanacie, Liquid Sound Lounge and Internal bass Records worked with her as a promoter and tastemaker for several years. In production, Urb magazine voted her record label crew (From Philly With Love) "next 100" for their first e.p. In Toronto, dj Cozmic Cat holds down monthly and weekly residencies, and can be heard doing her thing all over town. Check her popular monthly girl party CHERRY BOMB @ Andy Poolhall w/dj Denise Benson

Under the moniker "Commonwealth", Coz and fellow producer Lorne form a deep n' funky duo, and are currently busy in the international labs whipping up new secret flavors for 2007 and beyond! She'a a dope Remixer, dj, producer , promoter and all round party wrecka, so just make sure you dont sleep on her soul shakin blend of funky breaks, soulful house, tweaky beats, hip-hop, reggae, disco, and more.

To find out more, visit her myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/djcozmic

Odd Girl Out - DESPITE THE FACT that she's the drummer, Bethany Petr from Odd Girl Out wrote all of the songs on the band's debut album, Hurry Up and Wait. ''When we first started the band, we didn't know what we were doing, we didn't have a direction, and we we're playing mostly covers,'' she recalls. ''I got a guitar and started playing it, [and] actually wrote all the songs [on the debut].'' Think of Odd Girl Out as ''power pop.'' ''We originally started out wanting to be a punk band but were too melodic,'' she says, noting that the band is often compared to The Madonnas. Petr, who also works as computer engineering teacher at Paint Branch High School in Montgomery County, says the band first got together in 2004. In addition to Petr, the current lineup of the five-member, all-lesbian band includes Tawni on lead vocals, Eva Blackmer on bass guitar, Kristen Brzowsky on lead guitar and Selena Benally on guitar. Over the past three years Odd Girl Out has cultivated a strong lesbian following. ''Everybody in the band is gay,'' says Petr. ''It's definitely influenced our audience base, because our core set of fans is mostly other lesbians.'' Petr says every so often they attract fans outside of the gay community, particularly when they play shows with other bands. ''We always steal fans here and there,'' she laughs.

Published in: Metro Weekly - Washington DC's GLBT Newspaper Magazine, by Yusef Najafi. Published on August 16, 2007

To find out more, visit their website: http://www.oddgirlout.net/

Shooting Ropes - featuring Steph Hayes formerly of Stargazer Lily and Lotsix. Shooting Ropes says, "even if you wrapped us in 410 ft of duck tape we would find a way to communicate the spirit of rock to you....it's true, we tried it...rock was felt by 4 out of ten test patients involved in the study...they were really drunk though and in all fairness, it wasn't real duck tape it was fake duck tape."

To find out more, visit their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/shootingropes

alia Alia - Born in Philadelphia the only daughter of her proud Middle Eastern parents, Alia has known struggle. Whether it is culture differences with how she was raised, and society around her, or the known unrest of her family still tied to the Middle East crisis, Alia has always found refuge in her music. A writer and musician since the age of eleven, Alia discovered art as an outlet for life. However, it was in attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where she truly honed her skills. Alia's music is hard hitting and hook laden, her talent for writing emotion is evident in hersoulful lyrics. She is unique, yet connects to any audience who has known everything from war to heartbreak to the exhilaration of a first kiss.

To find out more, visit her website: http://www.aliamusic.com/

djjd DJjd was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She first got into the house scene by dancing her ass off in the underground clubs of NYC and at the Winter Music Conference in Miami FL. Her love for house music didn’t stop there. Determined to become a DJ, she bought a pair of turntables and a book, and taught herself the art of spinning vinyl.She went from her bedroom, to house parties, and can now be found tearing up the turntables in local clubs in Philly, most recently: Tavern on Camac, Bump, Pure, Fluid, PINK party, Tomboy, Action .

djjd DJ Kit has been spinning and organizing parties in Philly's queer community for the past 7 years. What started with the Dirty Kitten party and air guitar contests on the bar led to her 4 year residency with Girl Party and has since culminated in Philly's hottest women's & queer monthly event, FUSE every 3rd Saturday at XO Lounge. Her events are a damn good time, the ambiance is chill, friendly and unpretentious and over the past 7 years, she has helped raise thousands of dollars for LGBTQ and women's non-profits. Whether she is behind the turntables or behind the scenes, her events are not to be missed. You can expect to hear your favorite 80's, punk, electro, queer core, hip-hop and playfully funky instrumental house music. Although DJ Kit says that she doesn't often take requests, many party goers know that any song can be played for the low price of a PBR. She is honored to be spinning this year's Emerge closing party and to be working with so many amazingly talented organizers, artists and promoters.

djglitz DJ Glitz has had your booty shakin' at parties across the country, such as: Girl Party (Philadelphia), Camp Trans (Michigan), Idapalooza (Tennessee), and even tuning you in to the black cat of the radio dial, (Free Radio- Twin Cities). Her latest love has been the trouble-making, heart-breaking dance floor of FUSE (Philadelphia, PA). DJ Glitz pumps out the jams and spins a set that will make you dance so hard it hurts.

djglitz Jivey - During the daylight hours, Jivey can be seen working as a television producer/director. When the night comes, it’s time for her to spice up the dancefloor with a mix of house from all ends of the spectrum, sexy house grooves with more recent deep, latin, and funky house sounds. She’s been spinning in Philadelphia for over 10 years at various hot spots, including – Sisters, Tavern On Camac, Transit, Silk City, TDPS, SOMA, as well as other private venues.

djPhoenix Phoenix - (aka Cheryl Gittings) has been spinning at various venues in and around Philadelphia for four years. Previously one of the resident DJs for girLParty during its last two years. One of the original founders and currently one of the promoters and resident DJs for Fuse, the monthly woman-run, queer dance party in Center City. Also one of two promoters and resident DJs for …Any Questions, a monthly lounge of soul, trip-hop and ambient sounds for women, artists, other creative types and those who love them. Spun tracks at various private events, including “Heroes,” a night hosted by the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund to recognize several honorees from the Philadelphia-area LGBT community, and Tomboy at Pure. Performed at a number of events for the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Completed residencies at the Triumph Brewery in New Hope and the original Dyke Night at the Dive in South Philly. Spins a wide range of genres, including soul, dance, funk, trip and hip hop, house, jazz, electronica, latin, deep grooves, rock, independent and all things rhythmic.

djjustjess DJ Just Jess - After moving to Philly five years ago, Just Jess quickly began gaining popularity in the house music scene. With many weekly and monthly residencies including Hipsters vs Homos, Get Some, and Loaded, and appearances at Fabric, Fuse, Ultrabar (DC), XS (Baltimore), Skylounge (Baltimore), and many other parties, Just Jess has filled many dance floors with her dirty, techy beats. Now branching out into other types of electronic music and hip hop, you can always expect an amazing set from this versitile DJ