Alyson Greenfield is a testament to just how far a proactive spirit can take you. We all have things we want to do, right? Clean out that closet. Fix up that bookcase. Create a profitable touring band. Tackle something on our bucket list. Make a bucket list. But often times, that all those things ever become: things we want to do. Rusting somewhere in the back of our mind, we can trust in them to come back up and taunt us at the most inopportune time, but we can’t push ourselves enough to actually do anything about them.

Alyson started “Dear Lilith Fair 2010,” a blog dedicated to the 2010 all-female music festival Lilith Fair after hearing that it was going to return and the response she received made her realize that there were a lot of female musicians out there waiting to be heard. Not one to wait for a goal to rust, she with the help from the community, launched the Tinderbox Music Festival later that year. The participants come from many musical backgrounds and span several genres including hip-hop, pop, rock, and electronica. This year, the festival had its second run and featured more than 20 acts on two stages.

With bigger and better things surely on their way, we were able to get a chance to interview Alyson briefly and talk about the festival’s start and its future.

How did the original “Dear Lilith Fair 2010” blog turn into the Tinderbox Music Festival?

The blog turned into the music festival when I realized 1) I was not going to play at Lilith Fair and 2) I knew so many amazing female artists who were not going to play Lilith Fair either, but desired to be part of an event showcasing female artists. A few months earlier I had helped produce two showcases during SXSW 2010 and the experience of producing those showcases helped give me confidence that I might actually be able to start my own event.

Why is empowering female artists important to you?

Empowering people in general is very important to me. I feel like so many people feel like they can’t

do the things they want to do or feel comfortable in their own skin for so many reasons. Empowering women specifically has been a goal of mine for a long time, and since my artistic focus right now is being a musician, it makes sense to me that I am pushing my goal to empower women in that realm. I want female artists to feel like they can be who they are– whatever that is– and that they have worth no matter how old they are, what they look like, or what kind of music they are producing. As well, because these artists perform publicly, I hope that anyone watching them, especially young women, may feel inspired and empowered to be who they are and do the things they want to do in reaction to seeing the range of women on the Tinderbox stage expressing themselves.

What message are you trying to send to ladies and gents about female artists?

That female artists are diverse, strong, powerful, and musically innovative.

What made you decide to donate 100% of proceeds to charities? Why the two specific charities?

I wanted the event to be different than just a “normal” show, and I really wanted it to have a full circle community aspect. By giving back and helping to promote local NYC nonprofits that empower young women through music and writing who might one day want to play on the Tinderbox stage, I feel like I am able to increase the full circle nature of what Tinderbox does. I picked Girls Write Now because I have volunteered with them and have seen first hand the amazing work they do to empower young women through words. I chose the Willie Mae Rock Camp because they teach girls how to play instruments, form bands and collaborate, and gain confidence to perform and express themselves on stage.

What do you hope for Tinderbox Music Festival in the future?

I hope the Tinderbox community keeps growing on all fronts, including but definitely not limited to introducing people to significant emerging female artists, creating community among female artists, and producing more educational songwriting workshops pairing Tinderbox performers/professional NYC musicians with young women to create original collaborative songs.