W♥M

The Julie Ruin

The Julie Ruin: Run Fast TJR Records Tour Dates Apr 01 Flywheel Easthampton, MA Apr 03 The Sinclair Cambridge, MA Apr 04 Il Motore Montreal, Canada Apr 05 Virgin Mobile Mod Club Toronto, Canada Apr 07 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, OH Apr 08 The Loving Touch Ferndale, MI Apr 09 Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL Apr 11 Mr. Smalls Theatre Millvale, PA Apr 12 Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, NJ Read More The Julie Ruin Longtime readers will know that I'm actually a pretty big riot grrrl fan, so I'm happy to report that Kathleen Hanna is back with her Julie Ruin project. The new Julie Ruin album, entitled Run Fast, will be out September 3rd… Bikini Kill I misspoke on the show saying that Kill Rock Star was releasing the 20th anniversary single - it is being released by Bikini Kill Records. This is a brand new label that was formed in 2012. …

It's hard to believe it's been 17 years since Kathleen Hanna released her post-Bikini Kill solo album and feminist classic, Julie Ruin. Since that time things went a little off-course. Hanna had planned to put together a band to tour the album, but that band turned into Le Tigre, who released three albums between 1999 and 2004. Le Tigre went on hiatus in 2006 and since that time Hanna has kept a low-profile, due mainly to her debilitating bout with Lyme Disease. However, she is now on the mend and has resurrected her earlier ambitions with The Julie Ruin – a band composed of Hanna's former Bikini Kill bandmate Kathi Wilcox, Kiki and Herb member Kenny Mellman, Carmine Covelli, and Sara Landeau.

And let’s face it – this world really needs Kathleen Hanna right now. With legislative attacks on women occurring on an almost-daily basis, her fiery feminist perspective has been sorely missed. However, unlike her earlier work, The Julie Ruin’s debut album, Run Fast, is more sad nostalgia than feminist fury. Perhaps it’s the reunion with her old bandmate Kathi Wilcox, her battle with illness, or the donation of her old riot grrl writings and memorabilia to a museum, but many of these songs find Hanna looking back at her Bikini Kill days and trying to put them into perspective. “Drove all night through the dirty melted snow / Didn’t care if we ever got played on the radio / Held ourselves together with tape and twine / Wielded confidence like it was a shiny knife,” sings Hanna nostalgically in “Goodnight Goodbye” before zeroing in on the dilemma of being a middle-aged punk icon: “It happens when you’re not 20 but 41 / And you have to sink in to the you you’ve now become / Will the teenage sneer that you so cultivated / Sneer back at you and make you feel so hated?”

The seriousness of the subject matter is softened by the fun, 60’s pop sound of the band and Kathleen’s energetic singing, as heard in the first single Oh Come On. And as we know from her Le Tigre and Bikini Kill days, Kathleen Hanna’s stage presence is a rare pleasure to behold. After a handful of teaser dates last year, The Julie Ruin is back for a short North American tour in April – and if she comes to your town, I’d highly suggest you go.

angela ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ thejulieruinband.com

Flashback: Babes in Toyland at First Ave, Minneapolis (11/25/2000)

Babes in Toyland at First Avenue (flyer) Minneapolis (11/25/2000) Setlist Bruise Violet Swamp Pussy Vomit Heart Oh Yeah Handsome & Gretel Won't Tell Drivin' Ripe Dust Cake Boy Ariel Bluebell He's My Thing Middle Man Memory Spun Spit To See The Shine Sweet 69 Read More Riot Grrrl Riot Grrrl! Let's be clear about this, this is not a definitive guide to all things Riot Grrrl, but just some selections of music that I have and liked. I've always been fond of this music … Melt Banana Japanese noise artists Melt-Banana's show at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis was incredibly well-attended for a Wednesday night. I suppose this is no surprise, having built up a hardcore following since their existence …

Here is another flashback article, documenting some old shows I've seen prior to W♥M.

Since I love all-things Riot Grrrls, naturally I wanted to check out Babes in Toyland live. A little trivia, but the legendary Minneapolis band actually fired bassist Courtney Love in 1987. She, of course, went on to forming Hole and marrying Kurt Cobain.

Not listed on the flyer or ticket was The Crush, a local band that broke up in 2004.

Melt Banana at Triple Rock 10/23/13

The other opener was Japan's Melt Banana. We recently covered their live show at Triple Rock (10/23/13), so with that performance still fresh in my mind, I'm going to say that their energetic noise music were probably welcomed by Babes in Toyland fans.

At this point in time, Babes in Toyland were pretty much inactive as far as writing new music. They hadn't release anything, studio-wise, since Nemesisters in 1995. However, there was a resurgence of Babes-related music with a trilogy of compilations by Almafame Records (Lived, Devil, and Viled) and a rarity compilation by Recall Records (Natural Babe Killers), all released in May and July of 2000.

This First Avenue show was thirteen years ago, so I have pretty poor memory of the event. I didn't keep a music journal or took notes, I was just there to enjoy the show as a fan. So apology to any lack of the details.

The historical fact for this cheap show ($8), was that, in fact, it would turn out, Babes in Toyland's very last live show. I was there, I just didn't know that information at that time. I knew it was a reunion show, but I didn't think anyone in the audience knew this was going to be their last show ever.

Minneapolism: Live - The Last Tour (2001) Cherry Red

The official recording of the show would later resurface a year later called Minneapolism: Live - The Last Tour, under Cherry Red Records. Please note that despite Wikipedia indicating that the record was from "November 21, 2001", this is incorrect. According to legal documents online when First Ave filed for bankruptcy, it lists a Soul Asylum show on that date.

Anyway, Minneapolism: Live - The Last Tour's liner notes indicate two original members, Kat Bjelland and Lori Barbero, but "with thanks to" Jessie Farmer on bass (since Maureen Herman might have left the band at this point).

I wish I had photos from this show, but again, I didn't attend this show to report the event.

Babes in Toyland broke up in 2001, and although singer Kat Bjelland tried to use the name again for a UK tour in 2002, the original drummer Lori Barbero shot down that idea, raising legal issues with this comment, "Peter Murphy is not booked as Bauhaus. Daniel Ash is not booked as Love and Rockets."*

Kat Bjelland's current project is Katastrophy Wife, but the band seem to be inactive at the moment.

Babes in Toyland at First Avenue, Minneapolis (11/25/2000)

* Quote is taken from "Babes In Conflict", by Peter S. Scholtes, City Pages (Mar 20 2002).

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Riot grrrl in the strangest places

It's weird, but lately I've come across articles on Bikini Kill and Riot Grrrl stuff in the strangest places! As we have previously mentioned, Bikini Kill celebrated their 20th anniversary last November with their re-issue of their debut EP. I want the re-release, even though I already own the CD of their first two records, but I actually could not figure out how to order from their website (perhaps it's sold out?).

Read More Riot Grrrls Vu and Emily cover early Riot Grrrl bands. This is by no means some definitive guide to Riot Grrrls..…

FRONT MAGAZINE
Gives new meaning to "girls to the front!"

FRONT MAGAZINE #177 is a men/boy's magazine about topless girls in trainers (sneakers). The magazine is like FHM (before they banned nipples), but not as "classy" as MAXIM. The magazine is more like Ralph (Australia) and Loaded (who is the primary rival in the UK). While most magazines have ceased printed editions, it seems that Front is going strong with its "lads' mags" reputation.

Strangely, they published a full article on the Riot Grrrl bands in last month's issue. The four-page article compiles the best-known Riot bands: Bikini Kill, Heavens to Betsy, Sleater-Kinney, Bratmobile, L7, Babes in Toyland, and, of course, Pussy Riot. Personally, I would have added Le Tigre to the mix, considering they added Heavens to Betsy and L7!

Read the article below:

FRONT #177 Page 94 FRONT #177 Page 95 FRONT #177 Page 96 FRONT #177 Page 97

THE VERGE
Meanwhile, a technology news agency called The Verge recently published a Bikini Kill article called Bikini Kill is making things again (published February 1st).

The Verge started when editors at Engadget left because of upper management disputes from AOL. Now they are (bitter?) rivals, but between you and me, I still like Engadget because it's easier to read "blog style". Hey, I just want to load everything in one place without having to click on anything. That's just how I like to read.

Anyway, the Bikini Kill article focused on riot grrrl revolution in the age of Spotify and iTunes, so there is a tech-angle to the whole thing.

The article is best summed up here:

Still, her [Kathleen Hanna] punk rock sensibility doesn’t allow her to write off the open internet: “In one way, I like the idea of everything free and streaming because it seems cooler and more punk rock — but the reality is that then people in bands have to have day jobs to survive, and that might mean they make fewer records or break up altogether.” She also says that she doesn’t know how we could “put the genie back into the bottle,” now that music is simply out there, free to consume.

Photograph: Ebet Roberts/Redferns

THE GUARDIAN
This was published last month (January 2013), it's an article from The Guardian reflecting on the riot grrrl movement in Britain. The article is taken from Melody Maker (remember that music weekly paper?)

You can read it here: There's a riot grrrl going on

Remember, this was written in 1994, so a lot of reference is of its time (like Mecca Normal, k.d. lang, and Catcall).

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

W♥M151: Riot Grrrl

W♥M151 (44 mins)

Vu and Emily cover early Riot Grrrl bands. This is by no means some definitive guide to Riot Grrrls, but we covered the basics: Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and some later Sleater-Kinney and Pussy Riot action. For even further riot love, check out our previous articles.

PUSSY RIOT: Feminist punk band that received a three year jail sentence for performing a protest song.

PUSSY RIOT! A Punk Prayer for Freedom is a new e-book, collecting letters from prison, closing courtroom statements by the defense attorneys, and poems in addition to the infamous punk prayer and new translations of the powerful courtroom statements. Also included are tributes from Yoko Ono, Johanna Fateman, Karen Finley, Justin Vivian Bond, Eileen Myles, and JD Samson.

All proceeds from the sale of PUSSY RIOT! A Punk Prayer for Freedom will support the Pussy Riot legal defense team. PUSSY RIOT! A Punk Prayer for Freedom (90 pg) is available now for $2.99. More details at freepussyriot.org.

BRATMOBILE: Jen Smith from Bratmobile inspired the name "riot grrrl". The short-lived band reformed in the 2000 with Ladies, Women and Girls and I finally got to see the band live! When they first started in 1993, I was a little too young to attend their shows.

Although Bratmobile never said they broke up, everyone just assumed so. In fact, they wrote, "We never had a certain incident where anyone said "I quit" or whatever, so it's been vague and drawn out. Sorry if that's been confusing to people."

BIKINI KILL: I misspoke on the show saying that Kill Rock Star was releasing the 20th anniversary single - it is being released by Bikini Kill Records. This is a brand new label that was formed in 2012. Their first release is the re-release of their self-titled 12" EP, available on November 20th, 2012.

The vinyl reissue will include a new fanzine in the form of a 34" x 21" poster. Interviews with Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) and Molly Neuman (Bratmobile), and liner notes by Layla Gibbon (Skinned Teen, MRR). Plus excerpts from the band's zines (Bikini Kill #1 and #2, Jigsaw #4), and photos from bandmembers' personal archives.

Expect more Bikini Kill music to come out in the near future, including previously unreleased music on vinyl and CD (and of course digital downloads). Check out www.bikinikill.com.

LE TIGRE: Kathleen Hanna went from Bikini Kill's punk sound to a more dance/eletroclash/art rock band with Le Tigre. Definitely one of Hanna's finer moments.

They signed to Island Records, released one album, and then sort of disappeared. Officially the band is still together, as reported by Emily who said they recorded with Christina Aguilera.

A DVD called Who Took the Bomp?, directed by Kerthy Fix, was released last year. I reported it, saying that it was a tour documentary from the 2004-2005 era, and the DVD was being released by Oscilloscope Laboratories.

SLEATER-KINNEY: A band out of the ashes of Riot Grrrl band Excuse 17 (Carrie Brownstein) and Heavens to Betsy (Corin Tucker). Currently Brownstein is in Portlandia television show, Janet Weis drumming with Pavement/Stephen Malkmus, and Corin Tucker is in Corin Tucker Band.

GIRLS TO THE FRONT: Billed as "The true story of the Riot Grrrl revolution" this 2010 book, written by Sara Marcus, tells the story of the rise and eventual fall of riot grrrl and riot grrrl fanzines and conventions. This book is published Harper Perennial, more details at girlstothefront.com.

WOMEN MAKE NOISE: The email I got said this is a new book from Supernova Books, but I checked amazon.com and they are listing it as Aurora Metro Press - to be published December 11, 2012.

Billed as "girl bands from Motown to the Modern" goes beyond riot grrrl, but it certainly covers their share of grrrl bands in their "girl gang bands" section.

The whole thing was edited by Julia Downes.

Full disclosure: I did not read the book. Any opinions I expressed in the show is a first impression. I did flipped through it, most the bands are more obscured from the 50s and 60s and early girl punk bands like The Slits.

BONUS: Chia Pet, the Sassy band. Those Darlins dirty girls from Tennessee. Plus, Hospitality just played 400 Bar.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Punkettes: Corin Tucker, Dollyrots, and JAN

Read more Riot Grrrls and Girls Girls Girls.

CORIN TUCKER BAND
corintuckerband.com

I might have jumped the gun when I mentioned The Corin Tucker Band last June. By now, we have the cover artwork and finalized tour dates.

The new album, Kill My Blues, will be out on September 18th on Kill Rock Stars. Pitchfork has a stream of it for those who need to listen now.

All the critics (Rolling Stones, The Time, etc) agreed that Tucker has indeed return to her punk roots.

Tucker notes, "After the past two years playing together, traveling and making music, I think we're more comfortable. We collaborated on every song on this record and no one was shy about their ideas. I think you can hear that sense of joy and abandon in the songs."

The Corin Tucker Band's tour kicks off in Minneapolis!

09/13 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN 09/14 Cactus Club Milwaukee, WI 09/15 Hideout Block Party Chicago, IL 09/18 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, PA 09/19 Strange Matter Richmond, VA 09/21 The EARL Atlanta, GA 09/22 The Bottletree Birmingham, AL 09/23 DeLuna Fest Pensacola, FL 09/25 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC 09/26 Black Cat Backstage Washington, DC 09/27 Mercury Lounge New York, NY 09/28 TT the Bear’s Cambridge, MA

09/29 The Bell House Brooklyn, NY 10/02 Brillobox Pittsburgh, PA 10/03 The Wexner Center Columbus, OH 10/04 Firebird St. Louis, MO 10/05 Record Bar Kansas City, MO 10/06 Hi Dive Denver, CO 10/07 Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT 10/09 The Echo Los Angeles, CA 10/10 Café du Nord San Francisco, CA 10/12 Crocodile Café Seattle, WA 10/13 Bunk Bar Portland, OR

THE DOLLYROTS
dollyrots.com

Also coming out September 18th is The Dollyrots' self titled album via Storefront Recordings. The fourth and forthcoming album was made possible by a Kickstarter campaign.

Before the punk band leave for the UK to play with Bowling for Soup, they'll be doing some US dates. All dates with (*) are with Prima Donna.

9/19/12 The Riot Room Kansas City, MO*
9/20/12 The Blue Fugue Columbia, MO*
9/21/12 Bombay Bicycle Club Clive, IA*
9/23/12 The Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, MN*
9/24/12 The Crunchy Frog Green Bay, WI*
9/25/12 Township Chicago, IL*
9/26/12 The Crooked I Erie, PA*
9/27/12 31st Street Pub Pittsburgh, PA*
9/28/12 The Comet with Prima Donna Cincinnati, OH*
9/29/12 Buzzbin Canton, OH*
9/30/12 Fed Live Harrisburg, PA*
10/1/12 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, PA*
10/2/12 Knitting Factory Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY*
10/6/12 Chameleon Pittsfield, MA
10/7/12 Roundout Lounge Kingston, NY

JAN
janforthepeople.com

JAN's self-titled debut album will be coming out November 13th. Paper Magazine described her music as shoegaze-y but with a touch of riot grrrl.

A little about JAN (since it was impossible for me to search for her music on Amazon): JAN is also known as Kim Talon and she used to be in a duo called Eagle and Talon (if you haven't guessed, she's the Talon).

What's exciting is when JAN plays live, she gets help from Chloe Saavedra (from Smoosh, she must be at least 13 years old now! Kidding, I love Chloe's voice from her involvement with God Help the Girl) & Melinda Parks (from Har Mar Superstar).

Check out "Work For The City":

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Pussy Riot

Putin Lights Up the Fires

PUSSY RIOT
www.freepussyriot.org

I covered musician Viet Khang's unfairly jailed for performing two protest songs; the story was largely ignored by mainstream media. A similar story happened with Russian punk group Pussy Riot being jailed for performing "Virgin Mary, Please Drive Putin Away" song in front of a church. A peaceful demonstration, but the Russian courts deemed necessary to sentence three members of the band (Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Ekaterina Samucevich) in jail for two years.

As you've guessed, the mainstream press and all fellow musicians and activists are extremely upset by the unfairness Pussy Riot suffered at the hands of Vladimir Putin's rule.

Pussy Riot recently shared a new protest song, "Putin Lights Up the Fire," on guardian.co.uk.

Here are the original Russian lyrics:

"Putin Lights Up the Fires" Государство в тюрьме сильнее времени Чем больше арестов - тем больше счастья А каждый арест - с любовью к сексисту Качнувшему щеки, как грудь и живот Но нас нельзя закупорить в ящик Свергай чекистов лучше и чаще Путин зажигает костры революций Ему скучно и страшно с людьми в тишине Что ни казнь у него - то гнилая рябина, Что ни срок в много лет - то предмет для поллюций

Припев. Страна идет, страна идет на улицы с дерзостью Страна идет, страна идет прощаться с режимом, Страна идет, страна идет феминистским клином А Путин идет, Путин идет, прощаться скотом Арестуй по 6 мая весь город 7 лет нам мало, дай 18 Запрети кричать, клеветать и гулять, Возьми себе в жены батьку Лукашенка Припев 2 раза.

JD SAMSON
menmakemusic.com

Yes, of course, I'm pretty upset about this. So is the world. For example, JD Samson (of MEN and Le Tigre), organized a court room statement reading last week. Supporters and readers included Chloë Sevigny, Eileen Myles, Karen Finley, Johanna Fateman, Mx Justin Vivian Bond, and others.

There was also a protest march and rally last Friday. Check out the video march on youtu.be.

Here is a photo from the court room reading.

Chloë Sevigny, photo by Mark Kendall

VIVIAN GIRLS
freewebs.com/viviangirls

Vivian Girls will be playing a benefit show for Pussy Riot at The Smell in Los Angeles on 8/27 (that's this MONDAY.) If you can make it out/if you live in the area, all proceeds from the $10 show will go directly to the Pussy Riot Legal Defense Fund. Joining the all-girls band will be Pangea, Haim and the appropriately-named Kremlin Head.

I don't have any writes based in south California, but I would really love if someone could send me a report and photos of the event.

Free Pussy Riot at the Smell Flyer

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Many manly men

JD SAMSON & MEN
menmakemusic.com

You and I know who JD Samson is, but if you don't know, she is/was a member of Le Tigre. Since 2007, Samson teamed up with ex-Le Tigre bandmember Johanna Fateman on a project called MEN. Since then, the duo merged Samon's other project, Hirsute, adding in Michael O’Neill, Ginger Brooks Takahashi (displaced by Tami Hart), and artist Emily Roysdon.

TIME EP is the latest release from JD Samson & MEN, the pending release date is May 8th… with these known tour dates:

JD Samson & MEN tour dates (more dates tba):
4/27 – Boulder, CO @ Communikey Festival
5/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
5/11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Rickshaw Stop
5/12 – San Diego, CA @ Bar Pink
5/17 – Honolulu, HI @ Next Door (Acoustic)
5/18 – Honolulu, HI @ Soho

SCOTT LUCAS & THE MARRIED MEN
scottlucasandthemarriedmen.com

If there is anything you should take away from Scott Lucas & the Married Men, is that Scott Lucas is the singer/guitarist from Chicago's Local H.

Their forthcoming album, Blood Half Moon, will be out June 5th via The End Records (I believe this is the same label that released Danzig's last album).

In support of the album, here is their upcoming tour dates:

05/26 - Reverb Music Festival - Waterloo, IA
06/06 - The Aquarium - Fargo, ND *
06/07 - First Ave - Minneapolis, MN *
06/08 - Majestic Theater - Madison, WI *
06/09 - Metro - Chicago, IL *
06/10 - Magic Bag - Detroit, MI *
06/12 - O'Brien's Pub - Allston, MA
06/13 - Red Palace - Washington, DC
06/14 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
06/16 - North Star Bar - Philadelphia, PA

* Deer Tick + Turbo Fruits

GENTLEMEN HALL
gentlemenhall.com

Lara is covering Gentlemen Hall at 7th Street in Minneapolis today (April 18th). The band was the winner of Billboard's Battle of the Bands competition, and was featured in an online Microsoft commercial for their song "Gravity Will Break Our Bones" (duh).

Their current single is called "All Our Love" and you can watch the music video at youtube.com. If you like what you heard, you can download a free EP, When We All Disappear at gentlemenhall.com

Here is what's left of their tour dates:

April 18 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
April 19 - Ames, IA - The Maintenance Shop
April 21 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's Front Room

The Night Was On To Me (demo)

KAIA
jealousbutcher.com

You can't have women without 'men'. Ok, technically this doesn't below here, but I love Team Dresch and the Butchies (see Riot Grrrls), that I wanted to include Kaia Wilson.

Her album, Two Adult Women In Love, will be out May 22nd (Morrissey's birthday) via Jealous Butcher Records. She's currently wrapping up her tour with Amy Ray (who I saw in 2008 with Wilson on guitars).

KAIA WILSON TOUR DATES W/AMY RAY (Indigo Girls)
4/18 - Brighton Music Hall - Cambridge, MA
4/20 - The Saint - Asbury Park, NJ
4/21 - The Casbah - Durham, NC

THE MEN
wearethemen.blogspot.com/

It's not even May, but already the band, The Men, have played nearly sixty shows in 2012. They are a glutton for punishment, because they have announced their West Coast tour for June.

Their latest release will be called, Todo Muere Vol. 2, coming out April 21st via Sacred Bones Records. This is a special sampler for Record Store Day. You can get a sneak preview of one of their song, "A Minor" via Pitchfork. The song is described as an eight minute "slow-burning jam", however The Men have been known to play anything from hardcore punk to shoegaze to black metal.

Their massive upcoming 2012 tour:

5-16 New York, NY - Webster Hall ! 5-30 - Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan's 6-1 - Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Festival 6-2 - London, UK @ Field Day Festival 6-3 - London, UK @ Shacklewell Arms 6-13 Ottawa, ON - Club Saw 6-14 Toronto, ON - The Garrison ^ 6-15 West Toronto, ON - Wrongbar [NXNE] 6-16 Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid 6-18 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry 6-19 Fargo, ND - The Aquarium 6-21 Spokane, WA - Mootsy's 6-22 Seattle, WA - Barboza 6-23 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios $ 6-24 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill

6-25 Santa Cruz, CA - 105 Pioneer St. 6-26 Los Angeles, CA - The Smell 6-28 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room 6-29 El Paso, TX - Lips Lounge 6-30 Austin, TX - Red 7 7-1 Beaumont, TX - Victoria House 7-2 Jackson, MS - Hal & Mals 7-3 Atlanta, GA - 529 % 7-4 Belmont, NC - Haunted Mill 7-5 Washington, DC - DC 9 7-15 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Festival ! w/ Ty Segall, White Fence, The Strange Boys ^ w/ Black Belles, Mac Demarco & more $ w/ Hurry Up % w/ Womyn Pryson

BRIEFLY:

OF MONSTERS AND MEN ofmonstersandmen.is You might remember that I saw Iceland's Of Monsters and Men last month. Well, Universal Republic released their debut album My Head Is An Animal April 3rd in America, with a different US cover artwork. They are doing some North American dates below: May 25 - The Gorge, WA @ Sasquatch July 29 - Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival August 3-5 Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival

BRAVE CHANDELIERS bravechandeliers.com/ Brave Chandeliers' video premier for the track "Madmen" is available now via youtube.com. The song is taken from their album, 11 Escapes, which comes out April 24th. About the video: the band shot the video during Portland's rush hour traffic and later edited the clips into the music video. The song and video is meant to reflect the rat race that the band was stuck in… and they mean to "escape".

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Everything old and new again

Urge Overkill: Effigy

URGE OVERKILL RETURNS
urgeoverkill.com

I couldn't believe it when I read the news that Urge Overkill have returned to the music world from a fifteen year absent! They have a new album called Rock&Roll Submarine, to be released on May 10^th under their own label, UO Records.

You may recall that hearing the band's biggest hit, a cover of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" in the Quentin Tarantino movie, Pulp Fiction. I sort of never kept up with the band, but apparently they went on to selling over 2.5 million albums and eventually broke up in 1997.

So, yeah, they're back again with the original duo that started the band: singer/songwriter Eddie "King" Roeser and Nash Kato.

Urge Overkill Tour Dates:
05/13: Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
05/14: San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
05/17: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
05/20: Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge

WHO TOOK THE BOMP?
www.oscilloscope.net

We get a lot of emails and in my quick scan, I thought Le Tigre was playing at this year's SXSW. Technically true, but since the band's been pretty much inactive since their major label debut of This Island, it's actually false. But the next best thing is that they are showing a tour documentary of Le Tigre at the height of their popularity, circa 2004-2005:

03/17: Austin, TX @ State Theatre, Film Screening, 6:15pm
03/19: Austin, TX @ Vimeo Theatre, Film Screening, 2:30pm
04/04: New York, NY @ MoMA, 7 PM

The DVD will be released June 7^th via Oscilloscope Laboratories. The documentary, directed by Kerthy Fix, will focus on the band's idealism (feminism, LGBT, political) and their devoted fans throughout their tour through four continents and ten countries.

I have seen the band twice, once with Sleater-Kinney and once with Bratmobile, and both times that "Deceptacon" song rocks like no tomorrow.

UPDATE: Recently released video from the film:



THERE IS NO LOVE
plantingseedsrecords.com

The Jesus and Mary Chain broke up in 1999, and when the band eventually got back together in 2005, and they asked Mark Crozer to join the band. They did some reunion tour in 2007, and again, Crozer was there for the band. When Crozer is not with JAMC, he's busy with the music-thing, with several solo albums, as well as having his own band called International Jetsetters with fellow JAMC member Loz Colbert (a band that Sally seems to love).

I got a note that Mark Crozer's latest single is called "There is No Love", which is available for stream via soundcloud. I'm told that there will follow a full length album and plans are in the works for a US tour. Details of the three track single is listed below.

There is No Love
1. There is No Love
2. To Get to You
3. A Night Like This

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The Slits - Trapped Animal

The Slits - Ask Ma The Slits Discography [1979] Cut [1981] Return of the Giant Slits [1997] In the Beginning [1998] The Peel Sessions [2005] Live at the Gibus Club [2009] Trapped Animal Read More Riot Grrrls http://weheartmus... I've always been fond of this music genre, which started in the early 90s through music and fanz...

To understand The Slits, we have to take a look at their history. I mean, I have even heard about the Slits about the same time the Riot Grrrls thing started up in the early 90s, and by that time they had already split up. You see, back then, we didn't have the internet, most of the stories and mythology were read in letters and fanzines. Fanzines were important to indie music, because the major publications did not focus into these small niche.

The Slits shocked me when it was announced for their 30^th anniversary forming the band, that they had reformed. I believe only two of the original band members (Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt) makes up the new formation, but this is pretty common as far as reformed bands are concerned (see Guns n Roses, for example).

The Slits - Instant Hit

Most new "girl" band fans should pick up their debut 1979 album, Cut, as sort of a companion to their latest 2009 release Trapped Animal. Despite being thirty years apart, they sound complementary to each other. In some ways, my theory is that Animal is the direct sequel to Cut.

If words like raw, primal, tribal, experimental, doesn't appeal to you, then you probably won't like their music. While I do not generally like the pots & pans music that's so popular today, I do think The Slits are slightly better than most of the modern stuff. They've been doing it for ages, and, unlike modern music, they actually sing and sometime even have catchy melodies.

The other thing The Slits have going for them is that they're always tackling political and human right issues. "Issues" deals with child abuse, while "Ask Ma" deals about women rights. These kind of "freedom"/equality topics are generally associated with reggae music, and there are a few songs, "Babylon", & "Reggae Gypsy", on the new album that sounds a bit like reggae. Although, to be fair, The Slits have always been known to fuse a bit of reggae rhythms and angry female vocals.

My favorite song is "Cry Baby", which sounds more like a 60s girl group pop song than the usual Slits style. And speaking of not in their style, "Be It", sounds like they're singing in Japanese? It's brilliant, even though I have absolutely no idea what they're singing about. They are so different that if these songs randomly comes on the radio, you'd never guess it was the Slits, and I think that's saying something about their diversity and flexibility in the type of music they produce.

So find out why Le Tigre name checked The Slits, among others, in their song "Hot Topic". It's because The Slits are, and is, one of the most influencial and important band. Their latest album is Trapped Animal and available at all online stores. Old fans will welcome the new songs, while new fans will be in for a treat with Trapped Animal.

 11/03/2009 00:48:26 ♥ vu () ♥ theslits.co.uk ♥ myspace.com/theslits 

Le Tigre

Le Tigre - Deceptacon Le Tigre Discography [1999] Le Tigre [2001] Feminist Sweepstakes [2004] This Island Read More Le Tigre http://weheartmus... I have all of Le Tigre's albums and EPs on CD as I am a pretty big riot grrrl fan. I actually hav... Riot Grrrls http://weheartmus... I've always been fond of this music genre, which started in the early 90s through music and fanz...

Le Tigre, "The Tiger", is undoubtedly the best project that Kathleen Hanna's been involved in since Bikini Kill. Originally, this band was conceived to be a "live" version of her solo effort, Julie Ruin, but as it developed between Johanna Fateman and Sadie Bennings, they quickly realized this was a birth of a new sound and a new band.

 

 

Le Tigre - Hot Topic

Although Bikini Kill was more DIY/Riot Grrrl, Le Tigre's sound, although still involved in feminism, seems to emphasize on dance, visual performance art, and electro. Take a listen to their first single, Hot Topic to hear what a wonderful tribute to strong women throughout the years, backed by a great drum beat and chorus.

My favorite moment was when I was listening to this song, quite loudly in my car, at a stop light. I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings, but apparently these black youths in the car next to me were rocking out to this song. They absolutely loved it.

I listened to their debut album constantly around this time, and I can tell you these are the songs that never got skipped:

"Deceptacon": absolutely love this song. This is also a great track to play at a dance club, I remember hearing this at Popscene in San Francisco and the audience loved it.

"Hot Topic": See comment above. I love hearing and picking up on all the artists mentioned, including Sleater-Kinny, Yoko Ono, Cibo Matto, Leslie Feinberg, etc.

"The The Empty": Contains the best lyrics: "I went to your concert and I didn't feel a thing/Oh Baby, why won't you talk to me?/Oh baby, you just want me empty!"

"My My Metrocard": When I was in New York, I suddenly realized how much this song is so closely tied to the metro: "Next Stop: Atlantic Avenue/Next Stop: Christopher Street/Next Stop: Transfer to the/Next Stop: A, C, or E"

"Les and Ray": The lyrics to this song suggests that these were Kathleen's neighbors when she was very young. She used to put her head next to the wall to hear these two guys composing music and it really inspired her... at least that's what the song is about.

 

 

Le Tigre - Bang! Bang!

While waiting for their sophomore album, I found this little EP, From the Desk of Mr Lady, at Circuit City. I think, also by this time JD Samson came on as a full member of Le Tigre, while Sadie retired quietly in the background.

I thought there were a couple of good songs on the EP: "Get Off the Internet" (relates to me...) and "Gone B4 Yr Home" (a nice pop song)

I did wanted to talk about their song "Bang! Bang!", it's about Amadou Diallo, who was shot 41 times by four officers. When I saw Le Tigre live, when they performed this song, they asked us to note how long counting to 41 was (it was the longest part of the song it seems).

 

Le Tigre - On Guard

By the time Feminist Sweepstakes came out in the winter of '01, I was still in love with Le Tigre. I thought this album was a little militant and I kind of felt slightly discriminated because I wasn't "a lady or a fag", as they put it on "LT Tour Theme".

Some may argue that it's not anti-men, but I really felt like this album didn't want any men to listen to it. The women-only theme continues on "F.Y.R." (which stands for "Fifty years of ridicule"), "Dyke March 2001", "TGIF", just to name a few.

One of the few favorite off this album, for me, was "On Guard", which contains a catchy line: "En Garde, let me see you shake it baby, shake it some more"

After picking up the rather disappointing Remix EP, containing remixes by various DJs, I was pretty much convinced that I should stop buying remix EPs (which is why I've avoided getting This Island Remixes). Like Randy, I'm not a fan of remixes (although occasionally, I will admit, some remixes are much better than the original).

I would only recommend people to pick up the Remix EP if you're a hardcore Le Tigre/Kathleen Hanna fan, otherwise, I couldn't endorse this.

Le Tigre - TKO

Le Tigre - I'm So Excited

In 2004, This Island made its debut on a (gasp!) major record label, Universal Records. No idea why a major label would want to pick up a band with such a niche audience (no offense, but Le Tigre are more political and feminist-charged rather than "mass appeal").

There's a couple of good tracks off the new album, which is tame compared to Feminist Sweepstakes.

I liked "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo", which was a fun song, The Pointer Sister cover song, "I'm So Excited", and "TKO". They tried to market the later as single, it contains the ironic line "TKO/heard it on the radio", which as you know never quite made it to popular radio.

There was another effort to release After Dark as a single, but I have never found this single (and never bothered to do ebay, etc).

So, where are Le Tigre now? They're currently taking an extended break since 2007. The band (minus Kathleen Hanna) formed Men, but I haven't heard anything from this band yet. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for new material from Men, Le Tigre, or Kathleen Hanna, so keep on livin'.

Links: www.letigreworld.com myspace.com/letigre

 05/30/2008 00:46:52  ♥ written by vu ()