"because the music business
is still run by men
like every business
and everything
but we can sing like a sonofabitch
make them twitch around their eyes
make them apologize"
Again, I have really REALLY neglected this blog. But alas, I return again.
This time I bring you some indie pop (well call it what you will) from Canada. Ohbijou simply started with the compositions of lead singer and guitarist Casey Mecija. Then, with the help of her sister Jenny and numerous other musicians on mandolin, violin, piano, banjo, cello and more, the band emerged out of the Toronto scene in 2005.
I was introduced to Ohbijou through a mixtape I received from a special someone last year. Now, I've finally gotten around to downloading and listening to both their albums and I can't stop! This music is especially appropriate for the season, so dl and enjoy!
Lullatone is a Japaness girl and and a white dude (I think from the US...moved to Japan). And I'm assuming they're a couple because they have a really cute baby and make really cute music together. Thanks to my boyfriend for telling me about this band which he described as: "soo pretty, and fucking cute. it's like a kitten is singing to you, with a puppy playing a harp...in heaven."
That should be good enough explanation. I also thought I should let everyone reading realize I don't only listen to politcal/vegan/sxe/feminist/riot grrl bands (although I FUCKING LOVE THAT SHIT).
I absolutely love "cute-core".
so here's something to fall asleep to or just like makeout and stare at your significant other to.
Again, I suck at updating, but in my defense... I'm graduating college on Saturday so I've been going a little (a whole lot) crazy. Anyway, today I bring you some of the finest riot grrl bands EVER. Bratmobile is comprised of members of both Washington state and Washington DC. They started out in the early 90's...had a lil hiatus and came back in the late 90's for a while with the Ladies, Women, and Girls AND Girls get Busy albums. Their music is so simple but undeniably catchy with Allison Wolfe's lyrics hitting a lot of important subjects... but always with some humor.
Basically if you don't have all the Bratmobile albums, you're missing out on some essential stuff. GET IT!
I believe it was a beautiful summer day in 2008 that i went to baker park to chill with some friends while watching some touring acoustic acts. One set that really stuck in my head that night was Mal Blum. Rarely do I come across acoustic singer/songwriters that can truly put on an engaging show, but that's exactly what I got from Mal. Not only will these songs make you smile, but you'll be singing them days after you've heard them. Since seeing her that first time, Mal's album "Goodnight, Sugarpop" has become a staple in my summer playlists.
At a show she played a few weeks ago in Frederick Mal said she wrote this song for us!... BUT, called it Baltimore because she couldn't rhyme with Frederick.
THE TWO FUNERALS are an all girl 3-piece from Virginia that have been keepin it real since 2004. The music is catchy and lots of the lyrics touch on issues of sexism that still aren't discussed enough in the DIY scene. Plain and simple these women fucking rock and i can't wait to see them at 3rd St. Co-op on Monday with PS Eliot!
To be honest I never took the time before yesterday to really listen to THE GITS, although I had heard of them as one of the hundreds of bands that rose out of Seattle in the early 90's, it wasn't until I watch THE GITS Documentary that I truly understood what they were all about. THE GITS formed in 1986 at Antioch College in Ohio. They then all moved to a house in Seattle which they called THE RATHOUSE. It was here they practiced, put on awesome fucking shows, and even helped their friends put together the riot grrrl band 7 YEAR BITCH. The Gits were fronted by Mia Zapata, who had a distinctly passionate and bluesy voice rarely found in punk music. It sort of reminds me of Stevie Nicks but with more soul like Bessie Smith. By 1993 the band had gained a pretty big following on the west coast and was able to tour all around the US and Europe. On July 7th, 1993 after playing a solo show and leaving the bar, Mia Zapata disappeared on her way home. She was found dead an hour a half later. She had been raped, beaten and strangled, so much that they could only identify her body by a tattoo on her leg. The story of THE GITS is tragic, but a few positive outcomes have finally surfaced. After 10 years, the killer was finally found by saliva DNA, and sentenced to 36 years in prison (although i think he deserves life in jail.) and Mia's friends, including the women of 7 Year Bitch started HOME ALIVE A nonprofit self defense organization. I really hope people don't forget this band, not just because of what happened to Mia, but because they put out some really fucking good music. I also recommend everyone watch THE GITS DOCUMENTARY.
A couple months ago my girl Alexa introduced me to MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND. I was instantly in love. The intricate classical yet sometimes psychedelic orchestration is the perfect backing for these haunting vocals. Apparently, singer Shara Worden was raised by a wandering musical family that jumped from state to state throughout her childhood. She's got a degree in opera...and once you hear her voice, you'll know exactly why.
Yep. It's as amazing as I hoped. A real poet. Swagga with some acapella. Seriously there's nothing she can't do. And there's even straight up songs about ex-boyfriend and DOOMTREE labelmate: P.O.S.. Fuck yeah, Dessa.
I OBJECT! will probably be a good addition to your collection if you're alreadya fan of PUNCH and other fast punk/hardcore bands. They're also Vegan Straightedge and a lot of their lyrics talk about these beliefs, although they're definitely not limited to that. And what I love even more about them is Barb delivers the lyrics in such a way that you can understand every word when you're listening.
PUNCH is a fucking fast hardcore band from San Francisco. They got some chuggin ass breakdowns that no one can deny. When I'm pissed, I listen to PUNCH, and it feels oh so good. They're Vegan and Straightedge (I think? correct me if i'm wrong) annnddd just listen.
the lack of girls in this crowd is blasphemy!
Download this shit and you will play it over and over, I promise.
January 19th DESSA'S FULL LENGTH "A BADLY BROKEN CODE" comes out. AND I CAN'T WAIT. This woman is a REAL writer, and just so happens to have a sick flow and lovely voice. I think this post on her blog explains why I love her so much: People with microphones (who are girls) On New Year’s Eve Sims, Paper Tiger, and I had the pleasure of sharing a stage with F. Stokes and Kid Sister in Madison. Before the show, Stokes asked me to write up a little piece about being a woman in hip hop. My little essay follows:
My membership in Doomtree has been the largest single factor in my career as a hip hop artist. I make music with with smart, funny, good-hearted guys who aren’t particularly concerned with the fact that I’m a woman. So my gender hasn’t played a very large role in my process of making music. My gender has, however, affected the presentation of that music.
The fact that I’m female seems to be more interesting to listeners and critics than it is to the people I work with. And I think I understand why. Women are rare in hip hop and novelty is interesting. My private fear, as a person who hopes to have a sustainable career as an artist, is that people might become interested in me for the wrong reasons. Youth is brief and beauty is fleeting, and I don’t want to tether my reputation to variables that are so temporary–and that are completely distinct from my art and from my character. The challenge for me has been to find a way to work as a rapper without diminishing my gender (in effort to fit into a pretty masculine environment) or exalting it (for some easy coverage). It’s a surprisingly fine line, and honestly I’ve made missteps on either side of it.
The other primary challenge is probably even better known to actresses than to rappers. It involves trying to understand the motivations of men who profess to be interested in professional collaboration. To be totally frank, I’m a little nervous that this paragraph will come off as whiny–but it’s an honest account of my experience, so here goes:
As an artist, it’s marvelously exciting when someone you admire offers you a professional opportunity–it’s one of the best feelings in this line of work. As a single, female artist in her late twenties, one of the worst feelings you can have is when you realize that someone has offered you a professional opportunity because he’s hoping for a romantic encounter. The artist part of you feels disappointed because the proposed collaboration was not motivated by a respect for your art. The female part of you feels insulted for being deceived. The human part of you feels embarrassed for having hoped…and then been duped. Repeat this experience at a regular interval, year after year, and it’s hard not to feel a little jaded about the way that people work.
But all said and done…I love being a woman. And I love being an artist. And I’m privileged to live in a culture that allows me to be both in almost any manner that I please. The challenges are offset by the genuine responses that I get from listeners, and by the thrill I get working with the other artists in Doomtree.
She's playing w/ P.O.S. and Astronatulis @ DC 9 March 6th! MUST GO!
So I've recently developed a serious obsession and it's with Frances Quinlan aka Hop Along, Queen Ansleis. Her voice has elements of Joanna Newsom, Mal Blum, and for some reason I hear some Conor Oberst in there too. But, fuck the comparisons, this girl really shows the passion in her songs. Some call it cutesy folk, indie...whatever. Please give her a listen and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Cow Eyes (on 'Is Something Wrong') is my personal fave. Also, she's going on tour with DANGEROUS PONIES! in march and their first stop is BMORE!!! See you there!
Free Music is great! BUT you should delete these files after 24 hours - they are the property of the artists. If you download and end of up enjoying please support the band by going to a show and buying merch!!! and tell all your friends as well!!!
