Breaking strings and other things

Ohbijou

2010-11-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

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!

Swift Feet for Troubling Times

Beacons

Lullatone

2010-06-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

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.

...Presents The Bedroom Beat

...Plays Pajama Pop Por Vous

Songs That Spin in Circles

Computer Recital

Little Songs About Raindrops

We Will Rock You...To Sleep

Bratmobile

2010-05-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

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!

Pottymouth
The Real Janelle
Ladies, Women, and Girls
Girls Get Busy!

Mal Blum

2010-04-09T13:28:00.001-07:00

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.

For Making Art-EP
Goodnight Sugarpop

The Two Funerals

2010-03-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

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!

...Invade Poland
Tell Yr Story

THE GITS

2010-02-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

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.

Frenching the Bully
Enter: The Conquering Chicken (pt 1)
Enter: The Conquering Chicken (pt 2)
Kings and Queens
SeaFish Louisville

My Brightest Diamond

2010-02-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

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.

A Thousand Shark's Teeth

Bring Me the Workhorse

Dessa's New Album

2010-02-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

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.

A BADLY BROKEN CODE

I object!

2010-01-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

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.

Dig it.

TEACHING REVENGE
SELF-TITLED

PUNCH

2010-01-28T18:57:00.000-08:00

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.

LP
EYELESS EP

Dessa

2010-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

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!

FALSE HOPES EP
DOOMTREE

Hop Along, Queen Ansleis

2010-01-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

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!

Covering Leonard Cohen...mmmmmmmm...

Freshman Year
Wretches
Is Something Wrong?

Ponytail

2009-10-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ponytail is an energetic experimental band from Baltimore. They often get compared to Deerhoof but I really don't think that makes enough sense. (although I love Deerhoof).
I'm not even sure if the singer, Molly Siegel, actually has any set lyrics to their songs but, ya know what?...I don't care.
They're fun!

also, playing Sonar in Baltimore November 12th! go!

Ice Cream Spiritual

Salome

2009-10-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

Salome is a 3-piece (vox, guitar, drums) super slow super doomy metal band from Virginia.
I'm not usually a avid listener of this type of stuff.
But the vocalist Kat's screams and growls just get to me.

Playing the MarbleHaus in College Park November 16th, who wants to go?

Salome

Appalachian Terror Unit

2009-10-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought the scenery was the only good thing about the state of West Virginia I came across the band APPALACHIAN TERROR UNIT.
Staying true to their name, they play straight out brutal ass hardcore punk. Their songs address a variety of issues from mountain top removal to the legalization of marijuana.

Armageddon won't be brought by gods, just men who think they are

Greenwashing

Made out of Babies

2009-10-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

I admit that if Made out of Babies wasn't fronted by Julie Christmas (also of Battle of Mice) I probably wouldn't enjoy them as much. This band creates a sort of post-something or other sludgy metal sound with really haunting and weird vocals. Think The Jesus Lizard with a female singer.

Trophy (2005)
Coward (2006)
The Ruiner (2008)

Avenue D

2009-09-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

I know. It's been months since I've posted and I owe you A LOT more music.
But today I bring you the Electro-punk rap duo called AVENUE D.

Debbie D. and Daphne D. pumped out hilarious ass shakin' tracks from 2001-2007. They take the usual raunchy approach of modern radio rap and tell it from a woman's perspective. The results yielded such anthems as "R2F" (Ready to Fuck!) and "Do I Look Like a Slut?". However, they weren't afraid to take on other issues such as the war on terror (check out: war sucks and Bang!), and American consumerism (U.S.A.=#1).
While all Avenue D songs are more on the comedic side they definitely stand up for all the women who aren't afraid of their sexuality. Plus, it's so fun to bump their music from the car in traffic and see the reactions of the people next to you.

As Free as We Wanna Be, Bootleg, and Eurawesome!

Enjoy!
I promise to post soon!

KINGDOM

2009-04-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

So it's a Easter Sunday afternoon and we're in the van on the way to our show with He is Legend (who sucked live by the way). As I'm falling in and out of precious naptime Dyl says, "dude Zoe, this is a girl". What I sat up to hear was some BRUTAL hardcore that goes by the name of KINGDOM. The vocalist, Davin, has literally one of the toughest voices I've ever heard. Not only can she yell/scream with power, her lyrics are creative and inspiring, and some songs even feature her (check out "Pythoness") rapping ,but with the same raspy growl.
Similar to Gather, the band as a whole promotes a vegan straightedge lifestyle, and many of the songs are about these topics. What makes KINGDOM's message even more meaningful is how personalized the lyrics are. In a blog, Davin explains the words to "The Rage That Guides" by saying:

Every word in this song was taken directly from conversations that my Dad and I have had about our society's physical and psychological war against the poor, women, people of color, non christians, the radically minded, the trans/gay/bi/queer community, and moreover, what it is like to watch the person you love the most suffer through the discrimination, hate, and abuse of this culture. "How," my Dad asked me on the day he found out I was drugged and gang-raped, "how do you face the world knowing how cruel it can be? How do you keep from locking yourself in a room and crying all day after what's been done to you?" That answer was easy. "For every time I should have cried, for every time I've been hurt, the only thing I've ever felt is hate and an all-consuming rage toward a society that allows this to continue. That's that's what keeps me focused and that's what keep me strong... this rage. This rage that guides me."

I have to thank Jeff for introducing them to me, and we'll be seeing them @ Charm City Art Space on Sunday. If you're in the area please come out and support this band. They represent everything that needs to be represented in this scene. THEY EVEN HAVE A VEGETABLE OIL FUEL VAN. ANd if you're not in the Bmore area, they're on tour now, so definitely check their myspace to see if they're comin to your town!

The Rage that Guides

All or Nothing H.C.

2009-03-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

Last night my band, The Lost Tourists,(sorry... shameless self promotion) had the pleasure of playing with All or Nothing H.C. at the Sidebar in Baltimore. I cannot emphasis enough how great of mood this band's set put me in. To give you a general idea, I'd describe their music as having a Sick of it All sound with xLookingForwardx style vocals and positive messages all around.
The lead vocalist, Renae, not only fronts the band but also runs On the Rag Records and Zine AND is a 5th grade teacher.
Even though the place was nowhere near packed, the band didn't give us any less of a show. Renae had a story for almost every song, most notably, before "Knife to My Neck", she shared the fact that she was a rape victim and has turned a negative into a positive by raising awareness through the music.

Basically she's my new hero.

Without ever listening to them before that night, I had the chant from their last song stuck in my head on the way home.

"They are We" Live in Germany:

Here I have their newest release, but I highly encourage everyone to check out all their stuff and support ON THE RAG records in any way possible.

California Bleeding

Gather

2009-03-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

If you enjoy that traditional fast hardcore with heavy ass breakdowns, but are sick of the usual negative and violent lyrics, then California's GATHER is for you. With a sound similar to Walls of Jericho and the Vegan Straightedge message like that of Earth Crisis, Gather was able to tour both the US and Europe until they disbanded in 2007.
I'd hate to try to put their message into my own words, so check out this video of them playing @ Chain Reaction in '06.
The vocalist Genie says it all.

Unfortunately I'm missing Beyond The Ruins but here's:

Total Liberation.

Bikini Kill

2009-03-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I admit, I loved the Spice Girls, but they sure as hell didn't coin the "GIRL POWER" slogan.
It was actually used in the Bikini Kill feminist zine started by Kathleen Hanna, Kathi Wilcox, and Tobi Vail at Evergreen college in Olympia, Washington. In 1990, with the addition of Billy Warren, Hanna, Wilcox, and Vail decided to start a band with the same name as their zine, and pioneered the Riot Grrrl movement. Playing straight and to the fucking point punk rock, Bikini Kill confronted misogyny with their no bullshit lyrics, and unique live shows. Girls were urged to come to the front of the stage, moshers were asked to stay to the side or back, and women were also invited to take the mic and talk about their personal experiences of sexual abuse. Disbanding in 1998, all the members moved onto other projects. Most notably, Hanna went on to front the Electro Punk group Le Tigre, still holding true to her feminist message.

Oh...and for a little side of random trivia, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana was actually inspired by Hanna, who was a friend of Kurt Cobain and spray painted the phrase on his bedroom wall. Apparently Hanna and Courtney Love were long time rivals too, but who hasn't gotten in a fight with Courtney?

Here's a clip of "Sugar" @ Kill Rock Star Records in 1993. Damn I wish I wasn't 5 when this happened...

Pussywhipped.

Reject All American

The CD Version of The 1st two Records

The Singles

Welcome to

2009-03-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Ever since I've been going to and playing DIY shows I've always been disappointed by the lack of women/girls in bands and in the crowds.
This is for anyone else who feels the same way.
Or anyone who wouldn't mind hearing something new.
I hope to share as much girl positive music/film/art/ and events in the MD/DC/VA/PA area as possible.

Enjoy.