Month of the Girl Band: day 9 Girls and their Boys

There is that old saying that behind every great man is an even greater woman. Today I want to talk about some of those women, who happen to also be musicians. I have a few in mind to highlight today but there are many more.

Juliana Hatfield founded the Blake Babies in 1986 and when they disbanded in 1990 she joined up to play bass with hottie Evan Dando of The Lemonheads on their breakthrough track, "It's a Shame About Ray" (and Johnny Depp is in their music video). The commercial success of of that tune sent Juliana back to her old ways and she formed a new band as lead singer/ bassist The Juliana Hatfield 3. I had been a fan of the Blake Babies pre-Lemonheads and was so glad to have her back in the spotlight. Her single "Spin the Bottle" may be familiar to some as it was on the Gen X favorite Reality Bites' soundtrack. According to the Lemonheads website Evan and Juliana are still playing together.

Next we have Courtney Love. I am not such a fan of Ms. Love, however, and this is a big however, she was a musician before she ever met Kurt Cobain, and despite her crazies, she is still a musician. In the late 1980s Courtney was Babes in Toyland out of Minneapolis, a band which was a major influence on later girl bands, particularly the riot grrrls, Jennifer Finch of L7 was a one time member of Babes in Toyland too. In 1989 she formed Hole, which is how she met future husband, Kurt. As much of a mess as this girl is, she really has lived through a lot of tragedy, with the loss of her husband and a band mate within two months, and becoming a new mother and widow at nearly the same time, I try to give the girl a break.

Justine Frischmann. I have a huge big bag of green envy when it comes to Justine. There are very few people in this world I am truely jealous of, but Justine ranks pretty much at the top of my list. First off she started one of the coolest bands ever, Suede, with one of the smoothest guys ever, Brett Anderson, who also just happened to be her boyfriend. And Justine wasn't just a token girl in the band; that girl can rock on her own. In 1991 Justine left Suede, and by 1993 she had a new band Elastica, which release its first album the same year. Elastica rocked my world when they came out. Starting with those first few beats of "Connection" I was instantly hooked. Sadly the band didn't have a very prolific career, but the tracks they put out were all perfect.

And finally for today I want to feature the glorious Gwen Stefani. No Doubt was the first band I ever had to go see in a stadium. It was one of the last shows I saw in 1996 before leaving for Poland. The show was No Doubt, Gog Goo Dolls and Bush. I had started getting into ska the previous year and stumbled upon No Doubt just before their 1995 release of Tragic Kingdom and was proud to watch them gain some fame. It was this tour, I believe, where she met Gavin Rossdale (Bush) her eventual husband. As another connection in the family tree of girl bands, Linda Perry, lead singer of yesterday's highlighted band, 4 Non-Blondes helped Gwen create her first solo projects and eventually an album. Although her style has seriously morphed over her career I still find everything she does to be fresh and fascinating, and she ranks with Justine as a girl of whom I am truly jealous. She is beautiful beyond words, incredibly talented and writes some of the best girl power anthems, need I say more.

Juliana Hatfield
















Courtney Love














Justine Frischmann













Gwen Stefani












SONGS OF THE DAY:

1. "Brain Damage" - Blake Babies (with Evan Dando)

2. "Everybody Loves Me But You" - Julianna Hatfield (love this tune!)

3. "Bruise Violet"- Babes in Toyland, post Courtney Love

4. "Beautiful Son" - Hole

5. "Be My God" - Suede (with Justin Frischmann and Mike Joyce of The Smiths)

6. "Car Song" - Elastica

7. "Just a Girl" - No Doubt

8. "Southside" - Moby ft. Gwen

Month of the Girl Band: day 8 Some 80's hair bands

Once upon a time I was a young girl in the 1980s. As much as I searched the airwaves for New Wave, I was mostly surrounded by Glam Rock. Big Hair, tighter than skin pants, fringe, acid washed jeans. The boys had permed hair both longer and more teased than the girls and thier bands were named after girls, like Britny Fox and Cinderella. It all gets rather confusing but the overtly feminine and sexual look of glam rock was a homogenizing segue into the more gender neutral and generally asexual grunge movement (see 4 Non-Blondes as the child of this blend). Despite this very feminine appearance of the music scene, women who rocked were still few and far between.

I must admit that this was not a time when music spoke to me. I was not a fan of Slayer, Bon Jovi, Poison, Winger or any of those New York Dolls ripoffs with crappy music. However, even if the genre wasn't my favorite there were still some very talented girls out doing the best they could in the market. I don't love most of the music from these girls, but they are important in the girl band family tree so I feel I should give them a day in the spotlight based purely on their talents as musicians (watch Lita Ford rip that guitar!).

Lita Ford















Vixen











Girlschool (these girls are pretty punk rock still in 1982)









4 Non-Blondes
















SONGS OF THE DAY:

1. "Kiss Me Deadly"- Lita Ford (previously of The Runaways)

2. "I Want You to Rock Me" - Vixen

3. "Hit & Run" - Girlschool

4. "What's Up" - 4 Non-Blondes
(although these girls dress grunge they came out of the late 80s and kept the metal sound)

Month of the Girl Band: day 7

Most of the time when I think of Sonic Youth, I think of Thurston Moore but Kim Gordon was equal parts in the band. I thought since I am trying to make musical family trees that today I would throw in "Bull in the Heather" because Kim does the vocals and the video features Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, a major figure in the Riot Grrrl movement I mentioned the other day, who later went on to form Le Tigre.

And to round out our original Riot Grrls for the month I have thrown in a few more lesser known bands into the mix.

I found this great quote that I think is perfect for today. It comes from A Girl's Guide to Taking over the World: Writings from Ann Magnuson of Bongwater:

"When I think of how much benefit my teenage self could have gained from the multitude of zines that have proliferated over the past decade, I weep for all the lost potential. Except for Joan of Arc and Anne Frank the thoughts of teenage girls have rarely been taken seriously."

(And I might add that those girls were killed as martyrs for their thoughts and beliefs, which makes it a difficult role model to sell.)

Sonic Youth









Bikini Kill












Thee Headcoatees















7 Year B*tch








Heavens to Betsy











Le Tigre












SONGS OF THE DAY:
1. "Bull in the Heather" - Sonic Youth

2. " Female Mechanic Now on Duty" - Sonic Youth (just because I like it)

3. "Rebel Girl" - Bikini Kill (i still can't believe this song is on Rockband)

4. "When the Night Comes" - Thee Headcoatees

5. " The Scratch" - 7 Year B*tch

6. "Driving Song" - Heavens to Betsy

7. "TKO" - Le Tigre

Month of the Girl Band: day 6

When a band breaks up it is always a sad day. However, when that leads to the formation of an equally brilliant band, it sure softens the blow. That is the case with this combination of girls.

Throwing Muses was started in1983 by half sisters Tanya Donnelly and Kristin Hersh. I wrote more about Throwing Muses HERE. By 1992 the girls had gone their separate ways.

For a while Kristin continued on with the band as Muses and put out one more album, Red Heaven (not that great in my opinion) then went on to a solo project as Kristin Hersh and put out the album Hips and Makers which I quite like.

Tanya on the other hand hooked up with Kim Deal (Pixies) and her sister Kelly Deal to form The Breeders as a side project after touring together. The Breeders went through a ton of different lineups, and put out 4 albums, though Pod and Last Splash are the best.

After The Breeders, Tanya Donnelly continued on and formed yet another great band, Belly, while Kelley Deal formed Last Hard Men and Kim Deal formed The Amps.

It all starts to get to be a messy family tree of bands, but quite a wonderful one, with some very talented ladies putting out great stuff.

Putting this list of trax together for today reminded me just how much I adore these women and their music. Man, they still rock my world.

Throwing Muses










Pixies













The Breeders











Belly












SONGS OF THE DAY:

1. "Not Too Soon" - Throwing Muses

2. "Your Ghost" - Kristin Hersh featuring Micheal Stipe of R.E.M.

3. "Gigantic" - Pixies

4. "Feed the Tree" - Belly

5. "Cannonball" - The Breeders

Month of the Girl Band: day 5

While out and about last night I asked Mr. IMo? about his favorite girl bands. One of them I will save for tomorrow but here are some of his top choices: The Fastbacks, L7, The Raincoats and The Vaselines.

The Fastbacks were a Seattle band formed in 1979, which I have always found incredible because they so embody the 1990's grunge sound over a decade before. They were on the SUBPOP label and an influence to many other grunge and PNW bands. I highly recommend checking out THIS link to see the impressive list of drummers the band went through. Not only did the drummer chair seem to have a revolving door but the drummers were involved in a lot of other impressive acts. Mr. IMo?s favorite song is "3 Boxes", but I can't find you a copy.

L7 are now best known for having made it onto the Wii Rockband with their song "Pretend That We're Dead" which does seriously rock, but I am always most impressed by their song "Diet Pill". As a teenager I found it to be one of the most biting feminist songs ever about the pressures of the 1950's housewife image and the inability of the average woman to live up to the image of perfection imposed upon her by society resulting in her abuse of diet pills and eventual mental break hitting her husband over the head with a frying pan. When I saw these girls play in a small little club at the age of 17 they totally rocked my world. I was a fan already but they inspired me like no boys ever could. They were shocking, they would strip off their shirts like the boys, they were aggressive and they were wicked good musicians and I was mesmerized.

I wrote up The Vaselines a while back and their song "Son of a Gun", but suffice it to say they rock and were a humongous influence on Nirvana. Technically they are a duo, but I let them count.

Finally we come to 1970s British post-punk girl band, The Raincoats. These guys got a flash on the movie 10 Things I Hate about you by Kat. They may have been previously obscure, but deserving of the quick burst of press.

The Fastbacks



















L7












The Vaselines















The Raincoats














SONGS OF THE DAY:

1. "K Street" - The Fastbacks

2. "Diet Pill" - L7

3. "You Think You're a Man" - The Vaselines

4. "Pretty" - The Raincoats

Month of the Girl Band: day 4

In the early 1970s girl bands started to come into their modern form. I place this firmly on the shoulders of 6 women: Ann and Nancy Wilson (Heart), Joan Jett, Cherie Curry, Lita Ford and Sandy West (The Runaways, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts). Those girls play some mean guitar and you can really hear the beginnings of modern womens' music in the sound and the lyrics. The formation of Blackheart Records by Joan Jett as a response to the abuses and rejection she had suffered at the hands of major labels was revolutionary, not only for a woman, but was a major influence in beginning the DIY, independent label which was and still is a crucial part of many musical genres.

The Runaways










Joan Jett
















Heart








Rasputina













SONGS OF THE DAY:

1. "Cherry Bomb" - The Runaways

2. "Bad Reputation" - Joan Jett

3. "Magic Man" - Heart

4. "Barracuda" - (cover of Heart) - Rasputina
(I have posted this song by Rasputina at least once before because it is amazing)

Month of The Girl Band: Day 3 (Ladies of Jazz)

Before we get too entrenched in the Rock genre of girl bands, I want to give a quick nod to some of the Women of Jazz. These ladies really paved the way for the girl bands of the early Motown era and all girl bands to come.

I can't even begin to do these ladies justice so I suggest you do some research on your own. In my opinion these women are essential in understanding women in modern music, and I have included some of my favorite songs by each.

Ella Fitzgerald
















Billie Holiday (she always has the coolest hairdos)















Sarah Vaughan














SONGS OF THE DAY:

1. "Lady Sings the Blues" - Billie Holiday

2."One Note Samba" - Ella Fitzgerald

3. "The Sassy One" - Sarah Vaughan

Month of The Girl Band: day 2

Girls have been fighting their way up the musical food chain for centuries. They suffer under the misconception that women cannot compose or achieve mastery at the same level as men. The huge irony in this is that the ability to play an instrument was so long seen as a necessary part of a woman's (meager) education. I decided to finally read the Jane Austen books this year, and all the girls are expected to sing and perform, and seen as deficient if they have not devoted themselves to an instrument they will eventually be forced to abandon performing in public.

The riot grrrl movement in the Pacific Northwest, which I was lucky enough to be a contemporary of, was a huge push for girls to pick up an instrument and rock it just as hard as the boys, rather than just being groupies on the sideline. I was too busy playing music in a classical atmosphere to have time for a rock band, but I loved to see the girls play. There was also a Riot Grrrl zine by a Bratmobile member...I think I still have some old copies at my mom's I should post next year. (see Zinewiki for more).

The main part of this exercise is to promote girls as serious contributors to the rock genre and highlight their contribution. I love this song by riot grrrls, Bratmobile. It shows the internal strife in the music world and the inability to be taken seriously. Bratmobile was on Lookout Records and PNW contemporaries with great girl bands we will explore like to Bikini Kill, Some Velvet Sidewalk,Slant 6, Heavens to Betsy, Sleater-Kinney and the boy bands Nirvana, the Melvins, Operation Ivy and Beat Happening (Calvin Johnson of K Records band) and involved in the Kill Rock Stars series. (See day 7 for more).
Bratmobile










Sleater- Kinney











Slant 6












SONGS OF THE DAY:

1. "I'm With The Band" - Bratmobile

2. "You're No Rock'n'Roll Fun" - Sleater-Kinney

3. "What Kind of Monster are You" - Slant 6

WELCOME TO THE MONTH OF THE GIRL BAND

Although March is Women's History Month, April is girl power month at this house.

It started four years ago when I made Katydid her first mix CD for her birthday and wanted to give her some good female idols. Last year I did a facebook version, with a song each day. My compilation list has grown exponentially since then and I will highlight 1 band per day with two other songs to check out which may or may not have a connection. Also, I am sort of flexible on the "girl band" makeup. It must be at least female-fronted or a duo.

I figure the best place to start and endeavor such as this is with my first favorite female led band, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Siouxsie was mesmerizing to me. Her particular combination of power, femininity and conviction in an era of pop-stars like Tiffany or Debbie Gibson was enthralling. She also attracted some incredible boys of her time as her Banshees: Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols) as one time drummer, Marco Perroni (Adam and the Ants), Robert Smith (The Cure) and Budgie (Big In Japan & The Slits).

However it was not until 1993 that I received a mixtape featuring her side-project The Creatures. I love this song. The tribal beat and the lyrical back and forth wherein the women taunt the helpless men has such a universal and timeless feel. A severely under-appreciated song in my book. So, with that introduction to one of the most influential women of modern alternative rock, here is Siouxsie Sioux and her eventual husband Budgie as The Creatures.

Siouxsie Sioux











The Slits












SONGS OF THE DAY:

1. "Standing There" - The Creatures
(this is the best quality audio but the youtube poster mislabeled it as the Banshees)

2. "Kiss Them For Me" - Siouxsie and the Banshees

3. "Number One Enemy" - The Slits

thoughtless thursday-list: a series part 13

the 7 piece shuffle

track/ artist

1. "Sick Boy" - G.B.H.

2. "Nervous Breakdown" - Black Flag

3. "Minor Threat" - Minor Threat

4. "Young Til I Die" - 7 Seconds

5. "Jock o Rama" - Dead Kennedys

6. "True Believers" - The Bouncing Souls

7. "Society" - Pennywise

friends of mine

Besides all my techno issues yesterday was a pretty great day. Scary Larry and his roadies were passing through our coordinates and we got to hang out. I hadn't seen him in person since before hits century and it was fun to hang out again and catch up.

Which segues into today's song and a little mishap. I ordered the new Duran Duran album (vinyl) from Amazon. I was thrilled when it arrived yesterday, until I opened the box and had been sent the wrong album. However, for my 20 clams I got the self-titled Duran Duran limited edition double vinyl featuring today's song among others. So, I now have to go back and re-order the new album but I ended up with a pretty excellent accident.

SONG OF THE DAY: "Friends of Mine" - Duran Duran

tapes for tuesday: a series part 13

Pixies- Trompe le Monde

sorry all that i missed yesterday and tuesday is coming on wednesday.

my computer is all a flutter with nasty viruses and is congested with techno phlegm, so yesterday i put it on bed rest and pumped it with some anti-virals but the diagnosis is bleak.

i hate to be a cheater or not give a good summary, so i figured with my limited time today i would do a sort of piggy-back post off last week when i did the Pixies.

i love this album. as a whole it is my favorite by the Pixies. that said, I really didn't have a hard time picking a song because this is a classic.

SONG OF THE DAY:
"Subbacultcha" - Pixies

love vigilantes

I have been hooked on this old tune this past week. A perfect love song from New Order on their 3rd album Low-life (1985).


As a side note...
THE MONTH OF THE GIRL BAND starts on the 1st. If there are any girl bands you want highlighted just let me know. I have over 100 in mind but I am always open to suggestions.

SONG OF THE DAY:
"Love Vigilantes" - New Order

not so spring

It really was spring on Monday. We bought kites on Wednesday. And then it started to snow, again. I took this picture coming home from the art museum yesterday. I am still holding out for spring and sunshine soon.

SONG OF THE DAY:
"Spring (from Four Seasons)"- Antonio Vivaldi

girl ska and a little announcement

I have been on a Saturday ska kick for a while now and thought I would continue it as a good way to introduce THE MONTH OF THE GIRL BAND.

Yes, my friends all girl bands all the time for the entire month of April. Quite possibly up to 3 per day. I started this on facebook last year in honor of my daughter's birthday and I find it to be quite an empowering little exercise. It is nice to know how many girls can really rock it. I am so excited. It is even more fun for me than September and the MONTH OF THE COVER SONG.

So as a little sneak peak here is a girl ska band, Agent 99,named after the female character in classic 60's mod TV series Get Smart.

SONG OF THE DAY:

"Get A Grip" - Agent 99

Moz

It has been a while since I have posted anything by The Smiths, and well, any day is a good day for the Moz.

SONG OF THE DAY:

"What Difference Does it Make?" - The Smiths

thoughtless thursday-list: a series part 12

7 piece shuffle

track/artist

1. "Melt with You" - Modern English

2. "Need You Tonight" - INXS

3. "Lay Your Hands on Me" - Thompson Twins

4. "Puzzles" - Mary Onettes

5. "Born of Frustration" - James

6. "Ava Adore" - Smashing Pumpkins

7. "Girlfriend" - Matthew Sweet

"all you need is now"

Duran Duran just released their new full length album All You Need Is Now yesterday. The first in ages. And despite the fact these guys first got together when I was still in a car seat, the album is great. Same classic Duran Duran sound but more complex, more layered and less posturing. No longer must they keep at the top of the charts, they have lost their teen idol status but rather have life long fans to impress.

I have to giggle at their last song on the album, Networker Nation, with its speak-and-spell machine spelling out D_U_R_A_N_D_U_R_A_N. Not only will kids not recognize the sound reference, the whole intro is reminiscent of Depeche Mode's first album's ( Speak & Spell ) sound. The two were contemporaries, both putting out their 1st album in 1981 and competing for top of the charts. This may just be my imagination but it seems oddly coincidental. It is a great tune about facebook, a meeting of minds, connectivity and the power of the internet.

Mid-album is a cool tune called "Too Bad You're So Beautiful" which just feels like a perfect Duran Duran song title. They are so much about reflecting back pop culture, beauty and art and in turn recognizing the tragic, lonely, disappointing, complicated side of fame, fortune and beauty. I think it's my favorite of the bunch so far. With lines like "Here I go again, I must have flowers in my brain. The same mistake I made before, but I'm a hostage to that face of yours", "When it starts to rain I'm a lucky man" and "I'm the King of Nothing, it's too bad you're beautiful" the band has captured the essence of themselves in their lyrics. Classic Duran Duran, but not a simple Duran Duran by numbers. Lovely.

But for today's song of the day, we'll go for the opening number, which happens to have a video ready. I am excited about this album. I ordered it on vinyl (since all my Duran Duran is on vinyl) so I am still waiting for the hard copy, but until then I'm listening to my Naspter exclusive version. Also available for instant download at the band's site HERE.

SONG OF THE DAY:
"All You Need is Now" - Duran Duran

tapes for tuesday: a series part 12

Pixies- Bossanova

I woke up thinking how nice the weather finally turned yesterday just in time for spring, still surprised how quickly the daffodils popped up in one day and singing to myself "There is this old woman, she lives down the road. You can often find her kneeling inside of her hole" so I knew today was a perfect day for the Pixies.

Bossanova is the first Pixies album I picked up, and for the life of me I can't remember how or where, but I know they changed things for me. They were like a Velvet Underground for my generation. I didn't ever get to see them play live when they were together and always regretted that I didn't take a mega roadtrip to see them. The Pixies were always the band I wished more than anything would get back together to tour.

In 23 July 2005 I got my wish. Mr. IMo? and I were living in North Carolina at the time when we heard Perry Farrell had lured the Pixies to headline Lollapalooza, both the Pixies and Lollapaloooza in their newly reformed infant state. We put down a wad of cash for that first festival and it was worth every penny. We had to hold back a bit at the show because Macaroni came along for the ride in his 7 week old glory but nonetheless, it remains a top show. The best thing was that the entire live show was recorded and came out on CD along with an acoustic performance in Newport, RI (you can watch the DVD version Pixies: Acoustic: Live in Newport on Netflix) and another show in Cleveland, OH. I bought two copies of each. Some are still mint in the plastic.

Black Francis (aka Frank Black) wrote all the songs on this album. It was put together at a time when the band was having a lot of issues (watch the movie : LoudQUIETloud to get a better background) and was throw together pretty hurriedly. It was really the overall sound of this album that hooked me, not so much the individual merit of each song. Though "Dig for Fire" and "Velouria" are definite standouts, and "Stormy Weather" with its surf rock sound (think precursor to early Weezer) was certainly catchy.

I know for most people who will read this, I am pretty much preaching to the choir; very little more can be said to tout the band. I bought my first Pixies album on vinyl last week, Wave of Mutilation: Best of Pixies and it bought a whole new layer to the music which was frankly shocking. I now intend to start compiling the collection on vinyl as these tapes slowly disintegrate and can't wait to rediscover the Pixies in a whole new way.

SONG OF THE DAY:
"Dig for Fire" - Pixies (best audio)