Showing posts with label bands you should know. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bands you should know. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
New Single From New Pornographers Released!
The New Pornographers have released the first single from their new album, Together, for free download! Click here to download and listen to the song, "Your Hands (Together)". I know its just the first song, but I'm already pretty sure I'm going to love this album!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday Video: Peaches "Talk To Me"
Always a favorite of the ladies of WOW, Peaches is the kind of girl who says - nay, screams - what we're all secretly thinking. Looking for some of the harshest lyrics written by a woman in the last ten years? That's Peaches. Looking for an INSANE live show that will leave your head spinning? That's Peaches. Looking for a good time November 20 in Chicago? Peaches plays Metro. Here's a little taste - the video for "Talk to Me", her single off the latest album, I Feel Cream.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Beth Ditto, Punk Princess
Earlier this month, Jenny and I spent a chilly Friday night at Metro Chicago, seeing The Gossip'se first Chicago show in years. Since they last played the Windy City, the Gossip has exploded, becoming a huge sensation in Europe and released their latest album, Music for Men, on major label Sony Records. The lead singer, Beth Ditto, has become a celebrity all to herself. Known for her feminist ethics and activism around queer and fat rights, Ditto has become a somewhat unlikely muse for the fashion world. With her face plastered on magazines and her own clothing line, Ditto is much more a household name than she was three years ago.
With that in mind, we weren't sure what to expect when opening act MEN (featuring J.D. Sampson from LeTigre) finished and The Gossip took the stage. Their shows have traditionally been intimate, even when playing large venues, with Ditto interacting with the crowd and smashing the fourth wall between the band and the audience to pieces by the end of their first song. I was concerned that, with their major label status and rapidly rising climb to fame, The Gossip would present a more polished, removed and ultimately less satisfying show.
There was no need to worry. Playing a mix of their new songs and old favorites, including covers of "Rebel Girl" "Psycho Killer" and "What's Love Got To Do With It", The Gossip has stayed true to themselves. Ditto engaged the audience, even pulling a boy on stage who was from her hometown and stopping the show to talk to him. Their lyrics about broken hearts and queer pride are just as strong as ever, and she serves as a strong role model for self acceptance, pride in all regards and using music as a way to celebrate community. Even though the 1,000+ capacity club was nearly sold out, it felt like it was a show in a local civic center. The sound was great, despite Ditto being sick, but the real strength of the show was the interaction with the fans. Despite what cynics might say, punk and riot grrrl are not dead - at least not as long as Beth Ditto and The Gossip have anything to say about it.
With that in mind, we weren't sure what to expect when opening act MEN (featuring J.D. Sampson from LeTigre) finished and The Gossip took the stage. Their shows have traditionally been intimate, even when playing large venues, with Ditto interacting with the crowd and smashing the fourth wall between the band and the audience to pieces by the end of their first song. I was concerned that, with their major label status and rapidly rising climb to fame, The Gossip would present a more polished, removed and ultimately less satisfying show.
There was no need to worry. Playing a mix of their new songs and old favorites, including covers of "Rebel Girl" "Psycho Killer" and "What's Love Got To Do With It", The Gossip has stayed true to themselves. Ditto engaged the audience, even pulling a boy on stage who was from her hometown and stopping the show to talk to him. Their lyrics about broken hearts and queer pride are just as strong as ever, and she serves as a strong role model for self acceptance, pride in all regards and using music as a way to celebrate community. Even though the 1,000+ capacity club was nearly sold out, it felt like it was a show in a local civic center. The sound was great, despite Ditto being sick, but the real strength of the show was the interaction with the fans. Despite what cynics might say, punk and riot grrrl are not dead - at least not as long as Beth Ditto and The Gossip have anything to say about it.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Greatest Guitar Girls
Buy at AllPosters.comIn my internet wanderings this week, I came across an article in Venus Zine last year where they broke down the greatest female guitar players of all time. The article itself was a response to the ridiculous lack of women in the Rolling Stone "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" article, which included just two women - Joni Mitchell and Joan Jett. Few people have more devotion to Joan Jett than I, believe me, but can't we do better than two out of a hundred names? The writers at Venus Zine thought so, and came up with their own list, assisted by a panel of experts that included Chicago's Nan Warshaw, owner of Bloodshot Records, and Amy Phillips, Music Editor of Pitchfork. Check out their list, and be sure to click on the alphabetical titles to read more about each of the women they've featured and leave your own favorites in the comments section!
Feeling inspired to become a Great Girl Guitarist? Check out the Old Town School of Folk Music's guitar offerings - the next class session starts next week!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Video Friday & Scotland Yard Gospel Choir Needs Your Help
As has been widely reported today, friends of our blog and all around good peeps Scotland Yard Gospel Choir were in a serious van accident yesterday while on tour involving multiple rollovers and head injuries. We've spoken with friends of their family and hear that they are all doing well, despite their serious injuries, and Ethan, Jay and Alison have already been released from the hospital. Mary and Elia remain hospitalized as of this writing, and Mark is in the most serious condition at this point, but all three are expected to recover and continue to improve. However, the band's van and equipment were destroyed in the crash, and they are likely to face mounting medical bills. SYGC is always one of the first bands to volunteer to support great Chicago charities like Rock For Kids, CHIRP and 826Chi - now it's our turn to give back to them. Bloodshot Records has set up a donation page for the band - throw a few bucks in the virtual donation bucket, if you can.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Video Fridays/Bands You Should Know: The Mo-Dettes
Since we're on the subject of the founding mothers of punk...
The Mo-Dettes were formed in London in 1979 by American guitarist Kate Korus/Korris (an original member of the Slits), along with bassist Jane Crockford, June Miles-Kingston on drums, and Swiss-born Ramona Carlier on vocals. The band would later be augmented by Melissa Ritter on second guitar, and for the last six months before the band's dissolution, Sue Slack on vocals.
(Inconsequential, but interesting: like the Slits, the Mo-Dettes were oddly connected to the Sex Pistols. June worked on the film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, which is where she met Kate. June's brother Bob Kingston was the guitar player for Ten Pole Tudor, featured on the soundtrack for the film. Jane had reportedly shared a squat with Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious at one point, and June bought her first drum kit from Paul Cook. We won't mention their connection to other notable names in punk, but look up Shane MacGowan and the "Cannibalism at Clash Gig" incident and see if you can't spot our girls.)
Frequently overlooked in the annals of punk/post-punk and the history of women in rock for bands that were more ostentatious, more aggressive, more overt in their feminism, or simply more prolific, the Mo-Dettes were nevertheless a solid band, notable for their hooky, melodic bass lines, sparse, angular guitar riffs, and a simple yet irresistable backbeat.
In their three short years of existence, they released only a handful of singles and one full-length album, The Story So Far. Fortunately, Cherry Red released a remastered version of the album on CD last year. It includes B-sides and non-album tracks, such as their first single and possibly best known song, "White Mice," (featured below) as well as extensive liner notes outlining the history of the band.
Enjoy!
The Mo-Dettes were formed in London in 1979 by American guitarist Kate Korus/Korris (an original member of the Slits), along with bassist Jane Crockford, June Miles-Kingston on drums, and Swiss-born Ramona Carlier on vocals. The band would later be augmented by Melissa Ritter on second guitar, and for the last six months before the band's dissolution, Sue Slack on vocals.
(Inconsequential, but interesting: like the Slits, the Mo-Dettes were oddly connected to the Sex Pistols. June worked on the film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, which is where she met Kate. June's brother Bob Kingston was the guitar player for Ten Pole Tudor, featured on the soundtrack for the film. Jane had reportedly shared a squat with Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious at one point, and June bought her first drum kit from Paul Cook. We won't mention their connection to other notable names in punk, but look up Shane MacGowan and the "Cannibalism at Clash Gig" incident and see if you can't spot our girls.)
Frequently overlooked in the annals of punk/post-punk and the history of women in rock for bands that were more ostentatious, more aggressive, more overt in their feminism, or simply more prolific, the Mo-Dettes were nevertheless a solid band, notable for their hooky, melodic bass lines, sparse, angular guitar riffs, and a simple yet irresistable backbeat.
In their three short years of existence, they released only a handful of singles and one full-length album, The Story So Far. Fortunately, Cherry Red released a remastered version of the album on CD last year. It includes B-sides and non-album tracks, such as their first single and possibly best known song, "White Mice," (featured below) as well as extensive liner notes outlining the history of the band.
Enjoy!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Bands You Should Know: Goldie & the Gingerbreads
In our first post, we mentioned our intention to profile notable women in the history of rock and roll. Our radio show, after all, was originally formed to focus on female musicians who we felt were underrepresented on the airwaves, and whom our listeners may not have had the opportunity to hear elsewhere. With the advent of this blog, then, we felt it only natural to expand on that motivation. In our new feature, "Bands You Should Know," we will be bringing you mini-bios of some of the show's core artists: female musicians who are particularly noteworthy or groundbreaking, bands that we feel have injustly slipped through the cracks into obscurity, and/or just our personal favorite ladies in the industry. I'd like to start off this feature with a look at one of the first all-female rock and roll bands: Goldie & the Gingerbreads.
Born in the era of girl groups, American band Goldie & the Gingerbreads stood out for one very important reason: they played their own instruments. In fact, the Gingerbreads were the first all-female rock band signed to a major label (Atlantic subsidiary Atco), and the first to have any sort of chart success. While other girl groups and female artists had already gained popularity within rock and roll and made an impact on the charts, these women were primarily, if not exclusively, singers. Furthermore, their backing bands were nearly always 100% male. With Goldie Zelkowitz on vocals, Carol MacDonald on guitar, Margo Lewis on organ, and Ginger Bianco on drums, the Gingerbreads were nothing short of groundbreaking. At the same time, however, they were something of a novelty in the male-dominated music industry. MacDonald readily acknowledges this fact: "'We didn't think anything of it,' she says. 'We got more jobs because they were exploiting the hell out of us. All Girl Band! They'd do the whole thing, tits and ass. And we didn't care. We were happy because we knew we could play, and we were knocking the socks off most of the male bands. And the guys couldn't believe it. They'd start laughing, and then they'd walk out crying'" (Garr 59). In fact, the Gingerbreads toured with some of the biggest male rock acts of the time: the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, and the Hollies, to name but a few. They even had a hit in England with the song "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat," which was later a hit in the U.S. for Herman's Hermits.
Their success, however, was limited, and their enjoyment of fame tempered by Atlantic's manipulation of their public image. Before MacDonald joined the Gingerbreads, she recorded solo for Atlantic under the name Carol Shaw. "'They wanted me to be Lesley Gore,' she says. 'My first record, "Jimmy Boy," was that type of thing. So they give me this image, and I'm not happy. I'm not playing guitar, number one, and I'm not doing my own music" (Garr 58). Her annoyance only increased when, a few years later, the Gingerbreads were asked to record "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat." "'I hated the song,' says MacDonald. 'We're doing stuff like "Harlem Shuffle," and then they give us this "Every time I see you... dee da dee de dee." Eeeow! I said, "Goldie! What are we doing?" She said, "We gotta do what they say!" It's like we had to do everything they said or we were not going to be successful'" (Garr 60).
Still, the band engaged in their own small rebellions against the prevalent negative stereotypes of female musicians. Goldie recalls, "'We'd walk into a club with all our instruments and you could see the owner going "Oh my God, these broads? They know how to play? They really know how to play?" We'd set up and have a sound check and play totally out of tune, and I would sing the wrong lyrics. And the guy'd be chewing on his cigar going "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" And by the time we went on and counted off the song, we were cookin'. You could see the cigar drop and the guy had a heart attack... We had fun with this'" (Garr 59).
Ultimately, however, Goldie and the Gingerbreads folded due to misappropriation of finances by their management, the pressures of relentless touring, and the disappointment of never breaking big in the States. Goldie went on to become Genya Ravan and front Ten Wheel Drive (who reportedly turned down a spot at Woodstock), and later produced the Dead Boys' debut record. Carol MacDonald and Ginger Bianco went on to form the influential jazz/funk band Isis, which later also included Margo Lewis and original Gingerbreads' pianist Carol O'Grady. While the Gingerbreads may not have found the widespread acceptance or acclaim they craved, by the mere fact of their existence they nonetheless fought the rigidly institutionalized sexism that limited women in the music industry at the time, and paved the way for future all-girl bands to be taken seriously.
Born in the era of girl groups, American band Goldie & the Gingerbreads stood out for one very important reason: they played their own instruments. In fact, the Gingerbreads were the first all-female rock band signed to a major label (Atlantic subsidiary Atco), and the first to have any sort of chart success. While other girl groups and female artists had already gained popularity within rock and roll and made an impact on the charts, these women were primarily, if not exclusively, singers. Furthermore, their backing bands were nearly always 100% male. With Goldie Zelkowitz on vocals, Carol MacDonald on guitar, Margo Lewis on organ, and Ginger Bianco on drums, the Gingerbreads were nothing short of groundbreaking. At the same time, however, they were something of a novelty in the male-dominated music industry. MacDonald readily acknowledges this fact: "'We didn't think anything of it,' she says. 'We got more jobs because they were exploiting the hell out of us. All Girl Band! They'd do the whole thing, tits and ass. And we didn't care. We were happy because we knew we could play, and we were knocking the socks off most of the male bands. And the guys couldn't believe it. They'd start laughing, and then they'd walk out crying'" (Garr 59). In fact, the Gingerbreads toured with some of the biggest male rock acts of the time: the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, and the Hollies, to name but a few. They even had a hit in England with the song "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat," which was later a hit in the U.S. for Herman's Hermits.
Their success, however, was limited, and their enjoyment of fame tempered by Atlantic's manipulation of their public image. Before MacDonald joined the Gingerbreads, she recorded solo for Atlantic under the name Carol Shaw. "'They wanted me to be Lesley Gore,' she says. 'My first record, "Jimmy Boy," was that type of thing. So they give me this image, and I'm not happy. I'm not playing guitar, number one, and I'm not doing my own music" (Garr 58). Her annoyance only increased when, a few years later, the Gingerbreads were asked to record "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat." "'I hated the song,' says MacDonald. 'We're doing stuff like "Harlem Shuffle," and then they give us this "Every time I see you... dee da dee de dee." Eeeow! I said, "Goldie! What are we doing?" She said, "We gotta do what they say!" It's like we had to do everything they said or we were not going to be successful'" (Garr 60).
Still, the band engaged in their own small rebellions against the prevalent negative stereotypes of female musicians. Goldie recalls, "'We'd walk into a club with all our instruments and you could see the owner going "Oh my God, these broads? They know how to play? They really know how to play?" We'd set up and have a sound check and play totally out of tune, and I would sing the wrong lyrics. And the guy'd be chewing on his cigar going "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" And by the time we went on and counted off the song, we were cookin'. You could see the cigar drop and the guy had a heart attack... We had fun with this'" (Garr 59).
Ultimately, however, Goldie and the Gingerbreads folded due to misappropriation of finances by their management, the pressures of relentless touring, and the disappointment of never breaking big in the States. Goldie went on to become Genya Ravan and front Ten Wheel Drive (who reportedly turned down a spot at Woodstock), and later produced the Dead Boys' debut record. Carol MacDonald and Ginger Bianco went on to form the influential jazz/funk band Isis, which later also included Margo Lewis and original Gingerbreads' pianist Carol O'Grady. While the Gingerbreads may not have found the widespread acceptance or acclaim they craved, by the mere fact of their existence they nonetheless fought the rigidly institutionalized sexism that limited women in the music industry at the time, and paved the way for future all-girl bands to be taken seriously.
Check out "Walking In Different Circles," by Goldie & the Gingerbreads, from 1967:
Works Cited:
Garr, Gillian G. She's A Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll (expanded second edition). New York: Seal, 2002.
Additional Reading:
Wikipedia
AllMusic
Genya Ravan's homepage
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
