The future is ours...

The future of rock belongs to women." Kurt Cobain

Where's all of this heading then? As I stated in an earlier post, Riot Grrrl was a short lived component of the music industry, but has grown into something spectacular... women in music are popular and powerful today.
So, what (in my opinion) is the equivalent of these supposed riot girls today? I have a few...

Toxic Lipstick
Brisbane based band Toxic Lipstick - although not popular, is a very prevalent example of Riot Grrrl in the modern world. Combining both grunge, punk and disgusting taste with a little bit of Vicky Pollard of Little Britain, then perhaps you've scraped the surface of Toxic Lipstick. To begin with... they were fourteen when they released their EP. They list Nikki Webster and Bec Cartwright as their influences (those cheeky madams), but their lyrics contain sentences such as, "Why don’t you like me? Is it ‘cause I told my friends, about the size of your erection?" They had the following to say of their album, “Each song on the CD, is like a chapter of our lives to date. There is that time we smoked our vomit, behind the bikeracks, those boys that never called back, that pony we always loved and who’ll ever forget that day mum wasn’t home and we got to swear heaps and try on her good black g-string." ......gross. But nevertheless... a "riot"!



Portishead
The band released their first album Dummy in 1994, and despite the fact that they rejected a lot of press coverage of the album, it sold a huge number of copies in both the US and Europe. Their most famous single off this album was "Glory Box". Lead singer Beth Gibbons dressed as a man for the film clip for it, this saying something in itself of the band's image that they wanted. Not that Gibbon's was in fact man, but that they weren't to be labeled as another pop group. They have been categorised as Trip-Hop, but I believe that they stem off the Riot Grrrl scene because of the style in which Gibbons' projects herself, and the unconventional music that is produced. Brilliant.



Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Karen O embodies Riot Grrrl in a more subtle way. New York based band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs formed in 2000 and from that day forward, Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been critically acclaimed as being "trashy, punky and grimy"... why is this Riot Grrrl? Because the words commonly used to describe Yeah Yeah Yeahs are also used to describe the movement that is Riot Grrrl. I think it's fair to say that the band is one of the most popular 'indie' band of today, but of course it does have a female "frontwoman" which tends to set them apart from other "indie" bands, and results in them being categorised as "girl rock" which is a post term for Riot Grrrl. Although they aren't as crazy and forceful as the likes of Bikini Kill or The Slits, Karen O still has a powerful and well-known and distinguishable voice, much like the forementioned groups.


The Grates
Patience Hodgson fronts Brisbane based band The Grates. Another 'girl rock' band. The Grates have gained their popularity in 2006 with their debut album Gravity Won't Get You High. "Lies are Much More Fun" and "Science is Golden" along with "19-20-20" and "Inside, Outside" became huge hits for the band, who are regularly described as "fun". Hodgson says that she, "has fun and wants others to have fun too." Her live shows consist of her dancing around the stage in over the top questions, with mammoth energy. The crowd loves it, screaming, dancing and laughing along with Hodgson who makes everyone comfortable with her presence. She digs performing in her hometown and often brings it home for the audience to be able to walk away with an awe of appreciation for the girl fronted male membered group. She's sexy and dirty but although she is a bit pop, her band can be described as post-Riot Grrrl because of the very obvious influence that early Riot Grrrl groups have. You can hear Kathleen Hanna in her voice, and you can pinpoint the rock goddess type stage demeanour that Patience has. She embarks upon a journey of fun, and allows everyone to join in, and enjoy every moment of it.


I Heart Hiroshima
Another Brisbane band, the band isn't so much fronted by a woman, but does quote a few Riot Grrrl bands as their influences. They say that the Raveonettes are one of their influences, and you can see this in drummer/vocalist Susie Patten's voice. I actually have to give huge props to Patten for drumming and singing at the same time, with absolute ease. The group even had their song included on one of Vice's CDs. Vice, being an international publication, but still including a Brisbane group on one of their compilations is a huge compliment to the band. The band isn't just Riot Grrrl because of the sometimes female vocalist, but because they follow the conventions that Riot Grrrl had.


CocoRosie
CocoRosie are categorised as "freak-folk"? They are an American duo who have based themselves in France. They aren't exactly rock, but their lyrics are very feminist, and have a huge obvious influence of Riot Grrrl on them, obvious by their lyrics in Werewolf "yeah I suck dick..." and the song also talks about a "schizophrenic father" which, if true, can be one of the attributes that make them a feminist band. CocoRosie is an interesting band because, in my opinion, their isn't any other successful band out there that have the same vibe that CocoRosie has. The band is compiled of sisters sisters Bianca Leilani "Coco" and Sierra Rose "Rosie" Casady. The band is young, they formed in 2003, creating their first unreleased hip hop album in Sierra's Parisian apartment bathroom. The girls, only 25 and 27 today, use exotic noise makers to create their original sound. Their song, "By Your Side" is a gorgeous little tale about how they just wanted to grow up to be someone's housewife, "I'll bake you apple pie... I'll try not to cry... I just want to be your housewife, only wants to be your housewife..." But, clearly, they changed their original path. Sierra, at 14, was kicked out of home by her father (another feminist influence?), and as a result, Bianca lost touch with her. In 2003, Bianca, bored with the mundane routine of life, embarked on a world-wide trip and unexpectedly turned up at her sister's door in Paris, and the two joined forces to begin their musical venture. Their music is heartbreakingly beautiful, and although they are screaming, punk or rude, they, for me, embody Riot Grrrl subtly in the message that is contained within most of their songs. But then again, in the tradition of Peaches and Bikini Kill, they have titled one of their songs "You Know You Want To Fuck Me".



Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara are a different story altogether. Again, they are sisters. The two lesbians are rumoured to have relationships with...each other? Eeeeek. That ain't a Riot Grrrl... but it's a riot.
The two girls, who have been performing since 1995 have previously expressed their frustration that although they are gay, they shouldn't be labeled as a "gay band" - no puns. The band has gained a huge indie success through their past albums, and their most recent album The Con was released in 2007, and was their most successful one to date. They relate to Riot Grrrl because they again, havea strong influence of the girl music scene on them. Mainly an acoustic sound, the girls often talk about their strong connection with the female sex (ya reckon?!) and in my opinion appear to have some Joni Mitchell influences in their music. 'The Con' is a gorgeous melody, and the girls should be praised for being a successful girl duo, which tends to be rare within the music industry. They don't use sex or violence or swearing to up the anti, instead they just rely solely on their song writing ability to produce popular, and fine, music.


Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco has long since been recognised as a feminist, heavily influencing the music industry. DiFranco belongs to record label Righteous Babe - which she started herself - and started out as a busker performing Beatles' covers with her guitar teacher at the age of 9 before gaining her own solo success. DiFranco labels herself as a bisexual, saying that she is able to connect with both sexes. She was awarded a "Woman of Courage Award" and has always, since the beginning of her long career, has been a feminist activist, often singing at feminist events, and writing songs concerning the fragile topic. Her song "I'm not a Pretty Girl" has so many lyrics that embody this.
"I am not Pretty Girl, that is not what I do... I am no damsel in distress, I do not need to be rescued...
I am not an angry girl... but it seems I've got everyone fooled...
Imagine you're a girl just trying to finally come clean, knowing well they'd prefer you were dirty, and smiling
I am a patriot... I am fighting the good fight.."
She embodies Riot Grrrl because she is totally active when it comes to rejecting the males in the industry, and creating a name for herself which labels herself as an all woman talented musician, who sings about the power and beauty of women. Buffalo News labeled her as "the leading lady of music."
Having released over 20 albums over her years as a performer, DiFranco deserves the right to be known as a massive influence over the rock industry. She has been an icon for many, and also a beacon of hope for other young female musicians who are trying to make it big in a male dominated industry. Ani DiFranco is the name behind the modern feminist movement.

Girl Germs

Scene...

"We're not anti-boy, we're pro-girl" Molly Neuman

Riot Grrrl started when girls attended punk gigs in the 70s and 80s and felt threatened by the rough nature of the gigs, and the violence that came hand-in-hand with punks. Scared, passive and neutral - perhaps not. But girls wanted their own version of a particularly dominant male social group. Let's look at the name. "Riot" suggests that there was rioting involved in the scene, and there was... not in the traditional term, but women wanted to riot against what was placed on them - they were expected to be learning how to cook, not how to play guitars.

One of the founding bands of the Riot Grrrl scene was Bratmobile. A band that started as an underground Washington band. Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman started their own feminist fanzine Girl Germs which progressed by picking up two more members, Jen Smith and Christina Billotte and produced a casette called Bratmobile DC, in 1991. However, the band broke up early on after the pressures of succumbing to the typical Riot Grrrl groups. Fights started, the band became angry and they broke up.

Riot Grrrl as a term began in the Bratmobile era of 1991, when Jen Smith wrote a letter to bandmate Allison Wolfe when race riots started in their hometown of Washington DC in an appropriately named area called Mount Pleasant. Smith wrote in the letter, "it's going to be a girl riot summer..." Bratmobile gained a following, and the letter was reported to be one of the founding articles that began the obsession with Riot Grrrl.
Riot Grrrl groups were punk-activists who made the female rock industry take off from it's nothingness by its hard fast rant about being a powerful woman who could take control of men, and the surrounding situations.



One, if not the most popular original Riot Grrrl groups was, believe it or not, early days No Doubt. Yep, pop queen sensation Gwen Stefani was one of the original movements of the movement. Although Stefani was the only girl in the group, the band was classified as Riot Grrrl because Stefani had the persona of being a punk, an individual, and talented. In 1995, the abdn released Tragic Kingdom with the hit single "I'm Just a Girl". Blatant enough was the song, so were the lyrics, "I'm just a girl living in captivity"..... there, in that single sentence, was exactly what Riot Grrrl was attempting to prove. Stefani also ranted around this topic in her track "Ex-Girlfriend." ..."I always knew I'd end up your ex-girlfriend". Even in the filmclip, Stefani is determined to portray herself as a powerful and independent woman. Blatant, obvious... and kind of dicky...




Another of the more popular acts that emerged from Riot Grrrl was PJ Harvey. In 1991 Harvey released the single "Dress" to huge political acclaim, and still today remains one of the most popular of female songs. In 1992, Harvey made a huge political statement by posing naked on the cover of British publication New Musical Express (NME). An interesting quote from Harvey is " I don’t ever think about [feminism]. I mean, it doesn't cross my mind. I certainly don’t think in terms of gender when I'm writing songs, and I never had any problems as the result of being female that I couldn't get over. Maybe I'm not thankful for the things that have gone before me, you know. But I don't see that there's any need to be aware of being a woman in this business. It just seems a waste of time." So Harvey, unlike a lot of the women involved in this movement, wasn't actively seeking out being marketed as a woman, but instead, was trying to put herself out there as a talent - I give her props for this, perhaps Stefani should have taken a leaf out of her book?

PJ Harvey - in all her sexual glory.

Riot Grrrl didn't last long as a 'genre' or scene. In 1992 Riot Grrrl was accused of bringing feminism into the moshpits. This was apparently a negative thing for the music industry. I have to question whether or not the male majority felt threatened by this newly introduced scene that glorified women, and made them not just sex symbols - but a voice for the powerful woman.
Although many of the Riot Grrrl bands contained male members, it has been commonly reported that these bands were initially not received well by a male audience. New York had it's own "Pussystock Festival". Bands like Bikini Kill would often actively invite members of the audience to talk about their personal experiences with sensitive issues like sexual abuse, pass out lyric sheets to everyone in the audience girl and boy, and almost always demand that the mosh boys move to the back or side to allow space in front for the girls in the audience, a controversial decision which sometimes led to booing, and often violence.
The band members bit back at this, and they started writing the names that they were called loudly on their chests in lipstick, "Cunt", "Slut", "Bitch" and "Dyke" being the most common of the name calling (original, hey?) However, it was the males who were also involved in the music industry that supported the growing scene. "I was totally into the riot grrrl music, I see it as a very important form of expression. I learned a lot from that, way more maybe than from 'male' punk rock." Alec Empire of Atari Teenage Riot said.

"It was also super schizo to play shows where guys threw stuff at us, called us cunts and yelled "take it off" during our set, and then the next night perform for throngs of amazing girls singing along to every lyric and cheering after every song" - Kathleen Hanna

Kathleen Hanna

Riot Grrrrrrrrrrrrlllllllllllllllllll original beast... Kathleen Hanna. You babe.

Kurt Cobain's ex.
Bikini Kill front woman.
Le Tigre front woman.
Feminist.
Zine writer.
Married to Adam Horovitz of the hip hop group the Beastie Boys.
Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and zines like Jigsaw and Girl Germs helped define the movement that came to be called Riot Grrrl.
Inspired the name for Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough single, Smells Like Teen Spirit, when she wrote "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on Cobain's wall.

Enough?


Riot Grrrl anthem...
Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl

In the beginning...

Well, I realise how out of wack my blog is... in the beginning....?

Okay, so, women in punk?

Punk did not create opportunities for women because they were women, they created an opportunity for anyone who wanted to step up to the mark - and some women did this.

In the 1960s and 70s women were finally able to crack into the music market. Prior to this, only few women musicians had ever been fully appreciated, I do really enjoy Billie Holiday for this reason. But in the 60s and 70s folk and motown musicians were being discovered: Janis Joplin (headcase?), Joni Mitchell, The Supremes etc.

Enter: Siouxsie and the Banshee. The band formed in 1976, and was formed by singer Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin - who remained the only constant members of the band. They lasted from 1976 - 1996 and 2002. In their two decades of creating music, they began to become one of the most poignant bands of that period, because prior to them, there was very few, if any, credited girl-fronted punk bands. Sioux had done what so many women seemed to want to do, enter the punk scene and not be rejected. The band at one point even had the face of punk as a member, Sid Vicious and Robert Smith of The Cure.

Iggy Pop

There should be a firm distinction made from the overly sexy photos that emerged from this period of women involved in punk. The photos have been labelled as the women trying to sex themselves up to show themselves off and inevitably sell records - however, if you look at the likes of Iggy Pop or Sid Vicious, you can see that the punk movement was all about sex and that these women were just immersed in a movement, not in the idea that 'sex sells' and that they should be utilising this common conception. While Siouxsie Sioux’s 1976 appearance wearing a “fishnet stockings, a black cupless bra, a swastika armband, and mismatched leather shoes” was a shockingly sexual move that created a stir, Iggy Pop’s infamous stage antics including frequently exposing himself, proved that it was not just women playing at that game.

Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungent

Siouxsie and the Banshee - Red Ligh


Jesus died for somebody's sins... but not mine - Patti Smith


But before this even was Patti Smith, known as the 'godmother of punk'. She once was quoted to say, “The surge of power you feel when people are applauding for you…man what a great feeling. I have to admit, it’s even better than being with a man”. This could explain the over-powering sexuality that Smith delivered onstage. Although, not the most attractive of women in the music industry, Smith was able to still display this advertently sexual side.
90s punk babe Shirley Manson has marked Patti Smith as one of her biggest influences, and so has REM. The original punk goddess is filled with talent, originality and most importantly sexuality... it's a brutal world, and Patti Smith was a contributor to its brutality.



Patti Smith - Because the Night

Pretty in Punk

Kim Deal

I need to focus my attention a bit more onto specifics.

Girls in Punk

One of the girls that springs to mind when I think about girls in punk is Kim Deal of Pixies. And Christ, she had some real issues. Deal and Black Francis, frontman of the indie rock group who formed in 1986, started a war within the group that came to a head in the Doolittle tour 'Fuck or Fight'. It appears that Francis and Deal chose the latter. Deal's feisty and aggressive personality meant, yes, that wanky term, "creative differences". - also known as Deal's love for the bottle, and her often drunken stage presence.

Pixies

This was all fuelled because the band's 1988 album Surfa Rosa had only one single on it, Gigantic, which Deal was a co-writer of, one of her only creative contributions to the album. Because the song was such a success, Deal argued that she should have more of her songs on future albums, which Francis disagreed with, labelling himself as the song-writer.

The tension was incredibly obvious to the public when in one stage show, Francis became so irritated with Deal that he threw his guitar at her.

Deal was a massive follower of hardcore punk, as is often known as "the girl in Pixies." After Pixies disbanded in 1993, Deal joined more bands, but none of which had the credibility of success of Pixies, and in 2004 a truce was made between Deal and Black (who at this point was now called Frank Black - much more rock'n'roll!)

Pixies are often referred to as "they have a girl in that band!" which my response is, HOLY CRAP! ARE YOU SERIOUS? (Note the sarcasm evident in the capital letters!)

Women in rock - women who rock - women who shock - and then there's Kim Deal... A league of her own.



Pixies' - Gigantic (live 1988)



Pixies - Hey (live in London 1988) - Notice how sober Deal looks (....)

It's Britney...bitch

Iconic female musicians of our time...
Which women let down the music industry?
Which women assist the music industry?
Which women are totally lost?

I begin with Britney Spears. Not so much iconic for her music but rather iconic for being a total lost cause with terrible taste in men.

Britney Spears
Where to begin? I bought her debut single back when she was fresh-faced, drug free and a virgin... but can I ever believe what I'm told? She had that god awful video... someone should have told her that any hairstyle that is piggytails with pink fur keeping them in place is always a bad idea.
Britney Spears released a documentary earlier this year to remind the world of a couple of points; she is a human, and she is totally f*cked up.
Not only this, she's a poor example of music because she doesn't write it, she lip synchs and her dance skills, and she once proved so publicly, aren't all that they are cracked up to be. In fact, Britney Spears is probably one of the worst examples of females in music, but there's no denying her media attention and her on-going success. Unlike Jessica Simpson who faded out pretty quickly, Spears is able to still grasp on to the last remaining glimmer of hope that she will once again be an award winning, and MAYBE even respectable artist.

Cat Power
My favourite of all female artists just had to get a mention in my blog concerning female artists. Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall, is one of the most talented musicians I have ever come across. Marshall's struggle with alcoholism and drug addictions make for dark records and haunting songs. Marshall doesn't embrace the 'girl power' image, instead she loses herself in idols; Aretha Franklin and most importantly, Bob Dylan.
Marshall's critically acclaimed albums are a unique display of musical aptitude. Her guitar, piano and vocal skills are second to none. Her deliriously good looks and captivating stage presence makes for an individual and brilliant music career.
This isn't a girl crush, although you may now think differently, but merely just an admiration of someone who embodies everything beautiful about music, but without a chauvinistic and arrogant way of portraying oneself.

Peaches
Peaches, born Merrill Beth Nisker, embodies EVERYTHING female, and everything totally controversial and confronting. Holy crap, what a woman. And she is all woman. And she gets naked, to prove it, a lot.
Peaches played at the festival Parklife last year and I had the pleasure of meeting one of the back up dancers for her, her describes Peaches' orders to the back up dances as, "get up there... and just go for it." Not just go for it with dancing, go for it with nudity, sex toys and a little girl-on-girl. Not so much a live performance as it is a live sex show, with the crowd pleaser being in her most famous song "Fuck the Pain Away" off her 2000 album The Teaches of Peaches. Peaches isn't so much a feminist but perhaps the girl version of Iggy Pop... or something? Perhaps no comparison should be made with Peaches or anyone. She is woman. She is sexy, dirty and oh-so-sleazy. She's pretty full on, and so is her music.

Katy Perry
I don't have much to say about Katy Perry; so I'll list it:
1) 'I kissed a girl' is the worst song in the world.
2) I don't care if you kissed a girl
3) You're incredibly boring to watch get interviewed.
4) I hope I never have to hear your voice... again.

Debbie Harry
The Blondie front woman is possibly one of the coolest women ever in the music industry. Blondie was a huge sensation back in the 80s and did a lot for the disco era, because to be quite frank, disco music sucks... but Blondie is totally epic.
Debbie Harry spells sex appeal and will forever be known as the sexy front woman. Her voice is remarkably fantastic and versatile.
Probably the most well known song of Blondie's would be "Call Me" which is referenced in a previously mentioned Peaches song "fuck the pain away."
Harry, although fronting a male group, does not scream out that girl power logo with gusto. She's an interesting and appealing figure because she's humble, talented and pretty likable when interviewed. I admire Harry for her music, and her appeal in all that she is.

Girl Power?

If there’s one thing that I get so fed up with when it comes to in the world of rock is the old school view about women in music. Band’s fronted by women, or even containing female members are often harped on about being girl power or girl oriented rock. Can’t it just be considered the same as male rock bands? I blame this on two primary things: 1) the industry and, 2) the women who are musicians who continue to sing about being a woman, and being equal. If you want to be considered equal, I have to be blunt and advise you, shut up and make your music without making your point.
Alicia Keys has that song “Superwoman”, but I’m just asking to cancel the Oprah Winfrey generation crap about being a “super woman” and just make some quality music.
I appreciate Karen O for this. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s front woman is able to hold undeniable sex appeal and musical ability without raising up the idea constantly that yes, she is a “woman in a man’s world”. Her songs are raw, excellent and don’t once mention the phrase, “I am Woman” or something of similar effects, thank Christ, or I might be asking for a bucket.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Girl what?

Kathleen Hanna, although a fan of her work from Le Tigre and Bikini Kill, is a big culprit of shedding light on this issue. Not so much evident in her later band, Le Tigre’s, songs, Bikini Kill’s music was constantly (and rather explicitly) open about the fact that they are an all girl group. Their 1993 debut album was appropriately called “Pussy Whipped” and you better believe that Hanna did not hold back. The song Rebel Girl became a huge number for the band, and its content made it clear that Hanna was all woman. But, contrary to my previous rant about women who beat the idea that they are a woman to death, Hanna is merely dirty, sexy, and isn’t so much about Girl Power then the idea of being shocking, and perhaps even unaware of people’s reactions (although doubtful).

Bikini Kill - pioneers of Riot Grrrl

If I was a musician myself, I wouldn't want to be associated with the term "girl power". Particularly if I was a musician in a solid rock band. This is because the 'band' most associated with this term is Spice Girls. There's no denying that back in the day the Spice Girls certainly "rocked", but not in your traditional way.Spice up your life. Spice Girls led the pack with "girl power" with a film to boot.

Although girl power was originally a strand of riot grrrl, a post punk feminine movement, it was changed in the 90s to become a more pop sensation that allowed pre-teens everywhere to unknowingly celebrate their sex, with very little knowledge on what the original powerful women were trying to achieve. Jennifer Miro of The Nuns had the following to say about women in the punk scene in the late 70s, "There were a lot of women in the beginning. It(the Punk Movement) was women doing things. Then it became this whole macho, anti-women thing. Then women didn't go to see punk bands anymore because they were afraid of getting killed. I didn't even go because it was so violent and so macho that it was repulsive. Women just got squeezed out".
The women in these rock bands were so in touch with their feminine side, it was kind of scary. They wanted so badly to be thought of as powerful, sexual women.... but I'm still set on the fact that they could have done this quietly just by making powerful music instead of trying to spread a powerful message and then perhaps the term "girl rock" wouldn't be around, and women wouldn't have to be so segregated by the music industry. Not so unabashedly feminine, a word which I cringe at, and not because I'm not a feminist but because I think that women should shut up about being powerful women and just be cool women. No Spice Girls. No screaming feminist lyrics into my ears. No girl power. Just music....