From the depths of the Bay (Tampa Bay, that is) arises a mysterious new two piece punk rock studio project (also featuring an Australian citizen): Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Crash Code! These guys just released their very first single, a bad ass melodic punk song called “So Long”, a few months ago. […]
From the depths of the Bay (Tampa Bay, that is) arises a mysterious new two piece punk rock studio project (also featuring an Australian citizen): Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Crash Code!
These guys just released their very first single, a bad ass melodic punk song called “So Long”, a few months ago. I loved that song and told them I wanted to premiere the next single from their upcoming album. So here we are, they’re back with another new single “Sayonara Hitomi”, which is a complete change of pace in the most refreshing way. We’re exclusively premiering the song today – check it out below!
Crash Code will be releasing a full-length album at some point this year, so stay tuned for more to come on that. I already have a feeling this record’s probably gonna be one of my favorites this year just based on what I’ve heard so far. Here’s what the band had to say about it:
“We really try hard to be creative and not follow any templates. Every song is different and unique. No rules perspective. Only important if we like it. Some may not??? They all have special attributes to them to make them interesting. For example, one song that will be on the album is called “Skips a Beat” and, it quite literally skips a beat in the measure. It was a bitch to play and record that one. Just a melting pot of so many influences. We hope people find it refreshing, creative, and different.”
Vægtløs hails from across the Atlantic in Denmark! After playing their first show in June 2022 the band started to take off. Less than 30 days after their first show, they were asked to play support for shoegaze legends Nothing, and word about the band started to creep out. It resulted in a few interviews […]
Vægtløs hails from across the Atlantic in Denmark! After playing their first show in June 2022 the band started to take off. Less than 30 days after their first show, they were asked to play support for shoegaze legends Nothing, and word about the band started to creep out. It resulted in a few interviews and features from different magazines around the world, and when their first single dropped, it got more than 2000 streams in one month on YouTube. This band’s unique sound has them with a fan pool who would also like Lightbearer, Pianos Become the Teeth, Oathbreaker, Deafhaven and Lack. They’ve taken the world by storm and will have 46 record labels around the world simultaneously drop their album on Feb 2nd this year. This album has such a huge and deep impact for the band members and I can only hope the lyrics hit for some of you as they did for me. The world needs more music such as this to be able to relate and trudge through our dark times and be reminded that there is still light.
What do you do when one of your best friends gets diagnosed with cancer? How do you handle losing someone close to you? Vægtløs are trying to wade into questions like these on their upcoming album, which solely includes songs about people close to the band who died or suffered deadly diseases.
They focus on a vulnerability and openness that are lacking in the music scene, but also in society as a whole. Life is fleeting and fragile, and they’re taking it upon themselves to act as a bridge to close the gap between the monumental emotional dread underlying the fact that all beauty will eventually die, and the cathartic strength found in music.
Jumping into this record, it really doesn’t have too many songs; four of them to be exact, but don’t let that fool you. The lyrics and the heaviness of their stories more than make up for the unusual number of tracks. Not to mention each track is between 9-10 minutes long. The music very much reminds me of a chaotic and stressful environment with someone screaming to their unknown entity, “Why things have happened the way they have”, mixed with “I’m not letting this take me out, no matter how bad this hurts”. Each song was paired with a small explanation of the tracks and their stories. Knowing these little tidbits of information may even bring the song to life in a way we haven’t experienced before. Many artists tend to leave songs open to interpretation, and I love that these guys have shared their tragic and deep stories behind these tracks.
“Ingenting kan forhindre, at små struber skælver en forårsnat” (“Nothing Can Prevent the Small Throats from Shaking on a Night of Spring” in English) is the first track on Aftryk. Coming in at about 10 minutes long, its story is the one that touches my heart the most, having myself lost family members to cancer. This track was originally written to be a fight song for the vocalist Troels’ sister-in-law who had been diagnosed with cancer for a second time. When she ended up succumbing to the disease before the release, it took on a new meaning. They’ve written this song for her daughter, to explain that life is beautiful, even if it hurts sometimes. They make sure to stress the importance of letting the memories of our loved ones remain in our hearts forever, which I couldn’t agree with more.
“Først da vi bar din kiste gik det op for mig, hvor meget tungt du skulle igennem, før du blev så let” (“Only When We Carried Your Coffin Did It Dawn On Me How Much Heavy You Had To Go Through Before You Became So Light” in English) is the second song on this album and runs for 9 minutes. This track is a letter to Troels’ father, taken too soon with fond memories left in his wake. The final lyrics are a beautiful homage to his father as he sings a direct translation of Bob Dylan’s “If You See Her, Say Hello” as it was his favorite song and what was played as his coffin was carried from his home. The beauty behind this track’s lyrics had my empathetic side struggling to get through it, yet I couldn’t stop listening.
“Her i vores hjerter bærer vi en ny verden” (“We Carry a New World Here in Our Hearts” in English) comes up as the third track on Aftryk and this encompasses the struggle with addiction, specifically alcoholism, although I feel it can be translated to any vice. It talks of the struggle to reject the vice and understand the struggle of the alcoholic and the young child that doesn’t understand it. The turmoil it can cause and the way humans need to be compassionate to those whose stories we don’t walk. Showing compassion and understanding to those that you may not even understand, and just being kind. Perfect representation of “you have no idea what someone else is going through or carrying around with them, so just be kind.”
“Tag dit knuste hjerte og lav det til kunst” (“Take Your Broken Heart and Make It Into Art” in English) brings up the end of the album in such a beautiful way. This 9-minute track gives us an intro that is calm and serene for about 4 minutes before it picks up into their usual chaotic instrumentals, and the lyrics just tie it together beautifully. This track tells the story of Troels’ good friend who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, yet is still alive and kicking the godforsaken disease in its face to this day. It’s a song of unconditional love to help show life is too short. So, my advice to you is to take this song, hell, take this whole ALBUM, and blast it as a tribute to life and enjoy every minute we’re given on this hunk of rock we all happen to cohabitate on. Life’s too short to be angry, sad, disappointed, jealous, and any other bad emotion you can think of. Appreciate the day and appreciate each other and those you love most.
This record was written and recorded in their own studio, and mixed and mastered by producer Jacob Bredahl, who understood the direction the band wanted to go.
Aftryk will be released and available on all music streaming platforms on February 2nd, 2024!!
Black Flag are continuing to tour the US and Canada with a show that begins with a full performance of their second studio album, My War. After an intermission, continues with a lengthy ‘Best Of’ set. We caught up with the tour at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge for our first show of the year! Check […]
Black Flag are continuing to tour the US and Canada with a show that begins with a full performance of their second studio album, My War. After an intermission, continues with a lengthy ‘Best Of’ set. We caught up with the tour at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge for our first show of the year!
Check out our gallery below!
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
“An Evening with Black Flag” – DNA Lounge, San Francisco, 1/5/24
The Eradicator squashed out the winter blues the night before the day before the New Year. In support at Reggie’s Music Joint, was Mulva, a band whose name, like The Eradicator, has its roots in U.S. television from decades prior. Distants and Royal Dog were also on hand and on stage to round out the […]
The Eradicator squashed out the winter blues the night before the day before the New Year. In support at Reggie’s Music Joint, was Mulva, a band whose name, like The Eradicator, has its roots in U.S. television from decades prior. Distants and Royal Dog were also on hand and on stage to round out the night.
Chicago’s The Eradicator returned to Reggie’s Music Joint on a chilly late December evening. As we have noted previously in DS, Andy Slania’s on-stage persona was inspired by a famous 1989 Kids In the Hall skit of the same name.
The Eradicator was clad in his standard punk rock uniform of tennis shorts with white tennis shoes. A pink polo shirt, topped off by a ski mask covering his entire face completed the outfit. Waving a squash racket, The Eradicator paced back and forth on the small stage. Growling out tunes such as “You Can’t Play Me,” “The End of The Line,” “Can’t Play Well With Others,” and “Squash Queen.” Of course, The Eradicator also played his classics, “I’m A Squash Man,” and “Eradicator Out.”
Punk rock is so often ultra-serious as musicians belt out songs addressing issues of the day and relationship woes. These subjects make for some of the best songs.
But every once in a while, we need a respite from the darkness, to counter it with light. The Eradicator serves (pun intended) that well. There’s no trickle boost at an Eradicator show, just straight drives to your funny bone.
Distants visited Chicago from its relatively not-so-distant hometown of Grand Rapids, MI (just 179.1 miles between the two cities). The rambunctious set included “12 St. Beach,” “Forfeiture,” “To Roost,” and “Odds and Ends.” Distants gave the crowd a terrific performance which perfectly complemented the band’s bill-mates on this evening.
Royal Dog, another Chicago crew was founded as a solo project in 2018. However, it grew into a full band just this past year. Royal Dog drove through a rowdy set, including,” “Pickle, “All Your Shit,” “Haha Fer Sher Fer Sher,” and “Crabbed.”
Royal Dog has both bark and bite. Hopefully, it will unleash more treats in the near future.
Mulva’s moniker was inspired by the infamous Seinfeld episode, “The Junior Mint” (but to be fair, can’t most of the show’s episodes be described as infamous?). The Milwaukee/Chicago group self-describes as “Indie-ish /Punk-ish DIY.” But whatever the name and labels, the band, first to hit the stage, performed a lively set, blasting out “Stay With Me (Forever),” “Believe,” “I Can’t Wake Up,” “Hypocrite,” and “I Keep Fucking Up.” The band certainly woke up the crowd whilst doing anything but fucking up.
Please see more photos from the show below. Thanks and Cheers!
Having recently hopped aboard the Punkerton Records roster, Detroit pop-punk trio Middle-Out is gearing up to release their self-titled debut LP in 2024. Dying Scene is stoked to bring you this exclusive premiere of the band’s brand new single “Ballerinas”. Check out the music video below! “Ballerinas” has a familiar story to tell; being so […]
Having recently hopped aboard the Punkerton Records roster, Detroit pop-punk trio Middle-Out is gearing up to release their self-titled debut LP in 2024. Dying Scene is stoked to bring you this exclusive premiere of the band’s brand new single “Ballerinas”. Check out the music video below!
“Ballerinas” has a familiar story to tell; being so set in your ways, that you’re in EVERYONE’S way. When your friends and loved ones grow tired of your stubbornness and blunt nature, to the point that they must modify themselves around you, tip-toeing on the eggshells.
The video, filmed at a local ballet studio and featuring mostly non-experienced performers, provides the allegory for this attitude. Your friends and family walking so daintily to avoid upsetting you, but that facade can only be kept up so long until they burst in anger, leaving you alone – the last ghost in a ghost town.
Dying Scene caught up with Diskount Vodka in Pueblo, Colorado for a short interview and visited them at the practice space that they share with The Dead End. We also visited Land of Ozz and Bishop Castle for all of the cool happenings in the Pueblo area. This interview has been edited for length and […]
Dying Scene caught up with Diskount Vodka in Pueblo, Colorado for a short interview and visited them at the practice space that they share with The Dead End. We also visited Land of Ozz and Bishop Castle for all of the cool happenings in the Pueblo area.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Dying Scene: Tell me about Diskount Vodka. Who’s in the band and what kind of music do you play?
Diskount Vodka: I’m Pickle, I play the drums. I’m Ellie Blackbird, I play guitar and sing. And I’m Cuauhtli Gome, I play bass guitar.
Ellie Blackbird: We formed a bit over a year ago.
Cuauhtli Gomez: We’re a punk rock and roll band.
DS: Tell me, how did you guys come up with the name Discount Vodka?
Pickle: We were in Center, Texas at David Gardner’s (the Coffin Boys, Trash Idols, Horror Movie) house and David started talking about Discount Vodka somewhere and Ellie liked the name. We formed a band and we took the name. That’s how that name came about.
DS: Are any of you in any other bands? What is your connection to The Dead End?
P: I play the drums in The Dead End, a psychobilly band. We’ve done it for eight years. We have new material coming out next year sometime. We’ve been a working band this whole time doing big things. We did a bunch of stuff with Three Bad Jacks. We just got done doing another tour out to Californiia and back.
CG: Carlos, the singer and guitarist, is my older brother and L.J., the bassist, is my cousin.
EB: Cuauhtli and I aren’t in any other bands. This is our thing, our main thing.
DS: How would you describe your music to someone?
EB: It’s more old-school punk sounding. And, it’s not strictly one thing. I think there’s more…you can tell there’s influences of, you know, like rock and roll and hardcore but it’s just punk, you know, it’s just punk rock.
DS: Who are your biggest influences or inspirations?
P: I don’t know. I have all kinds of influences. I started off being influenced by the Ramones. Before that, it was like Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today and all those bands from my friend, Burt (…And We All Die). And, actually, he’s the one that got me into punk rock all those years ago. Him and those records, like Fearless Iranians From Hell and all that stuff. Angry Samoans. That stuff’s still good to this day. I like a little bit of everything. I like Rancid. I like The Casualties. I like Hank Williams but, then again, I like psychobilly stuff like Mad Sin, The Brains, and Rezurex. I could go off in millions of directions.
CG: The Pretenders inspired me to want to play in a band.
DS: Are you guys working with a record label? If so, who?
EB: Nope, we’re all by ourselves.
P: Well, we have a split seven-inch coming out on a record label, which is Split Personality Records, in mid-January 2024. It’s a split seven-inch with Tv Tragedy from Phoenix. They’re a good punk rock band. They’ve been around for 10 years. But other than that we’re not on a label but we are looking.
DS: Perfect. I was just about to ask if you have recorded anything. So tell me about it.
P: Well, right now there’s one song called “Time is Now” we just released on November 11th. We (released) another single called “Victim” on December 1st, then a cover song called “Gacked on Anger” (by Amyl and the Sniffers) on December 30th, and then we’ll have that split seven-inch that’s coming out on January 13th. And then in February we’ll put a full-length album.
EB: Currently, we’re working on releasing that first album called Punk Salad. That should be out by February.
DS: Will it be with the same record label?
P: No, the full length will just be us putting it out independently. So, if somebody wants to pick us up, they can. We’re going to play a seven-inch release show in Las Vegas on January 13th.
DS: Have you been playing any local shows? Where have you been performing lately?
EB: Mainly we like to play at a little DIY venue here called The Bombshelter. It’s an all ages venue. It’s cool. A lot of people come out. We’ve also played in Colorado Springs at the Triple Nickel a few times. We also hit Denver. Lately we’ve been playing at Bar Bar.
P: We’ve played at The Crypt up there, too. We’ve also played at The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs.
DS: What is the music scene like in Pueblo, Colorado?
EB: It’s growing. Mainly it’s been mostly metal and that kind of stuff but, as of recent years, it’s been like growing into more like…people are interested in punk and…
CG: It’s more diverse now than it was at one time.
P: Goths. There’s a bunch of gothic kids now.
EB: Goth uprising.
P: The punk rock scene. You’re looking at it. But there’s like, there’s high school kids that do come and there’s old school people like around my age who do come to shows too that are like old punk rockers. But we’re the only punk rock band in Pueblo besides The Dead End. The Springs (Colorado Springs) is weird. It has punk rock bands but they’re all younger. They’re fun to play with. They dance the whole time. It’s fun playing places where people just dance all the time.
DS: Have you achieved what you sought out to?
P: We have over-achieved and become more than what we even expected, to be honest with you. So, we’re just gonna keep going that direction.
EB: Yep.
P: Some people must like it I guess.
DS: So, what’s next for Diskount Vodka?
P: More songs and bigger shows. Maybe some bigger festivals. Maybe a tour.
DS: If you were to play a festival, which one would you like to play?
P: Any of them.
EB: Any of them, honestly. I love it.
P: Yeah, there are fests all over the place. That C.Y. Fest looks like it’d be fun. And then there’s 40 Fest in Georgia.
P: I watched a video with Rancid playing the other day. Tried to get some inspiration off of it. Sometimes, I don’t listen to anything…I just listen to the radio, like oldies.
DS: So, do you have anything else you’d like to share?
EB: Check us out. Hope you like our stuff. Get us traveling, you know.
P: Bring us to your city.
EB: Yes. Bring us to you.
CG: Take me to your leader.
It was great catching up with Diskount Vodka. It looks like 2024 is going to be a really exciting year for them! If you are in Las Vegas on January 13th check out Tv Tragedy and Diskount Vodka for the Split Record Release Show.
A pre-New Year’s Eve rock’n’roll night at San Francisco’s best dive bar…Benders! The BPMs are so new that the paint is still drying on their logo. We believe that this was their 2nd show. However Eric, Atom and Mic are all veterans of the Bay Area music scene, and bring tight poppy punk. Flexx Bronco […]
A pre-New Year’s Eve rock’n’roll night at San Francisco’s best dive bar…Benders!
The BPMs are so new that the paint is still drying on their logo. We believe that this was their 2nd show. However Eric, Atom and Mic are all veterans of the Bay Area music scene, and bring tight poppy punk.
Flexx Bronco don’t play so often anymore, as one of the members moved to Southern California. They’ve been around since 2001, and consistently bring driving hard rock, so we catch them when we can.
See a gallery of all photos from the show below:
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
The BPMs at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
Flexx Bronco at Bender’s Bar & Grill, San Francisco, 12/30/23
California Ramonescore veterans The Carmines will be releasing their comeback album Work Harder Not Smarter this Thursday. You don’t have to wait any longer to listen to the record though, because we’re hooking you up with this exclusive premiere! Check it out below. Featuring Slick Shoes drummer Joe Nixon and guitarist Greg Togawa, Work Harder […]
California Ramonescore veterans The Carmines will be releasing their comeback album Work Harder Not Smarter this Thursday. You don’t have to wait any longer to listen to the record though, because we’re hooking you up with this exclusive premiere! Check it out below.
Featuring Slick Shoes drummer Joe Nixon and guitarist Greg Togawa, Work Harder Not Smarter sees the Carmines ripping through 10 (very obviously Ramones influenced) new tracks. It’ll keep you pogoing for the entirety of its slightly-less-than-30 minute runtime.
Sweetie is a Chicago-based lipstick-punk band with a femme fatale ferocity and a French influence. Voted a Top 5 Punk Band in the Chicago Reader two years in a row, Sweetie has found a niche in playing shows in the punk scene and drag shows alike, including venues such as the Metro, Green Mill, The […]
Meet Sweetie.
Joe
Bass
Birdy Vee
Guitar and vocals
Ryan
Drums
Sweetie is a Chicago-based lipstick-punk band with a femme fatale ferocity and a French influence. Voted a Top 5 Punk Band in the Chicago Reader two years in a row, Sweetie has found a niche in playing shows in the punk scene and drag shows alike, including venues such as the Metro, Green Mill, The Egyptian Theatre, Reggie’s, Cobra Lounge, Last Rites and Liar’s Club.
Dying Scene is thrilled to interview this local band and talk about drag queens, the queer community, new music releases and some hard-hitting questions that you do not want to miss.
What do you love most about being in Sweetie?
Joe: Honestly, I enjoy the spectacle of our live show. The band is always pushing ourselves to perform our very best and engage with our audience. So many rock songs are pretty simple 3 or 4-chord progressions, but it’s all about the raw power that you play those chords. And raw power is something that Sweetie brings to the table in spades!
Ryan: All the fantastic folks! Making friends with all these incredible bands, venues, and not to mention Birdy and Joe has been an absolute pleasure.
Birdy: I love the wide variety of opportunities to express myself creatively. Writing music is one of my favorite creative outlets, and it is an even bigger high when you take that song you wrote and perform it with your bandmates for the first time. The feeling of that tiny idea turning into such a big sound gives me goosebumps! Also, I ADORE performing. I really love being on stage and interacting with the crowd.
I also love finding new and creative ways for Sweetie to perform. We often perform in spaces that can be considered atypical for a punk band. We’re the house band for the Rocky Horror Picture Show in Dekalb and have performed at countless drag shows. I really like to find ways to take the idea of the typical punk show and elevate it: collaborating with a different variety of artists and performers and giving it that variety show feel.
I also love the connections I have made with people in the scene! I have made some really wonderful friendships with other musicians and performers in the scene, many of whom have been so supportive in so many ways. Sweetie would not exist today without the care and support of these people. AND I LOVE connecting with new people at our shows. I am a huge people-person and love to meet new folks.
How would you describe the music you typically create?
B: If Edith Piaf was reborn as a punk musician, that would be Sweetie. Our music is hyper-emotive, almost to a fault, and is often about love and longing through a female lens, with nods to subculture, queer culture, and the underworld nightlife. All just completely smeared in red lipstick.
Ryan, you were a music major with a heavy background in jazz music…did you ever picture you’d be playing in a glam lipstick punk band?
R: Well, I knew some type of rock band was inevitable, as that’s what came first in my life. I’ve been a jazz guy since high school, and I think that’s really influenced the way I play all styles of music in terms of style, phrasing, improvisation, etc.; so as far as the punk aspect goes, I see the jazz background as an asset to my playing. As far as the “glam lipstick” aspect goes, that’s a new one for me but I’m diggin’ it!
Birdy, you spearheaded the amazing local music fest Hands Off Our Fest (H.O.O.F.), can you tell me more about it, and will we expect it to come back in 2024?
B: Hands Off Our Fest is a music festival celebrating the women, femmes, and thems of the Chicago punk scene, featuring a drag show consisting of some of the area’s finest drag queens, kings, and things. I created this festival to help the women, femmes, thems, and queer folks in the local punk scene to bond with one another, network, and to create space. I have often felt stifled and uncomfortable as a woman in the punk scene, and the feeling can be very isolating. Also, there are so many local femme and queer acts locally that so often get overlooked and replaced with these cis-male fronted bands. I wanted to create a fest to celebrate these amazing talents and voices, while also just having as much fun as possible. The festival was such a success and every time I bump into a fellow HOOF performer when out and about, it’s always such a treat! I’ve definitely made many new friends as a result, and I ABSOLUTELY want to keep this festival going in the years to come. You can DEFINITELY expect HOOF to return in 2024.
Joe, you use an electric bass for your other bands but an upright bass for Sweetie. Any reason why?
J: One of the most important things that I have learned as a hired-gun/studio musician is that you should always serve the song. While there is definitely a level of flash to showing up to a rock gig with an instrument almost matching the size of the drum set, my intention is not to draw away from the songs and compliment them the best I can. I originally joined the group as a “fill in” for a few gigs for the band. When I was sent over demos and videos to learn the songs for these upcoming shows, Birdy was playing a 335/semi-hollow style guitar. This sound instantly brought me back to the classic rockabilly and Elvis records that I loved as a kid, while still being punk rock!
Of course, I showed up to the first band rehearsal/audition with all the songs learned on the electric bass, but I asked about what Birdy thought about me playing upright the next time we got together. I’m pretty sure that her response was, “I’ve never thought about how that would sound, but sure”. I fully believe that she was thinking that I was planning this only for the upcoming show to make it a large surprise spectacle, not that I was dead serious about taking the bass role on this instrument. I also don’t think this instrumental change took too much convincing after hearing it in application and has absolutely shaped some of our own Sweetie sound (even if Birdy changed over to her Flying V guitar).
At your show at The Metro with The Lawrence Arms, you brought out a drag performer (who was fantastic!) and I’ve noticed Sweetie does a lot of stuff related with drag performers. Any reason why?
B: That was my drag mother, Sindy Vicious! Since really early on, Sweetie has been collaborating with drag performers as often as we can. It all started out when we had a residency at a queer comedy variety show called T-Time at the Comedy Shrine (Rest in Peace Comedy Shrine). This was run by Penelope Torres and was a quarterly variety show that featured queer stand-up comedy, drag performances, and music by Sweetie, the resident band for this event. At our very first show, we met drag performer Sindy Vicious, who later approached me with an idea for a music video for our song ‘Devil Girl’. Her and I immediately began working together and this formed a creative collaboration and friendship that has persisted ever since. I am actually in the Haus of Vicious now (a Haus being a drag family in the community) and Vicious is where the Vee in Birdy Vee originates! She directed and edited the video for Devil Girl, Mamma, as well as the music video for our new single, Showgirl. The video also features drag performer and my dear pal, Kai Valentine. I love performing and collaborating with the drag community and hope to continue to do so in the years to come!
You are about to release a new single! What’s the inspiration behind the song?
B: The new single is called ‘Showgirl’, and there is so much inspiration behind this song. Firstly, the title is a nod to the movie Showgirls (1995) which is one of my favorite cult films of all time (after the Rocky Horror Picture Show, of course). At the time that I wrote the song, I was starting to feel the isolation and frustration that can come with being a performer. You are putting your whole heart and all of your energy into this thing, pouring your guts out on stage, and then when it’s all over, what’s left? The song also parallels a relationship that is in the same vein- something that you are pouring your heart into and from which you are getting very little back. But in the song, there’s also that tone of resilience, with a focus on women in the music industry. The stress that women in the music industry are under, and well as the constant criticism that they face can be shattering. The statement of ‘this will not break me’, which a lot of times is easier said than done, helps the song end on a high note. Ultimately, ‘Showgirl’ makes it through and comes out stronger in the end.
When can we expect the next album?
B: The new album is called La Vie en Rouge (which means Life in Red), which is a reference to Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie en Rose’. The song La Vie en Rose is about being in love and seeing ‘life in pink’. The idea of La Vie en Rouge takes that idea but intensifies it. When you’re seeing life in red, there is passion, there is rage, there is fire. That is what I’m trying to channel in this album. Also, Sweetie’s most recognizable color is red, so the album title is a nod to that as well. We are so proud of this album and it is projected to come out in June 2024.
Now for the hard-hitting questions…would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?
J: While I would ideally not like to cause any harm to these proposed majestical creatures. My gut instinct would be to choose the 100 duck-sized horses to see if we may be able to reach some sort of diplomatic resolution without violence. But on the other hand, a horse-sized duck head would look pretty sweet mounted over a fireplace mantle…
R: Horse-sized duck is out of the question. I’m already afraid of geese and they’re not much larger than ducks. On the other hand, what’s a duck-sized horse gonna do? Kick me? Okay.
B: Do I get some sort of weapon? I’m pretty sure I could fight off 100 duck-sized horses with a broom or a hammer or something. But one horse-sized duck? They’ve got all those little teeth and they can fly and hunt you down… But then the 100 duck-horses could kick you to death with their little hooves. If I get a weapon, I’ll choose the little duck-sized horses.
Lastly, if you went on a national tour, how many pairs of pants would you bring with you?
J: My serious answer would probably be 3 to have a solid rotation, but I would be an advocate for shorts (weather dependent) to require less fabric to dirty up and for a higher level of comfort.
R: We don’t believe in that sort of thing.
B: No.
Anything else you want us to know?
B: Women, femmes, thems, and queer folks in the punk and alternative communities need to take up more space in our scene. Keep punk rock queer.
Check out the gallery below for more live photos of Sweetie and be on the look out for their new song release and album!
Another brilliant day, another bad-ass premiere coming your way! Cincinnati-based punkers GET WRECKED’s debut single ”Get Shreked or Die Tryin’” is out right now, along with a lyric video. “Get Shreked or Die Tryin’” comes off of GET WRECKED’s debut EP Day of Wreckoning, out January 23rd. Scroll down to check out the brand new […]
Another brilliant day, another bad-ass premiere coming your way! Cincinnati-based punkers GET WRECKED’s debut single ”Get Shreked or Die Tryin’” is out right now, along with a lyric video.
“Get Shreked or Die Tryin’” comes off of GET WRECKED’s debut EP Day of Wreckoning, out January 23rd.
Scroll down to check out the brand new tune or stop by Southgate House Revival in Newport, KY on January 27th for their official EP release show with Daywalker, Trash Knight, Misunderstood, and Alex Kasznel & the Board of Directors.
Simon M
????Hell yeah!!!????