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typicalgirls - Re: [TypicalGirls] Riot Grrrl: genre vs. musical-political ethos

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Subject: Typical Girls: Women in Punk/Post-Punk/Underground Music (Circa 1975-1980s)

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  • From: "Tobi Vail" <tobivail AT gmail.com>
  • To: "Typical Girls: Women in Punk/Post-Punk/Underground Music (Circa 1975-1980s)" <typicalgirls AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [TypicalGirls] Riot Grrrl: genre vs. musical-political ethos
  • Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:38:37 -0700

well i don't know if it's riot grrrl or not, but there are a bunch of
DIY girl-bands right now with a feminist sensibility...as far as
breaking new ground musically, that isn't necessarily everyone's
goal...certainly has never been one of mine...i like to play around
with form as much as the next person, but riot grrrl (musically) was
about appropriating the formal elements of punk and infusing it with
feminist ideas so that we could get feminism out to the masses of punk
girls who were being pushed out of the pit by male domination and
sexism. we had to be accessible in order to reach people...that
created a space for women who were experimenting with formal elements
to be taken seriously...it is no coincidence that bands that are
associated with typical girls were not taken seriously as part of the
punk/post punk canon until after riot grrl happened. we used to right
down a list of these bands for every girl we met who was wanting more.
we'd go here: go find records by these bands: 1. raincoats. 2. slits
3. delta 5 etc. and go watch these movies, 1. the fabulous stains 2.
out of the blue 3. time square etc....

to add to your list:

yo majesty
new bloods
teenage christian runaway
modern reveries
wet dog
hey girl
etc

On 9/13/07, Lizzie Ehrenhalt <dancingvioletsnail AT yahoo.com> wrote:
> I appreciate this point about people's tendency to stick current groups with
> the riot grrrl tag when they don't necessarily embody the explicit feminist
> politics of the original bands (Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Huggy Bear, e.g.).
> Or even of the fanzines, social networks and activism that were always as
> big a part of the riot grrrl movement as the music. Obviously, we don't
> want to keep on repeating the same mistakes as all those journalists from
> the 1990s who called every female musician with ripped tights and a guitar a
> riot grrrl. It's an interesting question: what does the riot grrrl label
> mean in 2007? Has it held on to any kind of subversive potential?
>
> That said, some of the bands I listed are explicitly feminist and
> political. Kitten Forever, a band I accidentally left off the list, are
> influenced by Allison Wolfe and sing about misogyny and reclaiming the punk
> scene for women. I highly recommend them:
> http://www.myspace.com/kittenforeverrr
>
> Lizzie
>
> unmannedmission AT gmail.com wrote:
> It's kind of funny... because I guess it's like the difference between
> calling the Ying Yang Twins "Hip Hop" when if you wanted to be technical
> they're more "Rap." I'd say there's a difference between all female bands
> who are more punk than riot grrrl? While the sound may be similar, the
> content is more what would define it. So maybe my calling it a resurgence in
> riot grrrl was off, and it's more the resurgence of the sound... in general
> anyway. I guess it kind of mimics No Wave coming back in the early 2000's...
> and a lot of that being the same way... more about the finished sound than
> the process and constructive ethics.
>
> On 9/13/07, Lizzie Ehrenhalt < dancingvioletsnail AT yahoo.com> wrote:
> > For the past six months I've been keeping a running list of--for lack of a
> better term--"neo-riot-grrrl" bands as I find them. Here's what I have so
> far (current side projects of original riot grrrls, like Partyline, don't
> count):
> >
> > Love of Diagrams
> > Kiosk
> > Baby Guts (truly amazing, from Minneapolis!)
> > Gamine Thief
> > Mil Mascaras
> > Shrag
> > Finally Punk
> > Mika Miko
> > The Grates
> > Poppy & the Jezebels (not punk, but still grrrlish)
> > Be Your Own Pet (for the amazing Jemima Pearl)
> >
> > Australia seems to have a particularly strong grrrl-influenced scene going
> at the moment...many of the above bands are Aussies.
> >
> > Please add your own favorites to the list and help it grow!
> >
> > Lizzie
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > unmannedmission AT gmail.com wrote:
> > I was just curious what the list members thoughts were on the surge of
> new, younger artists taking a lot of queues from the riot grrrl movement of
> the early 90's. Finally Punk (
> http://www.myspace.com/finallypunk), Kiosk
> (http://www.myspace.com/kiosk), for two and of course the projects of the
> forever hard working Allison Wolfe, and Tobi Vail as well. I've had several
> disagreements with people who complain that while the music these bands are
> making is fun... they're just not taking it anywhere new. Having grown up
> listening to Bikini Kill and Bratmobile a lot... I'm inclined to like this
> stuff for pure nostalgia, let alone that the music is great in its own right
> in my opinion. I think it's great that the ideas that started a movement in
> underground music more than a decade ago, can still translate well to the
> next generation without coming across as trite and overly derivative. Anyone
> else, thoughts? Also, if you have info on similar bands, post em' up... i'd
> love to hear more.
> >
> > justin
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
> > Lizzie Ehrenhalt
> > MSI candidate, School of Information
> > University of Michigan
> > 616 Wesley Ave.
> > Ann Arbor, MI 48103
> > BLOG: http://www.pogoprincess.blogspot.com
> > CELL: 703-945-2112
> > ________________________________
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> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
>
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>
>
> Lizzie Ehrenhalt
> MSI candidate, School of Information
> University of Michigan
> 616 Wesley Ave.
> Ann Arbor, MI 48103
> BLOG: http://www.pogoprincess.blogspot.com
> CELL: 703-945-2112
>
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