It's been way too long!

It's been way too long since I've posted but in the mean time I've been living life - I graduated nursing school, have been working 2 jobs, have moved twice in the past year and am about to have a baby!  Here are a couple of interviews with Kathleen Hanna that I'd thought I'd share:

An interview with Teenage Film: Kathleen Hanna: Start a Band Right Away.

And an interview on one of my favorite sites Collapse Board.

Blogger has a completely different format, that's how long it's been. I've got to get used to it! 

Things I Forgot to Blog in 2010 Part 5: THE Julie Ruin !

Okay, so I did remember to write about the Kathleen Hanna documentary that Sini Anderson is making.  But they recently did a benefit show in NY where Kathleen announced a revival of The Julie Ruin and the new band is also featuring Kathi Wilcox! Wow!!!!!!! When I saw Kathleen was having that Julie Ruin t-shirt contest, I was hoping something like this was on her mind.  Here is a review from BUST and another great one from Star Beat Music. I'm really upset I didn't go to this. Lame Lame Lame. I got to see Kathleen perform a few Julie Ruin songs in 1999 with some of the very early Le Tigre shows and can't wait to see more.  don't stop. don't stop. don't stop. Here are some videos from the night but be sure to check out the Star Beat Music link for set list and more detail and you can also look up the others on Youtube cos I'm not able to post 800 videos at once.

       

The Kathleen Hanna Project

I am super excited about the upcoming documentary film The Kathleen Hanna Project, which Sini Anderson is working on  Below is a letter from Sini through facebook, looking for donations to make this project a reality!  Please consider donating. 

Dear Friends, Fans, and Family:

As some of you already know, I am currently knee-deep in the early stages of directing a documentary film about Kathleen Hanna. It’s a unique opportunity, and an important one. This film is not simply an archive of Kathleen’s impact on our culture as a feminist leader and musician (which could easily be a five-part miniseries).

I am making an intimate portrait of a complex artist and activist that explores where she’s been, where she is now, and where she is going. Inevitably, these questions will engage larger ones about the nature of art and activism, as well as fame, friendship, and community.

When Kathleen and I sat down a few months ago and talked about the film I wanted to make, we both agreed that it should be as ambitious, professional, and as beautiful as possible. Accordingly, I am shooting everything on HD cameras, with the latest technology. I won’t bore you with gibberish about P2 cards, but I can assure you that this stuff is futuristic. It is also very expensive.
Here’s what we have going for us: a kick-ass team of talented, passionate people who are temporarily willing to work for free; the collaboration of our subject, Kathleen; 20 years of archival footage documenting her work, and a clear, inspired vision of what this film will be and why it needs to be made.

Here’s what we don’t have (yet): money. Nonetheless, because we are so confident that this film will find the support it needs, we are already in production, and intend to stick to our current schedule, which has us shooting through the end of the year.
Don’t worry; we aren’t relying on faith alone to finance this film. During our marathon, hummus-fueled meetings in my Bushwick apartment, we have formulated a plan and taken action toward qualifying for non-profit status (we have an interested fiscal sponsor), while remaining eligible for private investors. We have an accomplished grantwriter on the ready. We are in the process of making a teaser video to pitch to potential producers, and a shorter cut to launch on the fundraising site, Kickstarter. However, we are in desperate need of more gigantic hard-drives to store all of our beautiful HD footage, not to mention more P2 cards, sound and lighting equipment, sustenance for our crews (don’t want anybody getting too skinny in the service of good art), media transfers, and lots more.

So this is, in the end, our first request for support (you probably already figured that out, huh?). Very much in the spirit of all independent, grassroots movements (hello, feminism. hi riot grrls. hi underground musicians, artists, and revolutionaries), we need those who support independent art, feminist art, and the documentation of our underground leaders to rally. We want to do this right, so that it's as good as it should be, and reaches the widest audience possible.
You can donate via Paypal here (you’ll have to set up an account, if you don’t have one, which takes about one minute); all you need is your email and mine (sinianderson3@gmail.com). Anything helps. $5-$500,000 right, right.

If any of you want to throw a whole bunch of money at this project, we would be thrilled to give you an executive producer credit. And if you have a larger donation that you'd like to be tax deductible, that will be possible after we have non-profit status (probably by the end of the summer). Either way, get in touch and we will figure it out.

Lastly, I'd be so grateful if you’d forward this letter on to anyone you know who might want to be of help.

So much thanks and love,
Sini Anderson


     

Help My Puppy

Although there are many ways to make money with blogs, I have never used this site to do so.  But I am asking for your help. I rescued my dog Foxy four years ago. He was four years old and had already had four other homes because of a lot of issues with separation anxiety and house breaking, but I refused to give up on the lil bugger! Fast forward to last week, when he was running up the stairs and tore his cruciate ligament. He had surgery on Friday which cost almost $1700.  I am going to be selling a bunch of stuff on ebay so I can try to pay my vet bill. Please show your support to my lil puppy and buy something, and spread the word! My name on ebay is suckmyleftone and you can find my items here.  Below are just a few of the items that went up today but I plan on adding more so please check back and thanks so much for your support!

 

love, Casey and Foxy

 Vest I made with a Bikini Kill backpatch I screen printed, studs, a "riot=not quiet" patch, and some pins!

I got this one of a kind screen-printed Yeah Yeah Yeah's Purse at a show! 

 

 Another Vest I made featuring Pink studs!

Le Tigre Tour Shirt from 2003 "Bands Against Bush Tour"

A lot of Grrrl patches 

 

Pink jean jacket!

A lot of punky, spikey, studded bondage and leopard type things (belts, chokers, bracelets, etc.) 

Lot of 10 punk grrrl skirts and a pair of zippered knee-high stockings.

And for your reading pleasure.....

Flipside with the Lunachicks, Bamboo Girl zine and a special collectors edition of Ms. 

First issue of ReadyMade Magazine!

 

 Hole Courtney Love Magazine Lot

Bitch Magazine Lot

And last but not least....

 My pink puma roller skates! I love these!


   

I wanna go to the carnival

Taking a study break and I just realized that Johanna Fateman blogged about Le Tigre working with Christina Aguilera.  And I'm reading the posts on the new Bikini Kill archives. So cool and inspiring!  Kathleen is also collecting videos of any shows you have, so send them to her. I'm going to convert what I have to DVD and send it along. I cross my fingers/touch wood/spit and hope that all of this will prompt them to do a reunion show.... 

Here's a video from 1992 of Bikini Kill playing in DC. I have this show on tape, and it's aweeeesome. This video is of Girl Soldier, Hamster Baby and Jigsaw Youth.  During this show they also played one of my favorite's Daddy's Lil Girl.  <3 <3 <3

And here is another unreleased Bikini Kill song, with Billy singing! 

       

Bikini Kill Archive Blog!

Submit your stories to the Bikini Kill Archive Blog!

        

NYU Archives "The Kathleen Hanna Papers"

You may remember that Johanna Fateman and Kathleen Hanna talked about their plans to donate their zines to NYU on Hannah Neurotica's Blog Talk Radio Show (if you missed it, you can listen here!)  Well, according to The L Magazine, NYU's Fales Library has recently acquired The Kathleen Hanna Papers.  Who wants to take a road trip? Hannah..?  Anyone..?  I know Jason will not really be into this trip, with me spending countless hours geeking out at the library and all.  Let me know, cos I'm serious.

             

America the Beautiful

As everyone is recovering from their gluttonous celebrations and thinking about their new year's resolutions, I thought it would be important to post about the documentary America the Beautiful by Darryl Roberts.  This is not really music related* but we are all being bombarded by diet messages this time of year so please check it out.  I know I sometimes feel guilty because I'm supposed to be this self-confident feminist but I too find myself sucked into our culture's strive for self-perfection.  So a movie like this is a nice reminder, to bring me back to my values.

Also, I didn't realize so many products were banned in Europe, but are still legal and being used in American beauty products. Scary. I'm hoping my library has the book Drop-Dead Gorgeous: Protecting Yourself From the Hidden Dangers of Cosmetics by Kim Erickson.  And I want to learn more about phthalates and choosing safe products.

*although I could tie it in by quoting Bikini Kill: "we're not gonna prove nothin', sittin' around watching each other starve, what we want is action/strategy I want I want I want it now!" and playing some songs about body image.

Kathleen Hanna on WFMU

When you have some time (it's about a 3 hour show with some great music!) Check out Beastin' the Airwaves! with Keili on WFMU, with Kathleen Hanna and Ad-Rock talking about one of my favorite subjects, youth empowerment through the arts!  One of the songs they play and talk about is the Fly Girlz wjp are part of a youth hip-hop series called Representing NYC, from Brooklyn.

      

Riot Grrrl Retrospective 1 - Tobi Vail on Bikini Kill

Tobi Vail on Bikini Kill Video

I won't attempt to give Tobi Vail justice. She is a musician, activist and zinester from Olympia and she's been in a bunch of bands including The Go Team, Spray Painted Love, Doris, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Bikini Kill, The Frumpies, The Old Haunts and Spider and the Webs (just to name a few.)

Check out some of her current projects:

Tobi Vail on Myspace

Spider and the Webs

     

Bikini Kill's First Tour

Tinuviel has her own all girl label Villa Villakula (remember, Pippi Longstocking!) She wrote this cool article in 1998 that appeared in the Boston Phoenix: First-Person Punk Remembering Bikini Kill's first tour.

Above is a clip from Bikini Kill in Central Hill, Washington DC on July 25, 1992. They play an unreleased song called Girl Soldier, as well as Hamster Baby and Jigsaw Youth. I have a VHS of this show, and it is not such great quality.

My introduction to riot grrrl

In the 90's, like the rest of the world, I got into grunge. I was coming of age in a time when alternative music was pretty exciting, and with the rampant furor of a pre-teen, I ate it all up. In middle school I found punk, which I wholeheartedly embraced. I started going to tons of shows, writing zines, trading tapes, and eventually putting on shows. At this time I was a typical punk teenager sporting a mohawk, piercings, ripped fishnets and mini-skirts.

But I slowly became disillusioned with the punk scene. There was so much testosterone around and I didn't want to be a coat-rack at a show, I wanted to dance and jump around like the boys. I believed in the DIY ethic, and I wanted to make music too! There were other things in the scene that I felt conflicted with as well. For example, at the time in Boston there were tons of fashion punks, and I thought it was really superficial. I didn't necessarily want to conform to the standard punk uniform, and people looked at me weird because of that. It had become just like what I was trying to escape in my lame high school. I dreamed about the '77 days, when women seemed more of an integral part of the punk scenes (maybe I am romanticizing this?)

Anyway, when I was about 15 years old I remember being at the library to use their internet and printer. I was depressed and looked up "Sylvia Plath" online (hahah - so cliche.) The lyrics from Bikini Kill's "Bloody Ice Cream" came up on my screen:

Image via Wikipedia

"The Sylvia Plath story is told to girls who write
They want us to think that to be a girl poet
Means you have to die
Who is it
That told me
All girls who write must suicide?
I've another good one for you
We are turning
Cursive letters into knives"

I remembered a boy at school who was obsessed with Hole, mentioning Bikini Kill to me, talking about some scandal at Lollapalooza. Next thing I know, I bought The C.D. Version of the First Two Records and couldn't stop listening to it. I remember something clicking for me. I remember thinking, okay, this is it. I felt like I finally belonged somewhere. That someone got me. That was my introduction to riot grrrl.




Now tell me... How did you get into grrrl music?

The Fakes

Released in 1995, The Fakes were a project that included Rachel Carns (the Need, Kicking Giant), Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, Julie Ruin), Tim Green (Nation of Ulysses, Fucking Champs), Billie Strain. Sue Fox and others. I remember reading in an article or zine somewhere that they made this record so you could listen to it and think "hey, I can do that." Very much in the DIY ethic and an empowering record that talks a lot about abuse survivors.


You can still buy the CD format at Chainsaw Records. And you can listen to samples on Amazon.

Riot Grrrl – the entire series by Everett True

Journalist Everett True (Melody Maker) wrote an interesting piece about his experience in the media and the early Olympia and London riot grrrl scenes.

http://everetttrue.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/riot-grrrl-the-entire-series/#comment-751

Give Me Back LP

If you can get your hands on this record you should! Give Me Back (on ebullition) features 14 songs, including one of my favorite Bikini Kill songs of all time "Daddy's Li'l Girl"!

It also comes with a zine, which includes lyrics to all the songs and some cool articles, including one called "...revolution... grrrl style then - gender roles and early punk." Also included in the zine are the lyrics to "Rockstar" which is from the Kathleen Hanna spoken word 7" split with Slim Moon on KRS.

http://www.ebullition.com/catalog21.html

  

KASMS

KASMS released their first full length album earlier this month. This UK group is led by 23 year old Rachel Mary Callaghan. It's a bit darker than what I usually like, but I absolutely love her voice. At times her shriek reminds me of Bikini Kill. They recently opened for GOSSIP (who are huge in the UK) and apparently Callaghan was passed over for UK idol.

for more info check out:
http://www.kasms.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/kasms
http://www.kasms.blogspot.com/