March 18, 2010

What I'm listening to- The Coathangers


I apologize for the long hiatus, my personal life has been crazy these days, so I had to put this blog and the internet in general on the back-burner for a little while there. I hope we can get it back up to speed now though, and that some of you are still interested in reading it. 


It's true, Riot Grrrl's not dead, it's just unfortunately not as popular or well-known anymore. But that's why I want to start doing something new here, a weekly 'What I'm listening to'. Where once a week or so I will feature a new female band or artist in the punk/metal/alternative rock field that's making awesome music and staying true to the Riot Grrrl beliefs. Because let's face it, women still don't play that big of a role in the punk and metal music genres, and it's very rare to come across all-girl bands. 

Today I'm introducing you all to 'The Coathangers'. I found out about this band a few months ago and instantly fell in love with them. Their music is super catchy and witty, and they sound like a newer version of one of the leading 90's Riot Grrrl bands; Bratmobile. The Coathangers are an all-girl alternative rock/punk band from Atlanta, Georgia. The band features 4 totally bad-ass ladies: Julia, Stephanie, Candice, and Meredith. The band is still pretty new, having only formed in the summer of 2006, but they already have 2 full length albums out (ScrambleThe Coathangers S/T), and a handful of 7" records.

The band as a whole has a very DIY feel to it. The ladies were all friends who just decided that one summer to start a band, and then went out in search of the cheapest instruments they could find in an Atlanta pawn shop. None of the them have one set instrument they play in the band either, you will often find them switching instruments throughout a performance. 


The bands name is quite obviously in relation to their pro-choice opinions, and they were quoted saying that they came up with the name on their way to an anti-Bush rally in Washington, DC. Pretty sweet. When asked if there are feminist themes in their music, the ladies replied with...

"There's feminist themes in our lives, so it's going to translate into our music. It's pro-woman, definitely, but it's not anti-man or anti-heterosexuality. It's not anti-anything. It's just about women doing what they want to do. We try to be as true to ourselves as we possibly can, and that in itself is a feminist statement."

With intelligent women, fun music, and song titles such as 'Pussywillow' and 'Nestle in my boobies' what's not to love? The Coathangers are on tour now, you can find their tour schedule and more info about them here:


2 comments:

  1. thanks for introducing the coathangers, love it!

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  2. interesting band. very refreshing for music. it's a shame you don't see many of these types of bands around anymore.

    ReplyDelete