My friends and I drove up to Detroit on a Saturday in May to catch The Detroit Cobras at the El Club. The show was sold out and the club was so packed you could barely order a drink- a direct reflection of how loved the Cobras are in their hometown. Opening for the Cobras were the awesome local bands, Prude Boys and The Deadly Vipers. This was not a show to miss. Rachel Nagy, now a resident of New Orleans, was clearly happy to be back in Detroit as she spent moments in between songs bantering with the audience, prodded gently to get back to the music by guitarist,…
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Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes Talks of Feminism Today
Le Butcherettes are the brain child of Teri Gender Bender formed in 2007. Teri Gender Bender, from Guadalajara, made the move to the US and is currently working on Le Butcherettes’ fourth studio album due out later this year. Here are some questions I had for Teri on breaking gender norms and being a feminist musician. Izzi Krombholz: How did you get your start playing music? Teri Gender Bender: It started with an uncontrollable urge to want to play an instrument in kindergarten. We were all (all of the kids) sitting on the carpet while the substitute teacher specifically brought in her home piano into the classroom, she said we…
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An In Depth Look At Fetch; Nicole Georges Answers Questions About Her Graphic Memoir
Fetch, a graphic memoir by Nicole Georges is out July 18th on Haughton Mifflin Harcourt and we got a sneak peak! Fetch tells the story of Nicole’s childhood and teenage years when Beija, the loveable but quirky dog, came into her life. Together, Beija and Nicole blossomed into feminists, seriously, this dog was a total feminist. Nicole Georges graphic memoir is witty and charming and a wonderful read for pet-lovers, feminists and punks alike. Nicole was so kind to answer some questions I had after reading, Fetch. Izzi Krombholz: In Fetch, you talk about your friend who had a bad experience with an older guy and needing to speak out…
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Meet Adele Bertei, The Woman Behind Venus Flytrap
I just wrote about the extremely cool series in the works, Venus Flytrap and they need our help to make it happen! The Indiegogo fundraiser has less than 20 days left. Venus Flytrap is a feminist comedy series about a punk band, with a star studded cast. I got the chance to learn more about the creator, writer and director of Venus Flytrap, Adele Bertei. What a badass!!! Here’s what she had to say about playing music and creating the show. Izzi Krombholz: How did you get your start playing music? Adele Bertei: Peter Laughner of Pere Ubu heard me sing at a bar in Cleveland and asked me to be in a band…
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An Indie Pop Dream; An Interview with Ruby the Rabbitfoot
When I spoke with Ruby, she had just completed a performance on Adult Swim for Stupid Morning Bullshit. The band did a special performance of “You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain. With the 2016 release of Divorce Party, it’s safe to say that big things are on the way for the charming, Ruby the Rabbitfoot. Originally from Georgia, Ruby’s grandmother had a piano so she was curious and drawn to music as a child. “When I got kind of serious was when I was 14 and my best friend wrote a song… it blew my mind that she could take a guitar and use three chords and write a song and…
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Pamela Des Barres Does It All, A Look at a Groupie’s Life Today
Pamela Des Barres' entire life course has been driven by her love of rock n' roll. You may know her as one of the most famous groupies in history but Miss Pamela has done much more for rock n' roll than just mingle with musicians. She's chronicled her adventures in memoirs, I'm With the Band and Take Another Little Piece of My Heart and now she invites you to do the same. Out this week is her newest book, Let It Bleed: How to Write a Rockin' Memoir.
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An Interview with the Original Bad Girl, Cherry Vanilla
Cherry Vanilla is one of the most iconic bad girls of the 1960’s. She started out as a creative on Mad Ave, worked as a DJ in NYC and Europe, acted in Warhol’s play, Pork, did PR for David Bowie and had her own band, all while having crazy sexcapades and doing lots of drugs along the way. You can read all about it in her 2010 autobiography, Lick Me. In the meantime, here are some questions I had for Cherry Vanilla after reading Lick Me. Izzi Krombholz- What was being a creative in the Mad Ave. days like? Were people sexist towards you, especially since you weren’t a…
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An Interview with Joe Klug from Wussy
We had the opportunity to sit down with Joe Klug, the drummer from Wussy, and ask him about his work with Cincinnati’s most beloved indie band, the role of indie music, and being a stay-at-home dad. How did you get your start playing with Wussy? Some years ago there was a benefit at the old Southgate House (I believe it was for Donna Jay’s dog “Bunny”) where there were like fifteen to twenty bands, and we all had to play one song that had something to do with a dog. I was playing in Staggering Statistics at the time, and Lisa Walker walked up to me and said: “Our drummer’s…
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A Midwest Love Story- An Interview with SERVICE
Months ago, I got to spend 24 hours with Jilly Weiss and Russell Simins at their home in Indianapolis. It’s the perfect midwest home with an unbelievable garden, lots of pink flamingos, a record collection I would die for and their adorable elderly cat, Armani. Jilly and Russell met like so many musicians have before but their connection is something magic. They first met in 2013 when We Are Hex and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion played a few shows together. Then, in 2015, the bands went on tour and Jilly and Russell fell in love. “It took awhile but we found a way to be together,” says Jilly. “The first…
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A Q&A with Donna Gaines on a Lifetime of Rock n’ Roll
I recently read Donna Gaines' memoir, A Misfit's Manifesto. Gaines, who has a doctorate in sociology has turned a rock n' roll lifestyle into a career. Having grown up in Long Island, Gaines spent her entire life around music. Her mother, Betty Bradley, was a professional singer and Gaines was drawn to the lifestyle, spending all of her time with musicians.
