On New Years’ Eve–with the most glacial January in recent memory just around the corner–I was warmed all the way through at the Northside Tavern by Maya Banatwala, her bluesey singing voice and stunning stage presence, and the sheer rockin’ talent of her band, Heavy Hinges. Maya fronts the blues- and gospel-inspired rock band on vocals and ukulele; the other band members include Dylan Speeg on guitar and vocals, Andrew Laudeman on bass guitar, Kirk Hunter on lead guitar, and Brian Williamson on drums and percussion. I caught up with them all two weeks later, on the coldest and darkest day of the winter. Theresa: is it too cold for…
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Fatty Cakes and the Puff Pastries: A Grrrl Band Who Understands
Take one listen to Fatty Cakes and the Puff Pastries’ eponymous album (released November 9 and produced by Alice Bag), with its playful synthesizers and insistent guitar and drums, and vulnerability will not be the first thing to come to mind. Take another listen, however, and you’ll realize that this is a grrrl band who understands. What do they understand? Panic attacks, for one thing: the opening track, “Panic Attack,” is an homage to anxiety in all its unpredictable terror. “I’m a weirdo, I’m a weirdo, I’m a weirdo, I’m a weirdo” captures the repetitive bully that is a negative thought that will not go away. They understand fear in…
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In The Know- April 2019
April’s “In the Know” answers the following prompt: “Tell us about your music mentor!” Rachel Thode (Drummer of Slow Glows)— “In the early days my friend, Jason French (Pillokase), was doing an open mic at Boswell’s and wanted some percussion. At nineteen, having never played more than a simple beat with the high hat and snare, I learned to use the kick pedal and to play some simple fills on a child-sized drum kit in Jason’s studio apartment in Clifton. He was my first music mentor and he continued to encourage and praise me as I practiced and got better. He lives in Austin now, and I don’t think he…
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A Country Music Appreciation All Thanks to Lucinda Williams
I was never big on country music growing up… well aside from Johnny Cash because he is definitely a Krombholz family favorite. My dad, on the other hand, loves old country music and has been a fan of Lucinda Williams for a long time. I’m sure I’d heard her at some point or another growing up but I remember the first time I actually heard her. I was rewatching my favorite tv show, Alias, and the character Michael Vaughn goes into a dingy bar where “Righteously” is playing (Season 2, Episode 17 if you need to check it out). I remember thinking, “I need to hear more of this musician.”…
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The Wisdom and Power of White Mystery; An Interview with Miss Alex White
I first met Miss Alex White of White Mystery back in 2012 when the band was on tour with the legendary Shonen Knife. I was blown away with White Mystery’s energy and immediately became a fan. At the time, the band was touring almost 365 days a year. “We would look at a year being a collection of 365 days and our goal was to fill every one of those days with shows,” Alex explained. From the start, Alex and brother, Francis, have looked at White Mystery from the business angle with every detail thoughtfully planned. They’ve never had management or a label and are true examples of DIY. “Back…
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TAT’s Frontwoman, Tatiana DeMaria, on Her New Solo Career
Tatiana DeMaria started British punk band, TAT at age 15. After years of success, DeMaria is releasing her debut solo album. The sound is a big change from the guitar heavy riffs of TAT but this sound shows how she’s matured as a musician. She was kind enough to answer questions about her solo album and the musical changes she’s made. Izzi Krombholz: You started playing music at a very young age, what was starting TAT like? Tatiana DeMaria: I was on a bit of a mission. As a kid, I had tried to put bands together and found what you still find as an adult really. Some people want…
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The Road to Rock n’ Roll: An Interview with Linda Gail Lewis
“I’m the sister of a hell-raiser, the daughter of an old tomcat, I was playin’ the piano in a honky-tonk, long before you bragged about that.” The above lyrics are from the song “Round Too Long” off of Linda Gail Lewis and Robbie Fulks’ first collaborative album, Wild! Wild! Wild! released in August on Bloodshot Records. It’s as if that first line can almost be a quick biography of country/rock n’ roll musician, Linda Gail Lewis. Born in Louisiana, there’s almost no way Linda could escape a musical life. Her older brother, Jerry Lee Lewis, was attached to the piano so there was constant music in their house. “I could…
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Laura Dolan is Driven
by Theresa Kulbaga Laura Dolan is Driven Laura Dolan and I are driving through Helltown in her vintage silver Corvette. Windows down, wind in our hair, a perfect warm September Sunday. Laura’s black vinyl jumpsuit, fingerless gloves, and blonde hair—cropped in front, long and loose in back—rival the car’s red leather interior for sheer badassery. She shifts the stick as she talks to me, puts pedal to the metal. “I’ve always loved music that makes me want to drive fast,” she tells me, shouting a bit above the noise of the wind and the engine. “I know I have a successful song when it makes me press the gas.” Laura,…
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Wendy O. Williams–Metal Priestess
Wendy Orleans Williams was born in 1949 in Webster, New York. Her father was a chemist for Eastman Kodak and her teachers and classmates remember her as a ‘shy, quiet girl who played the clarinet.’ I mention this because she is probably the most over the top performer to ever wander through the wasteland of punk and metal. At age fifteen, she ran away from home and hitchhiked across the country before landing up in Times Square. There she met her lifelong musical and romantic partner, Rob Swenson. In 1976, Rob was using his conceptual art degree from Yale to create experimental happenings under the banner of “Captain Kink’s Sex…
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Mimi Schippers on Gender, Music and Polyamory
Mimi Schippers is quite the expert in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality studies. She first came to my attention when I was in the graduate program at University of Cincinnati for WGSS. I was researching gender and music and her book, Rockin’ Out of the Box; Gender Maneuvering in Hard Rock, came to my attention. It was a fabulous read and prompted me to reach out to her. Today, she is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies at Tulane University with a specific focus on polyamory. Schippers’ new book, The Poly Gaze, will be out this year. Izzi Krombholz: When I was naming Women in Rock I…