Hamster's female musical heroes

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I'm in a band. We have a female drummer. Here's a photo of us with our female drummer:

 

Our favourite local bands include Kill Rpnzl and Frau Pouch. Here's a poor photo of Kill Rpnzl and their brilliant female bassist:

Here's a photo of Frau Pouch with their wonderful lady drummer:

 

Let it be known that I love all these people so I'm biased.

Anyway, even a lot of the local bands who don't have female band members are cool, but some are blokey blokey macho wankery poop.

 

I find that having a woman in the band makes us far better than not having one. It balances us, brings depth and all kinds of good stuff. I'm happier in a mixed gender band than all LAAAAAAADS....Although I don't think that myself and our guitarist would be capable of being laaaads.

 

Still, this thread is for me to ramble on about my favourite of all my musical lady heroes. Going beyond the PHWOAAAAAAAR I WOULD stuff and showing my legit respec'.

 

If you have any comments or thoughts, please feel free to join in.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

SIOBHAN FAHEY

Bananarama -> Shakespears Sister

 

On the face of it Bananarama were quintessential '80s tat. Three girls singing to some cheesy Stock Aitken Waterman backing track. In fact, here they are doing just that:

 

I'm not gonna hate them for that though. Gotta pay the bills and fame and chart success is no doubt wonderful.

 

Anyway before that they formed in 1979 and were actually more post-punk (a genre that forms part of my band's DNA). They also were involved in the punk movement and worked with Malcolm McLaren, but don't hold that against Siobhan. We know now that he was a bit of a tosser but he was kinda god back then.

 

Here's an earlier success:

 

 

Anyway they had their successes and SAW started producing and added them to their musical juggernaut of poptastic pop hits. Thing is, turns out that a bit of the punk vibe carried on within the girls and they had numerous run-ins with Pete Waterman, which pleases me no end. He's got lots of grumpy things to say about them.

Siobhan, especially, grew unhappy and disillusioned during the SAW years and grew more distant from the other two in the group who "had been friends longer". At this point she left. Let us all say HUZZAH.

 

HUZZAH.

 

Here are Bananarama sans Fahey performing something on American TV in 2012. She dodged a bullet.
 

 

 

So what does Fahey do? Why she forms her own solo project called Shakespears Sister. Her husband THE Dave Stewart suggests that Marcella Detroit join and VOILA.

 

 

 

This is already taking an interesting turn. It works for Fahey because Detroit has that high, powerful voice to go alongside Fahey's simmering tones and creative skills. Anyway, I can't be bothered to go through too many details as I've had a few glasses of wine, but Fahey proves to be far more creative than she was ever given credit for and is best known for this stone cold classic.

 

 

 

In which, as a kid, I loved Marcella Detroit's voice (and was a little scared of Fahey to be fair), but as an adult am totally won over by Siobhan Fahey's voice and performance. She's incredible and apparently was horrifically drunk while filming it. Watching it nowadays she totally owns it and I'll happily fast forward to her part.

Anyway, Shakespears Sister didn't last as a two piece for that long but Fahey still rolls solo on it, which I have 'nuff respec' for. She's nearly 60 now but still owning performances if you look them up. However I want to finish on my favourite Fahey song. It was released as a single in NINETEEN NINETY TWO which is nearly 25 years ago, and it's bloody amazing.

 

 

Siobhan Fahey, you were ahead of your time. A musical and creative genius, held back by those around you and by the musical environment in which you attempted to bloom. If you arrived now I'd fall hopelessly in love with you and pledge allegiance to everything you ever did because you proper deserve it.
 

 

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

KIM DEAL

Pixies -> Breeders

 

Oh look, here's Kim Deal with Kurt Cobain. Kurt must surely have discovered Kim and made a name for her.

No.

Kim Deal is basically my favourite bassist of all time (which, when it's your instrument is a BIG thing) and the band she was in at the time, Pixies, were a huge influence on Kurt Cobian, Nirvana and countless bands since. David Bowie once said that he could believe that everyone who ever went to see the Pixies live started a band. Radiohead count them as a huge influence and in one of their documentaries state that Kid A was when they decided to stop being a Pixies tribute band. So there you go.

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Pixies. A lot of you will know that. Love 'em. I love them mostly for their first album Surfer Rosa, which, to my mind, is one of the very best albums IN ALL OF MUSICAL HISTORY. Kim Deal plays bass on that y'know. Here she is:

 

 

 

Here she is again:

 

 

 

Blaaaaahdy hell.

She's not one of those fancy "Jaco" bassists that the Facebook Bassist groups get all jizzy over. Screw them anyway, I don't want to slap or twonk away to my own bloody jazzy rhythm. I'm in an alternative rock band - one who cites Pixies as one of our influences. Kim Deal nailed everything she did with them. She kept it tight, signed her name on their tracks and smiled while she did it. Bone Machine is still my favourite song to put on full volume in the car as I drive home after a gig.

 

The writing was on the wall though. She didn't get on particularly wonderfully with Black Francis (who, as brilliant as he is, has an ego to match) and she split from the band.

 

Thankfully our story doesn't end there as she then forms one of the better American '90s bands in The Breeders, bringing her sister along for the ride. Yay. Both of them had troubles with alcohol and drugs though (boo), but along the way produce enough good music to keep me happy on my long commutes to work each day.

 

 

 

 

 

The Breeders are three women with a male drummer. GIMMICK ALERT! Three women! You can sell albums on that alone! But no, they made properly good music and still do. Kim Deal doesn't need a gimmick because she's a great bassist, great guitarist and great songwriter. In fact her biggest gimmick is "Pixies bassist in the '80s and '90s" which is probably what I would most want to put on my CV.

 

My (older) cousin saw her live when Pixies came over to support some UK band around 1990 or so. I'm so jealous. They got called back for an encore...as a support band. That entire gig is available on Youtube. She's brilliant, they're all brilliant. I don't think that Kim Deal is the most "technically gifted" when it comes to playing her instrument but all the most "technically gifted" musicians are wankers anyway. She was just the right person at the right time for both Pixies and Breeders and I love her so much.

[VerbalPuke]

http://sheshredsmag.com/50-influential-guitarists-shaped-90s/

I thought this page woyld be relevant to you and your thread. It is 50 influential female guitar players that shaped the 90s.