Marriage Made In Hell

Matrimony
From: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Australian punks Matrimony (not to be confused with the altogether smoother but still cool US duo Matrimony) were a fixture on the short lived and unrecorded underground Australian riot grrrl scene way back in the 90s. The Australian Riot Grrrl scene doesn't even warrant a mention on the Riot Grrrl wikipedia page and Matrimony aren't listed on the Wikipedia list of Riot Grrrl bands! As with many of their peers they left a limited legacy. One album on the brilliant Kill Rock Stars label and an uninformative myspace page is the sum total of their historical footprint.

But what an album, 'Kitty Finger', reminds me of why I loved the riot grrrl movement. It's in your face attitude and fuck you values are a refreshing antidote to the sanitised corporate rock music that pollutes the planet in the noughties. They just don't make music like this anymore. So much so that a few months ago a Riot Grrrl Collection was set up New York University's Fales Library and Special Collections.

With the world going to hell in a handcart we need a riot grrrl revival now more than ever. We need 2011 to be herald the arrival of a new renegade girl/boy hyper-nation. Is anyone out there listening?

Go Try

MP3 - Matrimony - Prick
This track is linked direct from the Kill Rock Stars website and is therefore already freely available so please don't claim breach of copyright

Go Visit

Matrimony - Myspace

Go View

If riot grrrl passed you by or you're too young to have experienced it then check out these videos...

Riot Grrrl Retrospective



Huggy Bear
Her Jazz



Bikini Kill
Don't Need You



Le Tigre
Rrriot Girl



Sister George
Virus Envy



Red Bacteria Vacuum
Roller Coaster

Smoking Grass

Grass Widow
From: San Francisco, California, United States

This blogging lark ain't as easy as it looks. How do you describe the sound of a band without resorting to tired and worn cliches? How do you find the words without referencing the usual motley collection of bands old and new that sound vaguely familiar to the music the new objects of your affection are producing. For some reason this is much more difficult when it comes to vaguely left-field, alternative female dominated bands like Kill Rock Stars new flames Grass Widow. The all female trio will have to get used to the words Riot and Grrrl even though they share little with that revolutionary movement other than their gender and a penchant for punk. Glib references to Bratmobile and Bikini Kill will be liberally sprinkled in reviews despite the fact that they really don't sound like either group. They do however sound like The Breeders having a post punk party around the Au Pairs pad and yes I do know that they are both female fronted bands thus perpetuating the very problem I so eloquently raised earlier in the paragraph. I did tell you that this blogging lark ain't as easy as it sounds.

In an attempt to finish with a flourish I am contractually bound to say that Grass Widow are smoking.

Go Try

MP3 - Grass Widow - Shadow
This track is linked direct from the Kill Rock Stars website and is therefore already freely available so please don't claim breach of copyright

Grass Widow - Fried Egg by killrockstars

Go Visit

Grass Widow - Myspace : Website : Last.FM

Go View

Grass Widow
Fried Egg



Grass Widow
Give Me Shapes



For those of you wondering how little Grass Widow sound like Bratmobile check this out...

MP3 - Bratmobile - Panik
This track is linked direct from the Kill Rock Stars site and is therefore already freely available so please don't claim breach of copyright

Go Visit

Bratmobile - Myspace : Website : Last.FM

Go View

Bratmobile
Eating Toothpaste