Bratmobile was an American punk band from Olympia,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, active from 1991 to 2003, and known for being one of the first-generation "

riot grrrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. Riot grrrl is a subcul ...

" bands. The band was influenced by several eclectic musical styles, including elements of

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

, surf, and

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

Beginnings

Allison Wolfe (from

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. Europea ...

) and Molly Neuman (from Washington, D.C.) met during fall 1989 while living next door to each other in dorms at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, ...

. The two had been raised in activist families: Wolfe had been raised by a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

activist mother, and Neuman's father worked for the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

and had introduced his daughter to leaders of the

Congressional Black Caucus The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is a caucus made up of most African-American members of the United States Congress. Representative Karen Bass from California chaired the caucus from 2019 to 2021; she was succeeded by Representative Joyce B ...

(CBC). Their shared musical influences included punk, hip hop, and the Olympia band

Beat Happening Beat Happening is an American indie pop band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis, and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie pop and lo-fi mo ...

. Neuman was influenced by the writings of

Eldridge Cleaver Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (August 31, 1935 – May 1, 1998) was an American writer and political activist who became an early leader of the Black Panther Party. In 1968, Cleaver wrote '' Soul on Ice'', a collection of essays that, at the time of i ...

. Together, Neuman and Wolfe took classes in

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

and music, traveled to Olympia on the weekends, and started collaborating on influential feminist fanzine ''

Girl Germs ''Girl Germs'' was a zine created by University of Oregon students Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman, both members of the band Bratmobile. Feminism was influential in the Pacific Northwest in the early nineties: ''Girl Germs'' identified feminist ...

'' in 1990.

History

1990–1991: Origins

Neuman's and Wolfe's friend

Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Jr., (born September 29, 1985) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he twice ...

, an indie musician in the Olympia scene in The Go Team and

who also co-owned

K Records K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent music ...

, asked them to play a show in Olympia on Valentine's Day in 1991 with

Bikini Kill Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pioneered the r ...

and Some Velvet Sidewalk. At first, Wolfe admitted that they were "a fake band" because they did not play instruments, but they had written some songs which they performed

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

. After an attempt to get out of the gig, they agreed and sought the help of Some Velvet Sidewalk member Robert Christie. Christie let Bratmobile borrow rehearsal space and equipment and advised them to listen to the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United St ...

for inspiration. In response to that advice, Wolfe said, "Something in me clicked. Like, okay, if most boy punk rock bands just listen to the Ramones and that's how they write their songs, then we'll do the opposite and I won't listen to any Ramones and that way we'll sound different." With five original songs, the band played its first show as a two-woman act at Olympia's North Shore Surf Club on February 14, 1991, with Neuman and Wolfe sharing duties on guitar, drums, and vocals. They recorded the next day for the first

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally kn ...

compilation, which was released later that year. Briefly, they were joined by a bass player Michelle Noel. They played only a couple shows with this line-up, including one with

The Melvins ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and Beat Happening, also at the Surf Club on May 16, 1991. Initially, Wolfe and Neuman thought of Bratmobile as a loose organization that would have different branches in different cities. During spring break 1991, Neuman and Wolfe went to Washington, D.C. to work on this new form of Bratmobile that, at that time, included different musicians Erin Smith on guitar, Christina Billotte of

Autoclave An autoclave is a machine used to carry out industrial and scientific processes requiring elevated temperature and pressure in relation to ambient pressure and/or temperature. Autoclaves are used before surgical procedures to perform sterilizati ...

on drums and bass, and artist

Jen Smith Jen Smith is an artist, musician, zine editor, and activist from the United States. Smith is credited with being the inspiration behind the term riot grrrl and being one of the architects of the movement. Biography In early 1991, Jen Smith and W ...

(no relation to Erin). Johnson had previously introduced Neuman to nascent guitarist Erin Smith from

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which ...

during the Christmas holiday in December, 1990 at a Nation of Ulysses show in D.C. Erin Smith was co-author, with her brother, of the much-revered TV pop culture fanzine ''Teenage Gang Debs'' when Neuman and Wolfe asked her to jam with them. They rehearsed at the Embassy, a group house in D.C. that served as headquarters for the Nation of Ulysses. When Beat Happening, Nation of Ulysses, and Autoclave toured the east coast that spring, Bratmobile DC had its first performance at

Maxwell's Maxwell's, last known as Maxwell's Tavern, was a bar/restaurant and music club in Hoboken, New Jersey. Over several decades the venue attracted a wide variety of acts looking for a change from the New York City concert spaces across the river. Ma ...

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...

. The newly minted Bratmobile DC lineup of Neuman, Wolfe, Erin Smith, and Billotte spontaneously got on stage. Back in D.C., they recorded with Tim Green of Nation of Ulysses in the Embassy's basement studio. Around this time, Jen Smith, who lived at the Embassy, recorded with Bratmobile DC and played a show with them. This lineup with Billotte and Jen Smith released a

cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ott ...

entitled ''Bratmobile DC''. Thereafter, Bratmobile became a trio with Wolfe, Neuman, and Erin Smith.

1991–1994: ''Pottymouth'' and breakup

Bikini Kill toured with Nation of Ulysses in May/June 1991, converging in D.C. with Bratmobile that summer. In July 1991, Bratmobile played their first show as a 3-piece with Neuman on drums, Wolfe on vocals, and Erin Smith on guitar. Bratmobile were just in time to play at the historic International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia in August 1991, becoming the only band to appear twice. They played the opening show "Girl Night". They also played a show at Capitol Lake Park on a bill with Melvins,

Mecca Normal Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valle ...

, Girl Trouble, Beat Happening, and

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their sty ...

. During the summer of 1992, Bratmobile toured with

Heavens to Betsy Heavens to Betsy was an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1991 with vocalist and guitarist Corin Tucker and drummer Tracy Sawyer. The duo were part of the DIY riot grrrl, punk rock underground, and were Tucker's first band befo ...

. Between 1991 and 1994 Bratmobile released the album '' Pottymouth'' and EP ''

The Real Janelle ''The Real Janelle'' is an EP by Bratmobile, released in 1994. It would become Bratmobile's last studio recording in six years. Though released before '' The Peel Session'', that was recorded a year prior. The title "The Real Janelle" was insp ...

'' on

, as well as '' The Peel Session''. Intense media scrutiny and inner pressures of the Riot Grrrl movement hastened the band's breakup (on stage) in 1994. In 2018, Kill Rock Stars produced a podcast series about Bratmobile titled ''Girl Germs''.

1994–1999: Hiatus

After the break-up, Molly Neuman moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and began working at East Bay punk record label

Lookout! Records Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California and later in Berkeley, California, Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having ...

. She also played in The PeeChees and The Frumpies. Allison Wolfe moved to Washington, D.C, and she and Maryland-based Erin Smith started a new band together called

Cold Cold Hearts Cold Cold Hearts was a punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1995. Comprising singer and songwriter Allison Wolfe, guitarist and back-up vocalist Erin Smith, bass player Nattles, and drummer Katherine Brown, the band released one 7" sing ...

. Wolfe has also been active in

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and

activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

1999–2003: Reformation and second breakup

In 1999, the band decided to reunite for a low-key show in Oakland's Stork Club and the band was relaunched to go on tour with

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member ...

. In 2000, Bratmobile released their second full-length studio album, '' Ladies, Women and Girls''. The album was critically acclaimed and earned Bratmobile new fans as they toured with

The Donnas The Donnas were an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1993. The band consisted of Brett Anderson (lead vocals), Allison Robertson (guitar, backing vocals), Maya Ford (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Torry Castellano (drum ...

, The Locust, among others. ''Ladies, Women and Girls'' was released on Neuman's Lookout! Records and produced by Tim Green of Nation of Ulysses and

The Fucking Champs The Fucking Champs are a three-piece rock band from San Francisco, California. They are known for their heavy metal sound, based largely around shifting time signatures, guitar harmonies, and plentiful rhythm. Most songs are instrumental. They ...

. Jon Nikki (

Prima Donnas ''Prima Donnas'' () is a Philippine television drama series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Gina Alajar, it stars Jillian Ward, Althea Ablan and Sofia Pablo in the title roles. It premiered on August 19, 2019, on the network's Afternoon ...

, Gene Defcon, Mocket, Sarah Dougher,

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

Puce Moment ''Puce Moment'' is a short 6-minute film by Kenneth Anger. Filmed in 1949, ''Puce Moment'' resulted from the unfinished short film ''Puce Women''. The film opens with a camera watching 1920s-style flapper gowns being taken off a dress rack. The d ...

) added guitar, bass and keyboard parts to the minimal Brat sound. On May 7, 2002, Bratmobile released their third album, '' Girls Get Busy''. On ''Girls Get Busy'', Audrey Marrs, ( Mocket, Gene Defcon) added keyboards that gave the album its distinctive new sound. Marty Violence (Young Pioneers) also contributed bass. After dedicating most of 2002 and 2003 to promoting ''Girls Get Busy'' via touring, each of the principal members went back to do other things. While the band didn't formally break up, Allison Wolfe did post a message on January 30, 2004, in the Bratmobile message board concerning the status of the band:

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Pottymouth'' (1993) LP/CD/CS (Kill Rock Stars) * '' Ladies, Women and Girls'' (2000) CD/LP, (

) * '' Girls Get Busy'' (2002) CD/LP (Lookout! Records)

EPs

* ''

'' (1994) LPEP/CDEP (Kill Rock Stars)

Live albums

* '' The Peel Session'' CDEP (Strange Fruit)

Singles

* ''Kiss & Ride'' 7-inch (1992) (

Homestead Records Homestead Records was a Long Island, New York-based sublabel of music distributor Dutch East India Trading that operated from 1983 to 1996. The label was known for not paying its artists and not spending any money on promotion. History The l ...

)

Split 7-inch

Tiger Trap Tiger trap may refer to: *Trou de loup In medieval fortification, a trou de loup (French for "wolf hole"; plural trous de loup, also commonly referred to as a tiger pit in the East) was a type of booby trap or defensive obstacle. Each trou de l ...

/ Bratmobile split 7-inch (4-Letter Words) *

/ Bratmobile split 7-inch (

) * Brainiac/ Bratmobile split 7-inch (12X12) * Veronica Lake/ Bratmobile split 7-inch (

Simple Machines A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force. Usually the term ref ...

)

Compilation albums

* ''

'' compilation, CD/LP, (

) * ''A Wonderful Treat'' compilation cassette * ''The Embassy Tapes'' cassette * ''Throw'' compilation CD ( Yoyo Recordings) * '' International Pop Underground'' live LP/CD/CS (K Records) * Neapolitan Metropolitan boxed 7-inch set (

) * ''Teen Beat 100'' compilation 7-inch (

Teen Beat ''Teen Beat'' is an American magazine geared towards teenaged readers, published from 1967–c. 2007. Over its history, the magazine had multiple teen idols on its cover, including John Travolta, David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Menudo, Michael J ...

) * ''Julep'' compilation LP/CD (Yo Yo) * ''Wakefield Vol. 2'' V/A CD boxed set (Teen Beat) * ''Plea For Peace Take Action'' compilation CD (Sub City) * ''Boys Lie'' compilation CD (Lookout! Records) * ''Yo Yo A Go Go 1999'' compilation CD (Yoyo Recordings) * ''Lookout! Freakout Episode 2'' compilation CD (Lookout! Records) * ''Songs For Cassavetes'' compilation CD (Better Looking Records) * ''Lookout! Freakout Episode 3'' CD (Lookout! Records) * ''Turn-On Tune-In Lookout!'' DVD (Lookout! Records)

Notes

External links

Kill Rock Stars
Bratmobile's record label (1991–1994)
Lookout! Records
Bratmobile's record label (1999–2003) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bratmobile, The 1991 establishments in Washington (state) All-female punk bands Punk rock groups from Washington (state) Feminist musicians Kill Rock Stars Indie rock musical groups from Washington (state) Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups from Olympia, Washington Riot grrrl bands