Jen Smith is an artist, musician, zine editor, and activist from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Smith is credited with being the inspiration behind the term

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 subcultur ...

and being one of the architects of the movement.

Biography

In early 1991, Jen Smith and Washington, DC guitarist 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 sterilizat ...

joined

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

band

Bratmobile Bratmobile was an American punk band from Olympia, Washington, active from 1991 to 2003, and known for being one of the first-generation "riot grrrl" bands. The band was influenced by several eclectic musical styles, including elements of pop, ...

(

Allison Wolfe Allison Wolfe (born November 9, 1969) is a Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, writer, and podcaster. As a founding member and lead singer of the punk rock band Bratmobile, she became one of the leading voices of the riot grrl movement. Wolfe ...

and

Molly Neuman Molly Neuman (born June 18, 1972) is an American drummer, writer and publisher, originally from the Washington, D.C. area who has performed in such influential bands as Bratmobile, the Frumpies, and the PeeChees. She was a pioneer of the early-t ...

) when they temporarily relocated to Washington, DC. The band released one

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 Ottens ...

, called ''Bratmobile DC'', with this line-up. The Bratmobile girls were

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...

writers, and Wolfe and Neuman created ''

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 ro ...

'' to which Smith contributed. It was during this time in Washington, DC that Jen Smith came up with the idea of a "girl riot" and

conceived the ''riot grrrl'' mini-zine that gave the movement its name. Writing in ''Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital'', Mark Andersen and Mark Jenkins report that while living in Washington, D.C., Smith reacted to the violence of the Mount Pleasant

race riots An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more contending ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's positio ...

in spring 1991 by prophetically writing in a letter to Wolfe, "this summer's going to be a girl riot." Other reports say she wrote, "we need to start a girl riot."Anderson, Mark, ''Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital'', Akashic Books, 2003 As written about in ''Bikini Kill'' zine by

Kathleen Hanna Kathleen Hanna (born November 12, 1968) is an American singer, musician, artist, feminist activist, pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement, and punk zine writer. In the early-to-mid-1990s she was the lead singer of feminist punk band B ...

, Jen proposed they all collaborate on a zine called ''Girl Riot'', which would serve as a networking forum for young women. Molly Neuman began the zine, released under the title ''riot grrrl'', with contributions from Smith, Wolfe, and the members of

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 ...

. By the end of summer 1991, Erin Smith (no relation to Jen) 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 in ...

replaced Billotte on guitar and Bratmobile returned to

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. European ...

, with Erin and Jen remaining in DC. Jen Smith stayed behind to edit a zine called ''Red Rover''. A number of issues were released before she began a new zine in 1993, an offshoot of ''Red Rover'', called ''Another Lo-Fi Xtravanganza''. The zine also became a small record label. At the same time, Jen Smith began a band with

Donna Dresch Donna Dresch is an American punk rock musician, perhaps best known as founder, guitarist and bass guitarist of Team Dresch. Dresch has been actively involved in the queercore scene since the 1980s, as the creator of the fanzine ''Chainsaw'' an ...

and Nikki Chapman called Rastro! The trio, with Smith on guitar and vocals, Chapman on bass, and Dresch on drums, released two songs on compilations by

independent record labels An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

such as

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 refer ...

. After this band broke up, Smith moved to Olympia, Washington where she recorded '' Boot Party'' with

Dub Narcotic Sound System Dub Narcotic Sound System (D.N.S.S.) is an Olympia, Washington based Indie (music), indie-funk musical group founded by Calvin Johnson (musician), Calvin Johnson, signed to K Records. Origins The band was named after Calvin Johnson (musician), C ...

, and began the Cha Cha Cabaret, which she hosted under the persona of "Miss Lady Hand Grenade" in 1996 and 1997. Participating artists included

Miranda July Miranda July (born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger; February 15, 1974) is an American film director, screenwriter, singer, actress and author. Her body of work includes film, fiction, monologue, digital presentations and live performance art. She w ...

Mirah Mirah (born Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn) is an American musician and songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. After getting her start in the music scene of Olympia, Washington in the late 1990s, she released a number of well-received solo albums on K ...

, Flying Tigers,

Old Time Relijun Old Time Relijun is a band founded in Olympia, Washington, United States and a longtime member of K Records. Current members consist of Germaine Baca on drums, Aaron Hartman on upright bass, Ben Hartman on saxophones, and Arrington de Dionyso o ...

, Simplement Jacques,

Nikki McClure Nikki McClure is a papercut artist based in Olympia, Washington. She is the author and illustrator of a number of children's books and produces an annual calendar. Biography McClure grew up in Kirkland, Washington. She moved to Olympia in 198 ...

, The Lookers, The Skirts, and Panties, and all appear together on the

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 ...

compilation ''Chez Vous''. Cha Cha Cabaret toured the Pacific Northwest, adding musicians such as

Sharon Cheslow Sharon Cheslow (born October 5, 1961) is an American musician, composer, artist, writer, photographer, educator, and archivist. In 1981, she formed Chalk Circle, Washington, D.C.'s first all-female punk band. She has since become an accomplishe ...

while in San Francisco. In the 2000s, Smith returned to San Francisco, where she joined with ex-

Circus Lupus Circus Lupus was a post-hardcore band based in the area of Washington, D.C. The band originally formed in Madison, Wisconsin, where one-time Ignition and Soul Side bassist Chris Thomson met guitarist Chris Hamley and drummer Arika Casebolt while ...

member Seth Lorinczi and ex-Electrolettes member Julianna Bright to begin the band

The Quails The Quails were an English indie rock band that formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 2006. Comprising vocalist and guitarist Dan Steer, guitarist Max Armstrong, bassist Sam Banks and drummer Chris Prentice, the band released one studio album – ' ...

. The band toured 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 J ...

, Aislers Set and The No-No's. They released three CDs, as well as zines and projects such as the comic book ''Bon Soir'' and a mini-opera CD under the name 'Marzipan Ponce'. The band broke up, Jen Smith devoted herself to her artwork. In 2008, she appeared in the feature film ''

The Lollipop Generation ''The Lollipop Generation'' is a 2008 Canadian underground experimental film written, produced, and directed by G. B. Jones, whose previous films include ''The Troublemakers'' and ''The Yo-Yo Gang''. It premiered as the Gala Feature presentation ...

'' by

G.B. Jones G. B. Jones (born 1965) is a Canadian artist, filmmaker, musician, and publisher of zines born in Bowmanville, Canada. She is known for producing J.D.s with her acclaimed''Tom Girls'' drawings before going on to create more musically, cinematica ...

EvilEvil "The Lollipop Generation Premiere", 2008

Discography

with
Bratmobile Bratmobile was an American punk band from Olympia, Washington, active from 1991 to 2003, and known for being one of the first-generation "riot grrrl" bands. The band was influenced by several eclectic musical styles, including elements of pop, ...

*''Bratmobile DC'' (self released cassette tape, 1991) Was from Portland, OR. 1981

with Rastro!

*"Some Things", on ''Go In The Dark'' (Mira Records 7", 1992) *"Kiss Me", on ''Simple Machines Working Holiday: June'' (

7", 1993) *"Kiss Me", on ''

Working Holiday! ''Working Holiday!'' is a compilation album released on the Simple Machines label in 1994. It is a collection of tracks by American indie bands which were originally released on a series of 12 7" singles by Simple Machines as part of the Worki ...

'' (Simple Machines CD compilation, 1994)

with
Dub Narcotic Sound System Dub Narcotic Sound System (D.N.S.S.) is an Olympia, Washington based Indie (music), indie-funk musical group founded by Calvin Johnson (musician), Calvin Johnson, signed to K Records. Origins The band was named after Calvin Johnson (musician), C ...

*'' Boot Party'' (

, 1995)

with Cha Cha Cabaret

*''Chez Vous'' (K Records, 1997)

with The Quails

*"Memo From the Desk of The Quails", on '' Fields And Streams'' (

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 known ...

compilation CD, 2001) *''We Are The Quails'' (Inconvenient Records, 2001) *''Atmosphere'' (Inconvenient Records, 2002) *''The Song Is Love'' (Mr. Lady Records, 2003)

Compilations

*"Inkling", on ''Selector Dub Narcotic'' (K Records)

Bibliography

*''Bon Soir'', Jen Smith, Julianna Bright, Seth Lorinczi, ed. 2002 *''Quail Hunt'', Jen Smith, ed. 2000s *''Another Lo-Fi Xtravanganza'', Jen Smith, ed. 1993 *''Red Rover'', Jen Smith, ed. 1990s *''riot grrrl'', Molly Neuman, ed. 1990 *''

'',

and

, ed, 1990s

Film

*''

'' by

, 2008

References

*Andersen, Mark and Jenkins, Mark, ''Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital'', Akashic Books, 2003, *Drake, Jennifer and Haywood, Leslie, ''Third Wave Agenda: Being Feminist, Doing Feminist''. University of Minneapolis Press, 1992. pgs 226-238 *Isaksen, Judy, "Identity and Agency: Riot Grrrls Jouissance", ''Enculturation'', Vol 2, No. 2, Spring 1999 *Kearney, Mary Celeste, ''Girls Make Media'', CRC Press, 2006

External links

The Quails on Pop Matters

.C. Punk collection at the University of Maryland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jen Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women singers American feminists American punk rock musicians Women punk rock singers Feminist artists Feminist musicians American indie rock musicians Riot grrrl musicians Bratmobile members Dub Narcotic Sound System members 21st-century American women