7 Year Bitch was an American punk rock band from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

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 ...

. The band was active between 1990 and 1997 and released three albums over that time. The band formed at the same time as the emergence of the

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 ...

sub-genre, which is a sub-genre of punk music from the early to mid-1990s that emphasized the role of women in rock music. The Riot Grrrl movement began as a feminist response to the violence and misogyny that became more prominent in punk music in the mid-to-late 1980s, and 7 Year Bitch, an all-female punk band, emerged as part of that sub-genre.

Biography

Career

7 Year Bitch was formed in 1990 by vocalist Selene Vigil, guitarist

Stefanie Sargent Stefanie Ann Sargent (June 1, 1968 – June 27, 1992) was an American musician. She was the lead guitarist and co-founder of Seattle punk rock band 7 Year Bitch. Biography Sargent was born to Paula and Kenneth Sargent on June 1, 1968, in Seat ...

, bassist Elizabeth Davis and drummer Valerie Agnew. Vigil, Sargent, and Agnew had been playing together in the Seattle band Barbie's Dream Car when their bassist left for Europe. They subsequently recruited Davis and renamed their band after the movie ''

The Seven Year Itch ''The Seven Year Itch'' is a 1955 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, from a screenplay he co-wrote with George Axelrod from the 1952 three-act play. The film stars Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, who reprised his stage role. ...

'', based on a suggestion by their friend, Ben London, of fellow Seattle band,

Alcohol Funnycar Alcohol Funnycar was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band was formed in 1991 by Ben London, an Ohio native, in Seattle. Bassist Tommy "Bonehead" Simpson was a former member of Love Battery and Crisis Party.The Gits The Gits were an American punk rock band formed in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1986. As part of the burgeoning Seattle music scene of the early 1990s, they were known for their fiery live performances. Members included singer Mia Zapata, guitari ...

, who would prove to have a significant influence on their music. In 1991 the band released their first single "Lorna" and signed with

C/Z Records C/Z Records was a Seattle-based punk rock record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale. It started with the release of '' Deep Six'' which collected the earliest recordings of what later came to be known as ...

. Their first album, '' Sick 'Em'', was released in 1992, but it was overshadowed by Sargent's death on June 27, through passing out on her back after returning home from a party where she had drunk alcohol and taken a small amount of heroin. Following a period grieving and uncertainty, the band decided to continue, recruiting guitarist

Roisin Dunne Roisin Dunne Ross (born 18 September 1965) is an Irish musician. She is best known for being the replacement guitarist of 7 Year Bitch, after their guitarist Stefanie Sargent died in June 1992. Ross played on the 7 Year Bitch albums ''¡Viva Za ...

as Sargent's replacement later that year. In July 1993, Gits' frontwoman and long-time friend of the band

Mia Zapata Mia Katherine Zapata (August 25, 1965 – July 7, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead singer for the Seattle punk band The Gits. After gaining praise in the emerging grunge scene, Zapata was murdered in 1993 while on her way home fr ...

was raped and murdered while walking home late at night. This event, coupled with Sargent's death the previous year, had a profound effect on the group. As a reaction, the band recorded and released their second album ''

¡Viva Zapata! ''¡Viva Zapata!'' is the second album by the American punk band 7 Year Bitch. It was released June 28, 1994, on Seattle-based C/Z Records. It was their first record to feature new guitarist Roisin Dunne who had replaced Stefanie Sargent in 199 ...

'' (1994) in tribute to both of their fallen friends. During this time, Valerie Agnew also became one of the primary organizers and co-founders of the anti-violence and self-defence organisation

Home Alive Home Alive is a Seattle-based anti-violence organization that offers self-defense classes on a sliding scale payment system. Home Alive once operated as a non-profit organization and now continues to operate as a volunteer collective. Home Alive ...

. On April 8, 1994, the band played a benefit show for Rock Against Domestic Violence at the Cameo Theatre on Miami Beach, alongside Babes in Toyland and

Jack Off Jill Jack Off Jill was an American gothic rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by vocalist Jessicka, drummer Tenni Ah-Cha-Cha, bassist/keyboardist Agent Moulder, and guitarist Michelle Inhell. Though these four women were the init ...

. In 1995, the band signed with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

and in 1996 released their third album, ''

Gato Negro ''Gato Negro'' (Spanish for "black cat") is 7 Year Bitch's final album and their only full-length to appear on a major label (Atlantic Records). The record spawned three singles: "The History of My Future", "24,900 Miles Per Hour" and "Miss Un ...

''. Following the tour supporting ''Gato Negro'', guitarist Roisin Dunne left, and was replaced by Lisa Faye Beatty, the band's live sound engineer and long-time friend.

Break-up

In early 1997, the band began recording material for what was to be their fourth album. The band moved from Seattle to California, Elizabeth Davis and Valerie Agnew to San Francisco and Selene Vigil to Los Angeles. With the recent departure of their guitarist, Roisin Dunne and the geographical separation between bandmates, Seven Year Bitch's career came to a close after a final tour with San Francisco's Lost Goat.

Aftermath

Following the break-up of 7 Year Bitch, bassist Elizabeth Davis joined the San Francisco-based band Clone, with whom she performed until 2003. In 2005, she helped to form the band Von Iva. Guitarist Lisa Faye Beatty became involved with filmography, played for the band Smoochknob, and held a solo act called Elfay. She went on to open show for the band Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. Vocalist Selene Vigil formed a

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

-influenced band by the name of Cistine in 2000. She later released the solo album ''That Was Then'' in 2010, followed by ''Tough Dance'' in 2017. Roisin Dunne joined the band The Last Goodbye in 2006. Mad Love Set Photo With Drew Barrymore

Their songs "The Scratch" and "Icy Blue" were featured in the movie '' Mad Love'' with

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...

and

Chris O'Donnell Christopher Eugene O'Donnell (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor and former model. He played Charlie Sims in '' Scent of a Woman'', Chris Reece in ''School Ties'', D'Artagnan in ''The Three Musketeers'', Jack Foley in the drama film '' C ...

Band Members

Final Line-up

Selene Vigil Selene Vigil (born July 16, 1965) is an American singer. She co-founded grunge band 7 Year Bitch alongside Elizabeth Davis, Valerie Agnew and Stefanie Sargent in 1990; they released three studio albums before disbanding in 1997. In 2000, Vigil ...

– vocals (1990–1997) * Elizabeth Davis – bass (1990–1997) *

Valerie Agnew Valerie Agnew is best known as the drummer of 7 Year Bitch. Agnew moved from Ohio to Seattle, Washington, where she met the musicians that would become her future bandmates: Selene Vigil (vocals), Elizabeth Davis (bass), and Stefanie Sargent (l ...

– drums (1990–1997) * Lisa Faye Beatty – guitar (1996–1997; died 2011)

Former Members

– guitar (1990–1992; died 1992) *

– guitar (1992–1996) ;Timeline

Discography

Albums

*'' Sick 'Em'' (

, 1992) *''

'' (

, 1994) *''

'' (

, 1996) *''Live at Moe'' (Moe Recordings, 2016)

Singles/EPs

*"Lorna" / "No Fucking War", "You Smell Lonely" (Rathouse/Face The Music Records), (1991; reissued by

in 1992) *"Antidisestablishmentarianism EP" (Rugger Bugger Records, 1992) *"7 Year Bitch" / " Thatcher On Acid" "Can We Laugh Now?" / "No Fucking War" (Clawfist Records, 1992) *"7 Year Bitch EP" (

, 1992) *"Rock-A-Bye Baby" / "Wide Open Trap" (

, 1994) *"Miss Understood" / "Go!" (

Man's Ruin Man's Ruin Records was an independent record label owned and founded by San Francisco Bay Area artist Frank Kozik. After the 1994 release of Man's Ruin's first record ''Experimental Audio Research (EAR): Delta 6'' Kozik worked with artists whom ...

, 1996)

Compilation appearances

* "8-Ball Deluxe" on ''

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 ...

'' (CD version,

, 1992) * "Dead Men Don't Rape" on ''There's A Dyke In The Pit'' (

Outpunk Outpunk enjoys the distinction of being the first record label entirely devoted to queer punk bands. The label was run out of San Francisco and began as an extension of Matt Wobensmith's fanzine, ''Outpunk''. ''Outpunk'' ran for seven issues, from ...

/Harp, 1992) * "The Scratch" on ''Power Flush: San Francisco, Seattle & You'' (Rathouse/Broken Rekids, 1993) * "Dead Men Don't Rape" on ''Progression'' (Progression, 1994) s Seven Year Bitch* "The Scratch," "Icy Blue" on the ''Mad Love Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (

Zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

, 1995) * "Kiss My Ass Goodbye" on ''Seattle Women In Rock: A Diverse Collection'' (Insight, 1995) * "Damn Good And Well" on ''Space Mountain'' ( Rough Trade Publishing, 1995) * "M.I.A." on ''Notes From The Underground, Vol. 2'' (Priority, 1995) * "24,900 Miles An Hour" on Core ''(Volume One)'' (

WEA The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of the ...

, 1996) * "24,900 Mile An Hour" on ''Madhouse Archives Secretos'' (Warner Music Argentina/WEA/Madhouse, 1996) * "The History Of My Future" on ''Sperminator'' (AWA, 1996) * "24,900 Miles An Hour" ''on hu H 23'' (Huh Music Service, 1996) * "Mad Dash" on ''Home Alive: The Art Of Self-Defense'' ( Epic, 1996) * "Knot (Live)" on '' Hype! The Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

, 1996) * "Damn Good And Well" on ''Rough Cuts: The Best Of Rough Trade Publishing, 1991–1995'' (Rough Trade Publishing, 1997) * "Rock-A-Bye Baby" on ''She's A Rebel'' (Beloved/Shanachie, 1997) * "Shake Appeal" on ''We Will Fall: The Iggy Pop Tribute'' (Royalty, 1997) * "M.I.A." on ''Whatever: The 90's Pop & Culture Box'' (Flying Rhino/

, 2005) * "The Scratch" on ''Sleepless In Seattle: The Birth Of Grunge'' (LiveWire Recordings, 2006) * "8 Ball Deluxe" on ''Kill Rock Stars/Stars Kill Rock/Rock Stars Kill'' (Kill Rock Stars, 2013) * "Chow Down" on ''Teen Spirit (Mojo Presents 15 Noise -Filled Classics From The American Underground Scene 1989-1992'' (

Mojo Magazine ''Mojo'' is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that would cater for the bur ...

, 2017)

Music videos

*"In Lust You Trust" (1992) *"Hip Like Junk" (1994) *"24,900 Miles Per Hour" (1996) *"In Lust Up Trust", Hip Like Junk" - ''3 Years Ago Today'' VHS (C/Z, 1998) arious artist compilation

References

External links

*http://www.7yearbitchrocks.com - Official website * *
Photos of 7 Year Bitch
panx.net
7 Year Bitch at the BBC
bbc.co.uk * {{Authority control C/Z Records artists Atlantic Records artists All-female punk bands Grunge musical groups Musical groups established in 1990 Musical groups disestablished in 1997 Musical groups from Seattle Feminist musicians Riot grrrl bands 1990 establishments in Washington (state)