The Butchies were an all-female punk rock band from Durham, North Carolina, that existed from 1998 to 2005. They reunited from their

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: * Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure * Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes'' * G ...

to tour with

Amy Ray Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American alto singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls. She also pursues a solo career and has released six albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daemo ...

of the

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part o ...

promoting Ray's new album in 2010. The frequent focus of their lyrical content concerned lesbian and queer themes. Made up of Team Dresch guitarist and frontwoman Kaia Wilson, bassist Alison Martlew, and drummer Melissa York, The Butchies has been referred to as "queercore crusaders". The band has been performing together since the recording of their first

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''Are We Not Femme?'' in 1998. Since then, the trio has recorded three subsequent albums, '' Population: 1975'' in 1999, '' 3'' in 2001, and '' Make Yr Life'' in 2004. They have also appeared on a number of compilations of note, including '' Being Out Rocks'', produced by the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...

(Centaur Productions, 2002), and '' 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 know ...

, 2002). In 2005 the band announced a hiatus. The first three albums were released by the now-defunct Mr. Lady Records, run by Kaia Wilson and Tammy Rae Carland. It was named after Wilson's first solo LP, ''Ladyman'', created after leaving Team Dresch. The label also released the first two

Le Tigre Le Tigre (, ; French for "The Tiger") is an American electronic rock band formed by Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill), Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning in 1998 in New York City. Benning left in 2000 and was replaced by JD Samson for the res ...

recordings. ''Make Yr Life'' was released by

Yep Roc Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Nick Lowe, Pau ...

. The track "Sex (I'm a Lesbian)" appeared on Mr. Lady's 1999

sampler album A sampler or promotional compilation is a type of compilation album generally offered at a reduced price to showcase an artist or a selection of artists signed to a particular record label. The format became popular in the late 1960s as record lab ...

, '' New Women's Music Sampler''. In 2001, a live rendition of the track "Disco" appeared on another sampler album, '' Calling All Kings & Queens''. Kaia Wilson had previously performed in Adickdid and the

queercore Queercore (or homocore) is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specificall ...

band Team Dresch, appearing on their first two albums, ''

Personal Best A personal record or personal best (abbreviated to PR or PB) is an individual's best performance in a given sporting discipline. It is most commonly found in athletic sports, such as track and field, other forms of running, swimming and weightlift ...

'' and ''

Captain My Captain ''Captain My Captain'' is the second and final studio album by the pioneering American queercore band Team Dresch. The album was released on June 4, 1996, by Chainsaw Records and Candy Ass Records. It was reissued in 2019 by Jealous Butcher Re ...

''; Melissa York was also in Team Dresch, playing drums on the second LP and, prior to that, performing in two

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pu ...

bands, Vitapup and

Born Against Born Against was an American hardcore punk band from New York active between 1989 and 1993. In addition to their radical leftist politics, the group espoused a DIY punk message and challenged what they perceived as being a problem within the p ...

, before the two women joined with Alison Martlew to form The Butchies. The Butchies also played on the 2001

(of the

) album ''

Stag Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reind ...

'' on

Daemon Records Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American alto singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls. She also pursues a solo career and has released six albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daem ...

and backed her up on tour. The band's name appears in the lyrics of the

song "

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming, ...

Discography

;Albums *''Are We Not Femme?'' (1998, Mr. Lady Records) *'' Population: 1975'' (1999, Mr. Lady Records) *'' 3'' (2001, Mr. Lady Records) *'' Make Yr Life'' (2004, Yep Roc Records) ;Singles *"Freaks***Athletes"/"Where R We", (2001, Mr. Lady Records)

References

External links

The Butchies
on Myspace *https://web.archive.org/web/20130515192503/http://www.nyrock.com/reviews/2001/amyray.asp {{DEFAULTSORT:Butchies, The All-female punk bands Musical groups from North Carolina Queercore groups Riot grrrl bands Yep Roc Records artists Feminist musicians 1998 establishments in North Carolina

Discography

See also

References

External links