Excuse 17 was a punk rock band 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 ...

, US, that performed and recorded from 1993 to 1995. The band consisted of

Becca Albee Becca Albee is an American musician and visual artist who was a founding member of the band Excuse 17, which was an early pioneer in the riot grrrl and third-wave feminism movements. She is based in Brooklyn, New York. Early life and education Al ...

(vocals and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

Carrie Brownstein Carrie Rachel Brownstein (born September 27, 1974) is an American musician, actress, writer, director, and comedian. She first came to prominence as a member of the band Excuse 17 before forming the rock trio Sleater-Kinney. During a long hiatu ...

(guitar and vocals), and Curtis James (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

). The band recorded two full-length albums and a single, and contributed to several compilation albums.

History

Brownstein, Albee and CJ (Curtis James) Phillips came together to form Excuse 17, a band that lasted only a few years but would prove to be influential. Brownstein and Albee both played guitar and sang and CJ played the drums. The band quickly recorded a demo tape and then began recording for various compilations on

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- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represent ...

. Their first full-length recording, '' Excuse Seventeen'', was released jointly on Atlas Records (LP) 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 specifical ...

label

Chainsaw Records Chainsaw Records is an independent record label run by Donna Dresch that is devoted to Queercore bands. The label is in Portland, Oregon. History ''Chainsaw'' began life as a zine published by Donna Dresch in the late 1980s. Musicians and writ ...

(CD). They released a second and final album, '' Such Friends Are Dangerous'', on the indie label

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 ...

in 1995, which displayed a boost in recording quality. The band often played shows 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 ...

, including touring, not surprisingly since both bands were an active part 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 subcul ...

scene. They also both appear on the compilation LP/CD '' Free to Fight''.

Corin Tucker Corin Lisa Tucker (born November 9, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for her work with rock band Sleater-Kinney. Tucker is also a member of the alternative rock supergroup Filthy Friends, and previously recorded ...

from Heavens to Betsy struck up a friendship with Brownstein and they dated for a time. They decided to form

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 ...

, a side project that soon evolved into their main focus as their respective groups ended. However, Excuse 17's recordings are still valued by fans of Sleater-Kinney, those interested in riot grrrl and queercore recordings, and record collectors in general: ''Such Friends Are Dangerous'' was named one of the fifty best indie rock albums of the Pacific Northwest by online music magazine ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

''. Albee also recorded with Tucker as Heartless Martin, releasing a cassette on Chainsaw Records in 1993. Following the dissolution of Excuse 17, Albee has built a successful career in visual art. Her work has been praised by publications including ''

Bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

'', '' Tom Tom'', ''

Artforum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ x 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notably ...

'', and ''

Aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An ...

''. Her papers are being preserved by the Fales Library at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

. As of 2017 she is a photography professor at the City College of New York. As of 2017 James lives in Olympia and plays drums for the rock band Nudity.

Discography

Albums

*'' Excuse Seventeen'' on

(CD) and Atlas Records (LP) (1994) *'' Such Friends Are Dangerous'' on

(1995)

Singles

*"Youth On Fire" split single with Lync on

Candy Ass Records Candy Ass Records was an independent record label in Portland, Oregon that was run by Jody Bleyle, a member of the bands Team Dresch and Hazel and of the queercore bands Family Outing and Infinite Xs. The label is best known for the 1995 relea ...

Compilations

* "Sevenwhateverteen" on ''Periscope'', Yoyo Recordings (1994) * "Forever Fired" on '' Free to Fight'', Candy Ass - Chainsaw co-release (1995) * "Carson" on ''Yoyo A GoGo'', Yoyo Recordings (1996) * "I'd Rather Eat Glass" on ''A Slice Of Lemon'', Kill Rock Stars (1996)

References

External links

Excuse 17 fan siteExcuse 17 Poster 1994-05-21
{{Authority control Punk rock groups from Washington (state) Kill Rock Stars artists Musical groups from Olympia, Washington American musical trios Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Queercore groups Riot grrrl bands 1993 establishments in Washington (state)