The recent New York Times article on the continuing influence of riot grrrl (“the 1990s feminist indie-rock movement is being reexamined by academics”) got me thinking back to some of the Reed connections to this music and message. Johanna Fateman ’96, of the electro-pop band Le Tigre, is one of the tribe (and was a roommate of Kathleen Hanna, of Bikini Kill, right here in Portland), as is Jody Bleyle ’92. In the early to mid 1990s, any number of riot-grrrl bands played on campus, including Jody’s bands Hazel and Team Dresch.
Not only did these ladies rock in a way that galvanized the artistic and political expression young women at the time, the culture that they created has had a lasting impact; “riot grrrl, with its snarky cut-and-paste zines and carefully built micro-communities, prefigures a lot of youth culture today.”
If you’re feeling fierce, or just fiercely nostalgic for this sound, come to Centennial Reunions on Saturday night, 9 p.m. to midnight in the Commons café, as Jody and friends get their Reed bands back together:
EggDog/Lovebutt, 10 p.m.
Seminal feminist-punk bands return to rock you. Copies of the EggDog Tactical Map and the Lovebutt tape “Emilechrist” will be available. Christine Denkewalter ’92, Jody Bleyle ’92, Alicia Cohen ’93, Hannah Demerritt ’92, Rachel Hanes ’93, Val Risk ’92, Ellen Crofts ’93, John “Krack” Peterson ’93, and special guest Cynthia Star.
Also on Friday night’s bill are two other alumni bands of the 1990s:
HollowDog, 9 p.m.
Stuart Margolis ’93 and his friends perform a tasty take on good old
rock-n-roll. Those who like to kick back and listen or those who get the
urge to dance will enjoy this Portland-area band.
Atomic Swerve, 11 p.m.
Come witness the triumphant, albeit brief, return of the Atomic Swerve! For one night only, this intrepid duo of faux-intellectual college rawkers (Dan Hill ’99 & Brett Rogers ’99) will leave you wondering both what you were doing in the late ’90s and why the hell you ever left.
Finally, for a slightly different spin, come see Sarah Dougher ’90 (former riot grrrl, composer, and teacher) and her “hootenanny” band, the Stumptown Family Ramblers, on Saturday at 1 p.m. on the Commons patio.
