| Sleater-Kinney | |
|---|---|
Sleater-Kinney in 2005. (Photo by Tyler Craft) |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Olympia, Washington, United States |
| Genres | Riot grrrl, punk rock |
| Years active | 1994–2006 |
| Labels | Chainsaw, Kill Rock Stars, Sub Pop |
| Associated acts | Cadallaca, Excuse 17, Heavens to Betsy, ninetynine, Quasi, The Spells, Mary Timony, Pearl Jam, Wild Flag |
| Website | www.sleater-kinney.com |
| Past members | |
| Corin Tucker Carrie Brownstein Janet Weiss Lora McFarlane Toni Gogin Misty Farrell |
|
Sleater-Kinney (pronounced /ˈsleɪtərˈkɪniː/ slay-tər-kin-ee[1]) was an alternative rock band that formed in 1994 in Olympia, Washington. The group's name is derived from Sleater-Kinney Road, Interstate 5 off ramp[2] #108 in Lacey, Washington, the location of one of their early practice spaces. They were a noted part of the "riot grrrl" and indie rock scenes in the Pacific Northwest. The band was known for its feminist and left-leaning politics.[3]
Contents |
Sleater-Kinney was formed in early 1994 in Olympia, Washington, by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. Tucker was formerly in the influential riot grrrl band Heavens to Betsy, while Brownstein was formerly in the queercore band Excuse 17. They often played at gigs together and formed Sleater-Kinney as a side-project from their respective bands. When Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17 disbanded, Sleater-Kinney became their primary focus. Janet Weiss of Quasi was the band's first drummer, though Sleater-Kinney has had other drummers, including Lora Macfarlane, Misty Farrell, and Toni Gogin.
Upon Tucker's graduation from Evergreen State College (where Brownstein remained a student for three more years), she and then-girlfriend Brownstein took a trip to Australia in early 1994. Their last day there, they stayed up all night recording what would become their self-titled debut album.[4] It was released the following spring. They followed this with Call the Doctor (1996) and Dig Me Out (1997), and became critical darlings as a result.
Their next few albums pushed the band towards mainstream listeners, culminating in 2002's One Beat. The group opened for Pearl Jam at many North American shows beginning in 2003, and the band cited the experience of playing to large arenas as part of the inspiration and motivation for the music found on their last album, The Woods. The Woods was released in 2005, and was a departure from the sound of their previous albums. In its place, The Woods featured a denser, heavily distorted sound that drew on classic rock as its inspiration. In 2006 they helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival.
Renowned critics Greil Marcus and Robert Christgau have each praised Sleater-Kinney as one of the essential rock groups of the late 90s/early 00s. Marcus named Sleater-Kinney America's best rock band in a 2001 issue of Time magazine.
Sleater-Kinney's musical style sprang from and was rooted in Olympia, Washington's fertile punk and independent rock scenes of the early- to mid-1990s, forming around the last years of the riot grrrl movement, and with Tucker and Brownstein coming from veteran acts from the beginning of the movement. Their sound incorporates personal and social themes along with stripped-down music that was influenced by punk and the free-thinking ideals of 1980s-1990s alternative and indie rock. They experimented with this foundation by bringing in different instruments and arrangements.[5] Sleater-Kinney have named influences such as Bikini Kill, Mecca Normal, Bratmobile, Throwing Muses and Sonic Youth. Corin Tucker's emotional vocals[6] and the band's lyrics alternate between personal and political topics, rebelling against war, traditionalism, gender roles and consumerism from feminist and progressive perspectives.[3] Sleater-Kinney contributed the protest song "Off With Your Head" to NOFX leader Fat Mike's Rock Against Bush compilation.
In a documentary about riot grrrl, Tucker revealed that her vocal style has always been intentionally harsh to suit the band's message and to demand focus from the listener,[7] and her vocals have been described by Allmusic critic Heather Phares as "love-them-or-hate-them vocals."[8] At the beginning of the band's career, lead vocals were often performed by Tucker, though as the band progressed, Brownstein began to appear more as a vocalist. Both Brownstein and Tucker played guitar, with Brownstein usually handling lead and Tucker performing rhythm. Although Sleater-Kinney had no bass player, both Tucker and Brownstein tuned their guitars one and a half steps down ("C# tuning"), and Tucker's tone and style enabled her to fill the same role as a bass guitar.
On June 27, 2006, the band announced an indefinite hiatus, stating there were "no plans for future tours or recordings". Sleater-Kinney's last major public show was at the 2006 Lollapalooza music festival. They did not play an encore. The band's last appearance was at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon, on August 12, 2006. No explanation for the hiatus was given, but it is widely believed to be because Tucker wanted to concentrate on raising her child. In a May 2005 interview, Janet Weiss stated, "Corin's hurdles were my biggest hurdles. Her pulling away from the band was the hardest thing for me as far as writing music. She said in a recent interview that she thinks about quitting every week - and that's heavy for me, 'cause this is all I want to do."[9]
Tucker had previously hinted in interviews that Sleater-Kinney might become inactive soon. In a 2005 interview with Bust magazine, she was asked how she would handle touring when her young son started school, and she replied that she didn't even know if they would make another record after The Woods.[10]
In an interview from March 17, 2010, Carrie Brownstein claimed that Sleater-Kinney may reunite and release an album "sometime in the next five years."
In 1998, the band recorded "Big Big Lights", the first split single (with Cypher in the Snow) in the series of recordings dealing with women's self-defense entitled Free to Fight, and released on Candy Ass Records.
In 1999, Carrie Brownstein recorded a four-song vinyl EP titled The Age of Backwards with Mary Timony in a duo called The Spells.
In 2000, all three members of Sleater-Kinney assisted Robert Forster and Grant McLennan of the now-defunct Brisbane indie band The Go-Betweens to record the album The Friends of Rachel Worth.
In 2003, the band recorded the song "Angry Inch" with Fred Schneider of The B-52's for the Hedwig and the Angry Inch charity tribute album Wig in a Box. Proceeds for the album went to the Harvey Milk School, a school for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.
Along with performing in Sleater-Kinney, Tucker also was a member of the band Cadallaca with Sarah Dougher and sts (both formerly of The Lookers). In a recent interview, however, she told the public "not to hold [their] breath for a new Cadallaca album." Tucker also featured on Eddie Vedder's (Pearl Jam) solo album Into the Wild, where she performed vocals on the track "Hard Sun" along with Vedder. In 2008, Tucker collaborated again with Vedder on a cover of John Doe's The Golden State on Doe's Golden State EP.
| Year | Album | US Billboard 200 | Heatseekers (US) | Top Independent Albums (US) | Top Internet Albums (US) | UK Albums |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Hot Rock | 181 | 12 | - | - | - |
| 2000 | All Hands on the Bad One | 177 | 12 | - | - | 156 |
| 2002 | One Beat | 107 | 2 | 5 | - | - |
| 2005 | The Woods | 80 | - | 2 | 80 | - |
| Year | Title | Album | UK Singles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "One More Hour" | Dig Me Out | 153 |
| 1998 | "Little Babies" | Dig Me Out | 147 |
| 1999 | "A Quarter To Three" | The Hot Rock | 157 |
| 1999 | "Get Up" | The Hot Rock | 111 |
| 2000 | "You're No Rock 'n' Roll Fun" | All Hands on the Bad One | 94 |
| 2005 | "Entertain" | The Woods | — |
| 2005 | "Jumpers" | The Woods | — |
|
||||||||||||||||||||