September 2002: 

The Girls Of Sleater Kinney Speak Up On September 11th

By: Justin

 The Olympia based band Sleater Kinney formed in 1994 and quickly became one of the leading lights of the riot grrl movement. Centered around the Northwest, especially the Washington capital of Olympia, home of Calvin Johnson's seminal indie label K, their music and that of other like minded bands such as Bikini Kill and Bratmobile combined fiery lyrics concerning women's struggle for equality with the aggressive guitars and vocal delivery that had previously only been associated with the male dominated world of punk music. The group, consisting of singer/guitarists Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss, gained critical and popular acclaim with their intertwined guitars and inspirational lyrics. 1997's "Call the Doctor" is widely accepted as their artistic breakthrough, followed up by 2000's excellent "All Hands on the Bad One."

As with many artists, the tragic events of September eleventh gave the group a wider scope through which to base their music. How were they to address so serious an issue without sounding trite or overly sentimental? How to express the feelings and thoughts of not only themselves but also the listeners to whom they are admired by? The group had always addressed struggles and conflict in a personal way, and now they would apply that ideal to a larger social and political context. The new release by the band, "One Beat" examines the issue unflinchingly, without preaching or seeming to know the answers as to why tragedies, both on a large or personal scale, happen. The title track and first song offers the line, "could you invent a world for me, now all that's on the surface are bloody arms and oil fields" The message of despair is clear, but the lyrics never are so overtly direct or specific as to insult the listener by telling them what to think. More descriptive of world events are the lines from the song, "Far Away".

"7:30 AM nurse the baby on the couch/ then the phone rings/"turn on the TV"/ watch the world explode in flames/ and don't leave the house/ and the sky overhead is silent...the heart is hit/in a city far away/but it feels so close, followed by the chorus of "why can't I get along with you?"

       Sleater Kinney are now touring to promote their new recording, and will be at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on September 11th. Most large acts on tour are not scheduled to perform that day, and while it may be an appropriate show of respect, the band will no doubt put on an amazing concert which will be both a fun escape while also addressing current world issues in their unmistakably direct and intelligent way. Support the band by picking up their new disc at an independent record store, and see their concert in Denver if you can, because sometimes it seems as if music is the only intelligent political dialogue we have.