Leslie Mah
Encyclopedia
Leslie Mah is an American
musician and performer.
Mah first began performing with Anti-Scrunti Faction
, a hardcore punk
band based in Boulder, Colorado
which she co-founded with Tracy Thomas. The group first appeared on the Flipside
fanzine
compilation, Flipside Vinyl Fanzine Vol.1 in 1984 and, in 1985, released one single and an album, Damsels In Distress, on Flipside. The two lead performers and songwriters, Mah and Thomas, were part of the formation of the early Queercore
movement, appearing in the seminal zine J.D.s
, and starred and performed in The Yo-Yo Gang
by G.B. Jones, released in 1992.
In 1988, Mah moved to San Francisco and helped found another of the pioneering queercore punk
bands, Tribe 8
, for which she played guitar. The group released their first single on Harp Records, following up with EPS on fledgling queercore label Outpunk
and were later signed to the independent record label
Alternative Tentacles
, releasing a number of singles and albums in the years they were together.
As a band, they first appeared on film in A Gun For Jennifer; performed in She's Real, Worse Than Queer, which featured interviews with Mah, Lynn Breedlove
and other members of the band; and were the subjects of the documentary Rise Above: A Tribe 8 Documentary
by Tracy Flannigan
, which played at film festivals around the world and won several awards including 'Best Documentary'.
Mah has also appeared in other independent films such as White Boy Shut Up by Vu T. and Thu Ha, and directed her own film called Estrofemme. She has also performed with groups such as Grannies and Trannies at the music festival Homo-A-GoGo.
Mah began working as a professional tattoo artist
in 1995 in San Francisco. She is a founder of the Diving Swallow Tattoo collective in Oakland, California.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician and performer.
Mah first began performing with Anti-Scrunti Faction
Anti-Scrunti Faction
Anti-Scrunti Faction were an all-women punk trio from Boulder, Colorado, United States.The band made their first appearance in 1984 on the Restless Records compilation LP entitled FlipSide Vinyl Fanzine Volume 1, assembled by the fanzine Flipside from California, with the song "Big Women". In...
, a hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band based in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
which she co-founded with Tracy Thomas. The group first appeared on the Flipside
Flipside (fanzine)
Flipside was a punk rock fanzine published in Los Angeles, California from 1977 to 2000.As one of the first and longest running US punk rock fanzines, this publication extensively chronicled the world of independent and underground music during this era. Known for its highly opinionated cast of...
fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
compilation, Flipside Vinyl Fanzine Vol.1 in 1984 and, in 1985, released one single and an album, Damsels In Distress, on Flipside. The two lead performers and songwriters, Mah and Thomas, were part of the formation of the early Queercore
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
movement, appearing in the seminal zine J.D.s
J.D.s
J.D.s is a queer punk zine founded in Toronto by G.B. Jones and co-published with Bruce LaBruce, that ran for eight issues from 1985 to 1991....
, and starred and performed in The Yo-Yo Gang
The Yo-Yo Gang
The Yo-Yo Gang is a thirty minute 'exploitation movie' about girl gangs released in 1992 that has become a cult film.Directed by G.B. Jones, this 'no budget film' follows the exploits of two girl gangs, the "Yo-Yo Gang" and the "Skateboard Bitches", as a gangwar erupts between them...
by G.B. Jones, released in 1992.
In 1988, Mah moved to San Francisco and helped found another of the pioneering queercore punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands, Tribe 8
Tribe 8
This article is about the San Francisco based lesbian punk band Tribe 8. See Tribe 8 for Dream Pod 9s post-apocalyptic fantasy role-playing game.Tribe 8 was an all-women outspoken dyke punk band from San Francisco...
, for which she played guitar. The group released their first single on Harp Records, following up with EPS on fledgling queercore label Outpunk
Outpunk
Outpunk enjoys the distinction of being the first record label entirely devoted to queer punk bands.The label was run out of San Francisco and began as an extension of Matt Wobensmith's fanzine, Outpunk. Outpunk ran for seven issues, from 1992 till 1997, with contributions from queer punks such as...
and were later signed to the independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
, releasing a number of singles and albums in the years they were together.
As a band, they first appeared on film in A Gun For Jennifer; performed in She's Real, Worse Than Queer, which featured interviews with Mah, Lynn Breedlove
Lynn Breedlove
Lynn Breedlove is an American trans man musician, writer, and performer.Breedlove was a founding member and lead singer of the San Francisco dyke screamcore band Tribe 8. The band's first single, Pigbitch, was released on Harp records, run by Gina Harp in 1991...
and other members of the band; and were the subjects of the documentary Rise Above: A Tribe 8 Documentary
Rise Above: A Tribe 8 Documentary
Rise Above: The Tribe 8 Documentary is a feature film directed and produced by Tracy Flannigan that documents the all women queercore punk band Tribe 8....
by Tracy Flannigan
Tracy Flannigan
Tracy Flannigan is an award winning independent filmmaker residing in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles who began making movies when she was seventeen years old. She has worked professionally for the last fifteen years in the film business and has created numerous short films and music videos...
, which played at film festivals around the world and won several awards including 'Best Documentary'.
Mah has also appeared in other independent films such as White Boy Shut Up by Vu T. and Thu Ha, and directed her own film called Estrofemme. She has also performed with groups such as Grannies and Trannies at the music festival Homo-A-GoGo.
Mah began working as a professional tattoo artist
Tattoo artist
A tattoo artist is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a tattoo shop, tattoo studio or tattoo parlour...
in 1995 in San Francisco. She is a founder of the Diving Swallow Tattoo collective in Oakland, California.
Filmography
- The Yo-Yo GangThe Yo-Yo GangThe Yo-Yo Gang is a thirty minute 'exploitation movie' about girl gangs released in 1992 that has become a cult film.Directed by G.B. Jones, this 'no budget film' follows the exploits of two girl gangs, the "Yo-Yo Gang" and the "Skateboard Bitches", as a gangwar erupts between them...
by G.B. Jones, 1992 - A Gun For Jennifer, 1996
- She's Real, Worse Than Queer by Lucy ThaneLucy ThaneLucy Thane is a documentary filmmaker.One of her most notable works is It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The UK in which she followed the 1990s riot grrrl band Bikini Kill while they were on tour in the UK with Huggy Bear....
, 1997 - Shut Up White Boy by [Vu T. Thu Ha]
- Estrofemme by Leslie Mah, 1998
- Rise Above: A Tribe 8 DocumentaryRise Above: A Tribe 8 DocumentaryRise Above: The Tribe 8 Documentary is a feature film directed and produced by Tracy Flannigan that documents the all women queercore punk band Tribe 8....
by Tracy FlanniganTracy FlanniganTracy Flannigan is an award winning independent filmmaker residing in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles who began making movies when she was seventeen years old. She has worked professionally for the last fifteen years in the film business and has created numerous short films and music videos...
, 2003 - FtF: Female to Femme, directed by Kami Chisholm and Elizabeth Stark, 2006 http://www.ftfthemovie.com
- Hot Chick Hot Rod Stoner BBQ by Tina Gordon, 2006
- Godspeed by Lynn BreedloveLynn BreedloveLynn Breedlove is an American trans man musician, writer, and performer.Breedlove was a founding member and lead singer of the San Francisco dyke screamcore band Tribe 8. The band's first single, Pigbitch, was released on Harp records, run by Gina Harp in 1991...
and Jen Gilomen, 2007 http://www.godspeedfilm.com
Publications
- Dragon Ladies: Asian American Feminists Breathe Fire, edited by Sonia ShahSonia ShahSonia Shah is an American investigative journalist and author noted for her articles on corporate power - especially with respect to agriculture, oil and pharmaceutical industries - and on gender equality with specific reference to issues that affect developing countries...
, South End PressSouth End PressSouth End Press is a non-profit book publisher run on a model of participatory economics. It was founded in 1977 by Michael Albert, Lydia Sargent, John Schall, Pat Walker, Juliet Schor, Mary Lea, Joe Bowring, and Dave Millikan, among others, in Boston's South End...
, 1997 ISBN 0-89608-575-9